Chapter Twenty One
Daphne
“What did I miss?” Genie asks the moment we leave the Forbidden Forest.
“We got Theo back,” I explain. “The Idols have put a bounty out on me and Gwyneth. Oh, and we were ambushed by a butt group.”
“A quiet diurnal then.” He clutches my broom, which wiggles like an overly excited puppy.
“What’s going on with Sir Sweeps-A-Lot?”
Genie scowls at my sidekick. “He’s an infernal pain in my ass, always trying to help but failing.”
“Fairest of the land, may I speak with you?” Eron’s voice rings out.
Malachi moves his horse closer to mine and hands me the small mirror, showing the face of my favorite mirror man.
“I’m here.” He blinks before blowing out a breath, which steams up the mirror. I raise a brow. “A little steamy where you are?”
His cheeks flush, making my lips lift. “My state is not important. Gwyneth has asked me to send word that you’re being hunted.”
“We know,” Nash grumbles. “Those flyers scattered to the four winds. I’d be surprised if there were any creatures left who don’t know.”
“Is my sister safe?”
“She’s sequestered in the Living LIbrary. No one can enter without the Grimm bloodline’s express permission. So yes, she is safe.” He hitches in a breath.
“You okay?”
He squints as if he’s trying hard not to react. “I am.” His lips part. “Eric, I’m on a call with my lady fair.”
Huh? Oohh. Ugh. Even my mirror man’s getting some.
“As soon as I get you alone, you’re going to get more than you can handle,” Theo rumbles in my ear.
Nash’s head snaps over his shoulder, tracking the way Theo’s hand presses against my lower belly. His gaze lifts to mine. Oh yeah, he was waiting for Theo to return, and now that he has, all bets are off.
Threefold.
I don’t break eye contact. Bring it on, Nash Stirling. It’s long overdue.
He shakes his head like he can hear my taunt.
“How many diurnals until you return?” Eron asks.
“Two at most,” Hart answers. “We’ll rest in the damsel village this evening. I need to send word out so that our way into the Hallows is free from threats, or at least not full of idiots who pander to the Idols.”
“That is an issue, given the Idols have taken residence in what was the grand library. Six of them in the same place is making the kingdom restless.”
“Six? Did they recruit more?” I wonder.
“That is an issue,” Genie gripes. “That many Idols in concentration is going to destabilize the realm.”
Isn’t that what we want?
Eron nods. “And more will follow. You have to hurry. Lady Gloria needs your skills in the bedroom.”
She does? I will murder Charming if he put his sausage anywhere near my sister’s floof without permission or invitation.
“That’s what I said,” Eron mutters. “War room.”
Nope, but that makes more sense.
“Two diurnals at most. Tell her I have a plan.”
His eyes cross, and the mirror steams up once more. “I shall relay the message as soon as I have come.” He pauses, and his eyes flutter closed. Well, that’s a bold statement. I’m glad he’s prioritizing self-care. “To my senses.”
“So never, then?” Malachi says.
Eron groans. It’s guttural, and I feel like we’re witnessing an extremely private moment. “Go finish whatever this is, and then deliver the message,” I prompt.
Genie huffs and snaps his fingers, and the mirror returns to my reflection. Goodness me. I need a long bath and a hair comb. I’m a mess.
“Get clean all you want,” Theo taunts. “I’m just going to make you dirty again.
” His teeth graze my throat, making my breath hitch and my eyes flutter closed.
Whatever restraint the brothers had because of Theo’s absence has been lifted.
Now I can sense them all needing to connect with me on a level only intimacy can reach.
“The blasted broom and I shall retire to my lamp until you have need of us, or until you’re doing something amusing,” the genie says with a sigh.
“We’ll likely see you in the next five tempos then,” Malachi mutters as my sidekicks disappear.
“What is this plan you speak of?” Nash asks, sidling his horse up beside us. He looks a split tempo away from dragging me off Theo’s horse and making good on his threats. I am more than ready. I have been since before I died.
“Um, it involves giving the Idols some ultimatums.”
“Like?”
“Get out of the way of the new world we are building, and stop trying to control the narrative by restricting people’s lives to their narrow, preordained destiny.”
“And how do you propose to do that?”
He sounds genuinely curious, not dismissive. I’m glad someone has some confidence in my less than well-formed plans.
“If they don’t, I’ll build a world without them. Gwyneth will make that written in ink, and then they’ll be no more.”
“That seems ridiculously simple and yet effective,” Nash muses.
I shrug. “Path of least resistance, unless they choose otherwise. I don’t want a war, but I won’t roll over for them either. If we do that, then nothing changes, and that would be the greatest crime.”
