“You’re really not helping the entire hard situation.”
“Not for myself either,” Rorie remarked, then forced himself to give Renny space with the promise that someday he could hop onto his lap whenever he wanted.
Chapter 12
Although Renny had thoroughly enjoyed himself picnicking with Rorie, they returned to the castle, and life was waiting for them. They’d stopped in the siofllar’am and noticed that not much had changed in the names. The Fae were split over the Noble Protector and Protector while the sioskallos were gaining in power. It didn’t matter that the emperors ruled the Council or that the D’Vaires were trying to convince who they could about the proper structure. On this realm, it was still Aleksander and Rafe who had the most popularity. They were gods amongst Drekkoril’s people, and Rorie had darted off to find his bemollo once they viewed the register.
As for Renny, he’d excused himself from the jaunt because he wanted to clear his head. Walking back out of the castle, he discovered a lovely garden and was unsurprised to find Killian and Dravyn at the other end of it, immersed in the blue leaves and a wide variety of blooms. In the center was an enormous fountain with the silvery water native to the Fae. There were beautiful aquatic beings that Renny had no name for swimming and jumping from level to level. They were skinny creatures with thin projections on their heads that almost resembled hair. Each one was burgundy, navy, or gold, he noted as he took a seat on a stone bench that matched the pavers throughout Sindrell.
A woman walked toward him, long blonde curls falling to her waist, and his smile formed automatically. Renny stood, and she folded him into her arms. “Hi, Saura.”
“Hello, sweetie. How are you?” she asked with a bright grin.
A sigh escaped him, and he managed a shrug. “I really have no idea.”
“Well then, let’s have a seat and talk about it.”
Eager for her advice, Renny lowered to the bench and allowed her to get settled. Even though she was Dra’Kaedan’s mother and not his, she’d always treated him like her son. “I’m so damn confused.”
“What could be confusing about falling asleep after a fabulous evening with our entire family and the next thing you know, you’re dropped into the middle of a foreign land?” Saura teased.
“Maybe I didn’t stay mad enough at Rorie long enough for doing that to us.”
“Nonsense, he’s your mate. It’s never beneficial to allow things to fester. A part of his personality is to be impulsive, and he didn’t mean to harm anyone. He wanted us to appreciate why he loves his home. It is a beautiful place, and I can understand his affection for it.”
“I like it too. It’s so different from where we live, and his home is in a castle. How cool is that?”
Saura chuckled. “I lived in a castle once. I must say I prefer Aleksander and Rafe’s magnificent home.”
“My memories of Dra’Kaedan in a castle were always happy ones, so maybe that’s why I like them so much. He had a wonderful childhood.”
“We certainly tried to make sure our twins were joyful. It’s lovely to know we succeeded in our goal.”
“As stunning as the landscape is, there’s a bunch of political crap going on here,” Renny remarked.
Saura’s nod was sage. “I believe we’ve learned some issues which plague the Fae, but not all. There’s too much contention in the way they’re split over who should rule for it to be simply adjusting to new leadership. Drekkoril was summoned into a quagmire.”
“I’m not sure Rorie understands everything that’s going on. I think his parents sheltered him.”
“Not an uncommon thing to do. As parents, we seek to protect our children, and he was their only son.”
“I’m scared.”
Her arm came around him, and she squeezed. “You’re supposed to be, dear. Meeting your mate is terrifying. You go from being alone to suddenly knowing it’s your responsibility to grow a relationship that will never have a match to anything else in your life.”
“I like him. He’s fun, bold, and gorgeous.”
“But?”
“We’re caught between two worlds, Saura. He refuses to believe there is any other way than us living amongst the Fae. We have no choice but to spend half the hours of the day together or he gets sick. How am I supposed to move and become a visitor to D’Vaire? I would have no one to refill my magic, and I’d miss the hell out of everyone. I can’t ask Dra’Kaedan to relocate. Even if he wanted to, Brogan’s the Grand Duke. It’s his duty and job to protect Aleksander and Rafe.”
“Perhaps it won’t be as hard as you think.”
“How so?”
“Drekkoril must be here. He is the leader of the Fae. Rorie has to give Drekkoril eight hours of his day so neither of them gets sick, but after that time is up, what stops the two of you from returning to D’Vaire? That leaves you with plenty of opportunities to visit with us and sleep in your own bed if you want.”
“I see what you’re saying, but I have no idea if Rorie will agree to that. You’ve seen the way he responds to Drekkoril. He believes that he’s not serving the fairies if he doesn’t involve himself in political decisions. I don’t know that he’ll be content to clock in for the day, then head home.”
