Chapter 9
Chapter
Nine
Corbin felt incredibly shaken by what had just happened.
He had never seen someone who was infected with vampirism who had been able to make it into the Land of Summer.
He knew such things were rumored, just as he had heard stories about vampires on Lunastra.
But to see it with his own eyes, to watch her crumble, had been incredibly unnerving.
He walked over to his mother and knelt, taking her hands in his. “Where did she come from, Mother?”
“I’m—” Mother blinked, shook her head, and then took a deep breath, looking over the others as if to count them. “The Court of Bells sent her. She arrived as we were leaving.”
The Court of Bells was the farthest flung of the Seelie Court, except for perhaps the Court of Dreams. He’d met very few of their members, but in his memory, they were a joyful lot that went about singing merrily, bringing music everywhere they went.
However, she had to have traveled quite a distance.
“We need to send someone to them. We need to ask questions. We need to know if the entire court is infected or if it happened on her travel here.” Having a vampire who could walk in the daytime was a terrible, terrible situation. “I can go,” Corbin said. “I can fly.”
“No. I’ll send Forrest. He can choose a tree and go from root to root. It will take him no time, and he’s fully fae.” She held up a hand when Corbin would have protested. “They are an insular lot. They will be suspicious of you.”
“They should be suspicious of me.” And there was his dragon, fully formed and grumpy.
“They attempted to attack my mate, my child, my family, my mother.” He glared at her.
“We may not be the closest of friends,” he said, “but I love you, and I will destroy anyone who harms you. This is my family, our family.”
She touched his arm, her hand cool now and not trembling.
“We are your family, and I owe you an apology, son. I was unkind. Fear made me forget to trust my child, who has never done anything to earn that disrespect. Forgive me.” She looked up at Evander.
“And you as well. Welcome to the family, and do please know that I am sorry for any disrespect.”
Evander bowed deeply. “Lady, it is hard. And I understand now, at least I’m beginning to, the worry that someone might have for their child.”
We’re going to go home. We’ll wait for you at the portal. But the children are frightened. To be honest, Cosmo didn’t sound really stable as it was.
I think the children are probably madly in love with their new grandfather-in-law.
Let’s be honest, between Lord Archer and our dad, no one would hurt them.
Regardless, you should go and give everybody comfort.
Somebody start food, we’ll be home after a while.
I think they want us out of here, at least for now.
Personally, he thought he needed to stay with Mother just until Dad got back. He didn’t like leaving her like this. To be honest, he wasn’t completely sure there weren’t going to be repercussions for turning a member of the Court of Bells into greasy ash.
That was an awful thought.
He glanced up at Evander. Yeah, well. At least I don’t remember it.
No? I do. It was quite intense. Have you all always been able to do that?
When it’s necessary. Yes. We can do it when it has to be done. We can’t just do it at will.
He waved his brothers off and then sat there with Mother and looked at all of Evander’s brothers.
“This isn’t exactly the way that I wanted to meet you all,” he admitted.
That earned him a couple of soft chuckles, then one of them said, “Well, it is Evander, after all. He is always the first one to rush into… new situations.”
Oh, he liked that. He liked that a lot. It was way better than danger or foolishness or any of the other things that they had all been accused of at one point or another.
“He’s very brave. Tisi is magical, and we all love him very much. We can’t repay Evander for what he did for our family.” He touched his belly and glanced up at his mate. “Or what you’ve done for me?”
Evander’s eyes flashed and his horns began to grow.
Their mother softly clucked her teeth, and Evander’s brothers, to a fae went, “Ew!”
Corbin began to chuckle because he just couldn’t not.
One of the envoys glared over, his fine features flushing. “How dare you laugh! You have just murdered one of our own.”
Corbin stood up before Evander could, his own eyes focused, his scales rattling. “Pardon me? You’re part of the envoy, aren’t you? Aren’t you supposed to be a fae warrior? Aren’t you supposed to protect my lady mother from dangers? Aren’t you part of the royal court here somewhere?”
There was a pause, and just barely the word ‘half-breed’ sounded, and he pulled back, stung.
That was when his lady mother stood up, her finger pointing. Magic surged from her and huge rose bushes burst up from the ground with wicked thorns and blood-dipped petals. “Do not insult my sons.”
