Praise the gods, I hadn’t walked out naked. “You are very early.”
“Very,” Alandris agreed.
Jyuri clicked his long, claw-like nails together. “I would not have returned, but there has been an unfortunate incident.”
Zorinna scoffed, swinging her deep red hair over her shoulder. “That’s all you have to say about it?”
‘Unfortunate’ for Jyuri could be as small as a broken nail or as big as our entire realm catching on fire. “Please do elaborate,” I insisted.
He sighed once more. “This place is no longer safe for the two of you. Well, for none of my non-Fae toys, really. I have accidentally offended my Queen, and she is on a ridiculously nasty rampage, even for her. I fear she will need a few hundred years to stew in her anger before she forgives me.”
Zorinna rubbed circles along her temple. “By accidentally, he means denying a marriage proposal to one of her daughters.”
“That doesn’t seem so bad,” Alandris replied.
“Thank you!” Jyuri said, clapping his hands together.
“He called her a disgusting specimen and said he would rather flay the skin from his body than sully his hands with her filth.”She sent a pointed glance in his direction. “If you’re going to tell the story, at least do so honestly.”
I winced. So much for this being a safe haven. If I had to take my chances between a pissed off Faerie Queen and the possibility that I would lose control of my magic with Zaelos being able to influence my thoughts, I’d have to choose the one that wouldn’t cause assured death—only probable death. Wonderful odds.
Alandris began pacing the room. “We’ll have to go back to the Consortium. I’ll figure something out from there. She’s close. We only need a bit more time, and we will be able to take her to the Soulseer.”
“She could kill someone, Alandris.” Zorina looked away from me. “I’m sorry, Nairu, but it must be addressed. Even Jyuri has trouble containing you when you lose control.”
“Only because you won’t let me kill her,” he mumbled in reply.
Both Alandris and Zorinna glared at him, the former speaking up in my defense. “What would you have me do? I will not have her go there before she is ready.”
Jyuri shrugged. “Does the Consortium have a dungeon?”
Alandris hissed. “I will not cage her like some rabid animal.”
“Can we please stop talking about me as though I am not in the room?” I shouted, silencing everyone around me. I calmed before continuing, “This is my decision to make. With your permission, Alandris, I will return to the Mages Consortium. I understand the risks and will consent to whatever is necessary to ensure the Mages there are safe. If I need to have someone with me at all times, if you wish me to carry a poison to end my life in an instant, then so be it, but I will not be caged.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. It is your decision,” Alandris said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You are welcome at the Consortium, always.”
“I’m sorry too, Nairu. Between the rest of us, we can keep an eye on you.” Zorinna nodded in my direction. “That will have to be good enough for now. I’ll inform the Prince that I will be absent from court for some time.”
“My Queen could probably do with a break from seeing my dashing face,” Jyuri added, earning him a collective groan from the rest of us.
In truth, I was nervous about returning to the Consortium. In the past, there had always been a clear line between Zaelos and myself. When he whispered in my mind or affected my magic, there had always been a balance of control that teetered in my favor. He’d never been able to fully take over my body to where I felt like the passenger.
I’d wrestled back my control this past time, but there was no guarantee that I could do it a second time. It’d taken a group of trained fighters, a Grand Arch Magus, and a Fae Lord to stop me. If I lost control while they were indisposed, the damage I could cause would be unimaginable. I needed to be careful—mindful of Zaelos’s influence.
“Can you give the two of us a moment alone?” Alandris spoke up.
Jyuri nodded. “I’ll take Zorinna back first.”
He reached for her hand, softly weaving their fingers, and with a snap of his fingers, they were gone, the scent of magic lingering heavily in the air. Almost as heavily as the silence between Alandris and me.
“I am sorry,” he said finally. “In trying to protect you, I fear I’ve been overbearing. I know how you value your freedoms, and I have no right to make your decisions for you. If at any point this isn’t what you want… I hope you feel comfortable telling me.”
I brought my hand to his chest. “I cannot imagine what it feels like to lose the one you love, to think them gone forever. Unlikeyou, I didn’t have to endure the memory of losing a lover as you did for twenty-five years…. I think I can spare you some grace in understanding why you are being overprotective. But let me be very clear—this is what I want. Whatever we face, we do it together.”
“Together.”
“And I can do it.”
