Reaching Answers (Artemis University #8) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,47

you’re more powerful than the fairy rune to block telepathy.”

“Yeah, I am, and you’re an asshole. It still wouldn’t have worked. I wasn’t kidding Neldor. I would rather die than be sold to you, and I would kill you rather than allow you trap me into mating you and you just take over while I do what you need me to with Faerie. Your hand is not going up my ass to puppet me. I’ve fought that all my life and you, of all people, will not win.

“But this is about more than you and me. This about the survival of all our people. This is about the survival of our world, Neldor. So promise me it now with witnesses. I could be unfair and make you do it. I’m more powerful than you. I’m willing to do it and level the playing field so no one else gets hurt. No more fighting and losing fairies. Isn’t that what you want, or is it truly all about you getting power?”

Rage filled his eyes. He didn’t like his honor poked.

Then he should stop doing things that made people question it.

“Only if you end your entanglement with the vampire.”

“No. You don’t dictate to me. I’m offering you something fair here we should do for our people, and you’re being selfish. You’re not the heir and you have no leg to stand on to demand extra. You’re lucky I don’t kick your ass all over the fucking place and toss you out after what you wanted to pull today. So agree because it’s the right thing, or you’re really going to push me too far.”

“Fine,” he bit out. “We have an agreement. I swear to champion warfare between the two of us as long as you reserve your excess power. It will be how any conflicts or issues are handled between light and dark fairies for the foreseeable future until the time we both agree a change is needed.”

I glanced over at Dean White, thinking those terms were specific and ones I didn’t understand. She gave a swift nod. So at least they were the right ones.

“I swear the same,” I agreed, extending my hand to him. He clasped my forearm and magic flared between us in a quick flash.

Okay then. So that was a thing.

I stared at my hand a minute after I let go of him, but then shook my head. We had more important things to handle. “We need a plan.”

“The plan is simple. We—” Neldor started.

“Cool, you’re more than welcome to leave here and form whatever plan with whomever you unfreeze,” I taunted, raising an eyebrow at him when several people smirked. “Stop trying to take over, asshole, and maybe I’ll start listening to you for anything. You’ve been here for weeks only.”

“That makes you one of the last people to logically decide how to get others acclimated when you are not acclimated yet yourself,” Craftsman drawled. “Your input could be valuable if we could trust it—trust you—but that’s your fault we don’t.”

Claudia cut in before Neldor blasted us. “While you were hesitant to think of this future because it would make the pressure already crushing you worse, we were not.” She gestured to herself and Geiger. “We have a plan. We’re going to need to tweak it but honestly, I wonder if Faerie knew and that is why you unlocked a captain and three lieutenants of the Light Guardians.”

I gasped as her meaning sunk in. “Real help.”

“Yes, real help.”

“I take offense—” Neldor bitched.

She ignored him and went on, flooring all the fairies there. “Light Guardians are—to put it in terms you would understand—royal guards. It’s more, and I certainly shouldn’t explain it to you or your culture, but I know you well enough to know how to put it in your frame of reference. They are leaders who people listen to.”

“That’s awesome. What else?” I pushed as I sat back down and kept eating.

“You bought two hotels that were up for auction,” she continued. “We can’t stash them at the estates you inherited. They’re watched too much and enemies circle them.” I knew that, so clearly she was explaining for the others. “And you need to require each fairy to do what you are now at the havens.”

I froze with my burger halfway to my mouth. Smiling at her. “You are so worth every dollar of your billable hours and then some, Claudia. That’s genius.”

She shot me a wink. “We’ve already started with some ideas and people who’ve