“I think the guys miss Rozurial. But Vanzir’s out there. He’s probably having the hardest time adjusting. He’s not only a demon among Fae, but the babydaddy of Aeval’s child. That was quite a bomb when she told her court that she was expecting.” I winced, rubbing my head as Maggie tugged on a strand of my hair. The damned crown gave me a headache.
“Ingz…Cammy got ingz like Maggie.” Maggie pointed over my shoulders.
I stared at her. “You can see them?”
She giggled.
“See what?” Delilah asked, sitting up. “What’s she talking about? You have wings? Where?”
I let out a slow breath. I had yet to tell them about my wings, though Smoky, Morio, and Trillian knew. Finally, I handed Maggie to Menolly and clambered down the stairs, turning my back to them.
“Watch.” I closed my eyes. I had been spending twelve hours a day learning the ways of the Court, and one of those lessons had been about my wings. I willed them to appear, shedding the glamour that kept them cloaked.
“Oh. My. Gods.” Menolly and Delilah were by my side immediately, examining the huge curling wings that draped off my back.
“When did this happen?” Delilah held out a finger. “Can I touch them?”
“During the ritual before my coronation and please don’t. They still feel incredibly awkward and I’m not sure how I’d react.”
But Maggie wasn’t listening. She reached out and poked one of my wings and I jumped, feeling her tickling finger right down to my core.
“I guess that answers that,” Delilah said. She slid her arm through mine and began to walk around the house. Menolly followed, carrying Maggie. “So, you have wings. I guess that trumps any news I’ve got. Except that Shade and I have decided on where we want to get married.”
“Where?” I was dying to talk about something other than the changes in my life. I wanted to talk about something normal for a change.
Menolly smiled. “I bet I can guess, but I’ll let you tell us.”
Delilah smiled. “Yeah, I imagine you do know. I thought—down at the pond. A simple wedding, just immediate family and friends. I found a green sheath dress that will be perfect for a wedding dress. I want both of you to be my bridesmaids, please? And Nerissa, too. I’ve asked Iris to be my matron of honor.”
“Oh, that sounds perfect.” I slid my arm around her waist and hugged her. “Tell us more. What flowers? Who will perform the ceremony?”
As we headed toward the pond, discussing wedding plans, the glowing moon rose. She was nearing the full stage and soon I’d be running with the Hunt again. Delilah would be bounding through dandelions in her Tabby form. Menolly had promised to come out and help Shade kitty-sit her during the shift, not out of need but out of the desire to reclaim some familiarity with what had been our lives up until recently.
The birds were singing as we passed into the woods, on the trail toward Birchwater Pond, and the night seemed to stand still for us, pausing to give us the chance to catch our breath. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen in the coming weeks, but they were bound to be interesting.
We hadn’t heard from Trytian in a while and were trying to contact him, but the battle in the Sub-Realms was raging on, that much we knew. I was toying with whom to deed the Indigo Crescent. I couldn’t very well run a business and be a Fae Queen as well.
Menolly retained ownership of the Wayfarer, but she had withdrawn from working there now, given her new position in the vampire community. And Delilah had let her PI license lapse. She had never been passionate over the job to begin with, and now her life was moving in a new direction as well.
Yes, I thought as a breeze wafted by, filling my lungs with the scent of cedar and moss, of warm summer flowers and the leftover haze from the day. Things had changed. And they would be changing even more. I was about ready to contact Tanne Baum, our friend from the Hunter’s Glen Clan, and see if my hunch was right about him. Smoky, Morio, and Trillian were making themselves useful around the Barrow, and as Titania joked, at least Smoky and she could share the barrow space without threatening each other now. I had first met Titania when I was whisked away to my dragon’s barrow.
As we approached the water, echoes of past celebrations reached out to touch my heart. So much of our joy surrounded this land, this pond. Whatever was coming, we’d always have this time and place to return to in our memories.
Menolly seemed to pick up my thoughts and she carried Maggie over to the bench near the water and sat, singing softly.
I’ve wandered so many trails,
Some dark, some light, some bleak,