Antlered Crown Read online

  “And we get to go back in?” I asked, a spark of joy fluttering in my heart.

  “No,” Morgana said. “You and Herne are far too high in profile. Your path is no longer to be front and center in that fight. But I have found someone who will be perfect.”

  Right then, I knew she was talking about the woman she had mentioned to me. I paused, swirling in a mix of feelings.

  “Will we be involved? The rest of us?” Yutani asked, looking as eager as I had felt.

  “Some of you,” Cernunnos said. “Viktor, you will stay here, now that you’re Herne’s head guard. But Yutani, you will be in charge of the newly revamped Wild Hunt. Talia has indicated her desire to return with you. Morgana has found someone who will make a good replacement for Ember—her name is Lyrical.”

  “What about Raven?” I asked.

  “She’s still working her internship, so no. She and Kipa have decided to make their home in Kalevala permanently. But Wager Chance will help, and Wendy—Ginty’s bartender—has offered her services. Ginty’s moved back to Wildemoone, you know, to the Rejovak Mountains where the Dwarven Lords make their home.”

  I bit my lip, trying to hide my disappointment. But Angel would be here, and it was true that the dragons were too aware of Herne and me—we would endanger the mission.

  “I’ll miss you,” Herne said to Yutani. “But I can’t imagine leaving the Wild Hunt in any better hands than yours. Watch your temper.”

  “I’ll do my best. I have to admit,” Yutani said, “while your land is beautiful, my land is my home, and I’ll be glad to get back to all the things we lack here.” He frowned, then added, “So what guise will the Wild Hunt take? With Saílle and Névé leaving and taking their cities with them, we no longer have the goal of keeping the peace between them.”

  “True, and in Wildemoone, the populace is better set toward dealing with their petty bickering. I wonder if facing the dragons will lessen the feud between them,” Talia said.

  “I doubt it,” Herne said, laughing. “They’ll always try to eliminate each other. It’s in their genes.”

  “It’s not in mine, and I’m a hybrid,” I said.

  “Yes, but that’s to your benefit.” Herne paused. “Chances are your great-uncle will be moving to Wildemoone, along with the city. We can go visit, if you like.”

  “I’d like that,” I said. “But back to Yutani’s question. If the Wild Hunt is no longer out to quell the vagaries of two arrogant queens, what will they do?”

  Herne glanced at Yutani. “Since Wager Chance runs a PI firm, we thought—and he’s agreed—to expand his agency and so the Wild Hunt will become what it was when we weren’t chasing down the Fae. An Otherkin PI agency. You’ll run it, Wager will be the major investigator. Along with Morgana’s new protégé, Talia will become the receptionist and an in-house investigator, and Wendy’s your muscle.”

  “You’ll get started as soon as the wedding’s over,” Cernunnos said. “We need as much information on what’s happening dragonwise as possible. You’ll also have Ashera over there—she’s agreed to return for a time. She went home to the Forgotten Kingdom, but we sweet-talked her into helping us.”

  I frowned. “There’s something more going on. Do you think that we can truly free Echidna without Typhon breaking free? And if so, how will that change things? Since her children are as immortal as she is?”

  Morgana glanced at Cernunnos, who gave her a nod.

  “You might as well tell them. But not a word of this leaves this room. This is for your ears only. Only a small, select group of gods know. We don’t dare chance that word gets out to those who are on Typhon’s side, like Pandora.”

  We all waited with bated breath.

  Morgana sighed. “Cernunnos, Brighid, Mielikki, Tapio, and I talked to Gaia, which was terrifying, I don’t mind telling you. She’s the only one who can strip away the powers of the Immortals. Add to that, she’s volatile and capricious and cares as little for the gods as she does for humans or any humanoid creature connected to the planet.”

  “Yes, yes, my love, but tell them,” Cernunnos said.

  I caught my breath. I didn’t know much about Gaia, but I knew that she was scary-powerful and could wipe out the world with a wave of her hand if she so chose. “What did you ask her?”

  “We asked her if she could strip away the immortality of the dragons.”

  She was serious. I could barely believe it, but she was absolutely serious. Everyone else looked as shocked as I felt.

