Promising changes, p.1
Promising Changes, page 1
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Find A New Series To Love…
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Other Titles by Erin R Flynn
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My name is Tamsin Vale and… Things are getting better. They’re not all better. That’s not possible in the weeks since I made the deal with all fairies. A little better.
I have hope we might not completely self-destruct, so that’s better than where we were over the summer at least. And I think fairies are starting to see me as a person more. What I was willing to do for them gave them a smack upside the head and brought them out of their own fears.
Somewhat. It’s definitely going to be a long road to make progress, but that’s expected. I want it all done yesterday and everything better but even if that was possible in a world of magic, the changes would simply crumble later. It took fairies—and supes—years and years to dig themselves into this hole, and it will take a long time to get out of it.
Or so I keep reminding myself.
It’s also time to come clean about something else in my life, and I’m willing to put too much on the line for love… I simply hope it works out better than it has in the past.
Artemis University is an ongoing, hot burning reverse harem, university-age paranormal academy series with darker elements, strong language, violence, and a heroine who follows her own moral compass of what is right… And who she ends up giving her heart to.
1
“I don’t want you to do this,” I whispered.
Darby froze and turned into me. “But you’ll support me if I do, right?”
My heart ached for his pain even as it filled with love for him. I reached out with the hand that wasn’t holding his and cupped his cheek. “Darby, I would follow you into hell if it was what you needed. I will always support you.” I moved my thumb to wipe his tears that had fallen. “I just don’t think this will give you the closure you want.”
“I have to try. I have to… I need them to hear what I have to say.”
I nodded, understanding that feeling. The situations had been different, and it had felt good. I worried that he’d seen that help me and thought it would be the same.
But going to see assholes who tried to own me and pulling the curtain back on them was much different than trying to get something from a horrible family.
“Don’t go to the executions then,” I begged.
He shook his head. “I should. I’m the only Moore descendent left of that original branch, and I should be there to feel the shame.”
“Please don’t do that to yourself. Not when you were the one to out all of this and help punish them.”
He sighed, running his free hand over his neck. “I think I have to see it to really believe they’re gone.”
I understood that. I had heard a few humans in school say they still thought their grandparents would show up to family events because they didn’t attend the wake or funeral. Their parents had wanted to protect them from the ugliness of death, but then it was like they couldn’t have closure.
“I have another idea for closure,” I told him. “I’ll attend the execution and if my idea doesn’t work, then I’ll show you.”
“I love you, agra,” he rasped, leaning in and brushing his lips over mine. “Thank you.”
“Always. You’d jump on any grenade for me, and I’ll always do the same.”
He let out a watery chuckle. “I don’t know if I would. You’re much more durable than I am. Plus, you would kick my ass for the rest of my life.”
“Yeah, I would.” I would protect him from everything I could.
But I couldn’t protect him from all the bad things in life and certainly not this.
The fairy nobles had pulled strings and used their influence to move up the trial of Darby’s family since the Light and Dark Guardians were in charge of that. The commanders and I hadn’t wanted anyone not a Faerie Guardian working with me or on any of the new projects to reopen Faerie. The prisoners and handling justice seemed the right thing to trust them with.
Silly us.
So after I handled most of the remaining nobles in charge and disbanded the Light Guardians—along with Neldor doing the same to the Dark Guardians—the trial had come to a screeching halt. Most of it had been about trying to embarrass Darby and I anyways, so it had been mostly bogus. That had been where the rumor Darby drank from me had even started.
Funny, because I’d never met Darby’s dad, and he was the source of the “information.” It was insanity that so many lies had started from a criminal who hunted fairies. A huge chunk of awakened fairies had believed that instead of having any faith in me.
It wasn’t surprising that I’d broken as hard as I had.
But we couldn’t leave the status of the trials they had started as up in the air. Darby needed this all over, so I pushed his family’s to the front. None of it was made public, and that had led to a lot of vampires protesting.
How could we make it public knowledge that fairy blood was supercharged for vampires and that there had been monsters who did horrendous things because of it? That sounded like we were asking for someone to try to do the same next.
Instead, after some clever dancing by the commanders, we listed a lot of the crimes without specifics. They used controlling magic on fairies, and that was enough to get them dead. Most people didn’t need the details of what type. That was normal to hide even when it was the warlock elders handing out punishments.
But to those who knew what the Moores and the network of monsters had been doing, they saw this for what it was… A big fat warning that they were next. That we would find them and punish them.
