By the Light of the Silver Moon

Chapter 51 Marigold

I went back to our room and started cleaning up the mess I left behind in the closet. There was nothing left of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma from Ireland, but there was plenty of damage left over.

"Oh my." Zoey's voice startled me from the bathroom.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to need some extra cleaning days this week." I sighed.

"I'll go get the vacuum." Zoey replied absentmindedly.

"I think we're going to need more than a vacuum." I grumbled as Zoey disappeared again.

I started compiling all of my burned clothing and everything else that had been charred by Solaris flame. The carpet had been completely burned, fraying off in chunks and leaving behind the wooden boards of the subfloor. Bayu's wind had left everything displaced and my vines had forced their way through the floor and walls, leaving vegetation and destruction in their wake.

"I sent Zoey to contact the contractor to come in and fix all of this." Finn said, stepping into the mess.

"Great, thanks." I mumbled, walking past him.

"Really, Marigold?" I heard Finn sigh as I escaped to the bedroom,

"Are you really mad about this?"

"I'm mad that you thought I was comparing Renee to my situation." I snapped.

"I'm sorry, I just thought that maybe you were having some PTSD or something." Finn said, leaning against the wall as I glared at him from across the room,

"What are you really mad about?" He asked.

"My father gave Torrin the ability to hurt me." I confessed.

"You mean the bracelet?" Finn looked confused.

"No. Torrin went to my father, like my brothers said, but he didn't leave empty handed. He gave Torrin a powder that temporarily disables a fae's magic. I asked Sol and Bay about it and they said that Father personally escorted Torrin out of the palace, so he probably gave the powder to him then."

"Does that really come as such a surprise? You knew your father would keep coming at you." Finn pushed off the wall and walked towards me.

"No, I guess not." I sighed. I let Finn take my hand,

"Then, what is it?"

"It's just hard. It's one thing for my father to sentence me to exile and make deals so I can't return home, but it's another thing to actually send someone away with a tool to help assassinate me. I gave up on my father a long time ago, but it doesn't mean that I'm made of a stone. His betrayal still hurts." I said, studying Finn's hand in mine. Finn picked up my chin so we were eye level,

"I know it still hurts, love, and I'm so sorry you have to go through this time and time again. I wish I could do something to stop your father. But, now we're making our own family, right here, and this family will never betray you. But, I'm going to protect this family." Finn promised me, rubbing his other hand across my stomach,

"And protecting my family means taking down anyone who threatens it." He added. I closed my eyes and sighed,

"I know that. I'm sorry." My eyes fluttered open just in time to receive Finn's kiss. I giggled against him as he wrapped his arms around my waist and tipped me backwards gently.

"I love you." Finn whispered against my ear as he kissed my neck,

"I love you, too." I breathed, my brain becoming foggy like it so often does when Finn's hands trail my body.

I woke up alone in bed the next morning. I sighed blissfully and stretched out my swollen body. I tucked the blankets around me, protecting my naked body from the cold. I cupped my belly as I breathed in Finn's scent. His aroma surrounded me, calming me and easing my discomfort.