4 Tiddly Jinx Read online

  Cheney shook his head. “If he says no and there’s no one left and no hope, I will do it.”

  I pulled back a little and looked at him. “No one expects that of you.”

  “I will if I have to.” He nodded, more to himself than to me. “Watching what happened to my father happen to you would be unbearable.” He hooked his finger under my chin, tilting it up. “But we need a better plan than just killing you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, we’ll have to contain you in some way until you have the child.”

  I closed my eyes. I hadn’t even thought about that. Of course I would have to have the baby. If her soul would be unmarred, then we had to save her. I nodded. “In light of this, maybe we should postpone the wedding.”

  He shook his head. “No. We’re getting married as planned.”

  “If you kill me, you’ll die, too. We’ll orphan our daughter.”

  Cheney nodded. “I know. Just like I don’t want you to turn into my father, I don’t want to either. I saw what losing my mother did to him. We know people, we know good people, who will take care of her if we can’t be there.”

  My mouth fell open. I couldn’t believe he was even considering this. How could one of us not stay? Pain was thick in his eyes and my heart broke for him. Cheney would never do what his father did, but it was true that grief changed people. Sometimes it scarred them in ways from which they could never recover. My mouth was dry and I wasn’t sure my voice would even work. “Who did you have in mind?”

  “Well, your Aunt Lorelei might be willing. Perhaps Sy or one of the coven.”

  “How about Sebastian?”

  He nodded slowly. “We could do joint custody to Sebastian and Katrina so she would have both an elf and a human to look to.”

  I kissed him and rested a hand on his cheek. I couldn’t find the words to answer him, so I just nodded. My chest felt like it was caving in. I couldn’t believe we were even having this conversation. “But the best plan is to just stay alive,” I said quietly, my voice sounding raw and broken.

  He put his hand on my cheek and leaned his forehead against mine. “Whatever it takes.”

  His lips touched mine in a lingering kiss that made me feel both cherished and even more terrified of what I had to lose. My fingers wove into his soft hair. I’d made it through purgatory, through a curse, and through memory loss. I was strong enough to make it through this. I had to be.

  We broke apart and I rested my head against his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat in sync with mine. “The wedding planner is inside waiting to see you. Also don’t forget, Lily is coming over tonight.”

  I wanted to see the coven before dinner, but that would have to wait. Apparently, I had a wedding to plan, though the circumstances were nothing like I’d imagined my wedding would be. I walked inside hand in hand with Cheney.

  “Oh, one last thing.” He stopped and waited for me to turn to him. “We’ll make the announcement about the election tomorrow. That reminds me, I should probably find Sebastian.”

  “Cheney, Sebastian is in a lot of pain. Try to be nice. Remember he has feelings, too.”

  His expression turned to one of confusion. “Sebastian?”

  I nodded, and he shrugged as he walked away. I went into the study to talk to the wedding planner. I took a deep breath and walked through the door with a smile. A pretty elf with long, straight, dark hair and delicate features sat, waiting. I repressed a sigh. The last thing I needed to deal with was a judgmental full elf.

  I held out a hand to her. “Hello. I’m Selene.”

  “Alana Devers.” She took my hand in her firm grip.

  “Devers?” Elves didn’t normally have last names. They sometimes used their region or the type of elf they were to identify themselves, but never a surname; that was a uniquely human (or former human) quality.

  She smiled. “I am committed to a human.”

  I grinned back. “What’s his name?”

  “Albert.”

  I tried not to laugh. “Albert? That’s…that’s not a name you hear very often.”

  “Oh.” She nodded, though she looked a little confused.

  I pushed away my amusement. “Well I’m glad you understand our position.” I glanced toward the window. “Apparently not many do.”

  “More than you might think support you. The opposition may have a louder voice, but I like to believe the majority of the elves aren’t so closed minded. What you’re doing for us, for all of the fae, matters.” She smiled, opened a notebook, and crossed her legs. “And we’re grateful. Now, back to the business at hand. I understand you do not have a lot of time to put toward planning the union and the two of you would like to have it rather soon.”

