Page 109 of Finding Love with the Fae King

Even though the supernatural didn’t age, he looked older. He wasn’t as fit as he used to be, and the worry lines littered his face. A permanent frown had taken over, and my mother’s cheerful attitude couldn’t even help him. “A king shouldn’t have to apologize, but a father should. The way I have treated you was wrong, and I know I have so much to do to make it up to you. Fleeing the palace and letting you fend for yourself was also wrong. I didn’t want to admit my mistakes. Hell, I still don’t. A father is supposed to be someone to look up to; over the years, it has slowly sunk in how wrong I was to you, Osirus.”

The anger that I had felt just ten minutes ago faded. His aura had become significantly lighter as he spoke. He wasn’t the father I once knew; he was trying to turn over a new leaf. The question was, could I really forgive him? Just that speech alone couldn’t erase everything he had done. He made my life miserable for so long, listening to the wrong people, and forcing policies down my throat I didn’t agree with.

“We have a long way to go.” I walked toward him and put my hand on his shoulder. “We also have a long life ahead of us. May it be blessed by the Gods. Now, do you want to meet my mate?”

Men didn’t need to dwell on these things. Women did but not men. I wouldn’t mind if we sparred a bit, and we could beat the shit out of each other and call it good, but with everything else on my plate, I didn’t think Melina would be very appreciative of the primitive things men could do. I couldn’t forgive him, not yet. I wanted him to prove himself to me, and with all the shit we had coming up, he could do just that this week.

Father chuckled as he took a large swig of his whiskey. “I thought she was one of your old concubines. I will grovel.”

His face was back to being harsh. He certainly had a much longer road than he thought. Changing one’s attitude doesn’t happen overnight. He was still ticked that I marked her before the ceremony, but Melina was mine, and I would not let her get away from me. How he waited with my mother, I would never know that kind of strength.

After the long walk to the tearoom, Father explained where my five brothers were. Most of them were off hunting for their mates. I grew up mostly as an only child until I was three hundred years old, and they started over again. She popped out my brothers one after the other until she was satisfied and no longer had that maternal drive. All she would talk about before my father took her and my brothers away was how she was ready for grandchildren. That was so many years ago, and now she finally had the chance.

I could feel tingles down in my heart at the thought of Melina being swollen with our child. Having more time with her alone would be preferable, but hell if I was going to use anything to prevent my seed from coating her walls. She could very well be pregnant right now, for all I knew. If her sudden burst of tears of embarrassment was any inclination, I might be on to something.

A silent smirk flew on my face, and I knew my father could feel my excitement. He could also read auras with those he was related to. His hand went to the back of my neck to squeeze his affection at me. “She is certainly beautiful. I’m glad you found her after all these years.” I wished Father’s gift was stronger so he could read his very own friends that went against him all those years ago in Court.

Even though my father looked like he had turned over a new leaf, I was always going to be wary of him. As I said, years and years of bickering and trying to drill me into submission to the Court was going to lay heavy on my mind and heart. If only he had trusted his son, but as a father, he thought he knew best. I hoped not to make the same mistake with my children.

As we walked, I had to explain how most of the Fae Court was in the dungeons, along with his supposed best friend, Cosmo. Once I had taken over, Cosmo, father’s right-hand and Speaker of the Court, had dropped my father like a fly and tried to win my favor. Never worked. I could smell him a mile away and his overwhelming stench of horse dung.

Father sighed in agreement and was even understanding of their punishment. The evidence was overwhelming, the papers I had collected, budgets, embezzlement, treachery, treason, it was all there, and he would succumb to his own devices and be locked away or put to death depending on the will of the people.

We wandered down the hall as we both felt the pull of our mates and found ourselves in the tearoom. It was a brightly lit room with shelves upon shelves of different teas and sweeteners such as honey, agave nectar, and juices from the palace orchards. Melina was sitting up straight as Mother showed her the proper ways to pour tea. Melina was really enjoying herself, smiling at my mother brightly.

“And this is Honey Ambrosia tea. The leaves are dried for at least two years before you can crush them and place them into the small baggies.” My mother smiled as she let Melina smell them.

“At least she likes to learn some etiquette,” my father said under his breath while he pushed me playfully. I gave an enormous smile as I saw Melina listen to my mother. The eight hundred years I spent waiting for my mate were worth it. We would be set for a long time if we could get past this next week.

