Page 78 of Beltane

Diana’s smile widened, her eyes glittering with unshed emotion. “Yes, you did.”

“You announced to the entire population that you owed me your thanks.” I cleared my throat and put my hands behind my back, straightening my shoulders as I prepared to deliver my ask.

“Yes, I did.” Diana moved to the chair at the edge of the platform, her proverbial throne, and sat, sprawling her arms out to either side and crossing her legs at the knee. “And?”

“I would like to cash in on that favor.”

“What…favor?” She deepened her grin, pausing to let the request fall between us, the tension growing damn near stifling. Like that, she fit the role of the queen. She could be nothing else. No one in the world held as much power as she did in that one moment. Not even when Alberich took his seat next to her, crossing his legs and leaning into his wife with adoration in his gaze.

“I may have only been here a few days, but I’ve learned enough about fairies to know you choose your words carefully…especially you, Diana, queen of the fae.” I steadied my gaze on her, wishing I had my gift again, willing the pit in my gut to form should she lie. “You wouldn’t proclaim to owe anyone anything unless you meant it…unless you wanted them to use it.”

“Ahh, I see.” Seated in the rays of morning sunlight like this, her skin glowed, damn near iridescent, as the conversation continued. “You’ve been talking to Donnelly.”

“Hmm.” I neither confirmed nor denied her accusation. I wouldn’t have my informant getting in trouble if this all worked out.

“And what is it you believe I owe you?” She raised an impeccable eyebrow at my presumptuous attitude.

“I want to return to my realm,” I started. “I want to spend the rest of my life with my spouses.” A list poured out of me, tedious and specific as fuck. I didn’t want her making any assumptions for me, filling in any gaps with her own devious plans. This went on for longer than I thought it would, but I needed her to understand that I was tired of being fucked around. It was time for this story to end already, for me to begin the one I should be living.

When I was done, she nodded, seeming to deliberate over every single word. Finally, she leaned forward and held up a finger, waving it toward me like she wanted me to come forward.

Heart pounding and trying to hide it, I forced my shaking legs to move. Between the two of them, they could make my body explode into a million little pieces and I wouldn’t be able to stop them. No one in Faerie would either, and without my spouses, I was so woefully weak.

She stilled when I got within arm’s reach, only lowering her voice so that our conversation stayed between the three of us.

“What about our deal, Alexei? I saved two lives. You owe me at least one.”

“Are you not living it?” I gestured around to her life of luxury. “I could have left you in a Russian shithole. I could have thrown you to the worst of the human realm. Here you sit. On your throne. With your…husband.” The urge to call him a psycho piece of shit rattled through me, but I managed to choke it down.

Alberich gasped again, this time furrowing his eyebrows and twisting his lips into a snarl. “How dare you speak to my wife like?—”

“Shh, it’s all right, my love.” Diana leaned back in her seat, eyes focused on me with both challenge and trepidation. She liked that I’d come to this conclusion, but she couldn’t justletme out of our arrangement, not without losing face in front of the fairies. If she conceded this to me, then she’d have to concede to everyone, and where would it end?

“Magic like that comes at a cost.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if there were all the time in the world. For her, there was. For me, my spouses aged weeks every second that I stayed here. “I cannot break the deal.”

“That’s not what I’m asking.” I dug my argumentative feet in, knowing this was the right way to go. If Carter were here, he would have said his luck was speaking to him. “I want you to return the favor you owe me. I want you to send me home. A gift for a gift.”

Alberich’s jaw dropped, and Diana curled the ends of her lips into a pleased smile.

“The old words,” she said, nodding. “Even if I could agree to this, the veil is closed. Ivette has claimed the human realm. None of us may enter.”

I looked at Poppy, who up until this moment, had stayed quiet and still on the other end of the platform. Now, she crossed her arms and squared her jaw at me.

“No,” she said, glaring at me with daggers in her eyes. “He can rot.”

“Hmm.” Diana held up a hand as if there was nothing she could do. “So it is. The child will not accommodate your request.”

“Why not?” I raised my eyebrows. “Don’t you think you owe me, too, you little monster? My uncle housed you for years. Carter kept you safe from the…” I cut myself off from saying fairy king, lest this new version of amnesia Alberich suddenly have a flashback to his alter ego. “You know he’s upset without me. You know Ivy is, too. You know they want me back. They probably miss you, too.”

She clenched her hands into fists and stood straighter, not daring to look away. “You held an axe to my throat. You threatened to kill me.”

“You kidnapped my family and took the villain back in time to kill my brother.” I reminded myself to keep my tone calm and level. Arguing about who was most evil when we both were in the top ten didn’t make sense. “I think we’re square.”

“Come now, Poppy,” Diana said, breaking up our argument. “Would it even be possible? Are you able to travel between realms?”

Poppy pursed her lips and took a deep inhale before giving us a solemn nod. “I’ve already done it.”

My heart dropped into my gut.

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