Once Broken Faith (44 page)

Her smile continued to blossom, becoming a grin. “You did something I wanted you to do, and you didn't whine nearly as much as I expected,” she said. “I'm allowed to do favors. Now get the fuck out of my house, and if I see you before a hundred years have passed, I reserve the right to stab you in some nonfatal spot.”

“Why nonfatal?”

“Because guaranteeing myself a stable monarchy only works if I don't go killing the monarchs.” She pointed to the door. “Get out.”

I got out.

Madden was right outside the door. Walther and Cassandra were a short distance away, standing close together. I wasn't sure Walther realized
how
close, or that he'd positioned himself to protect her from anything that might come bursting from the apartment. I swallowed a smirk. Cassandra would be pleased when she figured out how well he was picking up her signals.

“Ardy!” Madden rushed to meet me as the door slammed shut. “Are you okay?”

“Better than okay.” I held up the vial. “We have our solution, and the Luidaeg threw in a fix for my magic-burn. We're going home.”

I started to sweep my hand through the air, and stopped when Madden grabbed my wrist. I turned. He was staring at me, clear concern in his wolfish eyes.

“Ardy, what did you pay?” he asked, voice low.

I didn't have to think about it before I smiled at him, and said, “Only what I deserved.”

He looked confused. But he let me go and took a step back, allowing me to open the gate that would return us to Muir Woods. The smell of blackberry flowers and redwoods washed over us, and we stepped through, all four of us, leaving the shadows of San Francisco behind.

It was past sunrise by the time Walther was done verifying that Nolan was stable and feeding him the potion from the Luidaeg, one slow sip at a time. Both Walther and Cassandra availed themselves of the hospitality of my house for a few hours, sleeping until midafternoon, when they woke, showered, and left, both of them riding on a yarrow branch that Walther produced from inside his jacket. I excused myself from Nolan's bedside long enough to wave farewell.

Cassandra hugged me before leaving, surprising us both, and whispered, “I'll be back,” in my ear.

I was still smiling about that when I returned to the
room where my brother slept and sat down next to the bed. I had a book. The kingdom could get by without its queen for a few more hours. After all, it was never going to lose me again. Not for at least a hundred years.

Time passed, seconds blending into minutes into hours. Nolan stirred. I looked up from the page, trying not to let myself hope, trying not to let myself
want
.

His eyes were open. He was looking at me, confusion writ large across his features.

“What in the world,” he asked, “have you done to your
hair
?”

I dropped the book as I fell upon him, laughing and crying in the same breath, and I gathered my brother in my arms, and we were finally, finally home.

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