“Better this way,” he managed to say with a ragged breath.
“Don’t ye dare say such a thing! Better for who? Not for me. Put me first, Graely, put me first…and live for me.” She was sobbing on his chest now, sobbing beyond the ability to do much else.
Suddenly, a five year old with an angelic face and soft blonde hair appeared and touched her arm, “Frankie, I heard you crying—don’t cry, Frankie. I’ll help you.”
“Bray?” Frankie swiped at the tears running down her cheek. “What are you doing here? Your parents will worry about you. Oh Bray.”
Bray was already at Graely’s side, running a hand over Graely’s naked torso, “He is sick. But I did this for Toppy my earth cat when he got sick after we brought him home with us. I can heal your friend.” He said and began running his little hands just inches over Graely’s blanket covered body. “Come on, Frankie, if we do it together, it might be better.”
All at once the atmosphere brought in a breeze full with vanilla and pine and Breslyn appeared as suddenly as his son had and his voice was firm as he regarded Bray from knit brows, “Bray. What are you doing?”
Bray turned that angelic face to his father, “You said if we know a friend is hurt, it is our duty to help. Frankie was crying, and she is my friend.”
Breslyn looked at him and his face contorted between irritation and pride, but his eyes had already taken in the situation. He sighed and touched his son’s head, “Good lad, move a bit and let Papa do this.”
Prince Breslyn knew about the Dark Prince Graely. He had gotten an ear full from his Ete just the other day about accepting the Dark Prince as Frankie’s chosen mate. He wasn’t sure just how that could be done. However, he was very fond of Frankie and at the moment, aware that she had just saved the human world by finding and bringing Crystal to the Dark King. They had all watched the scene unfold from Tir.”
He touched Frankie’s shoulder and said, “I’ll do what I can, Frankie. You know that I will, but taking the iron from him, will deplete me quickly and he still might not recover. Be ready for that.”
“No, I won’t be ready for it, Bres…you heal, you can, you know you can.”
He sighed heavily and moved over to Graely’s unconscious body and clucked his tongue, “He is too near death. I’ll need help and you are too weak…”
“Da!” Frankie screamed out loud and in her head, “Da, I need ye now.” Her sobs filled the air, made the furniture rattle with the force of her anguish.
Her father appeared on the spot, and took in the situation. He stepped back in horror and said, “No…you ask too much, daughter. He is Unseelie.”
“Da,” Frankie pleaded.
Breslyn looked up and said in as harsh a tone as Frankie had ever heard him use with her father, “Get over here now, Daoine Sluagh. This is your daughter’s mate. If you let him die, she will never forgive you. Is that what you want, eternity without her?”
Deimne took only one moment to consider this and gritting his teeth, he was at Breslyn’s side, laying hands, taking the poison into himself.
Trevor and Jazz arrived and Frankie didn’t have to ask. Trevor immediately marched over and laid hands on Graely.
Would they save him? Would her father’s blood heal him?
Was it too late?
Bray took her hand and looked up at her and said, “I saw something Frankie. I saw you cutting your hand…it was gross. You put blood on Graely’s mouth.”
Sudden dawning lit in Frankie’s eyes and she hurried to get a kitchen knife slice her hand open and rush to pour her blood down the Dark Prince’s throat.
Epilogue
FRANKIE HAD THOUGHT the Dark King had gone on his merry way and forgo
tten his sons in Conglam. She was wrong.
He had no sooner begun the process of healing his beloved, when he turned and flicked an unforgiving finger towards Conglam.
He could see them clearly--his sons. His monsters, Hordly and Pestale on the wide screen his mind created.
They stood in Conglam’s lush vast landscape, with their arms folded, although Hordly appeared to be both crying and enraged as he screamed at his brother, “You said it was fool proof.”
“It was as it should have been…” Pestale was too stunned to be frightened at that moment.
The Dark King’s voice bellowed over the land for all of Conglam to hear, “You know nothing about love and devotion. You know nothing and have always belonged in the Dark Realm. It is time you returned there.”