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After I’d gottenthrough the story, the conversation changed to that final battle with the man the kings had killed—the one whose magic had made them insane in the first place.
Odin had only just started that story when the door opened.
“Rigga?” A low voice that reminded me of Odin’s called out.
“He’s in here,” she called back.
Odin dropped a kiss to my forehead before he stood and strode toward the front door.
Verto threw his arm around Odin for a crushing hug in the hallway, and my heart melted a little. His dad didn’t look any older than his mom did, and had the same dark brown skin that Odin and his mother did. It was still weird that his parents looked the same age as him, but I supposed that was just part of life in Bluhm.
When they released each other, I noticed Rigga’s eyes were watering again. Odin’s and Verto’s were too.
“This is my mate,” Odin said, crossing the kitchen and taking my hand. I stood, and let him lead me over. Verto’s eyes were definitely wet as he stepped forward and pulled me and Odin both in for another massive hug.
I figured including my mate in the hug was probably a good call, since both guys looked young and attractive, and fae men could get all possessive with things like that.
“I’m glad he found you,” Verto said, a little choked up. “He’s been waiting a long time.”
The words were almost exactly the same thing Rigga had said.
Maybe I hadn’t realized exactly how much Odin had wanted a mate. He’d mentioned it a few times, but I hadn’t really thought much about it.
Verto stepped into the kitchen to help his mate finish with the food, and the topic of conversation returned to Odin’s sanity. I retold the story for Verto, and then Odin restarted his explanation of everything that had happened to make him insane in the first place.
Our fingers were intertwined as we spoke, our hands resting on my thigh. And despite the fact that a conversation with a pair of loving, mated parents, was so far out of my typical wheelhouse, it was nice.
Really, really nice.
After we ate,we ended up on the couch, still just talking. Verto and Rigga told stories of their own—where they’d been when King’s Valley collapsed, and how they had tried unsuccessfully to convince the people why moving to the cliffs was a bad call.
They talked about everything that had happened while Odin was gone, and though he hadn’t said so, I could tell that hearing all of it was important to him. He held me close through the conversation, his grip tighter than I would’ve expected. I wondered if he felt bad for his insanity or something.
Sevva and Oli joined us after an hour or two, and Odin became a little more tense after they were there. I knew they didn’t get along fabulously, based on the conversation after our mating ceremony, but they didn’t argue or anything.
As the day ended, and the conversation slowed, Sevva’s expression became grimmer.
“You look like you swallowed a cheblum,” Odin drawled to her.
Her grimace deepened. “The representatives made a decision and asked me to give you a message, before we left them.”
My body tensed, but Odin’s remained mostly relaxed against my back. His fingers dug into my hip a little though—the only giveaway that he was worried at all.
Verto and Oli’s expressions grew solemn, and I realized that he knew what she was going to say, too.
Sevva admitted, “They won’t reconsider the vote to make Granite the king. And they want you to leave earth fae land. Permanently.”
I blinked.
Odin’s grip on my hip tightened almost-painfully. “Nearly a century of doing their bidding, and they order me toleave?”
“The people don’t trust you anymore,” Sevva said. “You can’t expect them to.”
“I didn’tchooseto sacrifice my sanity. None of us could’ve predicted that outcome. Magic is finicky.”
“Which is exactly why they don’t trust you.” She lifted her hands. “If it were up to me, you would stay. Obviously, Granite isn’t prepared for this. I can feel some of the cracks here, and they’re deep. But we have no say when the people make a decision; it’s not our choice.”
“Perhaps it should be.” Odin’s voice remained smooth, and calm. “You all knew they would command me to leave, and didn’t tell me.”
