Lila straightened up in her seat, brows raised in excitement. “So, does this mean you’ll allow me to return?”
Queen Tunisa tilted her head to the side, eyes squinting with sympathy. “I’m sorry, Lila, but we can’t have that. It’s too dangerous to open the portals after knowing the Nodoorians are working with witches. Past experience has taught us that non-fae with magic are able to get to our realm because of active portals. We control the only portals on this side of the unseelie realm. Although the Nodoors don’t have access, they’ve clearly been siphoning the use of our teleporting abilities through the witch connection. And those witches and mages have somehow manipulated the portal opening to use teleportation spells between our worlds.”
King Obram nodded. “I’ve seen it happen many years ago. This is another reason why we try to be so careful about managing the portals. It’s possible we even have spies in our midst that have aided in getting our enemies teleported.”
I understood their concern. After learning this news, we’d be in confinement for some time. If they weren’t allowing Lila to leave, I had to assume that fae on the other side would be stuck as well. The Nodoors would have nothing to do right now but wait for the portal to open to take their chance and pull in allies. We couldn’t take the risk at this moment. Still, looking upon Lila’s dejected face, I knew that wasn’t going to help her. Waiting, while her people were also fighting a battle of their own, would be difficult. Especially if she knew they had a traitor in high ranks and their enemies had assistance from an unknown alley.
Queen Tunisa gave a sympathetic sigh; she leaned forward and patted Lila’s hand. “I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear, but until this threat goes down, we can’t risk it. If we could take out at least some of the leadership, that would help us. It would un-focus them, and we could rush you out.”
Lila threw her hands out to the side, her face scrunched in frustration. “Taking over their city wasn’t enough?”
I looked up to the ceiling, sympathizing with her emotions. Through our bond, I could feel the heat of anger spreading through every pore. “Unfortunately, the town was mostly civilians and the prison. While we took out a chunk of their forces, they still have more in hiding.”
King Obram tapped the table with his fist, brows furrowed together over stern eyes. “We must capture their leadership. It’s the only way it will be safe enough for us to open the portals. Then you can go home. You’re powerful Lila, we could use you in this fight. It’d help your people in the long run as you’d have an ally in us.”
Lila looked around the room. My mate was strong, a former soldier. She’d never run from a fight, but this somehow seemed unfair to request of her.
She gave the king a wordless nod, eyes resolute. I was thankful she agreed. I hated this for her, but the selfish side of me was happy she would be staying. At least for a little longer.
* * *
LILA
Iwas quiet on the way back to Yosef’s, my mind heavy. Along the way, we’d stopped to check in on Melina, who was already back home. She seemed physically healthy, but there was a hollowness behind her eyes that worried me. Xander stated that she had taken out a lot of guards once they freed them, so I guessed that battle was not her thing. Killing anyone, even in self-defense, could take a toll. That and being in those filthy cells for a week probably didn’t help her mental state either. I still felt guilty that I was released, but Luca could not get her either. Just grabbing me put him in danger. If he’d taken Melina too, it was a fair chance we wouldn’t have been able to go under the radar for as long as we did. It was only good that Luca’s friend was able to watch out for her, which Melina confirmed and was the only reason the Nodoorian guard was still alive, albeit in the Prinathian cells for now.
Before leaving, Melina gave me a potion to drop my glamour. I wasn’t in hiding anymore, and I wanted to draw out Nigel so I could kick his ass and get home. I had no clue how long this war would take. Capturing Nodoorian leaders to get home seemed like a long, and maybe impossible task. Perhaps offering up Nigel to the court would be sufficient. He was, after all, part of the reason they had to close their portals.
I felt Yosef’s eyes on the side of my face as he drove us back.
“Eyes on the road so we can make it back in one piece,” I growled.
He looked away. “I know you didn’t like what you heard today.”
I shrugged. “Some things I liked. I just wonder if, after I help you guys take down the Nodoorians, they’ll really support my coven.”
“It would seem the wise thing to do,” Yosef said in a careful voice.
I knew we were talking about his leadership, but I was underwhelmed with them. I knew unseelie fae didn’t like jumping into human affairs, but to request me to join in their cause seemed unfair. Even if it was so I could return home. It wasn’t equitable.
“We’ve been burned by humans in devastating ways before.” Yosef placed a hand on my thigh, giving it a light pat. No, seriously, was he always this comforting, and I just didn’t pay attention? “Look, I know I shouldn’t admit this, but you can probably feel it. I’m a little happy you are staying with us. You were rightfully upset with me, and I wanted us to at least make amends.”
He was right. I did already know. His mind was practically bouncing with glee. I expected him to shoot rainbows and glitter from his ass any minute. When it came to me, it seemed the glacier inside him had melted. I was, admittedly, pleased with that knowledge. It was always nice to know you could affect someone in such a positive way. I was surprised, however, that he felt he needed to make anything up to me. In the long run, the claiming had saved the day. “You seemed so unapologetic about claiming me before.”
He snorted, turning down a road that put us minutes away from the house. “You didn’t make it easy to apologize.”
“Don’t pin this on me. I wasn’t supposed to make it easy.”
He pursed his lips in thought before speaking. “I know. You’re right, Lila. I guess I don’t know how to give in. I wasn’t taught that way. I was shown it meant I was weak. No one ever compromised with me or apologized to me until I became captain. And if I made a mistake or showed a flaw, they left, punished, or demoted me in some way. So, when I was wrong, I always fought it. Got them to see it my way. Or I would be the one to leave. That way, I was never weak. I was the one always with the power.”
His confession saddened me but made sense for everything that had happened between us. It didn’t mean I liked it, but I understood it.
He pulled up to the driveway and stopped the car. He then quickly got out of the car and rounded to my side, opening the door before I could. He crouched down to face me before I could get out, eyes earnest as they searched mine. “I’m sorry, and I will do better. I’m old, so it might take time, but feel free to knock me in the head when I don’t get it right.”
He gave me a slight smirk that squeezed my heart. At this stage, of course, I wouldn’t be mad at him. I suppose it was time he knew that. I leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “I forgive you.”
He raised his brows. “That’s it? Just a kiss on the forehead?”
I laughed and scooted past him out of the car. “For now.”
