Darkest Mercy (15 page)

her in.

Instead, she pulled back and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Winning, I hope.” Keenan turned his back on her, walked to the doorway, and grabbed Eliza.

As he pulled the Summer Girl into the room, more of their court followed her. In a blink, the room was filled with smiling faeries.

Keenan waltzed the giggling Summer Girl across the room, and sent her spinning into another Summer Girl’s arms. As the two danced away, he

caught the hand of another Summer Girl and pulled her into an embrace and dipped her. The vines that slithered over her body were vibrant. Their

leaves stretched toward the Summer King even as he stood and kissed the girl’s cheek.

As Aislinn watched, he continued throughout the loft, dancing and smiling at the Summer Girls. The room was bright with sunlight that radiated

from his skin. And mine. This was what the Summer Court was meant to be like. Which is the point of this dance. To his court, it looked like joyous

frivolity, and to some degree, it was. Another, more serious part of this whole giggling chaos was that this was his job: summer was to be

pleasurable.

Keenan caught her watching him, and the intensity of his gaze almost frightened her. If she’d been most anyone else, she would think having that

sort of passion directed at her was thrilling. It is, but I want it from Seth. If Seth were truly gone, she could’ve found happiness with Keenan, but it

wouldn’t ever equal what she felt for Seth.

But the Summer Queen could do as the Summer King had done all of these centuries: she could put the rest of her worries aside and be their

queen. She had been doing so the past several months on her own. She would continue to do so. Aislinn smiled and took the hands of the Summer

Girl who had just gone spinning by. “Dance with me, Siobhan.”

Siobhan smiled approvingly and called out, “Why is there no music?”

And from somewhere in the loft, music began to play. At first Aislinn thought it was the stereo, but then she realized that some of the guards

were singing. As they walked into the room, several of them began drumming on the wall and on a table they upended. Overhead, the cockatiels

joined in, and Aislinn laughed in sheer joy.

This is as it must be. My court must be happy.

When Siobhan spun her toward Keenan’s outstretched hand, Aislinn smiled at him.

He pulled her with him up on top of the coffee table.

“They’ve been fine under your watch. Despite your worries, you’ve kept them strong.”

“I am their queen,” she said.

He released her and stepped backward from the table onto the floor. For a moment, he paused and looked up at her. All around them, their

court danced. Some of their furniture was breaking from faery exuberance, but music and laughter filled the room.

Sunlight radiated from both the

king and queen.

Then, he reached out and lifted her to the floor. When her feet touched the carpet, he released his grip on her—and she missed his touch.

Without thinking, she stepped toward him.

“Being apart is unnatural, Aislinn. Tell me you don’t feel it.” He smiled at her, and she thought back to the first time he’d kissed her. Then, she

was a mortal, and she didn’t understand how anyone could refuse him. Then, she’d thought it was simply faery allure, and she didn’t think it would stay so difficult when she became a faery. Now, she understood. I wanted him then because I am the Summer Queen, not because he’s a faery. As

long as they were sharing the court, this feeling wouldn’t end when they were near each other. When he was gone, she was fine. She’d missed him

as a friend, but that wasn’t what he deserved.

“I don’t love you the way you need to be loved,” she said.

“I know.” His smile was sad for a fleeting moment.

“Summer isn’t renowned for soul-searing love, Aislinn.

Passion is the domain of Summer.”

“We both feel that sort of love, though,” she reminded him.

“Because you weren’t always Summer, you are different.” He gave her a sad smile.

“And you? Why are you different?” she asked.

He said nothing, but he pulled her back into his arms.

Aislinn swayed to the music. Summer Girls and guards danced slower, tangled together in embraces, and in some cases danced and kissed.

She understood. The Summer Queen and King both felt the longing for what their faeries had: touch and passion.

He followed her gaze. “We could have that too. Pretend it was the night you asked me to seduce you, start from that moment again. I can make

you happy.”

At that simple statement, Aislinn’s sunlight flared brighter.

She had no doubt that he could make her happy—maybe not for all of eternity, but

there was little doubt that she could know passion in his arms. “In moments I shouldn’t admit to you, not here, not ever perhaps, I’ve wondered what

it would’ve been like.”