So there were a lot of balls in the air. I cared about all of them.
I simply cared most about Darby and his pain.
We started with Grandpa Moore. All of the family was still being held in the prison in Faerie before the execution tomorrow at the vampire council estate. Many had said that was where vampires went to be punished and it should happen.
Most agreeing with the sentiment while not realizing how those vampires with power were trying to set us up.
Idiots.
Right as Darby went to sit down across from his restrained grandpa, I saw the bastard work his jaw and lean his head back. I was so pissed he would be so ridiculous that I thought the rune to break a bone and focused on his arm. He let out a wail of pain before I then healed it.
“Don’t you dare even think to spit at a future prince of Faerie and my mate,” I warned, my voice ice cold. The fairies in the room flinched and I sighed. “Consort, whatever. I don’t—he’s my mate. Focus.”
While the rumors about Darby drinking from me had stopped after I broke down in front of everyone, there was still a lot of prejudice against him. Even those who were willing to accept him were hesitant. I understood it… But I didn’t. I didn’t see a vampire when I looked at Darby.
I just saw the man I loved.
I reached over and rubbed his shoulder.
“I don’t care the title as long as I take your last name and can stop being a Moore, agra.”
“Ya a sick feck,” Grandpa Moore sneered. “Ya take the name of food over an honorable one.”
“This was a waste,” Darby sighed.
“I love you for trying,” I told him under my breath. I did. He wanted to try and give his family some sort of peace before they died like he wanted closure.
“Yes, but you’re too busy to waste your limited free time. He’s never going to hear me that they’re monsters.” He stood and leaned on the table. “Tell Grandma when you see her in hell that she disgusts me as well. I read her journals and she was a monster. It sickens me that I share blood with her.”
“It will sicken her that you came from
“Don’t,” I sighed when Darby opened his mouth. “You cannot have logic with psychos. You can’t.”
“How can anyone be so insane to think that it was honorable.”
I shrugged. “To him, he was providing the best and most powerful substance to vampires. His snarled and twisted mind truly thinks that they’re all in the right.”
“Then you wouldn’t have had to hide it,” Darby snarled at his grandpa. “Ya feckin’ idjit.” He shook his head and went for the door.
I waited until he was gone before breaking several of Grandpa Moore’s bones and then healing them. “Enjoy hell. I hope the demons eat you alive for your sins.”
“There ain’t no such things as demons, girlie.”
I snorted and the sound was echoed by other fairies. “Even our damn dogs know that truth and how to fight them. Fucking idiot.”
Darby’s dad was next and instead of trying to shame Darby, he froze him out. He wouldn’t even acknowledge his presence by looking at him, much less speaking to him.
I simply sighed and hugged Darby after a few minutes. “His mind is just as twisted. He thinks this is the worst way to punish you for your betrayal, so he will haunt you.” I sneered at Mr. Moore. “No matter what your son has done, to intentionally try to warp his mind for the rest of his life makes you the worst parent ever.”
“Stay out of me mind, witch,” he growled as he finally looked up.
I snorted. “I’m a fairy. That’s why I get to punish you.”
“Ya a half breed piece of shite—”
He didn’t get to finish because Darby punched him with all he had. He smirked when there was a satisfying snap. “I’m not the kid you can ignore and beat on without consequences anymore. I’m stronger than you. I’m better educated and—”
“Wow,” I whispered when Mr. Moore’s mind went ballistic. “That’s why he hates you. You’re so much smarter than him. He’s always known that, and it pissed him off. Plus, you did what he was too weak to do. You broke free of the family and went your own way.” I nodded when Darby looked at me with disbelief.
“I apologize that we didn’t tell you that sooner, Lord Darby,” Rafe said. “We knew that. If you ever wish, I will share my notes and findings with you. We’ve collected them all from the interrogations and compiled them for our official records.”
“No, I have enough nightmares from their evil, but thanks.” Darby stood and slid his arm around me. “Don’t ever talk shite about the woman I love again. She’s a miracle saving people all over, and you married a monster I’m disgusted to have been born from.”
That got a reaction.
“Ya ma was a saint,” Mr. Moore snarled as he tried to stand. “Don’t ya talk bad about her.”
“When you reach hell, tell her I’m glad she’s rotting there as well.”
I snorted when I saw the way to hurt Mr. Moore most. “If you can find her. I doubt that monsters get to find each other in the afterlife.” I wrapped Darby’s other arm around me. “I bet you spend eternity looking for her while your son, the much better man of you both, spends it in my arms and bed.”
