The Fox’s Tale

I eased the doors shut behind me. “Ellery is asleep, and I would like to join her. Our apartment doesn’t have any guest rooms, but I’m sure that the Sinclairs will put you all up somewhere.” I ran my hand through my hair and yawned.

“Dude, what are you talking about? You’ve got at least six guest rooms downstairs, plus two sleeper sofas in the game room.” Scott looked at me with suspicion and the rest of them looked at me like I was crazed.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I retorted.

When they pointed across the room to a door that hadn’t been there when I’d left that morning I clutched my head in exasperation. Two and a half months of living here and I still wasn’t used to things magically appearing.

“Welcome to our home then I guess,” I said as I rubbed my forehead between my eyes. I felt a set of eyes boring into me and turned to face Queen Esmeralda.

“Alexander, your friends have told me what you all went through this evening. Why did you not head directly to the palace? Why did you not send for help?” she asked. “I would have helped you in less than a heartbeat. Surely you know that.” Her tone was accusatory and hurt.

She was sitting in Ryan’s lap, and he looked completely besotted. I grimaced and tried to think of a way to answer her question that wouldn’t piss her off.

“Because, your Majesty, Ellery sent them to me.” Lucas appeared in the doorway and everyone felt the change in the atmosphere. Esmeralda took her hands out of Ryan’s hair and stood up.

“Lucas.” Tears formed in her eyes. “It’s been a long time.”

“It has.” Lucas cleared his throat and then tore his eyes away from her face. “And during that time your court has been infiltrated by those who wish your granddaughter and her Other harm.”

Queen Esmeralda recoiled. “Lucas, you don’t think that I?”

Lucas cut his eyes back to her stricken face. “No, of course not. But they are all around you in that place you call home.”

“You called it home once before.” Esmeralda’s voice shook.

He scoffed. “Two hundred years ago. A great deal has changed since then.” Lucas glanced from her to Ryan and back to her and frowned.

Ryan gaped at both of them; confused.

“Has everything changed?” she asked, as tears snaked down her cheeks.

“That will never change. I swore that to you before I was banished. I swore it again when your daughter was born, and again when she died. I am willing to give my life to protect your granddaughter. How, after everything, can you doubt my constancy?” Lucas’s tone got progressively angrier as he spoke.

My mouth fell open in disbelief. I’d gotten it so wrong! Queen Esmeralda brushed the tears off her cheeks and raised her chin in defiance.

“Our daughter.”

There was a collective intake of breath at those words. Lucas was thunderstruck. “What did you just say?” he demanded as he gripped the back of an armchair. I could tell by the strain in his voice that he was barely holding himself together. I glanced at the chair and winced. That we'd need to replace.

“Rowan was our daughter. Ours. When the High Council forbade our relationship I marked you in your sleep, somewhere they would never see. I wasn’t going to let some courtier I cared nothing for use me as an incubator, not when I had an Other who loved me.

“I’d have no children if they couldn’t be yours. Then, after Quinn was born so healthy and strong, and he could pass not just for a human, but also as a Fae, I came to visit you in your dreams until…until I was.”

She stopped talking and gazed at Lucas helplessly. “I wanted to tell you so many times. I planned to, but then she was taken from me. I couldn’t bear to inflict that pain upon you, and Ellery was in danger, so I kept it secret.”

She covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m so sorry, my love. Can you ever forgive me?”

I turned to look at Lucas who was visibly fighting to keep a hold on his emotions. He crossed the room in two strides and grabbed Queen Esmeralda’s arms.

“Forgive you?” he asked. “Esma,” he whispered before pulling her into him and kissing her.

This kiss was unlike the one he had given Lady Oleander; it was filled with tenderness, longing and above all else, love. He lifted her in the air and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

When they broke apart Lucas stroked her hair. “All this time, I thought they were only dreams. Why did you not come to me?”

“Because of your father. He caught me watching you once and he warned me that if he ever suspected that I had borne you a child that he would see to it that the child perished.” She bit her lower lip. “He killed her, I’m sure of it,” she whimpered.

“My father did many terrible things in his life, but Rowan’s death cannot be laid at his feet.” Lucas’s voice was a murmur as he set her back down on her feet. He stroked her cheek and then her hair, not taking his eyes off of hers.

“How can you be sure?” she asked.

“Because, when our daughter was being murdered, I was killing him.”

“Oh, snap,” whispered Nick.

Lucas and Queen Esmeralda turned to look at him; stunned to remember that they weren’t alone.

“You killed your father?” I blurted out and their heads snapped to me.

“You’re my grandfather? Ellery demanded. She stood framed in the doorway, clad in one of my tee-shirts and a pair of my boxers.