Kelsey had been the one to save us from the duke. He’d frozen the city over and tried to execute Danny. “He was a demon from the Hell plane.”
“The different planes all have their versions of elementals,” Declan explained. “We haven’t seen a seasonal elemental in…I don’t think my mother has even met one.”
I didn’t care what Declan said, my momma-in-law is old. She didn’t look it. She looked like a young Cate Blanchett, if she’d never moved on from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but the truth was she was old in Earth years.
“What does it mean for the plane?” Danny asked.
“It means our springs will likely be more productive anywhere Rhys goes. He’ll have some control over wind and rain. I’m not sure exactly what it means since I have never met one,” Dev admitted.
“It means life and fertility for the Fae. The fact that Rhys comes along at a moment when we are on the brink means the Fae can thrive again,” Declan pronounced. “He must come home with me.”
“He isn’t going anywhere with you, you asshole,” I shot back his way.
“Brother, I think you should be silent when it comes to Rhys,” Dev added, his eyes narrowing. “You gave up all rights to him when you told him you would kidnap him and force him to do your bidding.”
“I never said anything of the kind.” Declan seemed genuinely confused at how we’d reacted.
“You told a scared little boy that he would someday have to live in Faery forever.” And now I knew that fear had been with Rhys until this afternoon.
Declan sighed and sat back. “It’s a beautiful place. I didn’t think I was scaring the boy. I thought I was offering him something wonderful. He would seem sad because he wasn’t getting as much attention as Lee or Evan and I would explain to him that one day things would be different. He would be worshipped in Faery. He would be valued.”
“He was beloved by his family,” Daniel replied. “All children think their siblings get more attention. I assure you we spent plenty of time with Rhys. If you asked Lee, he was on the outside because we thought he was human. Evan was too young to be annoyed with us, but it would have come.”
Dev shook his head. “Declan, you forget our childhood. You were jealous of me because Mother worried about me. I was jealous of you because she spent time teaching you how to be king. She could not win. I assure you I remember it, and I took pains to pay attention to all my children and I still failed in their eyes.”
“I don’t think I was wrong to offer the boy a look at the future he could have,” Declan argued.
Dev pointed his way. “You didn’t offer him anything. You told him what he would do and where he would live.”
“He is important.” Declan stood and got in his brother’s face.
“Yes, he is important, and he has choices.” Dev looked ready to start another beatdown.
Daniel got between them with a weary sigh. I could understand. We’d had a lot of family drama in a week. “Dev, Zoey, I understand that you’re angry with him. I am, too, but we’re right back in the same position we were before.”
We needed allies, and the Fae had helped us in the past. Still… “I am not giving him my son.”
Danny stopped in front of me, his hands going to my shoulders. “And I would never allow anyone to force Rhys to do something he didn’t want to, but we have to consider that leaving the Seelie and the Unseelie without a Green Man could do far more harm than good.”
“I will go,” Dev promised. “I’ll go and prove to them that I’m back and they’ll calm down. Bris and I will walk the fields and give them a show of strength.”
“In the middle of a war?” Danny ran a hand over his head, a sure sign that he was frustrated. “I don’t like the thought of sending you in alone, and I can’t leave the plane right now. It’s a delicate time.”
“It’s a delicate time in my kingdom, too,” Declan declared before turning my way. His eyes narrowed as he focused on me. “I’m glad that my nephew is taking his place as a leader here among the earthly Fae. He must remember that the rest of us need him as well. And don’t tell me you don’t understand duty, Your Grace. After all, from what I have been able to ascertain, you gave up your daughter to her duty. Allow your son to do his or give me the second chance you promised.”
His boots thudded across the floor as he stomped out, carrying his beer. I could feel the amulet he’d given me in my pocket. I’d been told to keep it close to the Goddess Chain or it might make its way back to Faery in an explosive manner.