“Damn right, I will,” Darby muttered and kissed my hair. “Let’s go.”
“Whatever you want, my love.” We headed for the door but because I was a petty bitch, I sent images to Mr. Moore of my family’s castle in Faerie. I made it clear that was where Darby would live and be completely spoiled for the rest of his life.
And respected, something the Moore family males besides Darby craved.
“I ain’t killed no one, and ya letting them kill ya own brother,” Liam Moore said as our greeting.
Darby flinched and reached back for my hand. “You weren’t innocent, Liam. You aren’t the victim here.”
“I was ten when I saw Da bleed one of them and it didn’t die,” Liam argued.
“Bullshit!” Darby blasted. “You know they found a fairy and were gonna pull the same shite. It was on the woman I love, you git.”
“I didn’t know that,” Liam defended.
“But you don’t care it was,” Agis sneered. I was shocked he was involving himself, but then I heard in his mind that he didn’t want me to be the one to tell Darby. “Lord Darby isn’t weak, and you can’t convince him to set you free.”
“He is if he lets a lass lead him around,” Liam bitched.
“A lass?” I snorted. “I’m going to be queen of all Faerie, you piece of shit. Don’t play your games with Darby, he’s smarter.”
His gaze turned from angry with tints of hurt like he was the victim to rage and hate. There was the real Liam. “I didn’t kill anyone, bitch. Ya gonna kill me to keep me quiet. I can’t tell other vamps about ya if I’m dead.”
Darby slightly flinched again, and I was worried this was why he wanted to say goodbye. I heard in his thoughts there was guilt when it came to his brother and a few of his older cousins.
“The gods established the laws that forcible mating is a death sentence,” Agis interjected. “That is not killing someone and still a death sentence. Don’t twist our justice into your evil. You knew your family forced fairies to do unthinkable things and used them like cows.”
“Speaking as your intended victim, I would have preferred death,” I sneered. Disbelief was all over Liam’s face, and I moved closer so he could see it in my eyes. “I would rather have died than have been forced to randomly have children who then would become your cows. You lost several of your property because they chose the same.”
“I didn’t know that,” Darby whispered, his body shaking. “You forced them to commit suicide, and you say you have no blood on your hands?”
“They’re food,” Liam sneered. “I don’t feel bad for the feckin’ pigs we’ve raised either.”
That was what Darby needed to hear. His brother hadn’t acted like the rest of his family imprisoned and playing like he could be rehabilitated. But he couldn’t. He believed as his dad and grandpa had.
And now Darby knew it.
The shaky breath he let out made it clear that it was the closure he needed.
I gasped when Agis moved and punched Liam. Blood spurted everywhere, and I simply blinked at the calm fairy.
“Do not ever think your filth about our beloved princess ever again,” he snarled… But then shot me a worried look.
I immediately shut off my telepathy. “I didn’t hear. I turned it off.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Liam actually took the shot pretty well, spitting blood on the table and acting like his face wasn’t a bloody mess. “I can think what I want.” He smirked at Darby as best as he could. “How did she taste? Is her slut pussy enough to make ya kill ya brother?”
Darby was over the table before I could even react. Luckily, Agis caught him and practically tossed him back to me.
“Forget him,” I begged Darby when he tried to get at Liam again. “Take me home and forget this fool. You know the truth now.” I moved in front of Darby and started backing him towards the door. “And yes, I am that good in bed. Better than you’ve had. I let Darby do everything to me. He’ll be a prince fucking the most powerful queen ever and you’ll be dead.”
I hated using our love like that and being crude when I was always judged, but I wanted the last nail in the coffin so Darby never felt guilt. It worked. The bile that came out of Liam’s mouth was monstrous. He shouted that he would bleed me dry and fuck my corpse for Darby to watch. It was all so grotesque that Darby was shaking by the time I got him in the hall.
And not with anger.
“I won’t ever let anyone hurt you like that, agra,” he rasped as he hugged me.
“I know.” I hated that he hurt, but this was a difficult spot for me as well. I needed him to never feel guilty about what we were doing. Not ever. I was terrified he would later and resent me for it all. “Let’s go home.”
“Please.”
I nodded, opening a portal right there and shocking a few of the Guardians that were there in the hallway. The prisons were locked down so portals couldn’t be opened there.
Yeah, but I was stronger than that magic. Some still didn’t believe that it seemed. Whatever, it wasn’t something to even worry about. Especially with the state Darby was in.