  “And what did she say?”

  Morgana worried her lip. “Gaia is willing to do so, but it will be such an expenditure of energy that she’ll need to sleep afterward and we don’t know how long that will be for. It could be a hundred years or a thousand. Either way, when she sleeps, she dreams and her dreams affect the weather as well as geological activity. So, to rid the Earth of the dragon menace and give your home…my home because that’s where I was born, a fighting chance, it might…”

  “It might shift everything else on the planet.” I held Morgana’s gaze.

  “Someone had to make the decision. At least this will give us a chance to drive out the dragons.” She paused, then added, “And this time, you’ll be working with the gods, rather than on the other side. And Lyrical will work with the Wild Hunt to keep an eye on how things are going. Do you see why we can’t take a chance on anyone else knowing? If the dragons get wind of what’s happening, they’ll retaliate and destroy every vestige of civilization while they’re still unstoppable.”

  I stared at the floor. Sweeping changes were afoot, and by the shiver running down my back, I knew that I wasn’t on the outskirts of things, even if I had switched the team I was playing for.

  Chapter Nine

  I tried to put the issue with the dragons out of my mind over the next few days, but it was difficult. It seemed like forever since we’d been fighting them, though it wasn’t anything of the sort. When I mentioned it privately to Herne, he shook his head.

  “Trust me, you’ll have more than enough on your hands regarding the dragons as time moves on. Gaia doesn’t work quickly, but once she decides to make her move, she can be lightning-fast. The dragons will discover their mortality, and it will throw them into a panic. But honestly, I’m more afraid of the side effects of Gaia’s sleep. That’s not going to be pretty. She has nightmares a lot.” Herne stretched, then coaxed me onto his lap. “Are you ready for tomorrow? Samhain…and our wedding.”

  His question barely registered, I was still so preoccupied. Tomorrow was it—our wedding day. In the days since Morgana’s news, we had had the final fitting for my dress and for my bridesmaids’ dresses, and the castle was decked out in holiday splendor.

  Talia and Raven were my bridesmaids, and Angel was my maid of honor. Kipa was Herne’s best man, and Viktor and Yutani were his groomsmen. Morgana and Cernunnos were presiding over the wedding. The guest list resembled the “Who’s who” of Celtic gods.

  “Second thoughts?” Herne asked, trailing his fingers over my cheek.

  I shook my head. “No, just a million miles away. Thinking about the dragons and about my life. I wonder what my parents would have thought—knowing that their daughter, the tralaeth—would end up a goddess, marrying the Lord of the Hunt.”

  “I’m sorry they can’t be here,” he whispered, leaning close to nuzzle my neck. “I hope you know how much I love you.”

  I warmed, leaning my forehead against his. “That, I never doubt. You are the only man I can imagine marrying.” I paused, then asked, “Is Ray Fontaine still in your father’s dungeon?”

  Herne nodded. “Yes, he’s still there.”

  “What about sending him back to Earth? He was fucked up and I still never want to see his face again, but…it wasn’t totally his fault. My glamour sucked him in.” I opened my eyes, feeling teary. “Besides, if he’s over there, he’ll be farther away from me.”

  Herne gave in without an argument. “I’ll talk to my father. I think you’re ri
ght. I think we can let him go now.”

  Then, because everything was in a flux and we were both feeling the need, he swept me up in his arms and carried me to bed, and we made love all afternoon, trying to wash away our nerves and any thoughts of battles that might lie in our future.

  Samhain Eve…

  Raven, Talia, Angel, and I were in my chambers, dressing. As they helped me shimmy into the dress, I ran my hand over the smooth netting that covered the voluminous skirt. Meya—the maid assigned to me for my wedding—swept back my hair, plaiting numerous thin braids over the top of my curling hair. I tried to stand still.

  Angel wore an ice blue dress in a sheath style, with a small silver diadem in her hair. Talia and Raven both wore lavender gowns to match Angel’s, and they too wore modest silver tiaras. All three of them were wearing wrist gloves that matched the color of their dresses.

