“I think it’s bath time for you.”
Wade picked her up and held her aloft over his head easily, spinning once and no more than that because he didn’t want to upset her stomach. She shrieked gleefully at him, and he carried her upstairs. Emma met him at the bathroom with a smile. Lillian didn’t mind going into her aunt’s arms too much, but itstill took a few minutes before she was distracted by bath toys and bubbles and Wade could make his escape.
Everyone who was leaving had already exited the apartment, with Patrick holding open the door that led to the foyer and the elevator. “Ready?”
Wade nodded and lengthened his stride. “Are we walking into the park?”
“The hawthorn path isn’t accessible by car, so yes, we’re walking.”
Wade stepped past Patrick into the foyer, then ducked into the elevator that Jono was holding open. He nearly tripped over the small carry-on Sage was bringing along but caught himself in time. As the doors closed, Wade’s sharp hearing picked up Lillian’s angry cry as she realized her pack was leaving.
Sage let out a soft little sigh, to which Marek said, “It’s only a day or so, sweetheart.”
“But it’s a week for her,” Sage replied.
“She’s in good hands.”
Emma and Leon might not be god pack, but they were stillpack, and Wade knew Lillian would be safe. “We’ll need to bring her back something. Gotta bribe our way back into her good graces.”
Patrick scowled over his shoulder. “Donotbring back any snacks for her to try.”
“Hey, the fae promised the food would be safe!”
“No,” everyone in the elevator said in unison.
Wade rolled his eyes. “Fine.”
He’d still try to sneak something back for her, even if it wasn’t food.
CHAPTER TWO
The palacein the Seelie Court, where the Spring Queen ruled, was gold and shiny and full of things that Wadeitchedto take home with him.
Sage leaned across Jono in the row of flower-covered wooden chairs they sat in and tugged at Wade’s arm, forcing him to look away from the intricate jeweled headpiece aduine sídhewore one row up and two seats down. She raised an eyebrow at him. “You arenotallowed to pickpocket anything.”
Wade lifted both his hands, empty of shiny things, even if Sage didn’t know his pockets weren’t. “I wasn’t!”
“You were thinking about it, and the answer is no.”
Wade wisely said nothing to that, tapping his foot against the mossy ground. The wedding wasn’t being held in the throne room he’d only seen once before but in a grand living hall whose walls were massive tree trunks, the roof made of high, leafy branches, and a waterfall of flowering vines at the spot up front, where Gerard waited for his bride. He was flanked by Patrick, Keith Pearson, two other former soldiers, and a handful of fae, all of whom were the equivalent of his groomsmen. There’d been a word for it that Wade had heard in the fae’s chosenlanguage and which his brain had roughly, if easily, translated into English, but he couldn’t remember what it was now.
Everyone past the veil referred to Gerard as Cú Chulainn, but he answered to both names. Their arrival in Underhill that morning had occurred amid a massive celebration leading up to the wedding ceremony, and Gerard had made sure to be the one to greet them when they’d first set foot through the veil. He hadn’t changed since the last time Wade had seen him four years ago—still tall, his light brown hair grown out from the military cut he’d once sported, slightly pointed ears peeking through the mass. His silver eyes had been full of laughter when he’d welcomed them, but now those same eyes were staring down the aisle as everyone started to rise.
Jono discreetly elbowed Wade in the side, and he hastily got to his feet, tugging his dark green suit jacket with its gold trim straight. The suit was an elaborate design created by a fae tailor in Manhattan, but he still felt a little underdressed compared to some of the other Tuatha Dé Danann surrounding them. He craned his head around, peering at the other end of the hall, where a line of banners swayed in the soft breeze, music rising into the air among the beautiful, crystalline voices of fae singers.
The music didn’t follow familiar beats, some of the sound registering at high notes Wade knew mundane humans wouldn’t be able to hear. He dialed down his hearing a bit as a literal parade of fae—winged, hooved, and not—danced their way down the center aisle, tossing flower petals, bits of moss, and sparks of magic into the air where pixies cavorted around. Wade batted away one of the bitey little things when they got too close, to which Jono shot him an aggrieved look.
What?Wade mouthed at him.
Jono didn’t respond, and they went back to watching the spectacle that preceded Órlaith’s grand arrival. As the Summer Lady to the Spring Court and the granddaughter to the currentruler, Órlaith was walked down the aisle by the goddess Brigid, the pair a sight to behold amidst the extravagant celebration.
Órlaith’s long orange-red hair fell down her back in loose curls and a few braids, with flowers woven through it. The elaborate golden crown she wore sparkled with colorful gems, the brilliant diamond in its center something Wade really,reallywanted for his hoard. But he never stole from friends and so pined from afar, half wondering if he could find a good substitute in the palace after the ceremony, something no one would miss.
Maybe.
The music tapered off, those in the procession standing aside amidst the crowd as Órlaith made it to the front. There was no giving her away, only Brigid having her stand before their people and beside Gerard as she took her spot in front of everyone to give a blessing as only a goddess could.
“May the memories you make and share never be forgotten,” Brigid said in her opening speech, power in her words and voice that Wade could sense. It wasn’t a spell, merely how the Tuatha Dé Danann prayed, he guessed.
