“But Aelia said—”
“Hang the witch. She needs to keep her druid ass out of my business.” I climb out of the nest, ignoring my tense muscles, the way my skin stings from the movement, like it’s too tight over my right side. As my feet touch the dirt floor, a memory of smoke and heat flashes in my mind.
Sage. Holy shit, the fire. I attempt to keep the urgency from my voice, asking, “What happened with the demi? Is she all right?” Marius is going to rip my throat out if any harm’s come to his new jewel.
The pixie tips her head. “Maybe? I’m not sure, I . . .”
I move to the closet, not listening to the rest of what she says. I need to figure out what the hell happened. I put on a pair of jeans and grab a T-shirt. “How long have I been out?” Damn, she won’t know the answer to that either.
I’m pulling the shirt over my head when the door opens, and in the blink of an eye Marius is standing three feet away from me. He looms a few inches taller than me. He turns his seal ring round and round on his finger as he stares at me, his lips thin, his normally blue-green eyes a dark navy blue.
Brilliant. I’m fucked.
“Are you enjoying your vacation?” he asks, his voice casual in contrast to the flint in his eyes. I can’t tell from his face if we’ve lost the demi. But my guess is he’d have already carved a few pounds of flesh from my body if we had. Could he know I made a mistake? I’m still not clear on what happened.
His gaze trails up to the edge of my nest where the naked pixie is peering down at us. Then he looks back at me, his irritation blooming into anger. “Breaking two vows in one day? Industrious for you, my stoic friend.”
“Sir, I—”
“I knew you’d be resistant to this task, but after all these centuries of obedience I didn’t think you had it in you to rebel outright. You were commissioned to watch the demi and begin instructing her on her transition. You are not. She says you haven’t even told her of the Introduction that’s happening tomorrow night. But somehow you have time to spend with this?” He points up at the pixie. “You led me to believe you had made a vow to the holy Danu, to fast until your soul has worked through your darker notions. It’s one of the reasons I chose you for this, your control. So what is that doing here?”
The pixie has the good sense to remain still and silent.
“She was merely . . .” My words disappear as I realize that I don’t know how to answer. I was in hibernation. But the reason is still foggy. I don’t know what I allowed to happen between the pixie and me while I was wrapped up with her. And I’m unsure what happened with the demi. I’m not clear on where my failure falls in the moment, and I don’t want to dig this hole any deeper than I already have. Which is worse? That the demi’s magic broke through the wards of the torque necklace and she nearly turned me to ash, or that I may have dallied with a pixie in a moment of weakness?
“This is a foolish time to break a soul vow, Faelan. There’s too much at stake, and if the Cast were to find out—”
“He didn’t touch me,” the pixie squeaks. “He refused.”
My muscles relax as relief fills me. My vow to Danu is secure. Unless Niamh is lying. But it’s against the order for an underling to lie to a lead consort, and she’s young, simpleminded. I don’t see her sacrificing her place in the House of Brighid for me.
Marius gives her a searching look.
“He was really tired,” she adds. “I was just resting with him to refresh the life. That’s it. I tried to offer myself to him as more, but he didn’t . . .” She pinches her lips together and shakes her head like she can’t bear the idea of being rejected.
“Very well,” Marius says. “Come speak with me in private, Faelan.” He turns and leaves the cottage.
I glance up at Niamh and nod a thank-you before following Marius out into the yard. We walk to the rose garden and are soon surrounded by the sound of splashing water, coming from the fountain just behind us. Mist sprays in the air, clinging to my skin. Marius touches a pink bud, lifting three fat drops of water off the petal. They rise and hover for a second until he moves past and the drops fall, plopping onto a lower leaf.
“I’m leaving to formally meet with the Cast’s envoy about our new acquisition,” he says. “My plan is to present her at the council tribunal tomorrow night, so that you can take your place as her protector. I’ll then present the Cast with an official request for her Emergence after the Introduction’s been completed and we know she’s more protected. Once the Penta gets wind of her, we won’t be able to hide who she is from the masses. The reoccurrence of a Brighid female offspring will tip the balance again. And we have her in our hands; you know what this means.”
“Our House could have a place at the table again.”
He leans forward and whispers, “If she is truly the second daughter of Brighid, then we hold in our hands a way to push back into the ranks. No more being brushed off as a powerless House, no more sneers. We will be vying for a far higher position again, putting the House of Cernunnos on guard.”
That sounds like a good thing to me. Anything to kick my brother Finbar sideways. The bastard has been far too powerful as the leader of our father’s House since the Black Death, since Brighid’s reign ended. The god Cernunnos held the position of third in the Penta until Brighid slunk into the shadows, relinquishing her place as first in line. The House of Morrígan rose into the void left behind, and the House of Cernunnos followed on her coattails.
Sage could shift the power structure in very real ways. I knew that, but I didn’t think Marius would care. He’s not one to crave power. However, if history has taught us anything about the Brighid female line, it has shown us the need to be cautious.
“The girl is volatile,” I say. I consider elaborating, recalling the fire, but I’m still not sure what happened to put me in hibernation. I do know it was the demi’s fault, though. “She could go in any direction. And what if she doesn’t choose to give her allegiance to us?”
“That’s why I’ve chosen you, my friend.” He rests a fatherly hand on my shoulder. “You’re trustworthy. You know how to control your urges, so you can teach her and keep her away from Kieran. You won’t fail me.”