Daughter of Destiny (31 page)

When they were seated he
mentally asked her,
"What’s Botox?"

"An injectable chemical
that temporarily gets rid of wrinkles and lines in the
skin."

Zane coughed to cover the
laugh that escaped.
"You didn't really think she was a threat
did you?"

"No, but she asked for
it."

Beside her, Zane waged a
silent battle to contain his laughter. She elbowed him and turned
away before she started giggling. Seated on the settee with Zane’s
arm around her, a wave of exhaustion washed over her. The last
thing she wanted to do was sit here and play nice with the faerie
queen. She longed to go back to bed and tell the universe to bugger
off for a few hours, but settled for leaning against Zane’s strong,
warm body.

Queen Grian took a seat
across from them. She waved her hand and tables laden with
sumptuous foods appeared. "Eat. Drink. We have much to
discuss."

Keeping in mind the
impression she wanted to make, Katarina willed a golden pear into
her outstretched palm instead of reaching for it. The more she
seemed like them, the more respect they would bequeath her. When
Zane followed suit with a pastry, causing the queen’s eyes to widen
in surprise, Katarina offered a serene smile.

"You catch on
quick."

He leaned over and took a
bite out of her pear. His eyes danced with merriment as they met
hers.
"I see the game you're playing and intend to help you
win."

Not to be outdone, the
queen also summoned food to her hand. Out of the corner of her eye
Katarina caught sight of Finn edging out of the queen's line of
sight.

"Will you be all right by
yourself?"

"Yes."

"Grian is a bit annoyed
with me. I'd best not hang around to remind her of that. I’ll go
fetch Kieran and be back shortly."

Katarina kept her attention
on the queen as Finn turned and walked through a doorway to some
other part of the rath. She knew it was silly, but nerves made her
suddenly queasy and the pear no longer held any appeal. It lay
forgotten in her hand. Squaring off against a faerie queen didn’t
scare her in the least, but the idea of meeting her twin brother
made her throat go dry and her pulse race. She was thankful for the
diversion when Queen Grian spoke.

"What did Finn tell you of
the enchantment that bound human magic?"

"Nothing. He didn’t have
to," Katarina said before Grian could chastise the absent Finn or
launch into her own version of events. "I already know the basic
history."

"Humans aren’t privy to
that knowledge. How do you know anything of it?"

"We both know that isn’t
quite true."

Grian narrowed her eyes.
"Was your mother a Mage?"

"Not a trained Mage, no.
However, she met quite a few in the course of her research. I’m
sure the story has been, shall we say, distorted, over time, but I
got the gist. The Tuatha De’ Danann came to Earth and lived among
us for a time, but that didn’t last long. Our magic was wild,
untamed, as were the people. Your ancestors placed an enchantment
on humanity that bound our magic. It worked wonderfully except in a
few unique individuals. Those few have kept the memory and
knowledge of human magic alive along with a nasty hatred of the
Fae."

"Yes, that sums it up
well." Grian watched Katarina intently as she said, "I don’t
understand their hatred. We protected them. We even drove away
those hideous creatures that invaded."

From what she knew of Mage
history, Katarina didn't buy Grian's act or the claim that they
cast out the Goloths. However, Katarina could only deal with one
war at a time. The current situation forced her to agree rather
than dredge up a subject best discussed another time. Katarina
chose instead to focus on the immediate issue. "Those same
creatures are invading again. We aren’t the helpless uncivilized
beings we once were, but the Goloths have the advantage of
thousands of years of technological progress and space
warfare."

"Show us that you are ready
to be allies and not mere pets we must protect from every little
danger. Then if you still require our help, it will be yours for
the asking."

Katarina’s temper soared to
a dangerous level at the queen’s insult, but nothing showed in her
eyes or face. She offered a rigid smile. "In that case, I suggest
the Fae remain in this realm while we deal with the Goloths. Humans
are rather jumpy right now, what with magic suddenly all around and
aliens dropping out of the sky. Someone might blast first, and ask
questions later." The woman’s superior attitude made Katarina itch
to take her down a notch, but she checked the urge. Even if the Fae
didn’t help, she had to ensure they didn’t interfere
either.

If Grian recognized the
implied threat, she chose to ignore it. "I’ll ask my subjects to
give the human realm a wide berth for now, not that many of us
bother with that place. In the meantime, it will be your
responsibility to teach humans the rules of magic. As your father,
it will be Finn’s duty to instruct you in whatever you do not
already know."

Katarina gave a slight
nod.

"Our realm is forbidden to
all but those of our blood unless invited by one of us. I will not
tolerate humans popping in and out at will."

Katarina bit back a retort
on what she could do with her precious realm and instead gave a nod
of acknowledgment.

"We will punish those who
abuse magic."

"No," Katarina
interrupted.

"You dare defy
me?"

"Yes," Katarina paused,
"and no. Humans should judge each other. If you sweep in like
avenging gods to punish those you deem guilty, resentment and hate
will spread like a deadly virus. I think it best if we create a
council and follow similar rules as our current legal system. Our
courts aren’t perfect, but we do aim to serve justice."

Grian stared at Katarina
for a full minute. "Fine, but you will be the final judge in all
cases. You will execute those who take lives with magic. If you are
so eager for humanity to take this responsibility then it will sit
on your shoulders."

"No," Zane
interjected.

"Excuse me?" Grian looked
down her nose at Zane, as if by speaking he had committed a
sin.

"Katarina can be the judge,
but she will not be the executioner. I won’t have you do that to
her."

"You dare to argue,
human?"

"Zane."

"Trust me."

Katarina remained silent,
granting Zane the trust he asked for. He squeezed her hand as he
challenged the queen. "Yes, I dare. You want an executioner? I
volunteer."

