Page 17 of Perfectly Perplexing Zombie

“You believe his response courageous?” I could understand stubborn.

“Of course. Walk with me, Hellfire.”

I didn’t hesitate but remained a half-step behind my queen’s gait. Each gentle footfall released the scent of freshly blooming flowers. It should have been overwhelming, but just like everything else about my queen, it expertly walked the line of perfection.

Softly humming, Queen Silvidia’s lips remained tilted in an amused smile. When we reached the edge of a shallow brook, she walked just far enough for the tips of her toes to enter the cool water, and still, she remained silent.

I could do nothing but wait. It was not a hardship. Being in Queen Silvidia’s presence brought me nothing but peace. It was the epitome of safety and was the only time my body ever fully relaxed.

“Hanan was the same.” Queen Silvidia’s words barely stumbled over her brother’s name. “He was willful to the point of stubborn foolishness. I came to rely on that steadfast certainty. It was an aspect of Hanan’s personality I could always count upon. I suppose, in the end, it was also what contributed to his death.”

When I started to protest, she waved a dismissive hand. The flowers blooming within her hair brightened, unfurling their petals even wider.

“Oh, I know he was murdered, and Hanan was not to blame, but a series of circumstances led him to a more vulnerable place.” Queen Silvidia sighed deeply. “Centuries later and I still miss him. I still wonder if my brother knew of the hybrid child he sired and chose to hide them or if he died unaware. I cannot decide which fate is the sorrier one.”

“I am sorry, my queen.” They were not placating words. I was truly sorry about Prince Hanan’s death.

“As are we all.” She smiled weakly, her peach gaze wistful. “And yet, he left a piece of himself behind. A piece that has dwindled until Wendall is all that remains.”

My jaw tightened, teeth grinding. It would have been better if Queen Silvidia was angry. I could have dealt with that emotion much easier.

“I could force him,” I said. There was no law that said Wendall had to accept my offer. There was also no law that said it couldn’t be forced upon him. I suspected that law didn’t exist simply because no fairy had ever contemplated the possibility of denial.

“No,” Queen Silvidia answered after a few silent moments of contemplation. “I will not be responsible for ordering that. If our positions were reversed and it were my brother standing here, making decisions about my decedents, I would want him to respect their wishes.”

I’d never felt like a bigger failure. It was an emotion I was wholly incapable of understanding, let alone dealing with. I wanted to burn the world to the ground. I wanted to destroy cities. I wanted to erase my failure from the universe.

My heart raced, and my internal rage seethed. That rage was directed at no one but me. I was not angry with Wendall. Perhaps I should be, but I wasn’t. His answer had been unexpected and confusing but not ire-inducing. Maybe it should have been. The fact I wasn’t infuriated with him was also confusing.

“Be at ease, Hellfire. At this rate, I will need to repopulate the entire forest.”

I took in a painfully hissed breath of heated air. The ground beneath my feet, stretching out in a circle that would have encompassed my queen had her feet not been in the water, was scorched earth. Smoke rose from the ground and the surrounding burned foliage. I hadn’t lost control like that since I was a child.

“Forgive me.” I deeply bowed as another layer of shame piled upon my shoulders.

“There is nothing to forgive, and the destruction is not irreversible. Just as Wendall’s response is changeable.”

“My queen?”

Turning her swirling peach gaze on me, Queen Silvidia smiled. “There is time yet. I trust you will find a way to convince my nephew that a fairy bond is all he desires. I believe a little wooing is in order, Hellfire.”

Wooing.I failed to keep the horror from my face in spite of Queen Silvidia’s laughter.

* * *

“Wooing?” One of Lucroy’s perfect eyebrows arched. “Apologies, Ray, but I am afraid I do not fully understand the request.”

“Who do you want to woo?” Peaches asked, scooting far enough that he might as well have sat in Lucroy’s lap. Unlike his beloved, Peaches was more intrigued than confused by my inquiry.

“Does it matter?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Pfft, of course it matters.” Golden-yellow pixie dust filled the air around our little corner booth.

Peaches had come into the bar with Lucroy tonight. I’d given Peaches’s presence a fifty-fifty chance. The two didn’t relish time apart, but given Peaches’s bond with his orchard, he couldn’t be away from his bonded land for long stretches of time. If he were kept away, Peaches would eventually perish, and since Peaches had consented to become Lucroy’s beloved, his vampire would follow him into an everlasting grave.

“Explain.”

Lips twisting, Peaches glanced at Lucroy before returning his attention to me. “Are you serious right now?” When I nodded, Peaches blew out a heavy breath, and his wings momentarily stilled. “Unbelievable.”

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