Jared came up and stood next to me, placing his hand on my upper arm. "Are you okay, Jayne? Things looked pretty intense in here for a minute there."

"Yeah. Just more of Ben's bulls.h.i.t." I shrugged my shoulders. I couldn't explain it to myself, so I didn't even bother trying to do it for Jared.

Jared shook his head, his hand dropping to his side. "I can't understand what's going on between you two. Why can't you just get along?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but Aidan beat me to it.

"It is not Jayne's fault." He cleared his throat because it had gone gruff again.

I looked back at him in alarm, but he was still all man.

Aidan continued in his normal voice. "Ben talks to her as if she's a half-wit. He has very little respect for her and it's clear in his tone and choice of words. I did not make the decision to shift - it was instinctual. He put his hands on her in anger. She is not safe around him."

Jared looked confused. "That's strange. I got no alarms or warnings that she wasn't safe."

I jumped in, feeling weird having them talk about me like I wasn't standing right there in front of them. "Maybe it's because Ben himself doesn't know what he's going to do from one second to the next. He grabbed me and hurt me, like, on a whim ... when I said something he didn't like. It's not that he walked into this room with the plan to hurt me. It just happened."

I looked at the two guys to see what they thought. Aidan was nodding and Jared seemed as if he were rolling my a.n.a.lysis over in his mind.

"I think that's a rational explanation for what is happening here," said Jared. "I might have felt a flash of something, just prior to entering the room, but I can't be sure. Something about Ben is strange ... I seem to have a bit of a block where he's concerned." Jared's brows were furrowed as he contemplated his own words.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he had his good buddy Samantha put a spell on him to make him undetectable to you guys," I said, laughing. "Stupid a.s.shat that he is, always thinking his poo doesn't stink. Like he should be above all the rules everyone else has to follow."

Jared's mouth quirked up at the corner. "I find that a little hard to believe, that he'd do something so deceitful. What would be his purpose?"

"Explain how you did not a feel a threat to her life, then," said Aidan, almost challenging him. "I felt it instinctually, but otherwise, I did not. And as you know, the wolf usually feels threats on many levels. My conscious mind was in the dark. As you said, it's strange."

Jared opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped himself. He thought for a minute and then started again. "It's funny you mention being in the dark ..."

We never got to hear the rest of his sentence because the door opened up and fae began filing into the room.

"I'll catch up with you two after the meeting. My chamber? We have a lot to discuss."

Aidan nodded, so I joined him in agreeing. It's not like I had anything else to do, other than get some food.

"Great. After dinner, then."

The room quickly filled with everyone, including Ben who appeared at the last second, shutting the door behind him. He held his arm against his stomach and took the seat next to me, not looking at me or acknowledging my presence in any way.

I remained standing as the others took their seats. It was time to push my weight around for the sake of a pixie's heart and spirit.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

I WAITED UNTIL EVERYONE WAS comfortable and had the attention of the silver elves before speaking. Malena wasn't there, but Dardennes and Celine were.

"Sorry for starting the meeting off like this, but I have a request."

"First, may I say, welcome back, Jayne. It is good to see you," said Dardennes, giving me a genuine smile.

I grinned back. "It's good to be back, believe me."

"I a.s.sume after your request you will be so kind as to fill us in on your former whereabouts."

"Sure, no prob." I looked at everyone seated at the table. Only Niles and Red were scowling so I took that as a good sign. Maybe this wouldn't be too difficult. "I have a request. I know that the rule is that only council members be allowed in here during meetings. But I'd like Tim the Pixie to be permitted entry. He doesn't have to be able to partic.i.p.ate or anything, but I'd like him to be here with me."

All of the heads around the table, save the silver elves', Aidan's, and Ben's were shaking back and forth - definite nos.

"Why would you ask for that which you know is forbidden?" asked a cranky Red. "We have spells on this room to prohibit such a thing, so even common sense -which surely you must have some of, if only in very minute amounts - tells you that this is not possible."

"If we let one outsider in, we let them all in," growled Niles, giving me a look that said I was the dumbest fae alive.

I felt a little deflated, but I wasn't ready to give up yet. "Gee. I thought you witches must be more talented that that. You don't know how to cast a spell that makes an exception to the rule? Using one of his hairs or something? I guess maybe I should start working on my own spell casting since yours is so limited."

Red jumped from his seat, as did a Dark Fae witch I didn't know the name of. Celeste probably would have jumped up too, but she was too old to move that fast. She was still struggling to grab the arms of her chair for balance.

"How dare you insult our skills as casters!" shouted Red.

Dardennes stood and held his hands out in a plea for calm. "Please, everyone. Take your seats. I'm sure we can come up with a solution."

