Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 151630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 758(@200wpm)___ 607(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 758(@200wpm)___ 607(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Dev winces and gives Rhys a nod. He grits his teeth and Rhys pulls the arrow through, blood soaking Dev’s shirt. Dev manages to keep his pain to a low groan. His eyes are weary as he looks at the young man who could have been our son. “I am. I am a Devinshea who left the sithein for the human plane. My father was human, and I went to live with him as a young man. I took care of him until he died, and then I built his businesses up and one day I met a gorgeous redhead and her vampire boyfriend.”
How quickly he forgets. “Not at the time he wasn’t.”
“A vampire?” Lee asks and his jaw drops. “You are in a ménage relationship with my mother and a vampire?”
“Yes,” Devinshea says and flexes his arm. “As you can see, I regularly take his blood so this wound is already healed. Thank you, son.”
Rhys pats his father’s shoulder and moves back to Shy. “You should expect my dad to rush in the minute he gets close enough to smell Papa. He is protective of his precious blood. You should be happy you have a face he will recognize.”
Lee stares at Rhys, an intense look in his eyes. “Were they good to you? Not Mother. She was wonderful. When I close my eyes I hear her singing to me, feel her hand in my hair. See what they did to her.”
Rhys is quiet for a moment and his eyes are bright as he takes in this version of his twin. “She was taken from me, too. From us. Me and Lee and Evangeline. Myrddin took our father’s crown and sent them through a portal. They did not return for years. We were on the run, and each night I would close my eyes and hear her voice and feel her kiss on my cheek. But I also heard my papa telling me he loves me. I remembered my dad hugging me. They weren’t good to me. They were everything to me.”
Tears cling to my cheeks and I make eye contact with Devinshea, who watches our sons, absolutely feeling our loss, hearing our son say he missed us, loves us. Wishes we had that time together.
But we must appreciate the time we have now.
“And we are brothers in your time?” Lee sniffles but holds it together.
“You are my deeply obnoxious brother,” Rhys returns. “How we are twins, I have no idea. You create chaos wherever you go.”
“So pretty much the same,” Other Neil snarks. He’s beside my Neil, who has no problem standing there with his dingus hanging out. I’m suddenly worried for his husband. They might decide to date.
“I love you, brother. I say that unashamedly and without hesitation. I would give my life for you and I would trust you with everything that matters to me. We are more than brothers. You are part of me,” Rhys vows.
“In another time,” Lee says softly.
“In all of the times,” Rhys replies, his voice strong, unwavering. “Even if you turned out like your father, but you should know I would protect the world from you. I will help you take out this version of the man even though it makes my heart ache to do so because somewhere in there is my papa. He just took a wrong turn.”
“A wildly insane turn,” Dev complains. “I don’t even understand what he’s doing. He gives up his Green Man powers? Chooses to not ascend?”
Other Neil moves to Lee’s side, seeming to get serious. It’s easy to tell that he is Lee’s second in command. He likely had a large hand in raising him after his mother was murdered. “He went insane after he learned of Zandra’s death. The king was not always as he is now. He was selfish, but I do believe he truly loved Z. He came to our village many times after he pledged he would not marry her. He was even a halfway decent father to Lee for many years. But then the queen declared he must marry.”
“My father did not wish to marry,” Lee continues. “He was content to be something of a husband and a father two or three times a year. He would come to our village and it would be good for a few weeks and he would be gone again. Mother had a friend who constantly told her she deserved better. But she wouldn’t listen to him.”
“Let me guess. Sandy hair and dimples? Blue eyes?” our Neil asks.
“Yes, Deiniol did have those attributes,” Other Neil agrees.
The thought makes my heart clench. “Is he here with you?”
Lee’s head shakes. “No. After Declan Quinn sent his assassins to kill me and my mother, it was Deinny who saved me, who took me to Neil and asked him to hide me. To keep me safe. And then he went to the palace to kill the prince. He showed Devinshea the evidence and that was when my father went mad. In his grief, he killed his mother and brother, took the throne and burned Deinny at the stake because he would not give up my location. I believe by that point, Deinny knew Devinshea couldn’t be trusted.”