Page 93 of Fae Farewells

“Uhm. No.” My fae threw his arms in the air, wide eyes set on his father. “I didn’t know I was supposed to.”

“Ah, well. It’s good you didn’t.” Reagan chuckled. “You wouldn’t have been able to find us without someone touched by a god.”

I blinked in confusion, then cackled before slapping my mouth and clearing my throat. “Touched by a god? Reagan, I’m the current Devil.”

“One of your parents is Raguel. Your grandfather is Lucifer,” he told me. “If you think they don’t know any of the old gods, you’re sorely mistaken, young king.”

“Okay,” I drawled. “I’ll ask.”

“Finish your story,” Vaughn urged.

“My plan was to keep Vex hidden in this stasis until I could figure out how to stop Alric and Alania. But I couldn’t,” he said softly, sadly. “Couldn’t figure it out. Couldn’t talk about it. Nothing. I stayed to make sure Alania wouldn’t kill the entire realm... And then she had Radolphus shoot me with a poisoned arrow.

“While I was weakened, he and Alric took me from the winter palace and dropped me into the cell where you met me. I met the druid prince there, too. For a while, he didn’t know what was going on, but when he learned, we started planning his escape. Then Alric showed up again. And then two days passed before they caught you.”

Vaughn blew out a heavy breath. “Holy shit.”

“I let them catch me,” I confessed, scrubbing my face aggressively. “I was sent to save you and York and kill the rest of the camp, but I failed.”

“No. You didn’t fail, Sloane,” Reagan declared, the conviction in his tone almost believable. “You did save me that day. And York too. The mission wasn’t to leave with us; it was simply to save us.”

I shook my head. “How did—”

“Alric knew you were there,” he interrupted. “But he couldn’t pass up the chance to cause me a little pain. York asked me to lock your memories. I did, but I did it so quickly you passed out. You collapsed, and Alric saw that you were still unconscious, so he left you alone to deal with me.

“They drained my power, and while I was at my weakest, he plunged his dagger through my heart. But this magic favor of Valano’s came with a failsafe. I knew they would kill me next, and when I died, the curse would be lifted. My heart had to stop beating. My skin had to grow cold before the magic would kick in and bring me here, where I could heal.

“When Alric killed me, he lifted the curse he placed. But he wouldn’t have killed me then if York hadn’t asked for your memories to be locked away. That action caused his newest obsession to lie unconscious while he wanted to play. So he picked me instead, intent on coming back for you.”

I leaned my forehead against Vaughn’s shoulder, mumbling, “That’s what the dream is…”

“What?” my fae asked.

“The dream,” I repeated. “It’s Alric coming to get me. The body on the floor is Reagan. My demon alter took over and hid us when she felt the threat that I couldn’t protect myself from. Alric didn’t find me because I was in the shadows of the cell.

“When he left, she forced control back to me, which woke me abruptly. And then I heard another set of footsteps coming into the dungeon. I now know it was York, but at the time, I didn’t. I hid again, faded through the bars to see who lay dead across from me... and then I ran.”

Reagan frowned. “You didn’t run; you survived. If you had stayed, you would be dead.”

I nodded, though that was a hard pill to swallow. Alric could have killed me before I even knew who he was or why he wanted me dead. He almost had me five years ago, and I hadn’t known.

I had punched York in the face over this fucking mess, and now I owned him an apology. How did one broach that subject?

“Sorry, I punched you in the face a few weeks ago. I didn’t realize that what I thought was a mistake on your part was actually a major fuck up of mine.”

That didn’t sound right.

“Fuck,” Vaughn breathed. “This is…”

“A clusterfuck of crazy?” I guessed, finishing his sentence.

He chuckled, the edge of hysteria tinting his tone. “Something like that.”

“So,” I sang, changing the subject. “Vex is in the other bubble?”

“Yes.”

“Is she naked too?” I sighed. “Because seeing my in-laws in the nude is a little too weird for me to grasp right now. Should I get her some clothes?”