  Reya slid my gloves on—they stopped at just above the elbow and were silver to match the embroidery in my dress. I was wearing flats—they hadn’t insisted on heels—and as she helped me finish my makeup, I realized that all the anticipation had come to a head. It had been a year and a half since Herne had asked me to marry him, and the entire time it had felt like a dream. But today, everything in my world was about to change. The one constant in my life until now had been Angel. I turned to her.

  “Tell me I’m doing the right thing,” I blurted out, immediately feeling like an idiot.

  She laughed. “I was waiting for that. Yes, you’re doing the right thing.” She didn’t elaborate, just stated it as fact.

  I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, blushing. “I know. But thank you. Thank you for having my back. I never expected to marry, especially not in this way.”

  “Come on, you’ve been waiting for this for months. You love Herne, and he loves you. You converted for him—kind of.”

  I giggled. “I did, didn’t I? Only I became a goddess instead of changing religions.”

  “Let’s go get you married.” She hugged me, careful to not muss my makeup.

  I took hold of her hand and then Raven’s hand, and Raven held Talia’s hand, and Talia held Angel’s, and we stood in a circle, just breathing.

  “Well, you all look lovely,” Brighid entered the room, interrupting the silence. The goddess was gorgeous, as usual, and beaming, and she crooked her finger. “They’re waiting for you. Head up, chin strong, eyes forward. Ember, are you ready?”

  And to my surprise, I was.

  The grand hall was packed with gods and their entourages. Most of our friends were in the wedding party, so most of the guests were unknown to me, and I found myself even more grateful that Herne and I were sneaking off to perform our own private ceremony later.

  The hall was filled with flowers and an entire orchestra waited to begin playing. I snickered. I hadn’t realized we’d have anything but a harpist, but like everything in this wedding, it was go big or go home. Behind the ropes to either side, the hall was jammed with Elves and Fae, gods and goddesses, all come to see the young Lord of the Hunt wed.

  As Morgana and Cernunnos took their place at the end of the green-carpeted aisle, the orchestra struck up a song that I was familiar with—“Dun Ringill.” It was by an Earthside band called Jethro Tull, and it spoke of the gods from the mists of time. As the riff began, Kipa, Viktor, and Yutani made their way down the aisle, followed by Herne. As they spread out, with Herne standing in front of his father, the music shifted to “The Mummer’s Dance” by Loreena McKennitt, and that was my cue.

  Talia and Raven began their journey down the aisle as the haunting melody filled the room. And then Angel turned to me, tears in her eyes, and she gave me such a look of love that my heart swelled and I knew this was what destiny had prepared me for.

  Everything fell into place and ahead of me, Herne turned, holding out his hand to tell me he was waiting for me. Waiting to live out eternity with me.

  I straightened my shoulders and gave Angel a nod. She began the walk down the aisle. I waited till she was halfway, then stepped onto the green carpet.

  Green, hunter green, the color of the forest. The color of my lover’s heart. The color of life and growth and woodland magic. And I was dressed like the ocean beneath the stars. Like Morgana, I would live between the forest and the ocean, in my heart and magic. In my joy and love, I would forever be linked to the ancient forests and the ancient mothers of us all—the Ocean Mother from whom we came, and Mother Earth to whom we would return.

  Only I had stepped outside the cycle, and I would never again return to the Wheel. The Eternal Return would spin forever, but I would stand outside, watching it, coaxing it, but my heart would forever beat, and I would live until the end of the world.

  The realization hit deep. I was immortal, and I was wedding a god, and my life belonged to the divine. The dragons would fall, and I would be there to see it. The world would spin, and the eons would come and go, and I would be there throughout the ages.

  One day, I would look back and wonder that I had ever been mortal. But Herne would be there to keep me sane, and Angel would ascend, my twin soul—and we would walk into eternity.

  When do the gods fall? When the world spins into the sun, will we still be here? The universe began with a massive blast, but would we still be here to see the end? Would we be here when the heavens fell and the stars died? Would we exist in a formless void, with only our memories to accompany us?

  It was too much to fathom, too much to dwell on.