  I nodded.

  “Can I ask you why you are choosing to bond rather than having a commitment ceremony?”

  That was an excellent question. There were so many reasons why we shouldn’t do this bond, but…I loved him and ever since I broke our first bond it felt like a part of me was missing, like a piece of my heart had been torn away. It was something I could live with, but I didn’t have to. Maybe Cheney felt the same way and that was why he was pushing this so hard. “We...” I shrugged. How was I supposed to explain this to a complete stranger?

  “…are making a permanent show of your commitment publically to show people this is more than a passing romance on the part of the Erlking?” She supplied with a raised eyebrow.

  “This actually has nothing to do with politics. It’s more than that. We love each other.”

  She nodded slowly. “So you don’t want it to be public? You should perhaps reconsider. It’s none of my business, but this could be a big step toward equality.”

  I took a deep breath. Letting go was harder than I thought it would be. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that Cheney and I planned to step down. “You’re right. Public is fine,” I said quietly. “I really have some things I need to take care of. What exactly do you need from me?”

  “I need some idea of the things you like. What is your style, what are your colors, how do you envision this wedding?”

  All of this seemed like another life meant for a different person. “Honestly, I don’t care. I am sure whatever you choose will be beautiful. Try for something classic, but representative of Cheney’s people and position. You know what? I think I know a couple people who would be perfect for helping you. If you don’t mind some human assistants.”

  “That would be fine.”

  “Great, follow me.” I asked one of the guards where the coven was and he directed me to the archive. They were still scattered around the archive room much in the same way they had been the night before. Devin was lying on a couch with her feet resting on the arm and hair spilling out in every direction behind her, reading a book. She was wearing a white peasant top that she probably made and a skirt that was a mix of denim and dark purple tulle. Leslie was at the desk in a black top and matching turquoise shorts and necklace, hunched over a pile of books and taking notes, her blonde hair in a ponytail. Katrina was lying on the floor in front of the fireplace wearing black and gray and flipping through a fashion magazine while giving Jessica commentary.

  “Look at those pants! If I had those I could bust out my crimping tool. Cray-cray.”

  Jessica sat with her legs crossed in front of her, filing her fingernails. “You should get a tramp stamp, that’s classier.” She tucked a piece of red hair behind her ear.

  “What are you guys still doing in here?” They looked at me in unison.

  “You look pretty good for a formerly dead girl,” said Katrina. She tossed her magazine to the side and flashed me a smile. “Where have you been all day?”

  “Yeah, like we’ve been hanging out all day waiting to see you,” Jessica said.

  Devin sat up. “Better yet, you have to tell us about the underworld. I mean that’s crazy.”

  Leslie tilted her head to the side. Shivers ran down my spine as she read my
aura. “I think Selene still has things going on. What’s happened? Who’s that?”

  “Girls, this is Alana. She’s my wedding planner. Alana, this is Devin, Jessica, Leslie, and Katrina.”

  Alana smiled and nodded at each of them. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

  “Leslie was right. There are things going on that I need to take care of, so I have a big favor to ask. Could you guys help Alana plan the wedding so I can focus on what I need to do?”

  Devin clasped her hands in front of her. “Yes. Absolutely! I already have a Pinterest board dedicated to it, in fact. Have you been on Pinterest, Alana?” She grabbed her wrist and dragged the sedate elf over to the couch and flipped open her laptop. “How do you feel about spray tans?”

  Leslie headed in the same direction, but stopped near me and placed a hand on my arm. “You would tell us if you needed help with anything else, right?”

  I smiled. “Of course. Right now, this is the biggest help to me. I can’t have one more thing on my plate or I will lose my mind.”

  She nodded. “Consider it taken care of. Get some rest.”

