Blood of the Exiled (Witch Fairy Book 10) (30 page)

“In whatever country you reside, do you abide by the laws the Humans have set forth?” I ask.

Puffing up his chest, he says, “That is different.”

“How?
 
You didn’t have anything to do with those laws yet you still abide by them.
 
This is no different.”
 
The old geezer huffs but he quiets down.

“If that is decided,” Adriel says, looking at the Skin Walker like it is whether he thinks so or not, “then separate.
 
Those who follow Jadyn and Conor stand near them.
 
Those who followed the unfortunate Andrew, gather to make your decision.”

There’s hesitancy in the crowd.
 
Andrew’s followers are debating whether they should show themselves, wondering if it will put a target on their foreheads or something.
 
After a long, painful few minutes, the first of them start moving together.
 
I figure I’ll give them about five minutes to make a decision.
 
As I wait, I am happy to see that the majority of Skin Walkers are with Jadyn and Conor.
 
At least, they claim to be now.
 
Who knows how they felt ten minutes ago.

As I wait impatiently, something catches my eye.
 
Tana is standing closer to my grandfather than she had been.
 
More disturbing than that, she is
holding his hand
.
 
I look away hurriedly, but it’s too late.
 
Kallen had already followed my eyes to the unspeakable situation.
 
His face flushes with anger and his body starts shaking.
 

To my ultimate surprise, he stays put.
 
I expected my grandfather to be laid out on the ground, writhing in pain.
 
I raise my brow and look up at my gorgeous, irate husband.
 
He gives a barely perceptible shake of his head, clearly indicating he has no desire to discuss the situation.
 
If he does, I think it’ll push him over the need to do violence edge.

“Can we move this along?” Kegan asks.
 
“I would like to go back to bed.
 
In the future, could the two of you only have disasters happen during the day?”

“We’ll try,” I say dryly.
 
Still, I say to the Skin Walkers, “Time’s up.
 
Did you pick someone?”

A Skin Walker who looks to be in his late twenties steps forward.
 
“I will represent my brethren.”

How formal he is.
 
“Great.
 
Is everyone else ready to go home?”
 
No one responds, so I’ll take that as a yes.
 
Half expecting the rush of magic I have to pull back through me to make me pass out, I still pull it back.
 
My hold on the Skin Walkers releases.
 
I must be getting stronger because I only stumble a bit and Kallen is able to right me with no problem.

Now to deal with the leftovers.

We retreat to the house and up to the now familiar library.
 
“Gunnar, will you please gather everyone again?” I ask.
 

He looks weary.
 
“Can it not wait until morning?”

“After the night we’ve had?
 
No, it can’t.”

Accepting that I won’t budge on this, he nods his head.
 
“Fifteen minutes?”
 
My turn to nod.

Aiden is assisting Kegan and Kallen with Andrew.
 
They have his hands behind his back in zip ties and he’s seated in a chair.
 
The magic surrounding them is more than enough to keep him from changing into something small enough to slip away.

With Kallen otherwise occupied, I have time to do something I’ve wanted to do practically since we got here.
 
Spotting the person I’m seeking, I stride across the room and speak in a voice low enough for no one else to hear.
 
“I would like to speak to you in private.”

Tana is startled at first, but she acquiesces.
 
We both slip out of the library and down the hall to an empty guest room.
 
I close the door behind us.
 
Tana walks to the window and gazes out like I’m not even here.

“Why are you doing it?” I ask.
 
“If you are trying to hurt Dagda, it would work better if he was here.
 
Right now, the only one you are hurting is Kallen.”

I think she’s ignoring me.
 
She continues to stand in front of the window, her back straight and her gaze steadfast on the stables that can be seen from here.
 
Just as I’m about to walk over there and strangle her, she speaks.
 
“I did not want you to know.”

“Yeah, I got that,” I say.
 
“I’m not willing to let you keep hurting Kallen, though.
 
If you want to be with my grandfather, then just tell him.
 
Don’t sneak around and leave him wondering.
 
Dagda, either.”

Tana laughs softly and finally turns to me.
 
“You care a great deal for a Fairy who once tried to kill you.”

I shrug.
 
“At least he stopped.
 
I can’t say the same thing about this side of my family.”
 
Of course I mean the Witches.

“Your grandfather does not want to kill you.
 
He simply does not know how to stand up to those around him.
 