“Say the word, my queen, and we can answer that question right now. We are Summer. Ours is the court of forget-your-name pleasures. I

promise you that it will be good . . . and good for our court.” Keenan’s sunlight had brought her own light to the surface, and between them, the

plants in the loft were growing visibly. Summer Girls laughed, and the room was filled with song. Keenan didn’t look away from her, however. He

stared directly into her eyes. “Let us answer your question, Aislinn. Be my Summer Queen. Take the pleasure that is your right .”

Even though she was breathless with the things she wanted— things Seth refuses me —Aislinn had the sense to say, “Maybe some questions

aren’t meant to be answered.”

Keenan leaned close enough that his words were whispers on her lips and asked, “Are you sure this is one of them?”

A rowan cleared his throat. “My Queen?” he said, and then added hurriedly, “and King?”

Aislinn stepped away from Keenan. “Yes?”

“The Winter Queen is here.”

Chapter 22

Keenan stood in the study and watched Donia walk into the room with a mixture of joy and fear. Neither was evident in his expression, but the

combination of the two made him momentarily speechless.

“Donia,” Aislinn greeted the Winter Queen from the sofa where she sat.

The Winter Queen pursed her lips as she looked at the two of them. “If I had any other regent to visit, I would.”

“Has something happened to Niall?” Keenan asked.

“Yes. Maybe. . . . I’m not sure.” Donia folded her arms.

“Gabriel visited me. He wasn’t able to tell me anything overt, and my requests for an

audience with Niall were denied. The guards turned me away at the door.” A troubled look came over her face. “So I went to the gate to Faerie, but

that was inaccessible as well. The gate to Faerie is closed

. Now I am here.”

With a self-confidence that befit her position, Aislinn gestured at the sofa across from her. “Please, sit.”

“The gate is closed?” Keenan echoed.

“I couldn’t even find it.” Donia looked directly at him as she added, “And Niall is locked away in his house.” Despite the worry writ plain on her face, Donia was regal as she walked over to the sofa. The Winter Queen sat opposite the Summer Queen.

Whether it was intentional or not, the two queens had made it so that he had to sit next to the faery who shared his court or the faery who owned his

heart. What I want and what I can have in life are not ever the same. Keenan took his position next to his queen.

Duty first.

“Tavish has had reports that Irial was injured in the fight with Bananach,” Aislinn said.

The surge of shock he felt wasn’t masked quickly enough.

Donia’s gaze narrowed as she realized that he had been unaware of this news until

that instant.

My queen has become used to ruling without me. He gave Donia a wry smile, but neither of them commented. That’s what I get for leaving.

“I have reason to believe that Irial’s injury is a fatal one,” Donia added. “Perhaps Niall is mourning.”

“Maybe . . . Seth went straight from the fight with Bananach to Faerie. He returned here yesterday, to see me.” Aislinn tensed slightly, but did not look at Keenan as she added, “He had to leave suddenly, but he didn’t mention anything about Irial’s injury when he was here . . . or about Faerie

being closed.”

“And where is Seth now ?” Donia prompted. “Did he return to Faerie?”

“He didn’t say where he went, just that it was something he had to do immediately,” Aislinn told them.

Keenan did look at Aislinn as he said, “When I left him, he said he was going to see Niall.”

His queen scowled at him, but said nothing.

“And neither of you thought to tell the other one these details?” Donia asked incredulously. “What were you doing ?”

“The day had just begun, and we were dancing,” Aislinn said.

“Dancing?” Donia looked at the Summer Queen with the same disdain Keenan had once seen on her face when she looked at the Summer

Girls. “Of course you were. Bananach is attacking faeries, stealing from our courts. Irial is injured. Faerie is closed.

Yes, dancing is precisely what

will help.”

Before Keenan could speak, Aislinn said, “Your court is not ours. Snowy calm may be what you need, but summer is joyous. They require

rejoicing to stay strong. Maybe you should try it.”

“Not all of us have reasons to rejoice,” Donia bit off.

