One Month Later
I sat at the counter,watching as Zeph cooked an orc steak on the grill pan.
Zakkai stood near him, his brow furrowed. “Is it supposed to be purple like that?”
“Sometimes,” I replied. “It can be blue, too.”
His nose crinkled. “How appetizing.”
“It is,” I insisted, my stomach growling in anticipation as Zeph flipped the steak over.
Kols and Shade were at the table sharing some pasta dish they’d just picked up in Rome. Because my Elite Blood mate was obsessed with Italian food, something I’d learned over the last month in this realm.
We’d spent most of our weeks here in Shade’s home on the cliffs, indulging in our bonds, and enjoying a much-needed break from Midnight Fae life.
However, Shade and Zakkai had left a few times to “tie-up loose ends.” Which I translated to mean—meeting with Lucifer, meeting with Zen, and generally supervising the former Councilmen.
They’d also tracked down Dakota as she’d been missing from the ascension ritual. I wasn’t sure what they did to her, but I felt her life-strand sever from the source. Which told me she was dead. I just didn’t ask how, because I preferred not to know.
And Kols had gone back home twice to see Tray and his parents. He and his father were still on uncomfortable terms, but at least they were talking. Tray had also moved out with Ella, and they were residing in Massachusetts right now at the Nacht Estates.
I intended to go visit them next week as I missed them.
But for now, I was content to just be here. Relaxing. Living. And preparing for our next steps.
Which was pretty straight forward—we needed a new Midnight Fae Council.
While most of the Councilmen had been under Constantine’s control, it remained to be seen how long they’d been suffering from his power trip. They’d also lost the faith of Midnight Fae kind. As had the Elders. Even those like Kols’s great-grandfather, who had been put into a magically induced coma by Constantine, were no longer trusted.
Therefore, we were proposing a new council and allocating advisory positions to take over for the former Elders.
“Have you spoken to Tadmir about Stiggis and Cordelia?” I asked Shade.
He finished swallowing his bite of food and nodded. “Yeah, he’s still talking to them about the council. I think he wants them to shadow him for a bit first since neither of them were ever really prepared to take over. Well, Stiggis was to an extent, but not Cordelia. And I think she might be the better option.”
“She’s certainly more even-headed than her brother,” Zeph agreed. “Minus losing her shit over your infidelity.”
Shade snorted. “It was an arranged marriage front that gave me access to Tadmir.”
“I don’t think the poor girl saw it that way,” Zeph drawled. “Hence my questioning her ability to be on the council. Anyone who loses their mind over you is clearly not stable.”
“Don’t mind him,” Kols said, setting down his fork and reaching for his beer. “He’s just sour that you won’t suck his cock.”
“And he wonders why I won’t,” Shade muttered.
Zeph glowered while Zakkai grinned, entertained by their bickering. “Well, I think Cordelia is a fine choice.” He winked at me, then his gaze turned serious. “But I’m disappointed that Tray won’t join.”
“He doesn’t want to have anything to do with Midnight Fae politics right now after they almost killed his mate,” Kols replied, glancing at me. “I can’t say I blame him.”
“We’ll give him time.” Which was what I said earlier this week when Kols delivered the news about his twin turning down the council position. “Change doesn’t happen overnight, which is why we have a mix of ages and expertise on the council.”
Shade’s mom had agreed to join, so long as Shade sat with her. She was a timid woman after being kept in the dark for a thousand years. But we would be patient and work with her on reform.
Zen had also turned down a position, stating she had other obligations to the Hell Fae King to fulfill first. But she’d agreed to act as an advisor so long as we ventured to the Hell Fae realm to visit her.
Kols’s father would serve as an Elder, but a well-watched one.
And Vadim had agreed to an Elder position as well.