Page 80 of Kings and Monsters

"After you left the Aos Si, I threw myself into helping establish the council and maintaining the peace, but once that was done, I realized I had no place in the new regime. Maybe I have seen too much war that I don't recognize the Aos Si without it. I don't feel like I belong there anymore, so I thought I'd see if I could belong here…with you, if you want."

"I love you, and to have you with me is all I ever wanted," Bleddyn said, pulling her close. "I couldn't force you to choose."

"I had to feel like my duty to them was done before I could leave. It is, and now I will have what I want." She kissed him very softly, and he drew her closer, breathing in her warmth and scent.

He wanted to get on his knees in front her, tell her all the things he should've said before leaving the Aos Si—that he didn't want to live without her, that she understood every dark part of him and was the only one who had ever been able to meet him there and love him all the same. That he loved the woman she was now more than the memory of what she used to be. Eirianwen kissed his knuckles and smiled at him as if she knew anyway.

"Why is the house so quiet, Bleddyn? Where are your argumentative children?" she asked finally.

"I've sent everyone away until I can heal Balthasar. I'm failing him, Eirianwen. I didn't want them to see it."

"If what Bran told me is true, you aren't failing anyone. You have always been too hard on yourself. You need to learn you can't control everything, Bleddyn, no matter how hard you try," Eirianwen said, her arm wrapping around him. "We need to treat this like we would anything else. We will work methodically through what we know of Aeronwen and her liaisons and figure out where the spell came from. You don't need to do this alone, my love." He pulled her onto his lap just as a hunting horn echoed through the skies.

"What is that?" Eirianwen jumped.

"The Hunt," Bleddyn said. "What is he doing here?"

They hurried downstairs and found Gwyn and a group of warriors standing on the driveway. The Lord of the Hunt looked furious, which wasn't a good sign.

Bleddyn bowed. "My Lord, I wasn't expecting you. Did everything go to plan in Glastonbury?"

"More or less," Gwyn dismounted and removed his helm. "Your son is a disrespectful lout, Seren Du."

"I'm sorry?"

Gwyn made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat. "Where did you put Rosa's beast?"

"Why?" Bleddyn asked suspiciously. He knew Rosa would be angry with him, but he didn't think she would ever hand Balthasar over to the Hunt.

"Because you'll never be able to break his curse without my help," Gwyn said. "And Merlin is a meddling bastard."

"He is that. This way, my Lord," Bleddyn said.

"What in hell is Merlin playing at?" Eirianwen whispered.

"Gods only know."

Balthasar growled angrily when they filed into the dungeons. His tail swished, and ears flickered as Gwyn opened the door to his cell.

"That is enough out of you. Come to me, you unworthy beast," Gwyn commanded, his magic lashing out like a whip.

Balthasar snarled and obeyed, his head low. Gwyn hissed, making Balthasar lie down whimpering. Bleddyn made to step forward, but Eirianwen grabbed his hand, holding him back.

"He's hurting him," Bleddyn protested.

"Wait," she whispered. "If he were going to kill him, he'd be dead."

Gwyn crouched down to where Balthasar was submitting to him and placed his hand on the silver seal buried in his fur. He whispered a spell and Balthasar shuddered as the silver pulled itself together, reforming into a heavy ring.

"I knew that bitch stole this," Gwyn cursed and slipped it on his finger.

Balthasar howled in pain and tore at his fur with his long claws. His horns snapped off, and with a screaming cry, he pulled himself out of the beast's skin, bloody and naked as a newborn. Gwyn watched him with guarded silver eyes.

His lip curled as he said, "So you are the one she loves so much. Pathetic that she chooses you over me."

Balthasar lunged for him, but Gwyn was too quick, flipping him onto his back. "Listen to me and heed my warning, Leiddiad. If you don't pull yourself together and be the man Rosa deserves, there isn't a hole in all the worlds that will hide you from me."

"You knew this was your magic the whole time?" Bleddyn demanded, his tone icy.

---