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“A fae bereft of Underhill is a weak fae indeed,” she said. “Weaker and weaker over the months, the years, the decades, until their magic is but a memory. For Underhill replenishes our connection to its energy and essence. This is her power. And Rubezahl knows it well. The fae on Earth have been cut off from Underhill long enough that they will soon begin to pay the price. That soon they will become a foothold for this darker, more sinister power.”
Goddess save me from penises and their inability to concentrate. Except for Lan’s.
All hope is not lost, young queen. Not until the last fae heart stops beating, not until magic no longer courses through this world, and Underhill is truly gone from living memory.”
“Quiet yourself, imbecile. It’s not for you that I came. If I get a shot at that motherfucker, I’m going to shank him right up his oversized asshole.”
“Men can be stupid, Alli. You know this.”
“Sometimes . . . we have to give up everything to get everything.”
“It doesn’t matter what others think of you. It only matters what you think of yourself. Only the weak can be formed and torn down by the words and actions of others.”
“I am worthy to be where I am. My failures and the things you put me through have only made me stronger. I stand by who I am.”
“Pity, the boy has more of my ability and heart than my own child.”
“Underhill is your goddess, she is your mother and your sister, your enemy and your nemesis. Always she will be with you. Always. Fear her, worship her, revere her. And, above all, put your faith in her love of all fae. For even when she seems cruel, she does what is needed to see that all survive.”
“Much as I’d like another shot at you now that I can show you what I’m capable of with two hands, I doubt I have a chance if you risked coming here to save Faolan.”
“Your magic is merely the color of your essence, not your essence itself.
“That I had never loved anyone more. That if your fears were a dagger, I would let it stab me one million times rather than let it so much as prick your skin. You are my grandchild in heart and deed, not only blood. Every breath you have taken has filled me with pride. And just as the goddess may have punished me for my failings, so she has rewarded me for my heroism. With you.”
“The hardest battles are the ones no one sees, pride of my heart. No one can do this but you. But there is a way to know when you have succeeded.”
“Join your queen in life, pride of my heart. Or me in death. The choice is in your hands.”
Leaning over, I pressed my cheek to his and whispered, “Come back to me, Lan. Please.”
“Some paths are meant to be walked alone,” said the blooded fae.
Rain splattered down around us, and a boom of thunder rippled through my body, reverberating in my chest and calling to my lightning like a long-lost lover.
Balance is me. Good is me. Hurt, yes. Kiss, yes. Heal, yes. Lose. Win.
“You are balance, Kallik of all Fae. You are good. Remain such.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long,” Faolan said. “But I’m here now, my love. I’m here.”
“It was never yours. Some things are more than us, King of No Fae.”
“I would give up all I have to protect you, Orphan. They’re precious heirlooms, but they are only things. They’re nothing compared to what you are to me.” His eyes met mine. “And I would give them all up to keep you whole, do not ever doubt that.”
“Maybe? But weird is what we do, Alli. Nothing about us or this journey to find each other has been normal or predictable. So why shouldn’t our magic be happy when we’re touching?”
“Balance is the natural world, young fae. There must be the correct amount of prey for the predators to survive. If you kill off the predators, the prey bloom and become too much for the world, and all will suffer.
No, but still, as one power fades, another grows elsewhere.
I’ve watched him wait for you, Alli. That man loves you beyond reason, and you love him the same way. The world just had to be ready for that kind of love to shine.”
“If love and tears and heart were a part of all battles, then there would be less blood and death and sorrow. Perhaps that is the better way. Not to hide what we feel.”
“You have my heart, for now and forever, Alli. My orphan. My fae queen.”
“Protect him. He is your life as you are his, as he was mine.”
“Faolan of the Unseelie court, grandson of Lugh, is the other half of my heart and soul. I will not allow you to speak to him as if he has no value. His word is my word.”
“I don’t think his magic likes it when we touch,” I said, part of me unsurprised. “Don’t let me go.” Lan looked at me. “Never. And I mean that, Alli. Never.”
“You will never wear a crown of petals,” he rasped, “Only one of ice.”
“You did good, mama,” I whispered. “I always knew you loved me.”
You have brought us peace. The children of the moon are gone. Balance is restored. Well done, Daughter of All.