A rather poor quality in a King.”

“I agree.
 
That doesn’t explain why you are so cozy with him,” I say.

“Is that how it appears?
 
I am being cozy with him?”
 
Tana ruminates on that for a moment.
 
“If so, my husband would be most displeased, would he not?”

I put my hands on my hips and glower at her.
 
“Is that rhetorical or do you need me to respond with magic?”

Tana pushes away from the window sill she had been leaning on.
 
“Your father has nothing to worry about.
 
I hold no designs on your grandfather.”

I snort.
 
“He seems to think you do.”

Tana purses her lips.
 
“Yes, I suppose he does.
 
Perhaps that will open him up to your idea for Fairy tourists.”

My mouth opens in surprise.
 
“Is that why you’re leading him on?”
 
God, I hope not.
 

She shakes her head and smiles.
 
“Heavens no.
 
I am not convinced this plan of yours is a good one.”

Maybe if I count to a zillion, I can keep myself from killing her.
 
One, two, three…That’s as far as I get before she shocks the hell out of me.
 
“I am healing him,” she says.

I’m flabbergasted.
 
I’ve never been flabbergasted before.
 
“You know he’s sick?”

She nods.
 
“I am perceptive to such things.
 
I knew the moment he first took my hand.”

I study Tana for a long moment.
 
There’s still something she’s not telling me.
 
“Why do you care if he lives or dies?”

“Quite honestly?
 
I do not.”
 
Funny, Tana’s as honest as I am.
 
She pauses for a long, tedious moment before continuing.
 
“However, if your grandfather is consumed by his illness, you and my nephew would be forced to assume your roles as Queen and King in this realm.
 
I do not want to lose my nephew now that I finally have him back in my life, nor do I want your father, Isla or Tabitha to be hurt by your departure.
 
If you are able to return to the Fairy realm, even if it is just for a few more years, things will be right in their hearts.”

“What about you?” I ask, too off balance to try to make sense of this.
 
She cares what Dagda wants?
 
Isla and Tabitha I can understand, but Dagda?
 
“Wouldn’t getting rid of me make things right in your heart?”

Tana considers me for a moment.
 
“I find my feelings on the subject to be torn.”
 
There’s that lovely honesty again.
 
“You are a constant reminder of everything dark in my life.
 
However, that is not your fault.
 
Most of the blame lies with me.
 
I chose how to respond to my husband’s betrayal.”

“I’m glad you left him.”
 
Hurt shines in her eyes and I hurry to say, “He deserved it.
 
He deserved to feel the loss of you at the time.
 
It’s okay to forgive him now, though, after so long.
 
No one will think less of you if you do.”

She waves a hand in the air.
 
“I do not care what the Fairy population thinks of me.”
 
She’s not being a hundred percent honest, but I’ll let it go.
 
“I have forgiven him,” she says.

I scowl in confusion.
 
“Then why haven’t you told him?”

She shrugs in discomfort.
 
“I do not know how to go back to him.
 
So much has happened.
 
It is no longer simply him who needs to be forgiven.
 
I have much to atone for myself.”

My turn to wave a hand in the air.
 
“You could’ve killed off half the Fairies in the realm and Dagda would still want you back.
 
He’s a love sick fool.”
 
Just like I am with Kallen and vice versa.
 
I guess it’s a family trait.
 
I don’t think Kallen would try to kill off half the Fairy population, though.

“You believe that,” she says.

I nod.
 
“You only have to see how he looks at you to know the truth.”

A knock on the door startles us both.
 
It opens and I’m surprised to find Kegan instead of Kallen.
 
Following my line of thought, he says, “My cousin is still busy with the Skin Walker, but he thought it prudent to make sure you are not killing his aunt.”

Tana smiles in real amusement.
 
“As you can see, I am alive and well.
 
Not a scratch mars my skin.”
 
She holds her bare arms out and turns them over for him to see.
 
She is being playful.
 
Unbelievable.

Amused, Kegan says, “My cousin will be glad to hear it, as am I.”

“Are we finished here?” Tana asks.
 
“There is a task I would like to return to as soon as possible.”
 

Kegan gives her a weird look, but I nod happily.
 
Happily until I think about the tasks that lie ahead for me.
 
Maybe we can switch roles and I can cure Grandpa and Tana can solve the rest of the problems here.
 
I doubt she wants that job, either.