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My chest aches as I read the email one more time, making sure I didn’t miss anything. My chest is heavy and I have to blink back tears.
Why is this happening? What is the point of genocide of our people? What good is a king who doesn’t have anybody to rule? The dark fae are so few in numbers already. Any bloodshed of our people isn’t a good thing. Why can’t my father see that?
Devin gently rubs my back, feeling how torn up I am about getting this message from my brother. Tears press against the back of my eyes. Devin must feel the emotion, so he picks me up and sets me on his lap so he can hold me closer.
I clear my throat, pulling back slightly so I can look at him. “I’m okay, Devin.”
Still, he won’t let me sit back in my own chair. He keeps his arms around me and keeps me on his lap.
I give him my best stern look. “If I’m going to be queen and have a seat on the Alpha Council, you can’t do this every time I’m upset.”
“We’ll see,” is all he says as he glances away from me.
I turn to look at Damian and see that he has a smirk playing on his lips. He’s amused with our exchange. I give him a pointed look, which only makes his grin widen.
“Tori, if my mate were upset, I would do the exact same thing. I wouldn’t care if the whole Alpha Council was watching.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I’m not going to scold my brother for comforting his mate.”
That’s such an alpha-male thing to say. Then again, I guess theyarealphas.
It’s hard to stay mad at Devin, so I relax in his arms. Fighting him won’t do any good. Besides, itdoesfeel nice to be comforted after reading that message from my brother.
“What would you like to do?” Damian asks.
I glance up, assuming that he’s talking to Devin, but he’s looking right at me as he asks the question.
It makes sense that he’s asking me. In the eyes of the council, I am queen of the dark fae.
I take a few deep breaths, trying to get my emotions under control. The last thing I want to do is cause an earthquake. Then again, if that email from my brother didn’t cause me to lose control, maybe I’m okay.
I wet my lips before responding. “We should call an Alpha Council meeting. I know that the alphas have already decided that I am queen in their eyes and that my father is a criminal. Maybe it’s time we act on it. Let’s arrest him and make him pay for his crimes. He thinks he’s safe in his own castle. But like Nico said, he’s killing our people because he’s desperate.”
Damian nods. “I like that. I approve.” His eyes shift to the boy in whose lap I am sitting. “What do you think, Dev?”
“I think my mate knows what she’s doing. I agree with her.” He runs his fingers down my arm, making me shiver.
I sit up straighter, clearing my throat. “I know that the dark fae are hated among other supernaturals, but I believe that dark fae are important to the supernatural community. Given the opportunity, I think we have a lot to offer other supernaturals.”
“You’ll get the chance to prove that,” Devin promises.
Damian nods his agreement. “Next year, I would love to have a class full of dark fae students.”
My heart swells. “I think they would like that. Dark fae are all homeschooled. My father never found education important enough to have an academy. And since we’re banned from socializing with other supernaturals and humans, we never go to a real school.”
“How did you learn?” Damian asks.
“Nico’s mom taught us before my father had her killed.” My voice is thick with emotion as I think about her. She was the closest thing I had to a mom in my life. I loved her and I still miss her. I clear my throat. “After that, I was mostly self taught. I helped Nico learn and some of my younger brothers. But a lot of my younger brothers wouldn’t have anything to do with me. They were scared to because Nico and I were picked on so much by our other brothers.”
Devin stiffens beneath me. I can feel a rush of anger. I don’t have to look into his eyes to know that they’re gold.
Damian stands from the table. “I’m going to give the two of you some privacy and call the other alphas. I’m going to see how quickly they can get here for a meeting.”
He doesn’t wait for either of us to respond before he leaves the room.
I turn slightly so that I can face Devin. When I do, his eyes are still gold. I cup his face with my hand, gently stroking his cheek with my thumb.
“I’m okay,” I say the words as softly as I can. “Anything that happened before we met doesn’t matter, remember?”
His eyes still don’t change from gold. “I don’t like the idea of you getting hurt. Ever. I want to protect you. It’s my job—my purpose in life. I put you above all else, even my pack.”