The envoy bowed deeply. “A thousand pardons, my lady.”
“Hmph!” She glared at the man. “My son is far more than a half-breed as you call him. He is a wondrous creation of magic. If he were some sort of an abomination, he would not be allowed here by the wards, now would he? I want you to go back where you came from and you will tell your family that I no longer have need of an envoy from their court because you have insulted me.”
She’s kind of amazing, Ev said in his head.
She is, huh? She can insult me all she wants to, but nobody else better or she’d kick their ass. Corbin chuckled. He supposed all families were that way.
Ev inclined his head just the tiniest bit. That is how it is with me and my brothers. No one may injure one of us when all of us are there. But we may certainly give each other no end of grief.
Bron returned then, and he smiled at his wife, looking around at the rose bushes that had popped up. “Do you still wish to eat, my love, or shall we all retreat and come back together at another time?”
“I think we need to find out what happened here first,” Calla said. “This one,” and she pointed to the envoy who had insulted him,” is going home. Permanently. Someone will need to escort him and explain to his court what has happened.”
Bron scowled, which sent the man backing up a few steps, hands in front of him in a placating gesture. “I will see to it.”
“And then I want to send Forrest to the Court of Bells to inquire about how this could have happened.” She waved to the pile of ash, which was rapidly blowing about.
Corbin muttered under his breath, “I still think I should be the one to go.”
Ev shook his head. “You heard your mother. But I would like to send one of my brothers along with him for us as well.”
“I’ll volunteer.” That was the one Ev had called Alyster. “Can this Forrest take me through the trees as well, or will I have to meet him there?”
His mother studied Alyster. Her eyes were a dark verdant green. “Forrest can take you. Bron will show you where to find him and relay his instructions about speaking to the Bell Court.”
“Be careful,” Lord Archer told his son.
“You know me, Father. I am the cautious one among us.” Alyster gave everyone a glinting grin.
Evander rolled his eyes. “You are a—”
Corbin had to laugh because Lord Archer cleared his throat as if telling his sons to behave themselves.
“The rest of you, not a word to your court yet,” Calla told the other envoys. “We do not want panic among the courts.”
“We were just saying that to one another, my lady. This could cause widespread migration if we’re not careful.
” That was a stately looking lady with loops and loops of braids curled up on her head and robes that looked like the darkest midnight with silver stars.
Perhaps she was from the Court of Dreams. But he couldn’t be sure.
She was fascinating, though, her dark eyes having no color to them whatsoever.
No differentiation between pupil and iris.
“Precisely.” Mom peered at Dad. “I think perhaps the family politics will have to wait until later on.”
“Yes, my lady wife. Corbin, I think you should make your way back to the house and meet with your brothers.”
He wanted to argue, but there was something in Dad’s tone that broke the moral argument. And he realized he was considered a pregnant omega now. Nobody was going to let him go out and do any of the questioning or interrogating or anything else in the Land of Summer.
That must rankle. Ev smiled at him, holding out a hand for him to take. But he has a point, and so do you. Let’s go back to the house and make sure the children are well.
You’re just trying to calm me down. I know it. Corbin winked at his mate. Still, I want to make sure everyone is well. Then we’ll revisit.
What did they do if there was vampirism running through the Land of Summer? They would destroy everything. The light had to make them weaker, though, because otherwise they would’ve attacked well before now.
This had been an attempt at a sneak attack, and on a fringe area at that. So this was some sort of foray that they were testing.
And they’d failed, but mainly because dragons had been involved. So they needed to know how many of these vamp hybrids there were, and what their plan was so they could stop it.
It was going to be exhausting to have to scour the land with their light.
We’ll think of an easier way, lethean. Evander was so attuned to him, and he sounded worried.
Yes. We’ll have to. He had a baby to grow.
We will. Evander stopped to take him into a warm embrace, kissing him gently. I will not have you harmed.
Now he knew how Cosmo had felt, how Cullen had, knowing they had to let their mates protect them, to withdraw from hunting.
He’d held out the longest, because he’d needed to find his mate. He’d needed to find Evander.
“I’m right here.” Evander’s breath ghosted across his lips. “For good.”
“I want that. Goddess, you were stunning, all in your… what do you call your other form?”
“My hunt form.”