Steal the Moon

Chapter Thirty-Four

“She looks perfect, Declan.” Dev slapped his brother’s hands away from my dress.

“Well, she had better,” Declan replied, looking uncertain. “Everyone is waiting to see her. All of Faery is waiting for your return.”

We stood in front of what my Fae husband assured me was the opening to his sithein. We were in Hill Country, deep in the rolling barrens of Texas. It wasn’t the place one would expect to find an entrance to a magical plane.

I felt odd and vulnerable in the traditional dress Declan insisted I wear. It was rich and sumptuous. It made my skin glow and offered up my breasts in a way that made Dev’s breath hitch when he stared at them. All of that would be fine if we were in our home playing some sexy game. But we were going to Declan’s kingdom, and I felt like I was walking into a gilded prison.

The two weeks we’d spent at home after leaving Colorado had been hectic and filled with excitement for everyone else. Even Daniel had been upbeat about this trip to Faery. It was the last little piece to his puzzle, and he was looking forward to tackling it.

After taking a thorough inventory of my shoes and discovering Tamara hadn’t gotten away with a single pair, I’d spent the time reading over the material Marini had given me. There wasn’t much to it. He wanted me to steal a jewel. The blood stone. He reminded me in a phone call that he could kill Daniel with the flip of a switch. We still had to solve that little problem. We could have the wolves and all of Faery behind us, but if Marini killed Daniel it didn’t mean a damn thing.

And then there was my small trouble.

I told myself it was too early to know if I was pregnant. I told myself I should just wait and nature would take its course. I couldn’t be having a child. I used birth control and then it was only the once when we hadn’t used backup. Surely that one slip wasn’t enough. I told myself any story to stem the tide of panic. The one thing I didn’t do was tell my husbands of my fear. I was hoping I never had to do that.

“Are you ready, my beautiful goddess?” Dev was so happy to be going home that I pushed all of my fears and worries down deep where he wouldn’t know them.

I simply smiled and said yes.

I glanced back at the long train of friends and servants behind us. This was a parade in honor of the newly ascended fertility god. All of Faery would welcome us. Devinshea and Declan would lead me in and behind us was Padric. Neil, Lee, and Zack came next, carrying that coffin between them where Daniel lay. I had kissed him as Dev closed the lid and promised to see him soon. Sarah and Felix walked behind the casket, leading the train of luggage we were bringing.

Dev took my hand and squeezed it encouragingly as the door to the sithein shimmered and faded. There, in the hill, was another world. I could see mountains in the distance and a palace of shimmering white. My mother-in-law waited there to greet us. It was stunning and the people lined the streets leading to the great city. A shout went up as the door opened.

Declan took my other hand and held it firmly. “It’s tradition,” he explained with a smile as I was caught. “I want everyone to know how much I care for my new sister. I want everyone to know how important she is.”

We moved forward and the twins helped me walk gracefully down the road as our train began moving into Faery. Dev’s face was alight with excitement as his people greeted him. Declan smiled as he nodded my way. I could practically feel his satisfaction.

I was in his world now.

I glanced back and saw the door that separated the worlds shimmer and close and wondered if I would ever see my home again.

Zoey, Daniel, and Dev will return in Steal the Sun, coming March 2014!