“All right. So she managed to find a princess willing to marry you, and that brings you into the court. She thought it would also force me to take her side, but that can’t happen. Since she already said your marriage was happening, she can’t go back on it now.”
He nodded. “I suppose I could put up a fuss and get out of it, but the truth is, I don’t want to be on her blacklist. People who anger Saílle have a way of disappearing.”
“Lovely,” I said.
Angel stood. “Would anybody like more lemonade?”
Sharne smiled at her graciously. “I would, thank you.”
As she headed into the kitchen, he leaned forward. “Be very careful, Ember. Saílle’s going to be pissed about having to bend her knee to you, which will be the case once you become a goddess. She’s never going to accept it. Once you go through deification, she can’t touch you, but until then…accidents can happen.”
I froze. I hadn’t even thought of that. “You mean, she might try to kill me before then?”
“I told you, the Fae Queens are cunning and ruthless. They have little compassion, and massive egos. That’s a bad combination if they feel they’ve been double-crossed or outwitted.”
“I’ll remember that,” I said, my mood darkening. But I pushed it away for the moment, since there was nothing I could do about it at the present.
Instead, I fell into chatting with Sharne, asking him about his plans for after the marriage and how he would adjust to court life. As the evening wore away, I got a text from Herne, verifying that I was to head over to Annwn the next morning to bring back Neallanthra, and to meet him at his home at eight a.m. I texted back that I’d be there, but my mind was a million miles away, as I thought about all the potential ways things could go wrong before we were married, and how I wouldn’t sleep easily until that day, now that I knew Saílle was gunning for me.
Chapter Twenty
The next morning I woke to the sound of rain outside my window. I dragged myself out of bed, groaning. Six o’clock was just too early. I glanced out the window to see pouring rain and opened the window, enjoying the breeze that gusted through the room to clear the air.
Then, moving as quick as I could, I showered and dressed, wearing jeans and a corset top.
Heading down to the kitchen, I found that Angel was up, yawning, and she had made me breakfast. Two sausage cheese muffins, a travel mug filled with twenty-four ounces of strong, iced latte, and a pastry that was oozing with glaze. She handed me the sack.
“I fed Mr. Rumblebutt, and I’ll see you at work, later. Good luck.” She beamed me a smile. “Oh, before I forget, Rafé asked if he could use our yard to work on his car? There’s something wrong with it and he’s trying to fix it himself, but his apartment building won’t allow people to do that in the parking garage.”
I waved at her as I took the paper bag filled with goodies. “Of course he can. Just so long as he doesn’t leave a junk pile when he’s done.”
“Thanks! I’ll let him know. Ember,” Angel said, pausing.
“Yeah?”
“Be careful. Remember what Sharne said last night. Accidents can happen anywhere, especially if someone’s out to arrange one. Saílle knows you’re going over to Annwn today and she knows where you’ll be. Don’t let your guard down.”
I bit my lip, realizing that Angel was absolutely right. “Hold on.” I pulled out my phone and texted Herne. you are going with me today, right?
He answered quickly. yes, i was planning on it.
thanks, I texted back. “Okay, yes, Herne’s going with me.”
“Good, I feel better. And you be sure to tell him what Sharne said. Don’t forget, okay?”
I nodded as I grabbed my purse and jacket and headed toward the door. “I won’t forget.”
The portal led directly to Cernunnos’s palace. I was surprised. “I thought that we’d have to go into Y’Bain to pick up Neallanthra.”
“No, I made arrangements for Unkai to bring her to my father’s palace. I didn’t want any chance encounters that could muck up things.” He glanced down at me, his arm protectively around my waist. “What you told me—what Sharne thought—I have actually been thinking about since the parley. I know Saílle, remember? I know both of the Fae Queens better than they know themselves.