"You don't remember what Midir was like. He would try to go back to his old raids, hunts, and kidnappings. Humans won't tolerate it. They have formidable weapons and would use them to fight back," Taranis argued, getting up to pace. "The fae have a tentative peace there now. Kian makes sure of it."
"And they are Kian's people. Why not let Midir make a treaty of his own?" Afon asked, gesturing to a servant to fill his glass. He walked around the mirror where Midir had been. "He isn't yours to command, my king, and you know he won't stop until he gets what he wants."
"We would be trading fae lives for human ones," Avallach pointed out. "I've seen what kind of hospitality Midir gives to those whom he believes are lesser."
"And it is my lands he will invade in retaliation! My people will die first for this," Afon argued back.
"Taranis's people," Yelena corrected coolly. "You may be a lord, but Taranis is king."
"And you are nothing but a pet he trained," he snarled.
Valentine stilled. "What did you just say?"
Afon turned a red face to him. "You heard me. She shouldn't even be sitting at this table, and neither should you. We all know you are sleeping with her. Just because you humans are into bestiality doesn't..."
Valentine vanished and reappeared in front of Afon. The lord made a startled sound, and Valentine's fingers whipped into his mouth and grabbed his tongue. The blade of his dagger rested against Afon's cheek.
"I have had enough of your tongue disrespecting Yelena. Just because she is willing to tolerate the insults doesn't mean that I am," he whispered, the edge of his blade digging into Afon's skin.
"Valentine," Yelena's voice cut through the rage that was turning his vision red. "Let him go. He's not worth your anger or your blade."
Valentine's grip on Afon's tongue tightened. "Take care with this tongue of yours because next time, she might not be around to stop me." Valentine let him go with a shove.
Not a single person in the room moved as Afon straightenedhis robes. "You might be able to turn into a dragon, human, but you are not one of us and never will be. Go and fuck your beast. You're no more fae than she is." He whirled away, leaving the room without asking permission from Taranis.
"Valentine, let him go," Taranis said, the growl in his voice stopping him from finishing what he started. "I will deal with Afon when he has cooled down. Yelena? I apologize for his words."
"It is fine, my king," Yelena replied, but Valentine knew that it wasn't. It didn't matter how much time passed. The lords like Afon would never accept Yelena amongst them.
"I think we have had enough of politics for one evening. I will think on Midir's request and all your concerns," Taranis said and made a tired gesture, dismissing them. "Valentine? I would like a moment of your time."
Valentine waited until everyone had left except Taranis and him. "I'm sorry, Uncle. I shouldn't have attacked, but..."
"But Yelena is your mate?" Taranis interrupted.
Valentine swallowed hard. "You knew? Are you angry?"
"No." Taranis's lips twitched into a smile. "No one with eyes would be even a little surprised. Total chaos is generally how you Greatdrakes operate."
Valentine's hands clenched into angry fists. "Even if she wasn't my mate, no one should be talking about her like that. Why do you let them?"
"I have asked Yelena on more than one occasion if she would like me to do something about it, and she has always said no. You know why? Because they will all underestimate her if they think she's some kind of trained pet. They are afraid of her, and they don't understand her, and it is how she likes it." Taranis drained his wine. "Midir is going to be a problem until he gets what he wants."
"He's planning something. There is no way he would haveagreed to that meeting and been so confident when he snatched up Avallach and Yelena if he didn't. For all we know, that could have been something to distract us," Valentine replied, folding his arms. "You can't let him have access to Ireland."
"I know, Val." Taranis leaned his arms against the back of his chair. "I need to talk to my brothers in case Midir has already sent forces to their borders, too. He has always hated our family, and he will use this as the excuse he needs to turn all of Faerie against us."
"What do you need me to do?" Valentine asked.
"Stop attacking my lords and have the night off. I need to curl up with my mate for a while until I can think up a plan." Taranis waved him out, and Valentine didn't argue.
He knew he had reacted poorly. He should have known that Taranis tolerated Afon's snide comments only because Yelena had asked him to. It was a smart plan to make sure the lords consistently underestimated her. Valentine wanted to throw her over his shoulder and go home to Ireland. He was not built for court life.
Yelena was waiting outside for him, the knights loitering about, talking with Quinn.
"Ah, Valentine. If you aren't busy this evening, can you please bring your tools by and have a look at my hand? I'm going to need some adjustments," Yelena said, flexing her silver fingers.
Valentine couldn't see any issues with it, but wasn't dumb enough to say that out loud.