Chapter Fifty-Three

Melina

Nissawassuchawonderful person. She made me feel right at home as she took me away from the soon-to-be fighting. They appeared not only thirty minutes later in the tearoom, but I also knew there had to of been a breakthrough. My thought was right when Nissa looked at both men and gave a large smile, and I think I saw a blush come to her face when Nyx gave her a wide grin. He loved her even after all those years, even if he strayed a bit.

Nyx profusely apologized, saying he did not know who I was. He wanted Osirus to find his true mate, and the rumors of him being a man-whore had spread throughout the kingdom, so he thought the worst. Luckily for Osirus, I being his mate helped Nyx relax and become joyful at our pairing. However, nowhefelt utterly embarrassed. We were both embarrassed today, so I told him we were even.

Osirus’s father was briefed on our current situation, a.k.a, the Big Hot Sticky Mess. We spent time talking about Cosmo’s daughter Daphne. Nyx never liked the daughter of his best friend he grew up with. She was spoiled and was the product of a chosen mate marriage, and he was firmly against that, even though in the Fae Court, it was allowed.

There were rumors that Cosmo’s chosen mate was in a mateless facility for those who didn’t want to live on without mates, which sparked my interest a few days ago. I had an idea to lure Daphne out of hiding. Daphne had a love for her mother, Osirus had mentioned, so why not use that to our advantage even though her mother was innocent? Maybe we could find her true mate once Cosmo was put to death or forced to be in prison. Nissa explained that chosen marks could fade or be overturned by Selene’s proper matching, which gave me a tremendous sigh of relief.

Nissa was put in charge of finding Elaine, Daphne’s mother, and helped prepare a room for her. Elaine had been depressed and debilitated with that depression, being married to Cosmo. The evil man only cared about marrying her for her status. Physicians would be brought in to help her find her mate, and I prayed the Goddess looked down on her with mercy.

Along with helping Elaine, Nissa would oversee the coronation preparations. I was asked several times about colors, themes, and so forth, but I didn’t really care. All I wanted was to have the attention diverted away from me, which only made her laugh. “All the attention will be on you, sweetheart,” Nissa cooed at me while Osirus kissed my head.

“You are already the talk of the entire realm, colorful wings, the lost princesses no one even knew about. You reek of popularity,” one servant spoke as said as he poured me a glass of tea.

“You truly are a doll, Melina, coming from your upbringing, especially with those wolves. My son doesn’t deserve your kindness and refreshing look at life. Not to mention, quite the beauty.” Nyx winked at Osirus, who just rolled his eyes.

“I’ve already made up for it, Father, trust me.” Osirus winked, and I turned bright pink with my new porcelain skin tone.

While Alaneo and Nyx oversaw the kingdom, gathering extra soldiers for the coronation and protecting the palace, they were also left to their own devices to find the hidden Blood Coven. This would have to be done discreetly, sending pixies into the area around Vermillion. If only we had an alliance with the darker kingdom, but they are currently undergoing their own transitions of power.

The next day, Osirus, Everett, Finley, Braxton, and I were to fly up to the dragon shifter tribe and let them know about Tulip’s recent discovery of witches trying to steal the dragon’s blood. If those witches got their hands on a child, I was sure the dragons would burn everything down. They were powerful creatures, but also discrete. They often flew in the sky and patrolled the shifter kingdom well, but their home was their sanctuary. No one went in or out unless they had an invitation, and right now, we didn’t.

Time was of the essence as we took flight together. It was a sight to see. Osirus was by my side while Everett and Finley were in front, and Braxton flanking us. The higher the elevation, the thinner air became, and I found breathing hard. Fortunately, we didn’t have to fly much longer because flying in dragon territory was an immediate threat. “If you think wolves are possessive of their territory, wait until you see a dragon!” Everett yelled as the wind howled.

The clouds darkened as we saw rain approaching, making us land earlier than planned. Osirus said it might be okay for me to fly in the rain with my wings, but it would spell trouble for an ordinary fae. Airing out wings took weeks, and many medicinal creams that were scarce. “We will land there!” Osirus shouted as the wind howled again. Osirus pointed to a cave nearby, and we fluttered over. With a gentle thump, I landed less gracefully than the others. Everett laughed as I stumbled a bit as the pack pushed me forward, wanting to keep going.

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