  I shook aside my thoughts as I reached the end of the aisle and Cernunnos and Morgana took up their parts and married us. I couldn’t remember much of it—everything was a blur—but then Herne placed the ring on my finger, and the orchestra began playing “Newgrange” with a singer who was almost as good as Enya, and the reception began. I shook hands with the gods, taking in their names, and the day wore away, and then it was over and I was the Mistress of Briar Shore, and the drums from the dancing thundered in my ears.

  Two weeks later…

  Herne and I stood at the edge of the sea below our castle, at midnight. Only Raven and Kipa, Angel, Viktor and Sheila, Talia, and Yutani were there.

  As the moon rose high in the sky, Herne took my hands. I was in a long skirt and a corset, and Herne was wearing a tunic and trousers. The lightning flits shimmered around us, sparkling their light over the beach.

  Herne kissed my fingers. “Under the light of the moon, under the magic of the night, I vow to be forever your protector, I will love you as you are, I will hold you in sickness and health, I will be forever faithful to you, and whether we’re on the battlefield or in the bedroom, I will love you with my whole heart, as long as our love shall last.”

  I let out a shaky breath.

  Yes, we were married, but this was our true wedding. This was the one that mattered.

  “Herne, since I first met you, I knew that you were the right man for me. I never expected to marry a god, I never expected to become a goddess, I never expected anything out of this life, but you’ve brought blessings into my world—you gave me hope, you’ve offered me a love I didn’t know I needed. I will forever be faithful to you and hold you in sickness and health, I will protect you, and give you a taste of my magic, as long as our love shall last.”

  And then, under the stars, we kissed, and our hearts sealed together, and our fates were set. We turned to our friends, and—tears flowing on all sides—we made our way over to the bonfire we had built on the shore, and under the twinkling stars of Annwn, spent the night before everyone went their separate ways, set out on new journeys, into the next phases of our lives.

  And so ends the second story arc of the Wild Hunt Series. If you enjoyed Antlered Crown, then you might want to read the rest of the series. Whether or not you’ve read the rest of the Wild Hunt Series, you can start in on the sequels—The Poisoned Forest, Book 1 of the Hedge Dragon Series is available for preorder, as is Tattered Thorns, Book 1 of the Night Queen Series, where you’ll definitely
catch cameos of your fave Wild Hunt characters.

  If you like ooo-spooky fiction with an older female lead, check out Starlight Web. January Jaxson returns to the quirky town of Moonshadow Bay after her husband dumps her and steals their business, and within days she’s working for Conjure Ink, a paranormal investigations agency, and exploring the potential of her hot new neighbor. Four other books are currently available.

  If you like paranormal mysteries/paranormal women’s fiction, try my Chintz ‘n China Paranormal Mystery Series. The first arc of the series is complete with: Ghost of a Chance, Legend of the Jade Dragon, Murder Under a Mystic Moon, A Harvest of Bones, One Hex of a Wedding, and two wrap-up novellas: Holiday Spirits and Well of Secrets.

  Return with me to Whisper Hollow, where spirits walk among the living, and the lake never gives up her dead. I re-released Autumn Thorns and Shadow Silence in January, along with a new book—The Phantom Queen! Come join the darkly seductive world of Kerris Fellwater, spirit shaman for the small lakeside community of Whisper Hollow.

  If you prefer a lighter-hearted paranormal romance with some steamy vampire-witch action, meet the wild and magical residents of Bedlam in my Bewitching Bedlam Series. Fun-loving witch Maddy Gallowglass, her smoking-hot vampire lover Aegis, and their crazed cjinn Bubba (part djinn, all cat) rock it out in Bedlam, a magical town on a magical island. Start with book one of the series: Bewitching Bedlam. There are six books and several novellas in the series.

  I invite you to visit Fury’s world. Bound to Hecate, Fury is a minor goddess, taking care of the Abominations who come off the World Tree. Books one through five are available now in the Fury Unbound Series: Fury Rising, Fury’s Magic, Fury Awakened, Fury Calling, and Fury’s Mantle

  For a dark, gritty, steamy series, try my world of the Indigo Court, where the long winter has come, and the Vampiric Fae are on the rise. Night Myst, Night Veil, Night Seeker, Night Vision, Night’s End, and Night Shivers are all available now.