"The solution is simple, Anton," said Red. "We tell her no. She cannot have everything she wants. She's a spoiled child. Are we to bend to all of her wishes simply because she is our Mother? No. I say not. She has a lot to learn, not the least of which is humility and self-sacrifice."

I could feel the burn coming up my neck to my ears and then my face. I wasn't sure if it was humiliation or anger that was causing it, but I was on fire, and it had nothing to do with Ben's element.

I was tempted to bring The Green up, but then I knew that would be a mistake - the actions of a spoiled child. I was going to win this fight with my other power. My brain.

"You have a lot of nerve, lecturing anyone on humility and self-sacrifice. Have you been forced to marry someone you can't stand the sight of? Someone who's tortured you, insulted you, and generally done nothing but make your life miserable? No. You haven't. But guess who has? Oh, that's right. Me. I have. And I did it for you," I pointed at each face around the table, "and you, and you, and you, and you, and you ..." I kept going until I was perfectly clear. "All of you are reaping the benefits of my sacrifice. Not just the one of my binding, but the loss of my mother, who in case you forgot, fought and was killed by a demon fixated on ending your existence in this realm. And you'll continue to enjoy these benefits that my mother and I have helped you gain, today and everyday, until the day you leave the Here and Now. So instead of spouting off a bunch of bulls.h.i.t about how I need to grow up and give you more, why don't you think real hard about that advice and take it yourself." I schooled my features into total calm, willing the redness of anger to leave me pale again. I looked right at Red as I finished. "A simple thank you will do, Sir."

No one said a word for a full minute. It was so quiet, they could have all heard a pixie fart, even without a listening spell.

I turned towards Dardennes, who, if I wasn't mistaken, had a look of pride on his face. "Anton. I respectfully request that my friend, roommate, confidant, and all around kicka.s.s fae Tim the Pixie be permitted to join our meetings. He's smart, he knows more about the humans and fae than anyone I know. He's brave even in the face of dragons. And he'd never ever sell me out, which is more than I can say for a lot of other fae around her."

Celine stood and without preamble said, "I hereby nominate Tim the Pixie as a member of the fae council."

Dardennes stood next to her. "I second." He nodded solemnly at me, and I knew that he totally got Tim and everything he was all about. Dardennes may have trapped him in a bell jar before, but it was clear he'd come a long way since then in understanding the small fae whose heart was bigger than probably all of ours combined.

Aidan stood next. "I third."

I raised my hand. "I fourth."

Aidan leaned in and whispered, "It only goes up to thirding."

"Oh," I whispered back, my face feeling hot again. I turned my attention to Celine, wanting to thank her. But she was staring straight ahead and then at Dardennes. I took it to mean she didn't want anyone getting mad thinking we were in cahoots, so I looked away, planning to thank her in private later.

"What benefit does having this fae on our council bring our people?" demanded Red.

Dardennes answered. "Though the nomination has reached the thirding and does not require an explanation - because as you know, all fae risk their own existence in this realm with their nominations - I will respond by saying that Tim the Pixie is a long-standing member of our spy network, he is the most highly decorated fae that I'm aware of for his actions of bravery and sacrifice, and he now has a wife and child. I believe this last mention shall give him a new perspective that he was previously ignorant of, which will bring a new dimension to his decision-making skills that could only benefit our people. With the threat of pixelation removed, in no small part due to incredible sacrifices made by both his wife and himself, I'd say he's earned his place at our table."

I wasn't exactly sure about that good decision-making point Dardennes had tried to bring home, since Tim seemed inclined to skate out of babysitting duties a little too easily to be winning any Dad of the Year awards, but whatever. I wasn't going to be blocking his entry into our happy little group for anything. I couldn't stop the smile from beaming across my face. I made sure not to look at Red when I said, "I have one last request. Can you please not tell him yet that he's been made a member? I'd like to tell him."

"As is the custom, a cloak will be made for him and delivered. He must make the choice whether to wear it or not. There will be nor formal invitation as it were," explained Celine.

"Fine. I won't get in the middle of that. But I just don't want him to know today. During this meeting."

Dardennes looked around the room as he said, "That should not be a problem."

I heard some grumbling, but I ignored it, rushing over to the door. I put my hand on the door handle and looked over at the witches. "Is he going to get zapped if I let him in?"

Red frowned and shook his head slowly, never breaking eye contact with me. He was p.i.s.sed, that much was clear, but I totally didn't care. He could think I was a spoiled brat all day long, but I knew in my heart of hearts, Tim was good for all of us.

I pulled the door open and said out into the hallway, "Come on in, Tim! Meeting's about to start!"

"Whooooooooot!" came his response as he flew in past me and landed on the back of my chair. He immediately sat down, crossed his legs, and folded his hands over his knee. "So ... where were we, hmmm? Doling out punishments? Saving the world? Someone catch me up."

I smiled as I sat down carefully, trying not to dislodge him. "Just shut up and listen," I said softly.

