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“And I don’t think I’m old enough to hear those words,” Charlie said, his face looking boyish for a moment.
Kaja gave her a smile. “You should use a sharp knife, Bronwyn. A rusty one will cut off your husbands’ manly parts very slowly.”
“I think she was hoping to cause a little pain, baby,” Dante said.
“Well, I don’t see why they would stand there and allow their little men to be sawed off with something dull,” Kaja argued.
Shim looked at Lach as the others seemed to laugh and find Bron’s power curious, but Shim had a grave look in his eyes. “You don’t think she could do other things, do you?”
“I hope not, brother, otherwise she would be a powerful weapon. I also think I know why the hag is doing it.” The thought had occurred to him almost immediately.
But Shim was right there with him. “They intend to kill Torin and take over the plane.”
Charlie held out a hand, and his father helped him to sit up. “Yes. What the big guy said.”
The phooka laughed and fell to the bed Charlie lay on. “The big guy is the Unseelie prince, Charles.”
Bronwyn stared at the phooka. “Why are you here? You’re the same creature who convinced me to run.”
“Then he is the same creature who I am about to throttle.” The fucking phooka seemed to have his hand in everything. Lach was ready to put the little shit out of his misery.
“I am simply more adept at this game than any of you,” the phooka replied, his midnight-black tail twitching. “I am certainly smarter than the Unseelies. Princess Bronwyn is the most important piece to this little game we’re playing. If you take her off the board, this plane falls to Torin and Torin to the hags. The only reason the hags haven’t taken over yet is the fact that they lost a sister. Everyone knows they’re stronger in threes, but they found a way around it.”
“To become soul eaters,” Gillian said hollowly. “I don’t understand what any of this has to do with Bronwyn. Is she going to hum the hags to death?”
Bron looked up at Shim. “How do you send power to me?”
Shim frowned. “I don’t think I do. I feel you pull it from me. The first few times I fought it a little and it went wild. When I realized what was happening and let it flow, I could control it a bit more.”
Bron took Charlie’s hand. “Don’t be afraid.”
The young Fae had a wisp of a smile. “I know what fear is. I’ve moved long past it. Fear is something you get through or you die. So feel free to experiment, Your Highness.”
Bron took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“Damn it, Bron.” Shim gritted his teeth. “Fine, but this is a mistake.”
Even Lach could feel it. Bron reached and held the connection. She drew on it, passing up his cold power for Shim’s hot one. Lach was fascinated. Now that he knew what was happening, he realized it had happened before. His power was buried deep, deep down inside, but Shim’s simmered at the surface. It was easy to reach and hold. It was easy to share.
Charlie gasped and looked down at his hand. “Bugger me. I’m on fire and it doesn’t hurt.”
He wiggled his fingers a little, flames at the tips. His fathers both stared.
Dellacourt cursed. “She’s a conduit. Gods, she isn’t a broadcaster. She’s a bloody conduit.”
Bron’s whole face lit up. “I can help us win. Lach, Shim. I can win this war.”
Lach shook his head. “Absolutely not. You’re going home and there you will stay. Roan, if you don’t have us in Aoibhneas by dark tomorrow, I will find my own way. If any of you thinks for one bloody second that I intend to let you use my mate as a fucking psychic cannon, you’re insane. She is not going to any battlefield.”
Lach turned before Bronwyn could curse him.
Curse him or not. She would be alive at the end of the day.
* * * *
Bron approached Lach with no small amount of trepidation. Shim walked behind her, his boots shuffling along the ground. Shim hadn’t argued, hadn’t said much at all. He’d just watched Lach walk away after ordering Duffy to not walk past the river.
The gnome had looked up with a sad look on his face until Gillian had taken his hand and asked him to sit with her while she healed Charlie.
