The way Brin spoke sounded like he was talking about someone else. His unruffled expression at the mention of his sibling’s hatred of him making me wonder if he was as unaffected as he made it seem. It had killed me when Jenna and I were at odds. The fact that it was my fault that we were estranged hadn’t made it any easier. If anything, it made it worse because I always knew I held the power to fix things and I just didn’t.
The sound of something approaching saved me from the awkwardness I felt. A shadow moved through the ghostly, twisted shapes of the glass trees, its immense form gradually condensing the closer it came. Until finally, it took on the silhouette of a dog a second later.
Alches padded out of the shadows, stopping to shake himself and nearly losing his balance in the process.
His fur and skin settled, he loped toward us.
“Look who finally showed up,” I grouched, not having forgotten who had abandoned me to the pit’s staging area.
Some guardian he was. Throwing me headfirst into the fire.
Alches slid to a stop in front of the old king, plopping down on his butt. A tentacle reached up to scratch inside his ear. When finished, he let out a soft woof.
My grandfather bent down to pet his head. “Dear friend, you’ve been quite busy.”
Alches’s tail thumped the ground.
“I’d like to know a little about that.” I leveled a stern look on the shadow hound. “I don’t suppose he’d be willing to share with the group.”
My grandfather’s features reflected amusement at my naivety. “A realm guardian is a being of mystery. Demanding answers will only bring out the trickster in him.”
“It’s that capriciousness that makes them such difficult companions to have at your side,” Brin added.
I gritted my teeth. “That would have been nice to know beforehand.”
Brin’s nod was almost fatherly. “Yes, it would have been far wiser to have rejected his service. The strings that often come attached to Fae gifts can be quite dangerous. Unless one fully understands what they are getting, and have the ability to protect themselves from the repercussions, it is always better to refuse what is given than accept.”
“I could have refused him?” I glared at my grandfather. “You neglected to mention that.”
Giving Alches one last pat, the former king straightened. “Of course I did, my dear. I’m Fae. You can never take us at face value. Consider this an important lesson. Even amongst family, you must always look for the truth hidden in the heart of our words and deeds.”
I should have known that.
I did know that.
I’d just ignored reality because of our so-called familial connection.
“In this instance, however, it was in your best interest to accept Alches into your service,” my grandfather continued. “There is no companion more loyal. You might not always understand his actions or motivations, but he will always have your best interests in mind.”
“Explain how dumping me in a Fae cage match was in my best interest.”
I could have died. I almost did die.
“Two.” At my confused look, Brin expanded. “That’s how many opportunities you had to kill the werewolf. You ignored both in favor of drawing out the fight. Likely so you could break the enthrallment that Muiredach had placed on the beast.”
Schooling my features to neutrality, I watched Brin with unfriendly eyes. It seems I hadn’t been as clever in disguising my intentions as I’d thought. I’d hoped no one—particularly Liam or my sire—would realize I’d had more than one opportunity to end things.
“It was reckless to use your magic breaking power in front of such a large crowd.” Brin shook his head at me in disappointment. “I can only imagine how important that werewolf must be to you.”
More like someone close to me. Caroline was the biggest reason I’d held back. Also, because I didn’t want to deal with the headache that would have come from me killing the pack’s alpha. They wouldn’t have cared that it had been in self-defense.
The last thing I needed was a bunch of furry psychos stalking me in hopes of ripping me limb from limb.
“Strange—I thought the vampire was the one who held your heart.” Brin tilted his head quizzically. “Was I wrong?”
“I’m not discussing my love life with you.”
Some boundaries had to be maintained. Even if we’d had a more normal father/daughter relationship, I still wouldn’t have entertained this topic of conversation.
