Page 96 of Two Thousand Shadows

“I beg your pardon,” Rei gasped, seeming to choke on the words. “What do you mean? You all go home. Back through the door. Scoot! Close the door and forget about the human realm for a few millennia.”

For several heartbeats, Ellora stared at him as if he were dense or just insane. “And that’s it? You’re staying here? We close the door, and you’re going to die. Have you lost your mind living with the vampires and-and…” Words dried up on Ellora’s tongue as her wide eyes skimmed over the various creatures that were now part of the Zhang clan.

“Probably a little, but if my parents and Trin were anything to go by, my family wasn’t all there to begin with.”

Ellora’s glare turned dark and Junjie held his breath, waiting for the woman to hit him with her bow. “What are we supposed to do? You were the crown prince when Queen Belladonna was killed, but Trin stole the throne from you?—”

“I actually abdicated, but you weren’t there for that. It was a whole mess,” Rei interrupted.

“Prince Wistari Elnaril Rey?—”

“Shhhh!Don’t say my whole real name!” Rei shuddered. “By the gods. In the human world, it sounds like you’re summoning a demon.”

“What the fuck are we supposed to do?” she screamed at him.

Rei at last sighed and reached behind him with his left hand to motion for Yichen to draw closer. When his mate was standing beside him, Rei placed an arm on his shoulder and leaned on Yichen for support. The elf might be healing from his fight with Trin, but it was clear that he was weak and still in a lot of pain.

“King Ash and Queen Belladonna were a nightmare. We hoped Trin might be better since he didn’t grow up immersed in the court like you were, but he was as bad as his mother. Countless generations of your family have ruled the fae. There’s no contingency plan if there isn’t someone in the direct line of succession,” Ellora continued. “You saved us from Trin, but you’re abandoning us to anarchy once the door is closed. How are the fae supposed to rebuild in chaos?”

All the joking and teasing disappeared from Rei’s expression, and lines dug in around his mouth and across his brow. Gone was the young man of mischief. “Ellora, I’m not the right answer.”

“But—”

Rei held up a hand, stopping her argument in her throat. “I’m an easy answer. I’m the answer no one has to think about, because I’m just the next in line. But that’s a line of people who have made terrible decisions for our people. I don’t want to be king.” A tiny smirk lifted one corner of his mouth. “That’s not modesty talking. We both know I have none of that.”

“What you want is a brighter, more equal future for all of the fae, and sticking with more kings like Ash and Trin won’t give you the future you want,” Yichen added.

Ellora’s shoulders slumped, and the tip of her bow dug into the dirt. “What am I supposed to tell them?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got an idea.”

Rei pushed off from where he’d been leaning against Yichen and walked farther into the field to where Ellora’s and Trin’sarmies gathered together, staring awkwardly at each other as if they couldn’t decide whether they were still enemies.

The former crown prince lifted his hands above his head and then jerked slightly, lowering them.

“My people, listen to me,” he started, his voice ringing out. “Your royal family has served you poorly for too many long centuries. They’ve led you down a dark path for their own benefit, and it’s time to return to the light that has always graced the fae. It’s time to go home.” Rei paused and Junjie strained to listen to the indistinct murmur of conversation. He couldn’t understand what was being said, but it didn’t sound riotous, which was a step in the right direction.

“While the fae may be able to conquer the humans, it will drain our magic. Our home will be left barren and without magic. Our kind will wither as well. It’s time to go home and replenish our strength.” Rei paused and motioned to his half sister. “Ellora carries the royal spark of magic, but without the evil that tainted my family. She will lead you home. After some time has passed and the fae are on the mend, I ask that each of the heads of the various clans send a representative to the sacred pool. There, the clans will meet and devise a new, fair system of ruling the fae with Ellora’s help.

“In the meantime, I will remain here in the human realm after the door has been closed as penance for how my family has harmed both the humans and the fae.” Rei finished with a bow to the gathered fae. Junjie picked up a soft moan, though, and Yichen hurried forward to help him rise.

Time ticked by, and no one moved. There was a low rumble of conversation among the members of the fae before slowly, one by one, they headed into the treeline, disappearing from sight. The fae were leaving.

Ellora walked over to Rei and punched him in the shoulder. “Asshole.”

“Ow!” Rei whined, rubbing his arm. “What did I do?”

“You lumped all that on my shoulders. What do I know about designing a new government?”

Rei grinned and shrugged. “You’ll figure it out. This isn’t your first trip to the human realm. You’ve seen how they fucked up their own countries, and you’ve seen how our parents made a mess. Just don’t do that.”

“Such an asshole,” she muttered, but there was a faint smile teasing her lips. “I’m assuming you’ve actually got some secret spell or plan to stay alive after the door closes. You’re too self-centered to throw your life away for something our parents did.” She shook her head and walked to where the armies were still filtering in the trees. “Keep your secrets. If the gods have any pity, I’ll never see your face again,” she called over her shoulder.

“You know, I’m almost going to miss her,” Rei declared to Yichen.

Junjie laughed, but the sound became lodged in his throat when he spotted a lion bounding through the tall grasses toward him, his tongue hanging out past long fangs and wide golden eyes staring at him. Junjie’s entire body tensed, and he squeezed his eyes closed, waiting for the bone-jarring impact of Leo colliding with him.

But the tackle never came.

---