Page 37 of Finding Closure

“You’re just making that all up with magic,” one accused. “You’re more than powerful enough to make us believe we were there with you and experience the same.” She quickly added on a “Your Highness” when a few people gave her shit looks.

“You’re right, I could.” I put a barrier up around just us and called Neldor on speaker.

“Hey, hi, baby doll,” he answered immediately. “Did you talk to Izzy?”

“Yeah, but I got held up dealing with your petty past,” I grumbled, putting on an act while smirking at them.

“What can I do to make it better, My Queen?” he asked, his tone worried. “Let’s go take a soak and I’ll take all your stress away. Let me feast on you. Please? I’m so hungry for you.”

“Just me?” I pushed.

He snorted. “I might have performed oral sex before to be a good lover, but you know I love the taste of you. I never enjoyed it like that—I didn’t know it could be so enjoyable, but the way you get into it—fuck, I’m so hard thinking about it. Tell me whatever you want tonight to make it better and I’ll do it. I need to taste you, Tams. Please?”

“I do like when you beg,” I purred. “How about you find something creative to eat off of me and then we have that Memphis barbeque for second dinner? Then, if you’re really good, I’ll—”

“No, just you tonight, My Queen,” he growled. “After barbeque, I’ll give you a massage, and if I’m lucky you will straddle my head and let me feast on you for all the dessert I ever need.”

“Deal. See you soon.” I met each of their gazes individually. “He has a past. He was honest about that. I don’t give a shit. I give a shit that you’re childish and petty enough to try and make a scene and tear down another woman instead of support what I’m trying to do for Faerie. That’s why I embarrassed you, not because you fucked my mate before I was born.”

I left them standing there with their mouths hanging open and went to join the others.

And yes, I collected on everything Neldor had promised on the phone and then some.

10

A week later, everyone was abuzz about the final vote of confidence. I was simply excited that we had an actual set way to vote now in Faerie. It was a system of magic and technology that was pretty damn ingenious. Since we were going through all of this, I added a few things for fairies to vote on.

First, the proposed changes for the local ordinances and taxes. There were a few kinks we had to work out for specific areas, but we got it all pretty much covered. If not, people had a voice to vote that we were missing something. There was an option to vote exactly that but they approved otherwise.

Also, at every voting location, we had some ideas set up for new housing outside of the city walls. There wasn’t much like that except farms or lavish estates, and that needed to change. City walls were great for the history, but there would be peace in Faerie now, so they weren’t needed for protection.

And honestly, they hadn’t been all that useful in many,manyyears for the wars. They were a relic of turf conflicts inside of a realm, and that hadn’t happened in over two thousand years from what I could tell.

But we needed more housing—better housing with more space and room for growth. A few of the laws I was planning to change were also there for people to vote if they agreed with them.

Some I might adjust if people didn’t like, but others… It was mostly ceremonial and so people could have their voices heard. I was abolishing the law against intermating between light and dark fairies even if every fucking fairy in Faerie objected.

They wouldn’t. I knew that, but no one could stop me. I wanted everyone else still against the realms combining to see how outnumbered they were basically.

“Her numbers have fallen,” a woman whispered at breakfast when I walked in after training. “They started the early voting last night and her numbers were higher.”

“Going from a hundred percent to ninety-seven percent isn’t exactly something to worry about,” another woman drawled. “The news said they were doing early voting mostly for the Guardians and those who had roles here on Earth. So yeah, probably all on her team.”

“Is there another team to choose when she’s the only option?” a guy snarked. “What’s even the point of this when the choices are her or her?”

“To show assholes who keep fighting me and progress that most people are in agreement with me for my vision of Faerie and my rule,” I told him honestly as I helped one of the hobgoblins who brought food over. “Also to show my people that they will have more of a voice even if we will continue to be a monarchy.”

“Reports are coming in from our people who were allowed into Faerie to witness this historic event that fairies lined up hours before the polls opened and wearing red clothes to support Princess Tamsin,” a news anchor said from one of the magical screens up. “And the process is seamless and orderly. One line of options for fairies to press buttons and move along.”

“Yes, we reported on the covered tunnels basically,” another anchor reported. “Each area has two, and that is the official count for that city or town. I honestly thought thatwouldn’t be enough and would be ridiculously slow, but I’m glad I was wrong. The report we received is it’s efficient and takes about ten seconds for each fairy to use, so the line moves.”

“Faster than any drive-thru,” the first joked, both of them chuckling.

By lunch, it was estimated that only about a quarter of Faerie had voted, and that was a lot less than I had assumed. We had the polls open super early for people so those who worked nights or opened the markets would have the option.

“More than that have voted,” Shael assured me when I raised the concern. “That’s all that’s been reported in to the main tallying location in Theripolis.”

“How much more are we talking?” I checked noting the tension around me.

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