Page 49 of Fairies Don't Fall

“The Queen was dead.”

“She sanctioned me before she died. Until there’s a new Queen…”

I frowned at him. There was a memory of her commissioning him to protect me and guard me with his life. I poked his chest.

“But if you knew that someone on our side betrayed us, why didn’t you tell me? I can look into people’s minds without the torturous spells you used.”

“Of course you can. When you aren’t wrapped in your cocoon bed unable to do anything useful. I wasn’t going to give you more burden when you couldn’t carry what you already had.”

I scowled at him. “That’s not your place to decide.”

“I was commissioned by the Queen. Until there is a new Queen?—”

“Fine. Be my consort. I will be your Queen.”

It was silent in that tree for a long time while he stared at me and then slowly shook his head. “That’s not going to work.”

“You think I can’t be Queen?”

“I cannot be your consort. The binding won’t take between us, not like you and Singsong’s alpha.”

I inhaled sharply. “There’s nothing between me and the alpha. Max is not someone I’m going to ruin.”

He studied me thoughtfully. “You think that you could ruin him? He’s a warrior wolf.”

“But he’s not like Malamech’s men. He’s soft and compassionate, and he cares about everyone, not just his wolves. He’s been taking care of the fairies for years.”

He smiled slightly. “I wonder why that is. And he has been feeding you strength. You’ve been taking his power, or you wouldn’t be glowing, looking, acting like a Queen. That’s who needs to be your consort, if you’re serious about taking your place as queen. Are you?”

I stared at him, my heart jerking and sputtering in my chest while I positively ached for Max. He’d rehabilitated me, but notfor himself. He just went around rehabilitating people. Why did he do that?

I slowly shook my head. “There is no one. I’m going back to Fairyland. I’ll find someone there. I do need a consort, and quickly. You’ll help me find someone, won’t you? But first, I need to exile Dawn before she does something even more dastardly than poisoning werewolves and betraying us all.”

Chapter

Fifteen

His forehead wrinkled. “Why would Dawn poison werewolves now? She didn’t believe in fighting even when the wolves were invading unless…” His eyes burned with unholy rage. “Did she betray your mother? The Queen, her own sister?” His voice was low with rage and ice. I knew that look and voice. He’d been the sanity to my feral, but we’d both spilled death like honeyed nectar at a solstice party.

I patted his hand. He was right. There was no connection. Why not? We’d worked together for such a long time, and I’d had the biggest crush on him when he first came to court. Was it possible that it was part of the blocking that was probably demonic?

I swallowed hard. “Vervain, I think she might be blocking our connection. She can block my mind, and she put blocks on Shotglass so she couldn’t say anything, even when you were torturing her. But why would she do that?”

His face was hard. “She offered me a place at her side. I refused. I came to your mother’s court to avoid the awkwardness. Lady Dawn is unaccustomed to being refused. Butto invite wolves into our land? Exile is not enough for what she did.”

“Would you like to torture her first?” I teased.

He looked at me, and his eyes were cold. “Perhaps to be certain there are no other traitors sickening the air of Fairyland. Will you return? I’d thought perhaps you’d left for good. You truly wish to come back and find a consort, to take your place?”

I hesitated, then nodded while my heart ached alarmingly. “The cave is terraformed, the wolves and goblins are currently healed, the pixie dust fairies are in a better place and…there’s nothing else for me to do here.”

He studied me for a long moment and then held out his arm for me to take, like Max had done just a few hours ago. It felt like years. “Then we will return.”

Vervain took care of the train tickets, so I had a bed if I wanted to sleep, but I didn’t. I sat in the dining car, looking out at the passing scenery, and tried not to miss Max.

Vervain sighed as he sat to my left. He had a lecture for me. “Will you not eat?” he asked, gesturing at the spread designed specifically for fairy appetites.

I plucked a flower out of my salad and then put it behind his ear. “That’s better. You look too serious to be a fairy boy, Vervain.”

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