The knights fall silent while they process my words. This change feels like something Gwyneth and I set in motion, and now it has to play out.
Theo continues his relentless assault on my senses as we edge closer to Damsel Village.
Not quite touching me anywhere that would count as intimate, but makes every sweep of his fingers and brush of his lips ignite my nerves in anticipation.
Nash steals glances at us, his control fraying at the edges.
Good. I want him to be as lost as I am. Then I won’t feel so out of control.
“Ah, I’m looking forward to a good meal and a decent bed,” Malachi declares with a nod at the lanterns flickering on the ground.
The sun has long since set, and with it, my inhibitions, if I ever owned any.
Since I threw myself into an unconventional relationship with not one but four knights and didn’t bat an eyelid, I have to wonder if I ever held any traditional values.
Unlikely, given who I am. Why shouldn’t we be free to follow our hearts, so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone?
Nash leads the way into the village, and doors are once again thrown open, and whispers of welcome and excitement hum around us.
Penny, the twins’ half-sister, rushes down the worn path with a huge grin on her face. “Daphne freaking Stone, get down here and prepare to be hugged.”
Theo snorts but doesn’t release my waist. I wiggle, hissing at the stiffness in my limbs. “Help me get down,” I order. He growls something that sounds suspiciously dragon-like. “I won’t go out of your sight. I promise.”
Malachi and Hart are already on the ground, waiting to help me navigate the fall. I mean, gracious dismount.
Theo waits a beat before acquiescing by launching me off his horse into the waiting arms of the twins. My legs wobble for a tempo, and then I’m being hugged so hard my ribs creak.
“You are freakishly strong,” I say between gritted teeth.
Penny releases me, a pretty pink staining her cheeks. “Sorry. Don’t forget I share half their DNA.”
She takes my hand and leads me toward the center of the village, where people hurry to bring whatever foodie delights they had stored in their homes. Do they just have these on hand for visitors, or are they enjoying fine dining every sundown? I think I could be happy here.
Penny draws me close to her side. “Thank you for having the strength to return. They were truly broken without you.”
I swallow the knot in my throat and press a hand against my chest. “They would have been okay.”
“Hart was about to usher in an era worse than his pretender father ever lorded over, and the Idols had all but declared victory and were starting to make moves to tighten the parameters of the narrative.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before rejects and survivors were out of sight and out of mind, but rumor has it we were on the chopping block.”
“They were ready to kill anyone who didn’t make the cut?” I check. That’s drastic, even for egotistical Idols with control issues.
“That’s what the whispers said,” Penny confirms. “But then the side characters started fighting back.”
I grimace. “Yes, we’ve witnessed that with the dwarves.”
Not that they don’t deserve their own destiny; everyone does. It’s just a case of making sure we unravel this world in a way that doesn’t hurt anyone.
“You look like you need a good meal and a hot bath.”
“Both would be welcomed. I fear I smell worse than Beast’s socks.”
“Do beasts wear socks?” she wonders. “Wouldn’t they shred?”
My lips twitch. I like Penny. I like her a lot. “That was part of the problem. The little straggly pieces of wool would cling to his claws.”
She makes a face and mock shivers. “I was never a Beast fan anyway. Selfish twit couldn’t see past his own nose until a literal beauty landed in his lap. Make better choices, is all I’m saying.”
She feels like family. My heart swells with more acceptance and love than I’ve ever known before.
“I heard about your villain intervention,” she whispers. “You’re a legend already, Daphne Stone.”
“Because I was born with this blood,” I muse.
“Now who is being an idiot?”
Definitely family vibes if we have got to the insults stage. “What I say isn’t untrue.”
“No, but you’re not the first Grimm bloodline. In fact, there are many generations who came before you, and they didn’t measure up.”
I tilt my head in thought as she halts our walk and stands in front of me. “I think I understand.”
“Do you?” she muses. “Only time will tell. Now, what’s first? Food or bathing?”
That’s a hard one. My stomach feels like it’s eating itself, and my skin itches like I’d walked through a patch of poison ivy.
She pats my cheek in understanding and winks at me before snapping her fingers. Three damsels rush over. “Daphne needs a bath drawn in the salt steam room and finger food delivered.”
They dart in different directions to fulfill Penny’s directive.
“Thank you.”
She glances over my shoulder, a shadow crossing her face.
“No, thank you. I feared I’d lost them.” She shakes her head as if she can rid herself of the dark thoughts, but it doesn’t work.
I’ve tried, but the little buggers cling on harder than a troll booger.
“But now you’re here and they’re once more grounded. Just don’t die. Again.”
“Deal, but I have a question of my own.”
“Hit me.”
“Do sausages count as finger food?”