Page 35 of Cathmoir's Sons

He puts down his fork and reaches his hand out to me. I take it and lace our fingers together.

“Sorry, Rho,” he murmurs. “I know you’ve been running from this shit for a long time. I thought I could insulate you from it. I didn’t blame you for not wanting any part of it. Not after what Niles did to you, the fucker. But if you’re going to be Caileán’s consort, I don’t think it’s avoidable. Being with the Crow Queen means fighting her battles. She’s always going to stand with her friends, and her friends have chosen sides. Which pretty much means we have, too.”

Lords clears his throat. “You’re barely adults.”

“This isn’t about age, grandpa,” Luca retorts. “It’s about might and right. We have the might. The question is just where we’re going to throw it. Law and I have been throwing it at the worst of Faery for a long time. With Caileán entering the fray, we’ve retargeted. That’s all. It’s more of the same for us. But you’ve got to get it straight in your head. You have to see us all as expendable, otherwise the losses are going to chip away at your soul until you’re no good to anyone.”

“You’re not expendable.” Lords shakes his head.

I echo him. “I can’t think like that.”

“We’re not to each other,” Luca says, squeezing my fingers. “But we have to be to you. I may only be the spare, but I’ve been trained for war right alongside Law. I know what it takes to lead. I’m warning you, you can’t take every loss personally. You can’t believe each death is your fault. You can’t. You’ll go crazy.”

Lords takes a ragged breath. “I’ll think on this.”

“I wouldn’t say this to, well, anybody else in the world, but I think you should spend some time with my brother.”

Lords barks a laugh. “I see.”

“Seriously. Dad’s been moulding him into a war-leader for a hella long time. It hasn’t always been good for him. It’s made him hard and somewhat callous. He has trouble seeing any perspective other than his own and Dad’s. But he has the mindset to win a war. He knows exactly what he can’t lose and what he can. Forgive me for saying so, but you don’t. I’m not trying to insult you. I’m just telling you what I see.” Luca groans a little and releases my hand to finish his tuna. “Also, I have to tell Kellan all of this. Which is totally unfair. But Law won’t do it so I’d better. Fuck me.”

Lords shakes his head but he’s grinning. “I’m also in love with a woman who makes my life both heaven and hell. You have my sympathies. Nor do I take any offense. I still have no idea why Azrael chose me.” Lords pushes the last of his tomatoesaround on his plate. “I’m fumbling my way through this. Not always very successfully.”

Luca shrugs one shoulder while he polishes off his fish and stabs bites from my plate until I threaten him with my fork.

“Maybe what this part of the war needs is someone who brings people together instead of barking commands. I’m learning not to question the ideas of immortals.” Luca flashes a grin at me. “Life’s easier if you let them do what they want and just work around them.”

“Very true,” Lords says. “In the fallout of Jedburgh Abbey, I’ve found myself dealing with a number of immortals or quasi-mortals who delight in making my life difficult. If you, or your brother, were to assist me in dealing with them ... I’d be very grateful.”

“Sure.” Luca shrugs again like the head of a Zodiac Guild didn’t just ask him to be an envoy.

“One last thing and I’ll thank you for lunch and let you enjoy your afternoon.” Lords steeples his hands over his plate. “Kellan Wyndham. I understand her transition into a Queen of Faery has been difficult. There are rumors flying after her appearance at Teddy Nowak’s Hogmanay Hootananny—don’t tell Teddy I called it that, she’ll never let me live it down—and the following day when she evidently took a long walk around Thistlemist with the Holly King. Is she entertaining his suit?”

“Entertaining his suit?” Luca squints at Lords. “Move on from the Middle Ages, grandpa. Is he making a play to be added to her harem? Yeah. Is she going to? Dunno. Depends on whether his interests align with ours.”

Lords rubs his temple. “Which would be?”

Luca slides me a long glance. I keep my face still. I don’t think it’s a good idea for anyone else to know that Kellan intends to overthrow the Oak King. But I don’t know what she’s already told her friends. Lords may know more than we do.

“You should ask her,” Luca says finally.

Lords spreads his hand across his forehead and massages both temples. “My fiancée and Teddy Nowak—of whom I’m ridiculously fond, unfortunately—are Kellan’s best friends. No matter what I say or do to try to dissuade them, they’ll follow her straight into the teeth of the storm. Or the teeth of the Oak King, in this case.”

I swallow hard. He knows.

“Those aren’t losses that I’lleverbe able to accept,” Lords says emphatically. “Rachel and Teddy and her family won’teverbe expendable to me. I need to know how to stop Kellan from marrying the Holly King, killing the Oak King, and taking over all of Faery.”

Luca and I trade lifted eyebrows.

“I don’t think ruling all of Faery is her goal,” I say. “If that helps any.”

“Is she going to try to kill the Oak King?” Lords asks flatly.

“Yes,” Luca says. “But not because she wants to rule Faery. It’s personal. And I don’t think she has any intention of marrying the Holly King. Law wouldn’t allow it, anyway.”

“When you say allow—” Lords begins.

Luca rolls his lips back from his fangs. “Law was two minutes away from eating the Holly King’s head at Hogmanay and all the Holly King did was ask Kellan to dance. What do you think Law’ll do if the Holly King tries to kiss her, or worse, propose? Only one person will walk away from that, and it won’t be the Holly King.”

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