Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 661(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 661(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
I am Maris. That voice is quiet, tentative, but the energy she sends is not.
They continue through the night. By morning, I’m smiling when the hags enter and I open my mind to my loves.
Come for me. My time is now.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Shim
I look around the village and wish Bron was with me. She would love Aoibhneas. It’s beautiful and the inhabitants are all slightly insane.
But Bron is miles away and I can’t get to her.
And my brother is gone as well.
I take a deep breath and hope the mayor has one sane bone in his body. “I promise not to make any deals with demons. Now can we sign this treaty and begin preparations?”
Mayor Mel leans forward. “You have passed the truth tests.”
The truth tests involve drinking an enormous amount of some liquor the mayor makes himself and then answering a bunch of questions because the mayor believes no one can lie when drunk. The mayor asked me and Lach a multitude of questions about our feelings on demons and parallel planes. He seems to think that somewhere on an alternate plane there is another him and this other version of the mayor has it all wrong and shouldn’t be worried about creatures from the skies, but rather about demons. For our part, Lach and I mostly talked about how much we miss Bronwyn and her breasts. Getting drunk made me think about all of my wife’s soft parts, and I was sick with worry over her. Well, and sick with the liquor. It was very strong.
Finally this morning Roan found the tear in the wall and got Lachlan through to bring the Seelies back.
I wish they would hurry. I was left to negotiate with what Dante called a whack job.
The vampire proves to be rather good at negotiations himself. He smiles at the mayor. “Excellent. I assure you the prince has no intentions of allowing demons to take over his kingdom.”
I shake my head. “Not at all. It’s written down somewhere.”
And if it isn’t, I’ll make it a law.
A woman with steel-gray hair stares the mayor down. “Sign the documents. You know we’re going in.”
“Fine, woman. You don’t have to harp on me.” He winks at his wife. “But you better tell the women because if I know their husbands, they’ll start trying to lock them up and keep them out of this.”
The mayor’s wife grins. “I made sure they all have keys to the lockups, and each has a sonic sword and one of those cannon things.” She looks over at the vampire. “One of our daughters bonded with a royal vampire by the name of Stefan. He makes sure we have all the weapons we need.”
“And all the sex toys, too, I bet,” Dante pipes up. “Sorry. Talbot Industries makes billions off the toy market. And now I find out he’s an arms dealer, too. Kaj, when we get back to our plane, remind me to buy up Talbot stock. I like him. He’s smart.”
Kaja smiles at her husband indulgently and shakes her head. I don’t believe Kaja and her husband are ever going back to the Vampire plane. Not for more than a visit. She seems happy here in Aoibhneas.
The mayor signs his name with a flourish and stands. The town square is filled with villagers, all anxiously waiting. I can see the Harper clan standing near the boy named Charlie, Paige’s hand clasped firmly in his. They are young, far too young to wed, but it’s plain to see the love in their eyes.
The whole village seems to quiet as the mayor steps up. “We go to war.”
A huge shout seems to shake the ground. There are hugs and slaps on the back and celebratory cheers.
All for a war that might take my wife’s life.
“Your Highness? You seem sad.” Rachel Harper places a hand on my arm.
“I’m frightened.” I probably shouldn’t admit it, but it’s true.
She sighs. “So am I. We all are but we’re more afraid of living like this than we are of dying.”
My eyes threaten to water again. Damn it. It’s always there, that fine edge of grief at my brother’s passing. I keep expecting to look down and see Duffy at my side, making a wisecrack and hauling his axe with him.
I wasn’t able to leave the axe behind. Perhaps I should have, but something deep inside didn’t let me, as though I have to keep a piece of my brother with me.
I kind of wish I had something of Lach’s now. And Bron’s.
“I was so sorry to hear of your brother’s passing.” Rachel looks up with kind eyes.
She’s going to fight. She will fight and her older children will, too. Her husbands will fight. She’s probably terrified, but she’ll do it because it’s the right thing. Rachel understands what Bron knows, what I’m only starting to discover. “He would have been honored to fight at your side.”