Warrior Fae Princess - K.F. Breene Page 0,111
Roger said.
Devon nodded to Steve at his right and glanced at the rest of his pack. Dale had requested a transfer shortly after they’d returned to the Brink, but Steve, Cole, and Barbara had chosen to stay. They followed his silent command and drifted back with Roger.
Vlad waited where he said he’d be, holding a beat-up box and sporting an expression of compassion.
“I am sorry for your loss,” he said as Charity neared.
Reagan and the mages split off to the side without a word. Vlad didn’t spare them any notice. He only had eyes for Romulus and Charity, standing in front of the other warrior fae, battle ready.
Vlad held out the box. “I secured this for you. I thought you’d want to have it.”
Romulus stepped forward to take it. He didn’t flinch from the elder vampire or seem worried in any way.
Charity glanced into the box as her dad handed it back to her. A few items of clothing Charity didn’t recognize, a beat-up sun hat, and some other effects her mom had left behind. The box wasn’t even half-full.
Charity’s heart hurt. She just wanted to go home.
“Thank you, Vlad,” she said, and meant it. “Thank you for finding that note. It…means a lot.”
“One last thing, to put your mind at ease. I did a little digging. I have reason to believe a Seer in her youth pushed her toward marrying Walt. This was after Romulus had left, of course. Now, whether this Seer was offering your mother a divine view of the future, or simply acting on her judgments regarding an unwed mother, I do not know. But in your mother’s position, heartbroken—I beg your pardon, Second—and after seeing a man disappear into thin air, when he crossed over to the Realm, she probably took the Seer’s guidance in good faith. Anyone would’ve done the same. Having taken a Seer’s guidance yourself, I hope you don’t fault her for that.”
Memories of her mother visiting the fortune-tellers and palm and tarot readers drifted into Charity’s head. They’d been entertainment when she was little, sure, but Vlad was correct. Her mother had watched her real father cross over into the Realm… Charity could see asking a person she perceived as magical for answers. She could also see a real Seer giving her the option to sacrifice her happiness for a more favorable outcome for her daughter. Devon had received such a telling. Her mother would’ve done it out of love, as Devon had.
More tears slipped down Charity’s cheeks. The sadness she’d felt over the last few years changed, turning into something good. The people that loved her most gave everything to see her through. It was more than anyone had a right to ask for. Charity was truly blessed.
“Thank you,” she said.
Vlad swept into a bow, debonair and perfect. “Please, let me know if you need anything. I am at your service.” Vlad’s gaze shifted to Romulus. “Second, so great to finally meet you in person. I shall have you over for dinner one of these days. I would love to get your opinion on some gardens I’d like to alter.”
“Of course. We can make a night of it.” Romulus offered his own bow, polite yet distant.
Vlad took a step back. “I won’t keep you.” He turned a little, now facing Reagan. “Miss Somerset.”
“Vlad.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I have not forgotten our exchange in the Lair. It has been on my mind of late.”
“Oh, right,” she responded. “When I spun you around like a top? That time?”
His smile was slight and sly. “One good turn deserves another. Shall I say hello to your father? He’ll be around next week for a…meeting of the minds.”
Her face closed down into a hard mask. She didn’t respond.
“Next time, perhaps.” He bowed to Charity again before zipping out of the area, so fast that it was startling. She never got used to it.
“He will be capable of quite the bloom, yes,” Romulus said, eyeing Reagan as the shifters drifted back in. “Come, Charity—let’s go walk among Devon’s new and refreshing gardens and remember the good times. I want to hear more about your life growing up. It is time to lie within the shade of memories.”
Feeling soggy and strung out, Charity let Devon and her dad marshal her toward the SUV. As she climbed in, her head spinning from Reagan and Vlad’s exchange, she noticed the way Reagan and the mages were standing. Reagan in the front, at the position of power, with Emery and Penny behind, in a pyramid. A pyramid not unlike the hazy grouping Charity recalled from her hallucination. They’d stood halfway between the two forces, facing off with another collection of vampires she hadn’t recognized.
She shook her head. All of that was a concern for another day. Or another decade, if they were lucky. Right now, she just wanted to clutch her mom’s note to her chest and remember the good times, as her father had said. She had to admit that even though Vlad had made her life hell, she would forever be thankful for the closure he’d afforded her.
She entwined her fingers with Devon’s and leaned against his arm, waiting for everyone else to load up.
“Thank you,” she said.
“For what?” Devon asked.
She smiled, sad but her heart full. “For everything. For helping me lock down the life my mother always wanted for me. She sacrificed herself so that I might one day find you. Maybe she hoped I’d find magic one day, too. She would’ve thought it was a job well done, having me end up here. She wouldn’t have been sorry. I can see that now. I can respect it.”
Devon kissed her on the forehead. “She’d be proud of you.”
She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, having found her place, finally.