Chapter Nine

Jayce stared at the doorway Bailey had flounced through with a sense of impending doom. He was angry, betrayed. She had taken a freedom from him, and now he had no choice but to follow where she led, and he was livid. Judging by the looks on the other two, they were trying to process this development as well.

“Can she…actually do that?” Tobin’s voice was small.

“It appears she can, and did.” Beckett answered. They had yet to leave the floor. They were each rooted by their own shock and horror. Their choice had been stolen from them, their will taken and twisted until it would serve her purpose. It was terrible.

Gemma had not moved either, tears in her large eyes. “She did what she felt necessary.” Her voice caught on unshed tears. “That doesn’t make it okay.”

“Of course it does not!” Beckett snapped, leveraging himself to his feet. “I have thus far remained untied to any female. Now I have no choice but to be tied to this one, until my death!”

“Or hers.” Jayce supplied grimly.

“With her holding a tight rein on all three of us, it’s not like we can just kill her to end it.” Beckett replied, “Not that we couldn’t find a way.”

“It wouldn’t be honorable.” Tobin chimed in.

“Honorable? What could she possibly know about honorable?! She bound us to her will without thought to our situations.”

“Our situations? What about hers? She’s been forced into a corner by her own people!” Tobin jumped to his feet, and began pacing. “She is filled with pain and darkness and a power she doesn’t know how to control yet. She used the only pieces she had left in her arsenal for fulfilling her oath. Us.” He sighed. “I would’ve preferred to have been asked first. Until the end of our time is a very long time indeed.”

“Ah yes, the tragic heroine, using any means necessary. This isn’t a tale, Tobin, this is our life!” Beckett flicked his hand angrily at the doorway. “I should bring this entire house down on us.”

“But she could be hurt!” Gemma shook her head. “This is ridiculous. What’s done is done, we just have to deal with what comes next.”

“Easy to say when you aren’t the one bound to a power hungry Halfling hell bent on vengeance.” The sneer in Beckett’s voice was painfully audible. “I did not want or need her in my life. I only came here to Witness for this child. Not to claim a child bride.”

“Bride?” Bailey snorted from the doorway. “There’s no way in hell I’d ever marry you. This is necessity, nothing more, nothing less. I have been charged to leave here and make my way through Faerie. It’s best to have some power behind me when I do.”

“And the portal wasn’t powerful enough?!”

“Of course it is! But it isn’t the leaders of three Courts of Faerie. Now, I will apologize that it was necessary, but I will never apologize for protecting my people against whatever the hell is coming. You three are the only way I’m going to be able to get to the root of these issues. Whoever is inciting murder among my people.”

“Maybe your people are just as without moral compass as yourself.”

“Pretty rich coming from the Prince that hosts a wild hunt once in a while, stealing fair maidens from their beds. I’m actually doing the female population in Faerie a solid. Now, we need to make our way to the portal, there isn’t any time to lose.”

“What about Silas?” Gemma asked, before a blush tainted her cheeks.

“Oh good, just what we need, another love story.” Beckett sneered.

“Shut up, old man." Bailey rolled her eyes and then smiled at Gemma. “After much convincing on his part, I decided we could probably use him. He’s fairly pragmatic, and it wouldn’t hurt to have him in our corner.”

She hoisted her pack onto her shoulder. “So, let’s head out!”

The walk from the Clan house to the portal was silent. The princes were moody, and Jayce knew it stemmed from a lack of being able to choose this freely. It seemed the phrase ‘My body, My choice’ was only reserved for humans.

“What are we going to do in Faerie?” Tobin broke the silence, striding forward to walk beside Bailey. He tugged at her pack until she relented and let him take it from her. He slung it across his back, shortening his steps to match his pace to hers.

“We are going to search each Faerie Court for whoever knows what the hell is going on.” Bailey replied, “That’s why I had to bind you. No one could question my presence if I was with one of you in your own Court.” She smiled at Tobin. “I’m particularly excited by the Autumn Court, it’s my favorite season. Is it true there are no real seasons in Faerie?”

“There are seasons.” Tobin replied, returning her smile with a lazy one of her own. “They’re just not as full as the Court’s chosen season. Like the Summer Court still gets a taste of winter with cooler, rainier days. The winter court still gets summer, with warmer days that allow for a small melt. Autumn and Spring stay near the same year round.”

“What else can you tell me of Faerie?”

“Nothing.” Beckett interrupted. He was stomping petulantly. He relented a moment later, unable to repress his wicked good humor for long. “But that’s because there’s no real words to describe Faerie. You’ll understand when you cross the portal. We’re not able to be purposefully obstinate now that we’re bound to you. One soul and all.”

Bailey sighed, shaking her head. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this. I hate that I have to bind you, but it’s the only way to guarantee loyalty to me if I find someone on the other side one of you deeply care for. It’ll suck to have to kill a member of your family, but I will because I promised it.”

The portal loomed closer. It was deadly quiet in the courtyard, except the magical thrum of the portal itself. Jayce sighed. He hadn’t particularly felt like bringing home an accidental wife to his people. No matter what she said, that’s how they would view it.

Being name bound was marriage in Faerie. Of course, Bailey was not aware of that fact, and none of princes seemed inclined to inform her. The quicker this was over, the quicker he could return to his Court and forget the little Halfling and the half hold she had on his heart already.