Page 76 of Forgotten Monsters
“Your father ordered him to come. He asked Oz to be responsible for his personal security tonight.”
My heart pulses in my throat. “What? Why?”
“It was my idea. Trust me.” He guides me forward to greet my father, the current President of the realm. The whispers flurrying through the crowd confirm my hunch that it’s in fact a big deal for him to come to such an event, and I might gush about inter-realm cooperation if I wasn’t so pissed to see Oz.
The dragon doesn’t look half as smug as I expect him to be.
“Welcome to Faerie, President Winslow,” Cole says with his most congenial voice.
Dad smiles. “I was pleased to receive your invitation, and I brought the gift you asked for.”
Both men shake hands, their smiles a little too wide to feel normal, before Cole’s gaze turns downright predatory.
He signals for his guards to step closer. “Daniel Osbourne, you’re under arrest.”
Oz stiffens and takes a few steps back. “Fuck you, Winslow. I knew you were planning something. I should have never set foot in this wretched realm,” the dragon grits though his teeth.
“You made a point to repeat that you couldn’t disobey direct presidential orders,” Dad says cheekily.
Oz shoves the first guard away but is quickly immobilized by two others. “And what I am being arrested for?”
An unkind grin stretches Cole’s lips. “Framing me for murder? Conspiring with my enemies to dethrone me? Take your pick.”
“You will have to let me stand trial on Earth. Our laws make sure of it.”
“Yes, but you’ll have to think long and hard about your sins before that day comes. As I’m sure you’re aware, Faerie has prisons where time is…let’s say…fucked up.”
“I just hope I live long enough to see your kingdom burn, elf,” he seethes as the guards take him away.
Lydia shakes her head in disbelief. “Man. Allie would have loved to see that.”
Vindication sizzles in my blood, but a muted sense of caution rears its head. “Are you sure arresting Oz won’t create some sort of incident?”
“He’ll only be gone a few weeks…or at leastfor us,it’ll only be a few weeks,” Cole says.
My gaze darts from Cole to my father and back again. “I can’t believe you two planned this together.”
“We figured he still might be acquitted in his trial. We decided he deserved worse.”
“Oh, he deservestheworst,” I say.
Dad nods, and I realize the animosity he felt towards Cole, toward my choice to become his wife, was melted by the years I missed. He looks me up and down with muted reverence, like he can’t believe that I’m me. “I’m proud of you, Munchkin. I just returned the amulet to Amalthea, and she told me all about…you know. I think you made the right choice.”
My eyes mist, a bonfire of emotions burning in my heart. “That means a lot. I love you, Dad.” I press my lips together, suddenly thinking of Allie and her mother. “But if you gave the amulet back, doesn’t it mean that Piper…”
His face grows somber, and he nods slowly, almost regretfully. “Piper has been cheating death for years, and she did so at the expense of other people’s lives. She knows what she needs to do, now.”
I swallow hard.
Helena walks over to us. “Enough drama, it’s time to greet our people.”
“You love drama, sis,” Cole says.
A pout purses her painted lips. “Not when it’s politics.”
“Are you ready, Fire Girl?”
I draw in a deep breath. Am I ready to meet his people as their queen? Deafening applause slips through the large double doors leading to the balcony as Helena announces our arrival to the masses. Judging by the sound, thousands of Fae citizens have flocked into the streets of Mellen to catch a glimpse of us.
