Page 41 of Royal Ransom

“And since I’m in charge, I’m ordering you all out. Now. Any traitors who want to take a swing are welcome to do so. You’ll violate our treaty with Autumn over my cooling corpse. Or Janara’s, in this case. If you don’t have the backbone for afight, then flee. I don’t need faithless idiots in my administration anyway.”

No one moved. I raised the bloody knife and gestured toward the doors. “In plain English? Move your asses or lose them. And send someone to the dungeons to free the Misty Hollow prisoners.”

It’s astonishing how quickly a little political violence clears a room. It took twenty minutes, but the castle emptied, leaving only family, allies, and a very nervous elf trying to curry favor with me by being my communications director regarding the prisoners in Janara’s castle.

I didn’t move from my position on the ice until I was sure it was over. Only then did I sag next to Janara’s cooling corpse and I let the tears come, let them grasp me completely until I felt like I might vomit.

It was over.

A firm, feverishly warm arm curled around my waist. I glanced up sharply, ready to send a blast of Winter into the face of the eavesdropper. I only found Fox staring down at me, eyes clouded with concern.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “That was nothing short of—“

I held up a hand. “No. I don’t want to hear it.”

He swallowed hard. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I asked, rubbing my nose with my sleeve. I felt bad for ruining one of Priss’s gowns with blood and snot, but I couldn’t bring myself to do anything else. I felt tired. Empty. Even in the face of victory, I didn’t exactly feel victorious.

Maybe I was still in shock.

Fox’s smile was small and sad. “I’m sorry for… well, everything leading up to this point sounds too general.” He took a breath and I could tell it hurt him to speak. Janara really had done a number on him. But his smile was real and if it took him all night, he was going to say what he wanted to say. “Perhaps Ishould be eloquent and apologize for your pain? No matter how fraught our relationship, I care about you, Olwen.”

I elbowed him in the ribs gently. It still made him wince.

“That’s Chief Morgan to you, Fox.”

Chapter Twenty-four

Taliyah

I felt a bit like a fairy tale prince following our return from Winter.

I mean I’d rescued the downtrodden, I’d slayed an evil queen, and kissed my significant other awake from a magical sleep. Granted, that last part had been a lot less romantic than it sounded when I’d woven the spell on Maverick. The ice burst into steam almost the instant it touched the warm air inside my home, leaving a half-thawed Maverick insensible on my kitchen floor. It had been a nerve-wracking journey from Winter to the E.R., but the doctors were optimistic he’d pull through.

The state he’d been in was going to provoke a lot of awkward questions. Astrid was right. We were going to have to broaden our pool of mundanes in our support structure. Haven Hollow was no longer a bastion of peace and prosperity. There was conflict in our town, which meant we needed police in the know. Not only police but those on the medical side, as well. We needed doctors who could treat our people when magical life strayed too close to the mundane.

There was at least good news on the last front. Charlotte Rose had the basic knowledge to handle general injuries for most species. She was willing to go to medical school under the supervision of another vampire if it meant earning her way into Haven Hollow. I should have told her she didn’t need to earn her way, but honestly, we needed a general practitioner. Things were getting too big to handle with magic and meatball surgery.

As for the police… well, that was trickier. Roland seemed to have grudgingly accepted things, though he still wondered aloud if he was insane. I could sympathize. I hadn’t believed the truth the first time I’d heard it either. He was handling things for me with the hospital staff, claiming Maverick must have beeninjured by the same criminal who’d assaulted Darla outside my house. So far, no one was disputing it. I knew the lies bothered him as much as they bothered me, but I doubted his fellow deputies would accept, “a sadistic winter faerie tortured the boss’s husband” as an explanation.

“Thinking of your beau?” a gentle voice asked, breaking into my reverie.

I glanced away from my television set blearily. I’d been watching a series of infomercials without really seeing them. They were dull without the snarky banter Maverick usually layered on top of them to make me laugh. I didn’t need whatever miracle vegetable dicer they were trying to sell me. I was the queen of all of freaking Winter now. If I wanted, I’d never have to chop my own vegetables ever again.

I found Fox staring at me from across the room. He’d settled onto the sofa closer to the door, stretching out his plaster-covered leg on the plush cushions. His injuries had been nasty but not life-threatening. He’d happily been fussed over by his girlfriend when I’d dragged his sorry bruised carcass back to Haven Hollow to be treated. His injuries were going to heal human-slow, thanks to the presence of darkest winter in the wounds. He might have been banged up, but he wasn’t in danger. Not like Mav was.

Charlie and Sean insisted on playing tic-tac-toe on Fox’s leg cast. It was harder to hate him after watching him charm both the boys. He was terrible with women, but he seemed to have a knack for making friends with almost everyone else. He’d played a few rounds with them, letting both win the majority of the time, never letting on that he’d thrown the game for them.

“Among other things,” I said quietly.

His lips turned up at the ends. It made him look softer and more handsome than he’d been the entire time I’d known him. Maybe power didn’t corrupt absolutely. Maybe it just turned youinto a rigid asshole. He seemed less insufferable now that he’d given all that power up and decided to settle down with a cute vampire veterinarian.

“Too much on the mind,” he said with a nod. “I know the feeling well. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

And my headdidwear a crown. Metaphorically, of course. The boys at the station would never let me live it down if I wore a tiara or something equally nonsensical to work. But I was a queen now. The ruler of a court of faerie. I’d have to lead from afar, but I still had to... well...lead.Which was scary. I didn’t know the first thing about being a queen. And it wasn’t like Priss could take over anytime soon.

“I hate that, you know,” I whispered, clasping my hands together, desperately wishing I had a drink. “I didn’t want it. I still don’t. I just...”

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