“The blight?” Raza interrupted. “You think that's connected?”
“I don't know how it could be, but it seems strange that both Hell and Fairy are weakened simultaneously.”
“When you look at it like that, yes, it seems like an attack. Fuck!” He growled as he slashed his deadly hand through the air. “If this is an attack, the culprit is patient and cunning. They nearly set us against you.” His eyes widened. “Dear Goddess, perhaps that was the goal. Weaken the worlds of Hell and Fairy while also weakening what unites them. Not just what unites Fairy but also what unites Fairy to Hell. Seren, there is only one race that would do this.”
“Raza, this is all theory. I don't know if it's an attack.”
“The more I think about it, the more I'm certain it is, mo shíorghrá. And the more I'm sure of who is behind it.”
“Don't say it.”
“This is the work of a motherfucking Angel!”
Chapter Twenty
I managed to calm Raza down and stop him from declaring war on Heaven. Just barely. We couldn't be sure any of it was an attack, much less an angelic attack. Plus, most of the Angelic Host wanted Fairy to be strong. Their next queen lived here. Chosen by Anu himself, Mirielle was a step away from God as far as Angels were concerned. Gabriel had just contacted us, wanting to observe her. If it were an Angel orchestrating all of this, it would have to be a rebel faction who was against Anu. We couldn't go blindly throwing punches at an entire world we were supposed to have an alliance with.
Not to mention the fact that I couldn't see how an Angel could come to Fairy unnoticed and cause the Garden of Regret to suddenly infect Seelie. How would an Angel even know about the Garden? Not even Tiernan knew of its existence. That, more than anything, convinced Raza to stand down. But he still thought an Angel was behind my dreams.
And he was not a man to sit idly by when he suspected an enemy was coming for him. As I returned to Seelie, Raza returned to the High Council, intent on warding all the raths to Earth shut. I didn't think the Council would approve it, not with so many fairies living on Earth, but I'd let them deal with the angry Dragon-Djinn. I'd done enough.
Tiernan was in bed when I returned to Pech. He sat up, eyebrows lifting. “I didn't expect you back for a while.”
I chuckled. “Making up doesn't have to include make-up sex.”
He cocked his head and frowned as if he couldn't understand what I was saying.
I undressed and got into bed. “We're better now, but it's not all good news.”
“What happened?”
“Danu disappearing because of a blight seems odd. Raza and Dad are going to search Unseelie and Twilight in case the blight has spread further than we know.”
“I suppose it's possible. Either way, it's not a bad idea to check on the kingdoms.”
“We talked about the dreams too. Raza understands more now. But we're worried that the dreams may be an attack.”
Tiernan went still. “How so?”
“It weakens Hell and Fairy. Not only are Astaroth and I at odds, but I was fighting with you and Raza over this as well. We unite Fairy.”
“Ah.” His expression went pensive. “Yes, I see. It's rather elaborate.”
“You don't think it's an attack?”
“It could be, but by whom?”
“Raza thinks it's an Angel. He's asking the High Council to ward the raths to Earth.”
Tiernan made a face. “I don't think they'll approve of that. And why would an Angel want to create discord between Hell and Fairy? Moreover, why would they want to break up our family?”
“Maybe they're anti-Anu Angels.” I shrugged. “I'm not convinced of anything. But Angels and Demons have been against us before.”
“One problem at a time, love.” Tiernan lay back and turned on his side to face me. “We'll deal with the blight, and then, if we find proof that your dreams were somehow engineered, we can deal with that next. Right now, let's get some sleep.” He lifted a hand, light bursting from it, and gathered the shadows cast by the light into a dome over us. Once his dark ward was in place, Tiernan nestled me in against him. “Sweet dreams, Seren.”
I grinned against his skin. “Sweet dreams. Maybe I'll see you in them.”
Chapter Twenty-One
