Dark Promise by Annika West

56

We flew out to Geneva for the final meeting. Ironically enough, the hearing was held in the same courthouse that Hux had had his fated hearing in after he burned Rimini to the ground.

As we stared up at the grand entrance, both of us were tense with apprehension.

Hux looked completely normal and totally scary to the average person. He was in his CEO persona. Nice suit. Scary blank expression.

Dead in the eyes.

“You’re stalling,” he informed me.

“So are you.”

“I am over two hundred years old. I do not ‘stall.’”

We both smirked at the poor attempt at joking.

I threaded my fingers with his. “Was it scary? Being in there?”

“There were several points I had wished they’d just punish me. Execute me. Anything.”

My fingers squeezed his. “This isn’t the same, okay?”

“People died because of us. Fae soldiers. Nameless souls that we will never see again. Are you at peace with that?”

“I feel like I shouldn’t be. I’ll probably pick up another bad coping mechanism to deal with the guilt. But there’s no way I’m stewing in it right now. Right now, we have a job, and freaking out isn’t going to help anyone.”

“Wise words from an amoeba.”

“That’s Miss Immortal Amoeba King II to you.”

“Smartass.”

“Overlord.”

His deep chuckle cemented happiness into my soul. A tiny bit of amber brightened his eyes. “A few months ago, you were cowering before me and calling me a mass murderer. You were such a scared little thing, and yet you had such strength.”

I nodded seriously. “I am a walking middle-finger salute. It’s true.”

And now I know I’m going to live for a very, very long time. It doesn’t actually feel real.

He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, affection softening the chiseled lines of his face.

“You’re made of different material than the rest of the world. I hope you know that.”

I spluttered very articulately in his face, trying to come up with a good answer to that.

He laughed again. “What a surprise. Trying to brush off a compliment with a joke, but it looks as though you’ve reached your limit.”

Without waiting for me to contain myself or defend myself against such vicious battle tactics, Hux leaned in and kissed me softly, stealing away any ounce of fight I had left.

Then, when I was properly thrumming with what felt like TV static, we walked together up the steps of the Geneva courthouse.

* * *

There were around a hundred fae representatives, all led by the fae court leaders. However, much to my happiness, Elona and the masked Summer Lord weren’t there.

According to a very cryptic Adair and very smug Oz, those leaders had been recently usurped by their own people, who then chose new leaders.

Oz might as well have had blood in his teeth, he was so viciously satisfied. Even Willow was giving him a wider berth when he’d told us about it.

A warlock spoke to the congregation, made up of around five hundred people, most of them being Council members from around the world.

From across the way, Jericho wiggled his fingers at me.

I stuck my tongue out.

The laugh that exploded out of the crazy shifter Council member was enough to make the entire room flinch.

Whoops.

Several feathers ruffled.

Eyes brightened.

Fangs glistened.

When everyone was convinced there wasn’t a serious attack coming their way, the room settled, and the leading warlock cleared his throat.

“Welcome to the eight-hundredth-and-sixty-second meeting of the International Council Proceedings. Welcome to the first International Council and Faery Proceedings in the last millennia…”

Hux sat next to me, and his hand roved my thigh.

I swallowed. The warlock continued to speak. Not that I heard anything when my mate was touching me like that.

I smacked his hand.

He growled, irritated, and stood his ground, tucking his fingers between my thighs.

“You’re such a child,” I admonished.

“Sue me.”

I spent most of the hearing sweating. Not much different from my first ever hearing, where I was sweating for a very different reason.

But hey, at least I was consistent.

We both paused when the warlock actually got to the damn point. The rules of the portal.

“We hereby declare that in negotiations with all participating parties the rules of the portal. Every Council will be given five years to restructure and elect two new members to each Council. Cuts, otherwise referred to as halflings, will be placed in the matters of global representation. Outlined in such a fashion: one immortal Cut over the age of thirty living years, and one mortal Cut over the age of thirty years must be included in each officially recognized Council. Negotiations with the Global Union are still underway.”

Hux pulled me into a crushing side hug and murmured into my ear, “You did it. You fucking did it.”

A hysterical giggle rose in my chest, and I couldn’t stop the psychotic smile from taking over. It was just one of those smiles that you couldn’t control, and I didn’t even try.

