“Sweetheart, Declan and Padric are here. We’ll be going over to the big house together.” Dev looked at me, amused with my activity. “When you finish scrubbing your wolf, get him dressed because we need to leave in twenty minutes if we want to be on time.” He turned back around with a superior look on his face. “I managed to catch Zack before he chased down a pixie. I explained the rules to him and he’ll follow them. You won’t have to worry about him. My wolf is much better trained than yours.”
I wrinkled my nose as he laughed and went to join his brother. I tried not to think about the fact that Lee chose that moment to scratch fiercely behind his ear. He tried really hard to stop, but he was suddenly scratching his head all over.
“I’ll heat up some more water,” Sarah said with a frown. “And maybe I’ll get a couple of the guys because I don’t think he’s going into the tub willingly, Z.”
I gave Lee my most ferocious stare. “We’ll see about that.”
“Your Grace.” McKenzie greeted me as we entered the big house. He had a large smile on his face and the look of a man whose plan had worked out well. “I’m so pleased that we were able to host the marriage of a priest to his goddess. It was truly an honor. The magic associated with the ceremony was beyond our wildest dreams. My own wife is certain that it worked. She’s hopeful for the first time in a long time, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that.”
“We were happy to have the ceremony here.” Dev gave the alpha a courtly bow. “It was beautiful. Everything was perfect. My goddess and I thank you for making our wedding a memorable one.”
“It should have been performed in Faery,” Declan pointed out just a little sourly. “It is traditional. It should have been performed at Devinshea’s temple. My brother has an inexplicable fondness for this plane.”
“If it hadn’t been performed on this plane, I could never have received Bris.” Dev didn’t look at his brother as he spoke.
“I meant the marriage, brother, not your ascent,” Declan shot back. “Obviously your ascent had to be performed on this plane. The marriage could have waited until we returned. Mother will be upset you ran off to another plane and married without ever bringing your goddess home to meet your family.”
A servant was passing around champagne glasses with mimosas. I sipped mine while watching Dev and Declan bicker. It was going to be a long trip if this is what they did the entire time.
“Besides, mother should have been here to witness the act itself,” Declan said with a sigh of pure regret. “She will never believe anyone as small as Zoey could swallow you whole.”
I coughed up just a little of my drink while John McKenzie couldn’t stop his laugh. There were four other alphas who stared at Declan, shocked but amused. They’d all been there last night so I was sure it had already been discussed, probably at great length and in ridiculously graphic detail. Everyone else ignored him because they were used to Declan’s outrageous comments by now.
“I am simply saying that you might be asked to prove my tale, Zoey,” Declan continued. “Mother is a great believer in seeing proof before she accepts truths.”
I shot a desperate look at my husband, hoping he would tell me his brother was just teasing me. He simply shrugged and downed his drink before seeking out another one.
Padric patted my back soothingly. “I am certain she will accept my version of the tale, Your Grace. Declan is trying to scare you. I would point out that when he chooses to marry, you have every right to be one of the witnesses at his ceremony.”
“Damn straight,” I shot back at my brother-in-law. “I’m going to watch and comment on everything, Dec. You’ll be lucky if you can perform over my incredibly loud commentary.”
“Dev, you would not allow that.” Declan sent his brother a pleading look.
“There’s a saying on this plane, brother,” Dev replied. “Turnabout is fair play. I look forward to your ceremony.”
“You have just given me another good reason to not get married at all,” Declan admitted. “And I had a list before.”
McKenzie introduced us to the alpha wolves joining us this morning. They were the four most powerful in the country and important to Daniel’s plans. Each had been impressed with the magic Dev had performed and commented on the rare nature of what they had witnessed. Dev talked to them smoothly, working in certain points and making them laugh. He played the politician with ease, and I knew he enjoyed having the wolves right where he wanted them. I only caught them looking at me a few times, obviously remembering what they had seen the night before. They had each been there with their mates.
“Relax, Your Grace.” Padric guided me slightly away from the crowd.
“Really, I prefer Zoey.” I had to crane my neck up to get a good look at him. I’d brought mostly flats in deference to the fact that we were in the woods, but I would be taking my good heels to Faery with me. I would need them.
“What you did last night was a great act of love and nothing to be ashamed of, Zoey,” Padric said softly, looking down on me with affection. “Devinshea is lucky to have you for a wife.”
“Thank you.” I was happy I had at least one faery on my side. Now that we were as close to alone as we seemed fated to get, I decided to ask the question I’d waited to ask for almost a year. “So am I really his wife? Am I his only wife?”
Padric blinked a couple of times in obvious surprise. “He told you about Gilliana?”
I nodded. He’d told me the tale when we’d gotten serious about our relationship. Gilliana was the woman his mother had wanted Dev to mate with, despite the fact that he hated her. His mother had used magic to force her will on him. “Of course he did. I know what happened. Did he get her pregnant?”
Padric frowned, and his eyes strayed over to where Dev was talking to the wolves. He seemed to wonder just how much to tell me. I was sure he would rather talk to Dev first and find out what Dev wanted me to know.
“I’ll find out, Padric,” I warned the royal guard. “You can tell me now or I’ll find out later and it will be worse.”
He sighed. “The short answer is yes. Gilliana did get pregnant from the night she spent with the prince.”
I felt my eyes well up immediately at the thought of some other woman having his child. It made my stomach roll.
“Zoey, don’t cry,” he said quickly. “She was foolish and lost the child. She acted as though she wasn’t even pregnant. She got drunk and fell down her own stairs. She lost the child in her fourth month. I believe she was with another man at the time of the accident.”
“I am sorry for her.” I hated the fact there was a part of me that was relieved. It was horrible, but I couldn’t stand the thought of that woman who wanted to leave Dev to die when he was proven mortal having his baby.
“Don’t be. She’s vile, Zoey. I don’t know what Miria was thinking except that she’s been obsessed with Devinshea reproducing. She fears he will die and leave her with nothing. He would never believe it, but he’s her favorite child. She died a little the day she discovered his mortality. It’s been difficult for her to deal with the fact that she will lose him.”
My eyes narrowed in suspicion because that wasn’t the way Dev told the tale.
“There are always two sides to every story,” Padric pointed out, sensing my disbelief. “I’m sure you’ve heard Devinshea’s, but I ask that you hear Miria’s side as well. Devinshea was young. The filter he viewed the world through was self-centered. I think he’ll see it differently as he ages and has young of his own. You will meet the woman and I ask that you judge her worth based on your experiences with her, not Devinshea’s childhood struggles. You remind me a little of her, actually.”