  “Thank you guys so much. I really do appreciate it. Come to dinner tonight. Cheney’s half-sister Lily is coming.”

  Jessica pursed her lips. “We’ve met.”

  “Did something happen?” I asked.

  Katrina shoved her. “It’s fine. Jess just hates losing.”

  I glanced at my wrist though I didn’t wear a watch. I shook my head. “I think dinner’s at eight.”

  “Go! Get out of here, we have this covered.” Devin waved me away.

  I left the room with a chuckle and pulled out my cell phone. My finger hesitated over Holden’s name for just a second before I hit call.

  “What?” he answered.

  “Uh. Hi.” It always threw me off talking to Holden. He didn’t bother with pleasantries. “It’s Selene.” I was met with silence. “Are you still there?” I glanced at my phone to make sure it didn’t disconnect.

  “I don’t have all day. What do you want?” he finally growled.

  Yeah, I probably should have called Olivia. Right. Get to the point. “Um, things are happening, I might turn evil. If that happens, will you kill me?”

  He sighed. “Today?”

  “No, not today. I’m just trying to get everything prepared so it is all taken care of in the event it does happen.”

  “Fine. If you come to the dark side and stay for cookies, have someone call me or Olivia. One of us will kill you. Happy?”

  “This really isn’t the type of situation one is happy—” He hung up on me. Well, at least it was taken care of—no sentimentality at all.

  “Who was that?” Katrina asked, appearing behind me with Jessica on her heels.

  “Why are you planning your death and why would you turn evil? What’s under your arm?” Jessica asked.

  Damn it. I glanced down at the white bag tucked under my arm. I had forgotten I was still carrying it, but maybe that was a good thing. This book was way too dangerous to let out of my site for any reason. Perhaps it was safest if I kept it with me. I turned back to them slowly, trying not to look guilty. “It was Holden.”

  Katrina’s face blanched. She had had more interaction with Holden than Jessica. “I don’t think you should joke with him like that. He doesn’t seem like the type to get jokes.”

  “I wasn’t joking.”

  “And I repeat, why are you turning evil? What’s happening?” asked Jessica, sounding exasperated. You can’t distract us with a wedding when serious shit is hitting the fan.” She gave me a glare. “I’m getting a little tired of you trying to cut us out of things, too. We love you. We’re your family. You have to let us help.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Come with me.” As we walked, I caught Jessica and Katrina up on the current state of events, from the Pole to stepping down and the book, but I failed to mention the baby—it just seemed like too much. I opened the door to Cheney’s office and found him and Sebastian deep in conversation. They both looked up at us but my eyes sought Cheney’s.

  “It’s done. Holden agreed. Someone will just need to tell him when he is needed.”

  He nodded. There was nothing left to do but open the book that felt far too comfortable tucked under my arm.

  “WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?” I asked Sebastian when he finally answered his phone. “Where are you?”

  “Home,” he snapped.

  I had never seen Sebastian this agitated. “Are you coming back?”

  After a long pause he said, “Fine.”

  “I’m in my office.” I hung up and poured myself a drink. In the past twenty-four hours I had lost my father, my sister again, and nearly lost Selene. Running on fumes barely described where I was at emotionally and physically. Sebastian had been all too willing to let Selene die just the day before, but now he had a meltdown no one had time for because she asked him to kill her.

  A few minutes later he came through the door and stood in front of me in his typical fashion: shoulders back, spine straight, arms at his sides, and waiting for my order.

  I sighed. “Relax, Sebastian. Sit down.”

  His mouth twitched down into a frown, and he didn’t move toward a chair.

  “I really don’t understand why you’re so upset. Yesterday you thought Frost should let Selene die rather than her bringing back the Pole.”

  He nodded. “That would have been the logical decision.”

  “But today you can’t bear the thought of her dying.”