Celine smiled, staring out in front of her, as did Dardennes.

I smiled too, thinking how awesome my life was in that moment. Knowing my luck, it was probably short-lived joy, but joy nonetheless.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

DARDENNES BEGAN SPEAKING AGAIN. "AS you know, we have had many events occur in the last few days that must be discussed, and some decisions must be made. I will review them now, unless anyone has other items for us to address first." He looked pointedly at me.

I put my hands up, palms out, shaking my head. "Not me. I'm cool."

Dardennes nodded and continued. "It has been made clear to us that the veil between the realms is falling."

I raised my hand.

"Jayne?"

"Actually, it has a big tear in it. It's like a curtain now. I stepped through it, just recently."

Dardennes nodded. "We will hear more about that in a moment." He turned back to the group. "We have had several demons and creatures from the Underworld attack our compound. Lives have been lost, and we have many injured. We cannot keep these onslaughts at bay forever, we know now, because despite the best efforts of our witches, the Gray remains penetrable from the other realms."

"What about the Overworlders?" asked a fae I didn't know by name. "Why aren't they helping?"

"A few are. We have at our disposal one contingent of the more military-minded of them. However, they are limited in their ability to come to our realm and they also are mindful of our past decision to close the portals. We've told them before that they are not needed or welcome here, and they do not wish to supercede those wishes without a more formal invitation to join us."

"Well, just tell them we do want them here," I said. "Can't we just change our minds?"

"It's not that simple," said Celine. "The Gray was not created to withstand the traffic and manipulations it's suffering right now. That is what the portals were for. We cannot change our minds without going all the way, or our own invitation for help will be our undoing."

"All the way?" I asked, not sure exactly what she meant.

"Opening the portals again," said Dardennes. "The only way to stop the unauthorized entries into our realm is to open the portals. Asking the Overworlders to come to us through the Gray will surely mean its complete destruction, clearing a path for the entire Underworld to join us and the humans."

"We can continue to work on the Gray," said Red. "Perhaps we just haven't come up with the right combination yet to heal it."

"We have run out of time," said Dardennes. "We appreciate your efforts on our behalf, but we all know that the Gray is a very limited medium for realm-travel. No matter what you do to try and prop it up or repair it, it will always be vulnerable to manipulation and destruction. We cannot ask more of it than it is capable of providing." For some reason, he looked over at me then. Several other heads turned in my direction too.

"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious.

"I think he's saying everyone should stop expecting you to not screw stuff up," said Tim.

I frowned. "Thanks, t.u.r.d monkey," I whispered to him.

"Don't mention it," he said in a proud voice. "See? I can hang in these meetings. I was born for this stuff. Did you get an agenda? I'd like to see an agenda. I might have some stuff to add to it."

I rolled my eyes. When he got that cloak he was going to collapse into a self-induced stroke brought on by sheer awesomeness overload. I'd created a monster.

Dardennes was speaking again, drawing my attention away from my ridiculous roommate and the attention of my fellow council members away from me, thank goodness.

"All in favor of opening the portals, please indicate."

Several fae stood, including me, once I realized that was how we were supposed to vote.

A few remained seated, one of whom said, "You cannot have open portals without guardians."

"Of course. And that is our next order of business," said Dardennes. "But first, a.s.suming we can find adequate guardians to fulfill those duties, who is in favor of opening the portals again?"

The fae who had remained seated now stood. Even Celeste, although it took her awhile to get there. Red held onto her arm to keep her steady.

"Excellent," said Dardennes, smiling. "Please be seated. Now we will discuss the topic of guardians."

I sat back down and shifted around uncomfortably, thinking about the guardian who I'd been face-to-face with recently. I was pretty sure he wasn't all that keen on working with us, especially since I still had his tooth and had waved it in his face; hopefully I hadn't screwed the pooch for us on that one.

"A few of us discussed this outside the meeting, so forgive me for backtracking on those few, but I believe it's important that we all consider the situation from the beginning, as it were."

I didn't know about Red, Ben, and Celine, but I was glad for the re-cap. I couldn't remember much of it, probably because I was too caught up at the time with staring at Beau. I couldn't be too harshly judged for that, though; he was pretty d.a.m.n cute and, oh, so mysterious. Even knowing now that he was some bada.s.s fighter only made him more so.

"The guardian dragons, Dark and Light, were slain by warriors of our choosing over one thousand years ago, and the portals they watched over were shut and sealed. The guardians sacrificed their weapons to their slayers and moved into the Otherworlds. Now, we seek to open the portals again and a.s.sert guardians at their entrances."

"But without the guardians, how would that be possible? You're not suggesting we choose some other fae to watch over them? None is prepared nor qualified for this job," said a green elf.

"Agreed. However, do not forget that at each portal were a pair of dragons, not just one."