The Rebel Queen (Outlaw #1) - Lexi Blake Page 0,112
where he would live.”
“He is important.” Declan stood and got in his brother’s face.
“Yes, he is important, and he has choices.” Dev looked ready to start another beatdown.
Daniel got between them with a weary sigh. I could understand. We’d had a lot of family drama in a week. “Dev, Zoey, I understand that you’re angry with him. I am, too, but we’re right back in the same position we were before.”
We needed allies, and the Fae had helped us in the past. Still… “I am not giving him my son.”
Danny stopped in front of me, his hands going to my shoulders. “And I would never allow anyone to force Rhys to do something he didn’t want to, but we have to consider that leaving the Seelie and the Unseelie without a Green Man could do far more harm than good.”
“I will go,” Dev promised. “I’ll go and prove to them that I’m back and they’ll calm down. Bris and I will walk the fields and give them a show of strength.”
“In the middle of a war?” Danny ran a hand over his head, a sure sign that he was frustrated. “I don’t like the thought of sending you in alone, and I can’t leave the plane right now. It’s a delicate time.”
“It’s a delicate time in my kingdom, too,” Declan declared before turning my way. His eyes narrowed as he focused on me. “I’m glad that my nephew is taking his place as a leader here among the earthly Fae. He must remember that the rest of us need him as well. And don’t tell me you don’t understand duty, Your Grace. After all, from what I have been able to ascertain, you gave up your daughter to her duty. Allow your son to do his or give me the second chance you promised.”
His boots thudded across the floor as he stomped out, carrying his beer. I could feel the amulet he’d given me in my pocket. I’d been told to keep it close to the Goddess Chain or it might make its way back to Faery in an explosive manner.
I frowned at my Fae husband. “Is there a reason he’s not locked up? He literally tried to kidnap our son. Rhys is afraid of him.”
“I’m not afraid of him.” Rhys sighed as he entered from the kitchen, Lee right behind him. “I apologize for eavesdropping. But my uncle’s probably right that I should make an appearance in the sitheins. If Papa would be willing to come with me, I would consider it.”
Rhys seemed more relaxed after expending all that magic, and it made me wonder how long he’d kept it bottled up. It also made me worry that he would now want the other things that went with being a fertility god. Would he feel more comfortable about sex now that he had control of his magic? Would he need it more than he had before?
Shy still housed my father’s soul, and from what I understood about how they worked, it wasn’t like she could shut him out. They experienced things together. If Rhys kissed her and followed the path that would lead to, my father would be there, too.
It wasn’t something I thought a relationship could survive, and it was so obvious to me that Rhys was crazy about Shy and she had a thing for him. I worried he might take the Lee route rather than wait, and that could hurt him forever.
I needed to find another home for my father’s soul.
“You know I’ll be by your side,” Dev said. “We all will, but this is not about pleasing your uncle or grandmother anymore.”
“No, it’s about power and responsibility,” Rhys said in that sober way of his. “If the Seelie and the Unseelie destabilize, a war could bleed over to the Earth plane. The earthly Fae are my biggest concern. I will do everything I need to do in order to protect them. And we already have interesting allies.”
“Yeah, the Hidden Folk are pretty cool.” Lee slung his big body down on the sofa. “I still don’t know if they’re going to be able to see the bag of holding, though.”
“I don’t see why not. A pocket universe is out of phase with this one, and they can see those. They’ve always known where Frelsi was and how to get in. I count it as a good thing that despite being able to spy on us, it seems they’ve honored our city by staying out of it