Storyteller glowered at Ferrus, her eyes flashing a starburst white. “Your king allows this?” She thumped her staff on the ground and twisted it into the dirt. “We will put a stop to this if that means we wipe out the male mountain fae. We defeated the qhasant thousands of cold moons ago. We will defeat the warrior race as well.”
In a heartbeat, Ferrus went from sitting to taking a knee with his head bent. “Elders of the Gnoleon fae. My mate speaks the truth, but it is not as it seems. Most of the males share a bed with only their chosen mates. Such couplings are uncontested.”
“But you don’t allow mates,” Lilah replied. But it was good to know most women weren’t forced into sex with different men. The elders grumbled among themselves. Shit, she needed to keep her mouth shut before she started a war.
Still on his knee, Ferrus sighed. “The king is unaware of the nightly ritual of mates being together. The…prince, his son, pretends he does not know such a thing happens.”
Lilah crossed her arms over her chest. “This prince asshole actually has a heart? I wouldn’t have guessed that.”
Turning his head slightly, Ferrus gave her a strange look she didn’t know how to read.
“You may rise, Ferrus. Your words have saved the lives of the red fae. As has your prince’s actions. But there are still those who do not have mates. Is their situation as described?”
He lowered his chin to his chest. “Most of the unmated have paired up with a male of their choosing.”
“So are any females forced into such abhorrent slavery?”
A few whispered on the air from him. The look on his tortured face broke Lilah’s heart.
“What about the children? Do they sleep in the same room as the adults?” An elder Lilah had never heard speak asked something she hadn’t even thought of in the whole scheme of things. What about the children?
“The children sleep together in a deeper section of the cave for their protection. The males have a room to themselves as do the females.”
Thank god for small miracles. Despite that good news, her mate was crushed. This law affected him deeply. He was ashamed of it, but what could he do to stop it? The asshole prince would have him killed for insubordination. She laid her hand on his arm.
“Ferrus, there will be no more of this injustice. That will not be a negotiable item. I will break off talks if that’s the case.”
One of the elders cleared his throat. “The mountain fae females are welcome to stay as long as needed. They seem to get along quite well with us.” Looking over her shoulder, Lilah saw a fusion of brown and red beings going about their day as if long-time friends and neighbors.
Despite the difference in skin color, both groups were fae. They all breathed the same air. They all ate from the bounty of the same soil. They all needed love and freedom in their lives. The fundamental God-given rights every living creature deserved. That was what Lilah fought for.
Now, she just had to convince a hard-headed king to give up his fisted control and power over his females. Like it was going to happen that easily.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Shame and guilt burned a hole into Ferrus’s soul.
He knew the rules the king had in place were unjust, but the men seemed to work things out among themselves. There had been few disagreements that he knew of. But, of course, he tried to stay as far away as possible from all that. He trusted his warriors, and the females were not complaining. Well, until now.
When he became king, all this would stop. But his father wasn’t too old. He wasn’t nearly close to the end of his life span. This couldn’t wait.
His mate stood and brushed her hands over the back of her pants. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
“Go where?”
Her brows drew down. “Where do you think? I have to negotiate with the king.” Alarm zipped through him. His dragon did not like that idea. Then her eyes narrowed, and her full lips pressed together. “Don’t you even think about telling me I can’t do this. I do this kinda thing every day, and I’m damn good at it. I’m the only one who can do it.”
Demon’s hell! There was no way he was changing her mind on this. He knew her well enough to figure that out.
He stood and took her hand. “Can we talk, alone?”
She spun around