Last time I checked, all of his people had been killed, but I wasn’t going to mention that right now.
He looked at my best friend with a murderous glare. “Fine. Just to get a ride back to Seattle.”
“And a healer! Have you seen your leg?” I pointed to his blood-soaked jeans. He looked down with a frown and growled.
“Fine. And a healer.”
“Fine,” I added, unsure why I was so mad. Had I expected him to run away to Faerie and be my soulmate?
Maybe … but not anymore. He would clearly rather steal the Earth crystals and hoard them for his halfling friends. I’d somehow forgotten he was a leader of a rebel branch of the Sons of Darkness. Something I would do well to remember in the future.
Was he an evil asshole like his dad with a breeding program? No. But he still wanted Faerie’s crystals and that wasn’t right.
The door suddenly opened and I let go, startled. Mara was standing there with a knowing look in her eye.
She glared at Liam. “You again?”
He shrugged, a lopsided smirk pulling at his lips. “Miss me?”
And with that, we all entered Mara’s house while I battled within myself on what to do with this man.
“You’re hurt!” Mara shrieked as we stepped inside, just now noticing my injuries. I waved her off with my good hand. “I’ll be alright. Kira will fix me up.”
We walked into her house as Liam looked around wildly at everything, including Bashur, who watched him with a weary gaze.
“Where to, love?” Mara held her hand on the doorknob to her office and looked at me.
“Seattle, please,” Liam said at the same time I said, “Faerie.”
Liam groaned, holding his thigh in pain as blood continued to soak his jeans.
Who needs a tourniquet now? Dick.
“Take us to Faerie. Kira can heal us all and I need to speak with the elders.”
Mara raised an eyebrow. “Child,thisis not something you take to the elders.”
I held my chin high. “They seem reasonable, and since I’m the one fetching the fucking crystals that will save their lives, they’ll do as I please.”
Mara shook her head, holding up her cuffed hands. “I used to think I was indispensable too, and also that they were reasonable…”
Fear spiked through.
Liam winced. “I’ll heal on my own. Just take me to Seattle.”
“No,” I growled. “You saved my life today. Faerie will repay the kindness and give you a healing.” I wouldn’t hear anything else on the matter.
“Mara, take us to the elder library,” I told her.
Mara and Elle exchanged a look as I brushed past them all and stepped into Mara’s office to strap into my seat. “Come on!” I shouted. “Or we’re all going to bleed to death.”
Mara shrugged. “Some people need to learn the hard way.”
Whatever.
The elders owed me. I was keeping the queen alive, a fact I was pretty damn sure that Mara didn’t know. Once I told them that Liam was to be trusted, they would believe me. Maybe we could even work together somehow—yes, I was going to figure out a solution.
We all strapped into our seats and the room spun, emitting a golden light, before it stopped with a slight jerk.