  “Looking at someone who has been my friend for so long and hearing her ask me to kill her defies logic. Selene dying in theory is one thing. In reality,” he shook his head, “well that’s another. We live too long. We lose sight of what mortality really is when you are only with other elves. Losing Bella again yesterday was a terrible reminder of what is really at stake. I don’t want Selene to die. I understand her position, but I can’t be the one who does it.”

  Time passed, and it was easy to forget the helplessness that came with losing someone you love. Yesterday I had lost two people more than I was prepared to lose and today I was making sure I didn’t have to go through that again. “I’m stepping down from the throne, Sebastian.”

  He blinked several times, and this time he did take a seat. His eyes still flashed. “So Selene is looking for someone to kill her and you are abandoning us? After everything we’ve been through, this is your plan?”

  “The two aren’t related.” His expression was dubious. “The truth is you were right. You were right about everything. I do care more about her than I do about being Erlking, and now that she is having our child the matter is clear. I cannot devote the time necessary to do this job and still have the role I want to have in both of their lives. Not to mention the fact that being the Queen of the Fae puts Selene and the baby’s life in danger.” I took a sip of my drink. “Selene isn’t going to be killed. She’s stronger than whatever dark magic she has to use. We’ll take care of the Pole of Charon. It’ll be the last thing we do as the rulers of the fae.”

  He stared at my desk as he listened to me talk. “What about everything we have done? You’ve almost made a real impact on our world. How can you walk away from that?”

  “I don’t want to be Erlking, but I’m not going to appoint someone to take my place. We’re going to have an election. The people can choose who they want to follow.”

  Sebastian closed his eyes for a moment. “What if she does turn evil?”

  “She won—”

  He held up a hand. “Let’s just say she does. Then what? You won’t be Erlking, you won’t have the resources to protect her or kill her, and you’ll be alone. What happened to your father could have happened whether or not he was Erlking.”

  I nodded. “I know, but it isn’t going to happen to me.”

  “It’s arrogant to believe that.”

  “Selene and I are going through with the bonding as planned. If she dies, I die. Problem solved.”

 
“And the child.”

  I shook my head. “That’s part of what I need to talk to you about. First, we need to set up an assembly so I can make the announcement about stepping aside. I would like you to run the assembly. Also, I meant what I said earlier. I think you would be an outstanding Erlking. You should consider it.” I waited until Sebastian acknowledged my comment to continue. “Second, if Selene does lose herself to the darkness, we will need a way to contain her until the child is born.”

  “And then let the jinni kill both of you?” Sebastian’s face was hard.

  I nodded. The words I needed to say were thick in my throat. “We would like you and Katrina to take guardianship over the baby if that happens.”

  The shell surrounding him cracked. “Me? Not someone in your or Selene’s family?”

  I shook my head. “Selene chose you…and I agree with her choice. We may fight, we may not always see eye to eye, but you have always protected my family as if it were your own. You’ll always be family to us, Sebastian.”

  He looked down at his lap and let out a slow breath. “I’m not going to pursue a relationship with Katrina.”

  “I know. Yesterday made that fairly clear.”

  “I—”

  There was a knock on the door before Selene opened it with Jessica and Katrina behind her. “Holden agreed.” Anything else she said was a blur. My beautiful wife had managed to arrange our deaths and our wedding in the matter of an hour. I wasn’t sure if I should be proud or frightened.

  Selene still clutched that white package in her hands and the girls wore solemn expressions, not a hint of teasing around them. “I have the other two working with Alana on the wedding plans. Jess and Kat want to help.”

  I cleared my throat. “The more help the better.” I waved them in. Slowly, Sebastian’s expression closed off again, and whatever he had been going to say was lost. “You might not need to do the spell.”

  Selene’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you have a lead?”

  “Maybe. Someone mentioned to Sy that they saw Frost. He’s looking into it. If she is alive—”

  “She might be able to tell us where the Pole is, or at least where to look,” Selene finished my sentence with a wide grin.