Page 33 of Beltane

A few feet in front of us stood an enormous white tent, like the one she’d occupied the first time we met her. Rustling inside got my attention, and I climbed the steps to the porch, taking a deep breath as I walked toward the entrance.

12

Miri

“Diana?” I reached out to pull the canvas aside, but she suddenly appeared through the crack, a tall, statuesque example of power and poise. The queen emanated strength, all of the magic that resided deep inside her presence. Her long blond hair had been braided down the side of her body, decorated with flowers and shrubs, and her bright pale gaze pierced through me, down to my very soul.

“Miriam,” she said before glancing behind me. “Ivette. Carter. Alexei. It is time. I have been waiting for centuries.” She turned and walked inside the tent with a silent invitation for us to follow her.

Glancing over my shoulder, I raised my eyebrows at my spouses before proceeding.

From the outside, the tent looked like nothing more than a ten by ten white rectangle. But once we were inside, I understood it must have been charmed to appear smaller than it was. Decorative pillows and furry plush bedding lined the space on either side with enough room for an entire army to sleep comfortably. Big white rocks created a pathway down the middle, leading to the enormous platform at the back, where Diana sat on a raised mattress covered in stuffed animals, pillows, and cushioned blankets. She had created a nest for herself, tucked this deeply in her mind, and now we might have to drag her out by her fairy wings.

“You’ve been waiting centuries, huh?” Lex stepped in front of me, glancing around as he shoved his hands inside his pockets. “It must feel that way.”

“Your Majesty,” Ivy said, coming to stand next to him before giving Diana a bow. “We needed to reach you.”

The queen tilted her chin up, the very essence of regal propriety and elitism. She stared down her nose while she made a small huff, like we hadn’t done enough, like we hadn’t worked as quickly as she wanted, which was total bollocks. Ivy and Lex had sheltered and clothed her after his uncle discovered her hiding space. We’d done nothing but treat her with respect. Didn’t we deserve the same?

“We are long overdue for a talk.” Diana gestured to the pillows at the end of her bed, indicating we should come and sit with her. I hesitantly took a step forward, pursing my lips as I considered whether she could hurt us in this place. We were mentally linked, and certainly she could do to us whatever the king had done to her. But I didn’t think she would. She seemed just as apprehensive of us as we were of her. Besides, I believed Ivy was powerful enough to yank us back if she needed to.

I took the spot in the middle, followed by Carter and Ivy on either side of me. Lex stayed behind us, seemingly on edge. Not that I blamed him. The queen had always been terrifying.

“You’ve been taking care of Poppy since I gave her to you on Samhain.” The queen narrowed her gaze as she spoke.

Carter nodded. “Yes. She is…remarkable.”

Diana smiled and hummed appreciatively. “Yes. Remarkable.”

That was one way to put it. I might use different adjectives…but to each their own. We just needed to get Diana to the surface again, physically, if necessary. She couldn’t go on as the amnesiac fairy formerly known as the queen. We needed her power on our side.

“Your Highness,” Ivy cut in, “the king is in the human realm. He’s put a curse on you and abducted some of our family members. We need your help?—”

“My help.” Diana cut her off with a raised eyebrow, her spine straightening. “What makes you think I wish to return with you, much less assist you in such an endeavor?”

Ivy opened her mouth, but nothing came out. I had suspected this might be the case. Look at this cozy space. After suffering the embarrassment of being cursed and bewitched by her husband, why would she want to face anyone again? No one stopped him. No one helped her. No one except us.

“Quite arrogant to bust into my mind and make demands, do you not think?” The queen tsked her teeth a few times before zeroing her attention on Lex behind us. “Alexei, what do you have to say for yourself?”

He snorted. “I wanted to string Alberich up and gut him alive on national television, but something tells me you wouldn’t be on board with that idea, either.”

Her puffy ethereal lips quirked, almost pulling into a smile before she recovered her stoic facade. “No, I should think not.”

“We didn’t mean to assume,” Carter said, bowing his head in deference. “We were simply hoping, and perhaps praying, you might answer a few questions. That’s all.”

Oh, sweet heartfelt Carter. He could charm the world into doing whatever he wanted. I truly believed that. Again, the queen hummed, this time in amusement. We must have seemed so insignificant to her, like nothing more than puny humans asking to be squashed like bugs.

“Fine,” Diana finally said, her eyes narrowing on Lex again. “I will answer your questions. But in return, Alexei will answer mine.” A twitch near her right eye sent a small tremor of fear down the center of my chest. “Privately.”

“No bloody way—” I started at the same time Ivy burst out, “Absolutely not.”

“Fine,” Lex agreed with hardly any hesitation. I gasped, looking over my shoulder to get him to take it back, but his gaze was set on the queen, reminding everyone why he was the strongest of us. I remembered the first thing I’d ever learned about fairies—don’t piss them off and don’t make deals with them. What you asked for wasn’t nearly as important as what you didn’t.

“DC,” Carter said, looking at Lex with a shake of his head.

“You want me alone? All you had to do was ask.” Lex winked at the queen, but she showed no response, simply glared harder.

“Lex, knock it off,” Ivy hissed.

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