“That’s not what I’m being at all.”
“Yes you are,” they say in unison.
Caw. I glare at the trees where a Raven I know to be Cristobal is perched, keeping an eye on our visiting guests incognito. The sound draws me back to my time in the Fae lands when I’d almost chosen the wrong door. Was he there even then? “You’ve got some explaining to do, Cortez. As soon as we get out the boiling water threatening to cook us.”
“Even the animals here agree with us, Lou. Stop being so stubborn and realize we only want to help,” Sacha says.
“I refuse to change who I am. I tried that once, and it didn’t mesh well. I ended up running for the hills, remember? This time they get me warts and all.”
“No one expects that. But you can change the way you approach things,” Fel responds quickly.
“How so?”
“Look before you leap, and let someone else take the lead when there’s danger. You’re not indestructible or so easily replaced,” she says gently.
Her worry echoes Cristobal’s.
“I was never meant to be a princess in a tower.”
“No, but there’s got to be a medium between first on the frontline and hidden away in the castle.”
Her words strike a chord. “I’ll try my best to find that place.” It’s the best I can give her. She smiles, and I know, for now, it’s enough. I feel Cristobal’s contentment through our link. It hits a nerve. He has an annoying habit of constantly getting what he wants. I sniff indignantly and put a wall up between us in the bond. I’m not above being petty or keeping him off kilter. The lord is too used to getting his way. I’m his partner, not another member of the court who must obey his every command. The conversation from the hospital remains in the front of my mind as we move into the house to prepare for the meeting.
Two Days Prior
“I’m going to get a complex if you keep getting injured while I’m away.”
I swim up through the layers, toward the voice. My fingers twitch, and I fight against the urge to return to slumber. My lids seem to have weights on them as I struggle to peel them up. Cristobal’s face comes into view, and my soul rejoices.
“Hi,” I croak.
He bends over me, kissing my forehead. “Let me get you some water.” He disappears momentarily and returns with a large pink cup with a straw. Using the button on the side of my bed, he helps me sit up and holds the cup to my lips.
I take a drink. The cool water coats my mouth and throat. I moan my approval.
“Thank you. What happened?”
“I should be asking you that. Why would you take on such a tremendous task by yourself?”
“I had help.” I regret the white lie immediately.
“The sorry state you arrived in says otherwise. What were you thinking using that much of your magic.”
“If I hadn’t neither of us would be here because we’d be fighting a war.”
“You can’t protect everyone—”
“I know you aren’t insinuating I should’ve left the girls out to dry.”
“No, I’m telling you I’m not fooled by your martyrdom. You used them as a vehicle to help you channel, but you left their power untapped.”
“Because they were the second line of defense had I failed.”
“You cannot continue to take risks like that.”
“Why am I more important than anyone else?”
“A queen is meant to be protected. Not because she is weak, but because she’s far too valuable to risk.”