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Fife gave me a sad look and again reminded me that my stubbornness could be as much a hinderance as a strength. "I didn't know for certain what he was up to at that point, only that he was not the harmless puppy he portrayed. And without concrete proof, would you have believed me? Would you have acted against your old friend on some vague suspicion voiced by a mate you hadn't even fully accepted? I couldn't say anything until I was sure what I was even sensing."
I scoffed and reached over to grab his hand. "I should have listened to you, Fife. I trust you. And I'm sorry I've ever given you reason to doubt that. I would have been angry. Maybe I would have dismissed your accusations for a moment. But I would have come around, eventually."
He smiled softly and nodded in acknowledgement. "I will never keep anything from you again, Kat, I swear it."
King Bane cleared his throat, interrupting our sappy moment. "As we were saying, the human king changed his tactics. He had already been whispering in his relatives' ears. But now he promised them more. He issued assassination orders to the more blood-thirsty of the two—the girl, Jig—and he promised the lowborn siblings he would make them stewards once you were gone."
I rubbed a hand over my face. It was a lot to take in. And again, these political machinations all seemed so unbelievably stupid and petty to me. And the fact that it had all been going on under the surface, all around me, for years was staggering. I really did need to be more aware and involved. This was unacceptable. "What happens now?" I asked as I stood and went to get a drink from the sideboard. "What new stupidity do we need to be prepared for?"
King Bane laughed. The deep, dark sound wasn't something made by a man. It was the Gray King of legend who was laughing, his chuckle heralding the grisly death of anyone who dared stand against him. I paused with the decanter of gnomish brandy half-raised over my glass as goosebumps rippled over my skin and a shudder wracked me.
"The ruler of Bellspear and any who supported his schemes will be swiftly and thoroughly punished," Queen Iris said, her musical voice deceptively soft. "And we will make it very clear to all the human kingdoms what has occurred, that the humans started this nonsense, and that there are consequences to attempting to play games with the fae."
My first instinctual worry was that this was going to cause a war. But then I remembered who we were dealing with. Who our rulers were. There would be no war. There would be a statement. One that all the other fae-held kingdoms would support. And any other kingdom that sought to find fault with their stance would simply keep their opinions to themselves if they wanted to continue to thrive. They could hate us all they wanted, as long as they did it from far outside our borders.
The smart human kingdoms would know Elfhaven was in the right, that we had been provoked, and that one did not trifle with the fae.
For the sake of Lady Rose and anyone else who may have gotten caught up in this nonsense, I was glad. Revenge and retaliation wouldn't bring her back. It wouldn't undo the wrongs that had occurred. But a firm statement from the fae rulers would prevent something like this from ever happening again.
"Will Gambol and Jig be executed?" I asked, meeting the king's steely gaze, my quest for a drink forgotten.
He simply shrugged. "That would be the sensible thing to do. As well as banishment for the rest of their family. Though I'm sure you will object."
Mirri came to stand with me and put his hand on my shoulder in support. But I didn't look away from our king. "If that is what you feel must happen, I understand. But I would prefer that no one die on my account. Whatever Gambol and Jig are now, they were once playful children who made my life worth living. I simply ask you to remember that when deciding what to do."
He nodded once in acknowledgement. "You have grown into a steadfast and compassionate young woman, Katrina. Your parents would be proud. And your request is noted."
"Thank you," I said, bowing to the rulers of Elfhaven. "For honoring your debt to my family."
For that was what it meant when you became a steward in Elfhaven. It meant that you pledged to spend your life in the service of its people, and in return, the king and queen pledged to reward your service with absolute loyalty of their own. Our rulers protected their people. And the stewards of Larkwood were family, even though we were not related by blood.
The king and queen both gave me a respectful nod in return. "It is our honor," King Bane said seriously.
"Now then," Queen Iris said, clapping her hands. Her excited smile and her mannerisms made her suddenly look like a child, rather than the terrifying creature she was. "Tell me all about your preparations for the Harvest festival before we return you to Northbower!"
Chapter 30
While it took some time for the sting of my friend's betrayal to fade, it helped that there were cheerful things to celebrate. My life was bliss in the days leading up to the harvest festival. I still hadn't gotten up the courage to broach the subject of the one-year clause with my mates. I told myself that we would worry about that when the time drew near. For now, I simply let myself enjoy the new experience of having four perfect partners at my side, knowing I was never alone, whether in politics and work, or in my bed at night. My males were very attentive.
I realized I was probably smiling a dopey smile and shook myself out of a memory from the night before, when they had all joined me for dinner. We’d shut and locked the dining room door after dessert came, to keep the staff from getting a peek at their stewards behaving like animals.
"You're never going to finish those letters if you keep daydreaming about cake," Bach informed me as he stood from his own desk on the other side of my office, then stretched before sauntering over to my side. The humor in his deep voice took any sting out of his reprimand. I would never be able to eat strawberry cake again without thinking of all the creative ways my mates had come up with to make it into a sexual experience.
I ran my hand through Bach's long mahogany hair as he bent down and pressed a lingering kiss to my lips. He had left his hair down today, and it spilled forward in a silky curtain, reminding me of how those tresses had felt trailing over my naked skin while he explored my body the last time he and I were alone together.
He was right. Work was never going to get done around here. Not when every one of my helpers was temptation incarnate.
His big hand gripped the nape of my neck and he pulled away to whisper in my ear. "Hurry up and finish that letter so we can use the desk for more entertaining purposes, hmm?"
I chuckled. "Letter? What letter?"
But Bach had that horrifyingly strong work ethic of his. "The one you need to send to…" he peeked at the half-finished correspondence that lay on the desk. "Lord Mist." He gave me an exasperated look. "Really? Kat, he's one of the founding families of Mistvale and owner of the best vineyard in all of Elfhaven. Do you want us to go without wine all winter? Stop being so easily distracted!"
I laughed again at his playfully accusatory tone of voice. As if he wasn't the one who had started this distraction. "You…" I began, reaching up to grip one of his horns and pull him closer. But I didn't get to issue the rest of my threat. A knock at the door and a soft throat-clearing interrupted our shenanigans.
"Pardon me, my lady," Saffron said with a barely contained smirk. I was convinced that the evil man enjoyed finding reasons to interrupt at just the right moment to cause maximum frustration. "But you have visitors."
I sighed. "Of course."