This wasn’t going to fix all the problems in the world. This wouldn’t even be the biggest step. But it was an important step. And I really couldn’t believe that I was the one who helped make it happen.

“Are you crying?” he asked.

“No,” I shot back. “My eyes are just sweating. It’s so hot in here.”

Still, I hugged him back so fiercely that he grunted from my strength.

“Sorry,” I said. “Still gotta get used to that.”

The rest of the hearing details didn’t really matter.

Well, in the grand scheme of the universe, they mattered.

I just didn’t care as much. I simply stole Hux’s phone and purchased a set of five three-wick holiday candles, because no one wanted to miss a 40% off sale.

Besides, I already knew what would be happening in this hearing. It was all for show and formalities.

But the fine print had already been decided.

There’d be a team of Earth and fae guardians responsible for manning the portals, registering who came in and out. The Councils announced what the rules of conduct would be as well.

For now, no one was allowed to roam a world that wasn’t their own. We’d keep it strictly diplomatic until the atmosphere settled. With all the dusty immortal asses in the room, no one was exactly crunched for time.

After the wraith attack in Faery, most of the fae weren’t willing to deny Adair’s claims anymore. There were still large groups who objected to the portals, and some that still didn’t believe any of it was real at all, but in the end, they were a minority.

Adair had also happily informed of two things.

One: he’d been given a new vision.

After all of his plotting and scheming, he’d finally seen a new, wraith-free future for Faery. He’d claimed it didn’t look much different from how Faery was, now.

But what more could anyone ask for?

The vision had come an hour before our flight to Geneva, and I was still high on the relief of it all.

The portals had been worth it. We’d been right.

Two: I’d received my first death threats.

Which was always nice.

But also, I had fan mail.

As I should. Who else gets stabbed in the liver for the sake of a few doorways?

Suddenly, the congregation stood.

The top representatives from each Council and fae court were called down to add their names to the signature at the bottom of a very, very long piece of paper.

Just as I yawned, the next name was announced.

“Aster King II, Cut of the Los Angeles Union. Grand Portal Master.”

Hux smacked my back while I choked on my own spit, which I’d inhaled the moment my name passed the lips of that dude.

Right. Technically I helped put all of this into motion.

“‘Scuze me,” I trilled, pushing past boring immortals to get down the steps. Murmurs were rising in the room, and I caught words like abomination, and disgrace.

The court was still shuffling around, upset.

We had the faeries who weren’t used to seeing a halfling take part in Important Person matters. Beyond making oatmeal. Or screaming in a dungeon.

The usual.

Then, we had all of the typically cruel, self-important Council members who were used to treating Cuts like second-rate trash of society.

I couldn’t help but feel like I’d come full-circle. I wasn’t at the mercy of the Council anymore. I was signing a simple document that was changing how the entire world worked.

Taking the fancy pen from the warlock, I scribbled my name at the bottom, punctuating it with a lopsided heart.

I frowned.

That wasn’t enough.

I added a winky smiley face, too.

The warlock frowned. “Did you just emoji the declaration paper, Miss King?”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” I dismissed, setting the pen down. “That’s how I always sign my name.”

They called Adair’s name next.

As we passed each other on the steps, he raised his hand in salute.

I took that as a very clear invitation for a violent high-five.

As the smack rang throughout the room, it was like a repeat of Jericho’s laugh.

Shifters growled. Vampires got fangy. The fae whipped their tails and fluffed their feathers.

Adair’s face was a mask of fascinated confusion, but he just shrugged and kept moving forward.

I sat down once more, my mate at my side.

After this, we’d be returning to Vulcan Corp. and –

Hux’s phone buzzed.

I snatched it. It might be my shipping notification already. How prompt of them…

My eyes widened when I read the email, and then I quickly showed it to Hux.

Shockingly, the dragon smirked. His eyes flicked up to meet mine. “A report of a black market rune stone operation in Riverside? And whispers of a deadly fae relic. You wouldn’t possibly be up for another hunt, would you, Miss King?”

I lifted my chin, as haughty as I could manage. “That’s Miss Valentina to you, Overlord.”

Clearly, I’d need my murderous widow persona for this one. I just felt it, you know?

Chuckling, Hux pulled me in closer, planting a kiss on my temple. “I need to stop asking stupid questions, don’t I?”