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Though, I hesitated with the potion in hand. My gut screamed for the man that I missed. If only I could have summed Rhoan the warrior and not Rhoan the beast. Then things would have been easier.
There were no easy options here. I’d learned that a while ago. No matter how I wanted to escape and carve a quiet life for myself, it wasn’t that simple anymore. I couldn’t give my crown to Rhoan and scamper off. Not when I loved him too much to leave, not when I loved my people and the court that I had created.
“Stupid freaking responsibilities,” I muttered as I poured the potion over the summoning circle.
I expected the liquid to wash the chalk circle away, but the chalk sigils soaked up the potion and started to glow. The golden light turned a deep green before flaring impossibly bright. I threw an arm over my eyes to block the light, btu Vi stared directly into it like the sun couldn’t possibly hurt her.
Maybe it couldn’t.
Tal stumbled out of the glare and looked up, startled. Eyes wide, he took in his new surroundings.
At the same time, Vi’s phone chimed. Both Tal and I turned to her. I don’t know what we expected. We weren’t a part of her conversation, yet we’d included ourselves if only for a change to ignore what was going on around us.
Vi glanced down at the phone screen. “Audra figured out that I closed down the café. She’s going to kill me.”
I snorted. “Not even God himself could kill you.”
Vi bounced on her heels. “He would never kill his favorite granddaughter.”
“You took a handful of his angels from him, including an archangel. I don’t think you’re the favorite.”
Vi wagged her finger in the air. “I’m his only granddaughter. Therefore, I have to be the favorite. Dad is the only angel who fucks.”
Tal straightened, locked eyes with me, and pointed at Vi as if to askthis is your friend?I nodded and smiled proudly, even though it was such a silly thing to treasure. Vi’s audacity was the best thing about her, and so many of us tried to emulate it.
Vi saluted and ran off so she could face Audra’s wrath. That left Tal and me alone. I faced him and prepared for the worst. Hilda, on the other hand, peered out from behind my kitchen island like I’d just summoned Satan.
“You invited Beryl’s second-in-command into your own home?” Hilda shouted and ducked behind the counter.
“I totally forgot!” I clapped my hands over my mouth to stifle my laughter.
Hilda popped her head up over the counter to give me the most terrified stare. “Why are you laughing? That man is dangerous.”
When her form started to stretch and the shadows on the wall shuddered, I rushed to reassure her before she turned into a boggart. That was the last thing I needed on my hands today.
“Tal is an ally! He’s been on our side since the beginning.”
The memory that’d returned to me back at Beryl’s court told me that Tal always had the Seelie Court’s best interests in mind. I had more questions for him now, but they would have to wait. The castle needed to be addressed first.
“Are you sure he isn’t going to betray you like he did your sire?” Hilda glared daggers at Tal like she could kill him with her glare alone.
Tal rolled his eyes, sighed dramatically, and said, “I, Taliesin of Princess Cerridwen’s Court, hereby promise to protect and obey my liege to the best of my ability.”
“Sneaky words, stolen man. Your statement leaves room for disobedience,” Hilda snapped.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. With my arcana, I stretched my houseplants and widened their leaves so I could wrap the vines around each of them. With a wide, green leaf over their mouths, the room fell blessedly silent. Hilda’s eyes widened as she thrashed in the grasp of my vines. Tal just looked at me with open disappointment and annoyance.
I flipped him off and told Hilda that I would release her the moment I was done speaking with Tal.
To showcase my problem, I moved to step in-between. Arcana rippled in the air. My heart sang with one destination in mind: Rhoan.
And nothing happened. My foot touched the wood floor. I spread my arms wide and asked, “Why can’t I go back to the castle? What happened?”
Tal tossed his head, and I realized that I needed to remove the leaf to let him speak. Once it fell away, he straightened himself as if I’d somehow stripped away his dignity with my little vine.
“Drama queen,” I muttered.
Tal ripped the last of the vine away and huffed. “Why did you summon me like that? You could have chosen a hundred other methods of communication.”
