She went back to eating, and I lifted the red melon once more. As it touched my lips, a literal burst of flavor almost knocked me from my chair. “Holy shit,” I murmured, looking down at the fruit. It was as if the best watermelon in existence had been infused with the sugary sweetness of lemonade. A second taste had my eyes all but rolling in the back of my head, and I had to physically stop myself from stealing the rest of my daughter’s food.
“Does all food in Faerie taste this good?” I asked with a shake of my head.
Len was watching me with his usual intensity. “To the fae it does. We have stronger senses than a lot of other races, though all of them enjoy our food.”
A strangled laugh escaped me. “Despite your previous assessment, there’s nothing fae in my energy or power,” I warned him. It was best to put that out there before any hopes were raised.
He opened his mouth to reply, and at the same time Tabitha let out a small coo and grabbed a strip of the melon. With amazing dexterity, she lifted it easily and put it straight into her mouth, biting down with her two new front teeth.
Len’s attention shifted from me to her, watching with that same unwavering stare. Tabitha made a happy sound, her eyes lighting up as the purple swirled. Swirled, just like the silver of her father’s eyes. Now that they were close, it wasn’t just that he could feel her energy that told me she was Len’s, but it was clear that the purple of her eyes was all but a darker shade of the silver in his.
Their faces were even similar, with those proud and perfect planes. A prince and princess of Faerie.
She finished her fruit in seconds, before reaching for more. With each bite and swallow, her skin glowed brighter, her eyes grew clearer, and she started to babble to the extent I could almost make out words.
“Samantha,” Len said softly, drawing my attention from Tabitha. I wasn’t the only one watching her closely. The rest of the table had locked in on her new changes. “You need to eat also. Your energy is too low.”
He saw too much, and his concern twisted my insides in a way I didn’t want to examine, so I chose to focus on the sandwich. Lifting it and taking a bite, I found the flavor almost bland after the fruit of Faerie. Strange, since it was fresh bread, warm chicken, and a tangy dressing that should have completely satisfied me. Still, it was food and I needed to finish it.
After eating half the meal, I felt some of my own strength return, and I had to admit Len was right. I wasn’t glowing like Tabitha, but I had been weak. I’d allowed myself to grow weak, which pissed me off to no end.
But I was finally free to grow and prosper, to take the next step along my path, which might be into Faerie. All I could hope was that in Faerie, I’d find the answers to the many questions that had plagued me over the past few years.
Once I had my answers, I’d never be weak again.
That was a promise.
17
SAMANTHA
When we’d eaten, and the details about Tabitha, Len, and me were out in the open, it was time for the pack to deal with some other concerns.
“Tell us what’s happening in Faerie?” Shadow asked, a glass of amber liquid in his hand, which he absentmindedly swirled as he faced Len.
Len wasn’t eating any of the food he’d ordered—it seemed it was there simply to feed Tabitha. A fact that warmed my heart like the stupid sap I was.
“King Petre of the Ochre Sands and King Fredrick of the Metallic Meadows, two royal lands in Faerie, have called for the abolishment of the Great Queen’s line.” His words were clipped.
This statement shocked some of the others around the table, especially Angel, Reece, and Shadow, who leaned forward. Mera and Simone appeared to be just as confused as I was.
“They want to hand off the ultimate power and call the bloodline gone?” Angel asked, her face paler than it had been a second ago. “Through what means?”
Len lifted his own glass of amber liquid that had appeared in front of him courtesy of the server. Even from across the table, I could smell plum and the magical equivalent of alcohol. “They will have to sever the Great Queen’s cord that leads to the Deep. To the origin of Faerie,” he said. “It will take all the royal houses to achieve such a feat, and I can’t say if everyone will survive the blowback of power.”
“Has that line ever been severed before?” Angel asked. “I don’t ever recall it happening.”
Lucien shook his head, his gaze meeting mine. “It hasn’t. We’ve only ever had one Great Queen.”
The silence felt heavier after that.
Shadow took a drink. “If they sever the line, there’ll be an imbalance of power. A black hole that would eventually consume Faerie and possibly the rest of the worlds. What’s the plan to counter this?”
Len’s jaw tightened, adding harder lines to his impressive features. “They will appoint a new Great Leader. The severed line will be attached to one of the royal houses, allowing them the same rights and power as the Great Queen. They’ll be Faerie’s new ultimate leader, able to touch the Origin.”
Mera pushed herself forward. “What’s the Origin?”
Len expression lightened. “It’s the source of creation. Theoretically, all worlds have an Origin, a foundation of power that began life as we know it. Generally, it’s not accessible for the average inhabitant of the worlds, but the Great Queen could touch ours. From this, she gave us extra crystals and strength…”
