Tiernan sat down beside me. “Hello, Astaroth.”
“Gods damn it!” Star swore.
“Yes, she told us about your nightly interludes,” Tiernan went on. “And about your threat.”
“It's not a threat. I'm tired of fighting this, Tiernan. It's time that all of you admitted that Seren and I are inevitable. For fuck's sake, look at how long this has gone on. It's never going to get better.”
“We disagree.”
“Seren?” Star demanded.
“Star, I've been so tired. It was hard for me to think clearly. I'm sure it's been the same for you. Don't you feel better today? We needed the rest. Our dreams gave us no respite.”
“I am clearer-headed this morning, yes. And I see now that it was wrong to give you that ultimatum. I retract it. I don't wish to threaten any of you. That's not how I want you, Seren.”
I let out a sigh of relief.
“Besides, it's unnecessary.”
I choked on my sigh. “What does that mean?”
“I don't know how you kept her from me, Tiernan, but Seren can't hide behind you forever. I don't have to go to her. She will come to me. I feel it in my bones. No, I feel it in my soul—the piece that lives inside her.”
And then the crystal went clear.
“Star?! Damn it!” I snapped the case shut and lifted my gaze to meet Tiernan's. “Should I scry him back?”
“No, that was just the death rattle of dying hope.” Tiernan cupped my cheek. “I can't imagine how hard it is to come close to having you and then be forced to let you go. It will take time for Astaroth to accept this. Until then, you stay here. I will guard you every night.”
“And if the others want me to visit them?”
“When they forgive you, and you return to them, we can figure it out. I'm sure they can lay their own wards upon you as you sleep. We will protect you, my love.”
“I know you will.” I glanced at the phone. “I feel so awful about Star.”
“Maybe don't say that when you speak to Raza.” He winked at me.
I burst out laughing. Tiernan's jokes always landed harder because they were so unexpected coming from him.
Chapter Thirteen
On the way back to our suite after breakfast with our family, Tiernan took the wrong turn.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“There's something I want to check.” Tiernan tugged on my hand. “Lady Mariya has me thinking about the old rulers of Seelie.”
I followed him down shining corridors of white marble veined in gold, light coming from floating spheres and high windows. Breathing deeply, I silently praised the ancient architects who had added long planters to the design—some cut directly out of the marble floor to line the walls and some, in the wider areas, set in the center like medians on a highway. Lush plants overflowed the narrow confines, trees among them, their branches brushing the high ceilings. Not only did the vibrant color keep the castle from falling into austerity, but it also freshened the air.
With a start, I realized my perspective of Castle Seelie had changed overnight. I still didn't feel completely at home there, and I probably never would, but I could admire the beauty now. It didn't annoy me or feel like a monument anymore. If someone challenged Tiernan or me for the throne, we could losethe castle, or we could step down willingly and give up, maybe to Falcas. But every home got passed on or sold eventually. That didn't make it less ours. While we ruled, Castle Seelie belonged to us. I could change anything I wanted here. I could paint the walls red. Or the roses, if I were feeling especially mad. It was up to us to make it into a home.
Again, it's amazing what sleep will do for a person.
Tiernan took a left into the Royal Gallery. I'd been there before, but the paintings of all the old kings and queens of Seelie didn't hold much interest for me. There was even a painting of Queen Iseabal there, despite how her reign ended. She probably wasn't the only monarch in Seelie history to be a bad person and to lose her throne to someone stronger. I wouldn't have known to challenge her if there hadn't been a precedent. Terrible or not, she was part of Seelie's history, and her portrait belonged there.
The newest additions to the gallery were paintings of Tiernan and me. Falcas wasn't there. You only got to hang on these illustrious walls if you ruled. I grinned at Tiernan's portrait. He looked so regal, which was accurate, but this was beyond his norm. Probably had something to do with the layers of kingly robes they'd put on him when he posed for the portrait.
Still, he stood out from the crowd of stuffy royals, his silver stare made roguish by his curling silver scar. I didn't exactly blend in either. The reason I knew Tiernan had been bullied into wearing all those robes was that Sorcha had done the same to me, insisting that a queen's portrait must have a certain presence.
