And at the center of it all, somehow, impossibly, Declan and those closest to him.All of them staring into the voids, whether they knew it or not.
Chapter Thirteen
Antonio
Sprawlinghillsandpurple-redflowers.A winding stone path, through it all.Bunches of long grass pushed up between the rocks and around the flowers, dotted the bases of the few trees.Far below, Antonio could just make out a large lake, glinting in the early dawn-tinted light.
Common land, Declan had explained.A place for the sluagh to clear his head after the shit they’d learned.And Antonio?He was only too happy to be away from everyone.
Dead unseelie babies and haunted-eyed, irritable dragons.What could he even say?Antonio didn’t have a fucking clue.The beats were familiar, human history had plenty of cruelty.
But this was different.Faerie was, in some ways, sosmall.Not billions of people.Millions?If that.It wasn’t like he’d counted.Small enough for one council reporting to two monarchs.Less “Earth” and more “Iceland.”
Small, and maybe it was getting smaller.The unseelie had lost their name, and with every generation, there were fewer than the one before.Humans were being treated less as pets and more as a plague.
Not long ago, Antonio would have been happy to hear about the veil closing.No more children lured away into the dark.He still didn’t like the idea of Faeriefeedingon humans.
But not liking a world didn’t mean he wanted it to disappear.And there was Declan.Who was trying so hard.Who was the target of a fucking hit.Who needed help but had gotten Antonio.
Shit.
Antonio wrapped an arm around Declan’s shoulders and stroked the man’s arm.Didn’t say anything for a while.Just walked and waited, feeling the knot of his bond’s emotions slowly ease.
“What Zyr said,” he finally managed, when they both seemed to be breathing easy.“About the kids.”
Because,Christ.You didn’t hurt kids.
“They say seelie births are more natural.Two unseelie, that’s asking for a stillbirth.Few wish to risk it.Seelie and unseelie?Life breeds truer and death claims its own.”There was a flatness to Declan’s voice that hurt to hear.“No one questions it.Less of us every century and no one’s even noticed.No one’sdoinganything.”
Antonio pulled Declan a little closer.Stopped walking to just hold on.Declan curled in, head to Antonio’s chest, and held on back.Antonio wasn’t stupid enough to think he could make Declan feel better.There was no fixing this.But he could hold him.He could do this much.
“You’re gonna do something.We’ll do it together.Got an argument for the Council right?Learned what we needed to.”
“Aye.If a human can sit as Monarch, then one can be a Councilor.Fancy yourself a–”
Antonio never got to learn what Declan thought he might fancy.A shadowy figure.A hard jerk.Declan torn from his arms.Antonio tried to hold on.
He did try.
He failed.
“Hello cousin,” said the hissing thing that held Declan.“I hear you’ve been stepping out of line.”
Antonio sprang forward.Toward the strange fae.Toward Declan.The air went hard, between them.A glamour he couldn’t see.Couldn’t find his way around.
On the other side, sickly oily smoke poured from the ground.Declan struggled.Antonio banged on the wall he knew was there.
Useless.He couldn’t fight.Shouldn’t fight.The fae were too powerful, and he had always, always been powerless.The truth of it felt like a physical thing, dragging Antonio down, trying to push him to his knees.
You can’t save him.You shouldn’t even try.Give up.Give way.Let it happen.
Fuck that.
“Declan, shit shitshit.Hold on.Fuck.”He felt along the wall, trying to think.Last time, it hadn’t been just the fish ladies.Last time there’d been– “Calloway.Calloway, youfucker!”
He whirled, and there he was, glittering and pretty, with sad eyes and a determined expression.
“I won’t ask you to wed me nor bond with me,” he said, all in a rush.Which Antonio might’ve been relieved to hear if someone wasn’ttearing into Declanwhile the fucker spoke.“All I ask is that you listen to me, Antonio.Let me take you to your home.Or somewhere safe.Sluagh, those like him, they can twist minds.Even a Hollow’s.He’s not what you think.Come with me.We can sort out the lies you’ve been told from the truth.”
