Page 100 of Beauty

Gillian, Kaja, and Charlie all wince, each holding theirheads. “You don’t have to shout.”

“Sorry,” Bron says.

“And I don’t think I’m old enough to hear those words,”Charlie says, his face looking boyish for a moment.

Kaja gives her a smile. “You should use a sharp knife,Bronwyn. A rusty one will cut off your husbands’ manly parts very slowly.”

“I think she was hoping to cause some pain, baby,” Danteexplains.

“Well, I don’t see why they would stand there and allowtheir little men to be sawed off with something dull,” Kaja argues.

Shim looks at Lach as the others seem to laugh and findBron’s power curious, but Shim has a grave look in his eyes. “You don’t thinkshe could do other things, do you?”

“I hope not, brother, otherwise she would be a powerfulweapon. I also think I know why the hag is trying to steal power fromconsorts.” The thought occurred to me almost immediately.

But Shim is right there with me. “They intend to kill Torinand take over the plane.”

Charlie holds out a hand, and his father helps him to situp. “Yes. What the big guy said.”

The phooka laughs and falls to the bed Charlie lies on. “Thebig guy is the Unseelie prince, Charles.”

Bronwyn stares at the phooka. “Why are you here? You’re thesame creature who convinced me to run.”

“Then he is the same creature who I am about to throttle.”The fucking phooka seems to have his hand in everything. I’m ready to put thelittle shit out of his misery.

“I am simply more adept at this game than any of you,” thephooka replies, his midnight-black tail twitching. “I am certainly smarter thanthe Unseelies. Princess Bronwyn is the most important piece to this game we’replaying. If you take her off the board, this plane falls to Torin and Torin tothe hags. The only reason the hags haven’t taken over yet is the fact that theylost a sister. Everyone knows they’re stronger in threes, but they found a wayaround it.”

“To become soul eaters,” Gillian says hollowly. “I don’tunderstand what any of this has to do with Bronwyn. Is she going to hum thehags to death?”

Bron looks up at Shim. “How do you send power to me?”

Shim frowns. “I don’t think I do. I feel you pull it fromme. The first few times I fought it and it went wild. When I realized what washappening and let it flow, I could control it a bit more.”

Bron takes Charlie’s hand. “Don’t be afraid.”

The young Fae has a wisp of a smile. “I know what fear is.I’ve moved long past it. Fear is something you get through or you die. So feelfree to experiment, Your Highness.”

Bron takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

“Damn it, Bron.” Shim grits his teeth. “Fine, but this is amistake.”

Even I can feel it. Bron reaches out and holds theconnection. She draws on it, passing up my cold power for Shim’s hot one. I’mfascinated. Now that I know what’s happening, I realize it happened before. Mypower is buried deep, deep down inside, but Shim’s simmers at the surface. It’seasy to reach and hold. It’s easy to share.

Charlie gasps and looks down at his hand. “Bugger me. I’m onfire and it doesn’t hurt.”

He wiggles his fingers, flames at the tips. His fathers bothstare.

Dellacourt curses. “She’s a conduit. Gods, she isn’t abroadcaster. She’s a bloody conduit.”

Bron’s whole face lights up. “I can help us win. I can winthis war.”

I shake my head. “Absolutely not. You’re going home andthere you will stay. Roan, if you don’t have us in Aoibhneas by dark tomorrow,I will find my own way. If any of you thinks for one bloody second that Iintend to let you use my mate as a fucking psychic cannon, you’re insane. Sheis not going to any battlefield.”

I turn before Bronwyn can curse me.

Curse me or not. She will be alive at the end of the day.

ChapterThirty-Two