Katarina's heart turned
over at his offer. He understood that as an empath, even if she
managed to kill someone, in the end it would either steal her
sanity or kill her. Despite his years of fighting and even taking
lives, he would not be unaffected.

"Partners .
Remember?"

Katarina covered Zane's
hand with hers to show she did indeed remember.

There was no compassion or
understanding in the queen’s face. It made Katarina more determined
not to place human lives in Fae hands. The queen possessed no
understanding of life in the real, that messy place with emotions
and complicated decisions. She could do nothing less than accept
the queen’s ultimatum and Zane’s sacrifice.

"Fine," the queen said. "If
you so wish it, you will be the executioner then."

Katarina pictured her
former life in her head and bid it a quiet farewell. She could not
fathom what her future held, but she knew everything changed as
soon as she accepted the role of emissary. Katarina squared her
shoulders and accepted that future. "Your terms are acceptable,
provided my decisions are binding. You will not question my
rulings." Zane's hand held hers in a firm grip. Whatever the queen
thought, she would not be alone.

"I’ll cede that." Queen
Grian rose and with a look, the remaining food and the table
disappeared.

Grian peered down at her.
"One more thing, child."

"Yes?" Katarina responded
in a neutral tone, biting her tongue to keep from reminding the
queen she was
not a
child.

"You will swear fealty to
me and King Torin."

Beside her Zane stirred and
whispered in her mind in an urgent voice,
"Don't do it,"
Zane told her.
"A Dedanaan male died so he could tell me to make
sure you did swear allegiance to the Fae, although at the time, I
didn't understand what he was talking about."

"Don't worry, I wasn't
planning on it."
She lifted her chin and answered Grian. "No.
Above all, despite my father’s blood, I am human. Earth is all I’ve
known. My mother was human. My sister, my husband, my children are
human. It is they whom I serve and swear fealty to, not
you."

Grian’s face darkened with
fury. "I demand--"

"--Nothing," a masculine
voice finished for her.

Torin crossed the room to
stand beside Grian. Grian scowled at Torin and opened her mouth to
say something, but Torin shook his head. "No. We will not compel
her to do our bidding. She is right. It is humanity she serves." He
looked at Katarina. One corner of his lips twitched in what might
be a shadow of a smile. "I am pleased to see you took my
advice."

Katarina snorted in a rude,
but truthful display of what she thought of his advice. From their
previous encounter she knew he wouldn’t take offense if she said
what she thought. "Advice? A magic eight ball is more helpful than
you."

The queen gasped and turned
to Torin with a gleam of anticipation, as if she expected Torin to
turn her into a mushroom or something. Torin’s mouth curved into a
full smile. He gave a faint shrug of his shoulders. "Perhaps I came
for another reason then."

Katarina’s eyes locked on
his ever-changing luminescent gaze and she understood. Torin’s
blocked his emotions and thoughts well, and Katarina respected him
too much to pry, but the warm look in his eyes told her he shared
at least a portion of the love her father felt. She almost missed
it, but his right eye closed for an instant in a wink. Katarina
found she was smiling back at her uncle. She felt it then, an
opening of the link between them. His fondness for her, his
desperation for her to discover her heritage, pride for what she'd
accomplished, humor that she didn't hesitate to tell him what she
thought, his pleasure that she did not acquiesce Grian’s demands;
she felt it all.

"Finn did say you liked to
play oracle," she said to keep the mood light, despite the emotions
bubbling within her. Her uncle was another unexpected gift of
fate.

Torin’s eyes danced with
merriment. "Messing with his mind is the highlight of my
existence."

"I thought
I
was the highlight of your existence," Grian said. She
sported a pout worthy of a two-year old in full tantrum
mode.

Right before he turned to
Grian, Katarina caught him roll his eyes in very human
exasperation. It took all of her effort not to laugh. Torin kissed
Grian’s hand. "You are, dearest. I was jesting with the girl. She
is m
y niece."

Katarina caught the
fleeting frown on Grian’s face before she dipped her head in a hint
of a nod, as if loathed to admitting kinship. She hooked an arm
through Torin’s. "I believe our discussion is finished."

A faint ripple of magic
warned Katarina in time to block Grian’s attempt to send her off to
who knew where on Earth. Every faerie in the room felt the
exchange, and Grian's thunderous expression when she failed earned
a mark of respect from the others. Torin, well aware of Grian’s
failed maneuver, nodded to Katarina. "You are always welcome here,
Kat. If you have need of me, just call." Then he and Grian
vanished.

Katarina relaxed against
Zane as they waited for Finn to return and ignored the curious
stares of the other Fae. The room emptied within minutes, as if her
humanity might be contagious. The last faerie remaining turned out
to be her rival from earlier. Katarina wondered when Ariel returned
from sulking. Was she here to challenge her again without the queen
to run interference? Katarina tensed for another encounter, as the
woman approached.

"I wish to
apologize."

Katarina leveled a look,
assessing the blond faerie before her. Ariel fidgeted under
Katarina's unwavering gaze. "Your brother and I are friends. I do
not wish him to be angry with me."

Katarina probed the nature
of Ariel's thoughts and checked the urge to roll her eyes. The
female was still thinking about sex, only instead of Zane, she was
worrying over the possibility Kieran might refuse her. Zane started
coughing, but Katarina wasn't fooled. The female faerie couldn't
shield worth a damn. Katarina dug her elbow into his side again. It
wasn’t
that f
unny.

Ariel continued, "I didn’t
know who you were. And really, around here most don’t care if you
share or not. I mean you saw some of them. More than half do
nothing but the group thing." She paused, and Katarina watched,
fascinated, as the faerie blushed and stammered. "N-n-not that I’m
saying I do, or you do, or that Kieran does…oh dear," she trailed
off.