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Tor shifted his body to put himself between the selkie and the exit, flashing River a smile that he was certain made him look more like a shark than a fae.
The selkie queen and her mates didn’t take long to return. The queen was undoubtedly preparing to retire for the evening, wearing her bedclothes and long hair piled under a silk wrap. Her sky-blue eyes darted from Rainn to River, taking in her youngest child and then her eldest. She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Well?” She demanded.
Rainn gave his brother a pointed look.
River said nothing.
Tor stepped forward. “Months ago, Cormac Illfinn called a meeting regarding the Migration. We met on the Skala Beach, in Rainn’s cottage. On that day, we saw a girl on the sand. A female fae that had been beaten within an inch of her life. Though we saw evidence of several people, we did not see who attacked her. We later found out that the girl was an undine female. The fae who had beaten her were also undine.”
“Undine, on my beach?” The Selkie Queen queried delicately but said no more.
Tor nodded stiffly. “We didn’t think about it then, as we had plans to follow Maeve, the female, back to the migration. The Mer had made plans to infiltrate the Frosted Sands.”
The selkie queen’s lip curled with distaste, but she did not interrupt.
“We have recently discovered that your eldest son, River Shallows, was the selkie that allowed the undine guards to come onto the Skala Beach.” Tor continued.
“Is this true?” The selkie queen turned to River.
“Maeve Cruinn is the mad queen’s daughter. The second in line for the throne should King Irvine perish. And he has perished!” River’s eyes were glassy with rage, his face red and flushed. His movements were jerky and desperate. “Why do you care about undine guards? I was acting in the best interests of the Selkie. Without Maeve Cruinn, the Undine King would have no successor.”
“Maeve Cruinn is not the successor to the throne.” The selkie queen rubbed her face. “The undine will not allow another female to sit on the High Throne after Caroihme took her own life.”
“That doesn’t matter!” River rushed forward. “She needed to die.”
“River.” The selkie queen shot him a look. “You let undine soldiers onto our sand.”
“You let an undine princess sup your wine and eat your food this very evening!” River flailed his hands. “You made no comment that your youngest is mated to a gilded wretch!”
His head snapped to the side, and a slap rang out. The selkie queen kept her hand raised, her eyes flashing with warning.
She turned to the male closest to her, closing her eyes and taking a breath. The tallest of her mates, a male with tarnished silver hair curling over his shoulders, rushed forward to catch her. “Take River to the dungeons.” She said, her emotions draining from her face and leaving a chilling emptiness in her features.
The guards at the door rushed toward them, grabbing River and dragging him from the room.
Ignoring her eldest son’s screams, the selkie queen turned to her youngest son.
“Rainn, please assure Maeve Cruinn that she is welcome to stay at the Skala Beach for as long as she wishes. Tormalugh, I hope River’s betrayal has not soured your opinion of our family.” She tilted her head regally.
“He won’t marry one of my sisters,” Rainn told her with a hollow laugh. “He belongs to Maeve as well.”
When it became clear that Rainn and his mother had much catching up to do, Tor excused himself, meandering through the castle until he found his way back to Rainn’s royal suite.
He let himself in, thankful that more guards had been posted after the altercation. The selkie queen had undoubtedly realized how perilous Maeve’s situation was.
Maeve stirred as Tor walked through the door, though she didn’t open her eyes from slumber until he sat on the edge of the bed and pushed his fingers through his hair. Maeve wiped the sleep from her eyes and sat up, putting her hand on his shoulder. Offering comfort without question.
Tor regarded her white hair in the dim light of the room, shimmering like a pearl. Even in the depths of the twilight lake, her hair shone, unable to be hidden. Out of the water, Maeve did not sport the pearls that dotted her face like freckles from the sun, but even without them, she was no less beautiful.
Maeve blinked up at him. Her long lashes cast spider-leg shadows on her face. Her dark eyes rolled up to meet his as she watched Tor with a sleepy awareness. “Where’s Rainn?”
“Still dealing with his family.” Tor reached out, brushing his thumb over Maeve’s chin.
“I hope I haven’t caused too much trouble.” Her expression shuttered as she went to that deep place in her mind.
Tor’s chest ached, and he realized he would do anything to ensure she didn’t wear that expression again. “Would you like to go for a walk?” He offered.
