He considers my question carefully. “The fact that you were human. The only time humans can find a pocket are during three specific times of the year, but you found a rogue one.”
“But I stepped in a fairy hole,” I remember.
Malakar snorts. “I’d like to kick a fairy in the hole.”
Aamon snickers but quickly mashes his lips together when Ciaran casts them both a sharp glower.
“Fairy ring,” Ciaran corrects. “Fairies have their own teleportation magic, and are one of our closest allies.”
“So, why couldn’t I stay with you?” I ask. “I would think he’d want to keep me so he could use me to get free.”
“That’s not how it works. You need to accept. There’s a process. Consent needs to be given. You have to let him in willingly.”
“That’s another thing I don’t understand. Let him in where? Like in my body? Is he going to possess me?”
“These are all things you should talk to Father about, Rina,” he says.
“What if he lies?” I voice the fear before I can stop myself.
His features soften as he brushes his lips over the tip of my nose. “He was devastated when you had to leave, Rina. He stood by the pocket you came through every day for hours just in case you returned. Because of you, he rewrote our rules. Made it illegal for us to hurt humans. He issued laws to protect the pockets and guard any humans that came through until they could be sent back safely. He would never lie to you.”
“But why couldn’t I stay?” I repeat.
“Because some piece of shit snitched,” Malakar grinds out through his teeth. “I don’t care what anyone says. I fucking know someone went to the Demiurge.”
“We don’t know that,” Ciaran barks.
“How else would they know about her?” Malakar growls, throwing his arms wide. “We never traveled and we were with her when she went out.”
“They are Gods. They don’t need to be told anything. They would have known the second she stepped into Chthonia.”
“But it took them a year to‘intervene’?” The word intervene is spat out with mocking outrage. “Probably wanted to wait until they can properly torture Father by taking her away. Sick fucks.”
“Mal, enough.” The warning in Ciaran’s voice is enough to silence him. “This is not the time.”
Malakar looks on the verge of sayingfuck itand continuing, but he swallows it down and slumps back against the armrest.
“No one would have gone against Father,” Aamon states gently. “And everyone loved Rina. There would have been no reason to betray—”
“Both of you stop,” Ciaran cuts in. “If there was a betrayer in our midst, Father would have already found them.”
The two fall into a reluctant silence.
I wait for a heartbeat before repeating my question.
“Because the Demiurge learned that you were with us. It’s forbidden to keep a human. It goes against the treaty. It would start a war. We kept you for as long as we could but once they became involved, we couldn’t risk your safety.”
“Funny that the Fae can keep their humans,” Malakar interjects sharply. “Can drug them and chain them up like slaves.”
“Malakar!”
“How is it fair?” he roars back. “We kept one human.Ourhuman. She was ours. Father’s bride that she entered intowillingly. But they can keep hundreds and turn them into mindless zombies, but that’s okay.”
I feel Ciaran’s chest rise and fall with his attempts to keep calm. “The Fae are none of our concern. To keep Rina safe, we did what was right.”
Quietly, I slip my hand free of the blanket and reach for Malakar’s. I thread our fingers together and give a squeeze, pulling his attention to me.
But I don’t know what to tell him. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say that would make up for the pain and rage he’s feeling.