Aislinn’s skin sizzled. “Then maybe you ought to find one.”

“Perhaps I should.” Donia smiled a sad smile, and then took a deep breath. “When I went to the veil to enter Faerie, it was gone. While we

searched, Far Dorcha approached me.”

“I met him as well . . . after I left you.” Aislinn walked to the counter and grabbed her cell phone.

Keenan looked from one queen to the other. “You both met the head of the death-fey?”

“It had to have been there yesterday. Faerie, I mean,” Aislinn said absently as she dialed and raised the phone to her ear.

While she waited for Seth to answer, Keenan told Donia,

“Seth stood beside me yesterday when Bananach attacked me.”

“After he left here.” Aislinn clutched the phone, but she spoke to them: “He came from Faerie to the loft, and then left here to . . . help Keenan.”

The question in Donia’s eyes wasn’t one Keenan was sure he should answer. He had spent decades keeping secrets from her because of the

search for the missing queen.

I don’t want secrets between us anymore . . . but she is not a part of my court.

They sat silently, looking at each other while Aislinn texted Seth.

“I’ll go see if Tavish has any new information.” Aislinn glanced at the phone again, and then she looked from Keenan to Donia—and left.

Once the Summer Queen was gone, Donia stood and walked to the window. Her arms were folded tightly over her chest, and her gaze was

fixedly not on him.

“Don?”

She glanced at him and then quickly looked back at the window. “Please, Keenan, not right now.”

“Can I do anything?” He didn’t move from his spot on the sofa. “Would you rather I left the room? Maybe you and Aislinn can talk and I could . . .

wait somewhere?”

She turned to face him and smiled wanly. “I am worried for Niall. I am worried for all of us. I haven’t lost many of mine to Bananach, but almost a

dozen of my fey are missing. I suspect they are with her . .

. or dead . . . or running away.”

“Ours as well,” Keenan said. “Tavish mentioned that a full score of ours have vanished. I have no idea what has happened in the Dark Court.”

The Winter Queen relaxed a little, so that her hands were not clutching her arms so tightly. “He loves Niall, you know. Irial.”

“He hurt Niall. I’ve seen Niall fall apart time after time when Irial was in town. It destroyed him. The scars on his back and chest . . .” Keenan

remembered the first time he’d seen the webs of scars that covered much of Niall’s torso. He’d been young, too foolish to know not to ask, but he’d

regretted it the moment after he’d spoken the question.

The look of pain on Niall’s face was one he’d not forgotten nine centuries later.

“Irial has been living there. If he dies, Niall won’t deal well.

You know him.” Donia shivered. “He doesn’t forgive easily.”

“I am well aware of that, Don,” Keenan muttered.

Donia relaxed enough to sit on the arm of the chair farthest away from him. It wasn’t unusual for her to be so far away. They’d had more time of

tentative distance than trust, but the memory of holding her in his arms made the renewed distance hurt like it had when she’d failed the test.

I want to tell you I can change. I want to tell you we can run away and abandon everything. He watched her in silence for several moments. Every

promise he should be able to make was forbidden to them.

No gift, no word, nothing would undo all of his failures. I want to be the faery you saw

when you met me. I want you to see me that way again.

Even if they couldn’t be together as he had dreamed, he wanted her to look at him like she

had so many times, to see him instead of the Summer King.

“I could talk to him, to Niall,” Keenan blurted. “If you think it would help, I can try.”

She startled. “The last time you saw him, he knocked you unconscious.”

“That wasn’t the last time.” Keenan flushed. “He was trained in the Dark Court. It’s not like it was just anyone who punched me.”

“I wasn’t judging. Merely reminding.”

“Perhaps rejoicing a little that I was knocked down?” he asked.

“No,” she sighed. “Even when you infuriate me or break my heart, I don’t rejoice in your pain. Would you relish my pain?”

“Never,” he swore.

Aislinn came back into the room. She stayed in the opposite doorway, placing herself at the far end of the room from Donia. “Tavish has heard

nothing about Faerie. He has our people looking into it, and he’d”—she gave them a small smile—“‘very much appreciate it if the regents had the