Free Darkness & Light (War of the Fae: Book 3) by Elle Casey Page A

heard their wishes.   We hereby grant a special dispensation from our law related to being offered a second opportunity accept the change, but only for this potential changeling, Tony, and for no other.   The council rests.”

Chapter 8
     
    I hugged Tony to me as tightly as I could.   I felt Chase’s arms go around me and then Spike’s and Finn’s too.
    “Hey!   What about me?” came Becky’s voice from behind us.   I felt Spike let go and then the press of Becky’s face between my shoulder blades a second later.  
    “Uh, thanks Spike,” she said, her voice muffled.  
    I laughed with happiness.   I have awesome friends.   “Come on,” I said after a few moments, still patting Tony’s back.   “Let’s go to Dardennes’ office.   That’s where the amulets are.”
    The six of us reluctantly broke up our group hug to leave the room.   Everyone was filtering out, occasionally looking back at us.   The council members were long gone, always the first ones to leave.
    “Hey, Gregale!” I shouted.
    He turned on his way out.
    “Thanks!”   I shouted, giving him a thumbs-up and a ten thousand watt smile.  
    He looked down at his own hand as if he was going to return the gesture and then just nodded instead.   I guess the thumbs-up was just a little too human for him.
    Ten minutes later we were in front of Dardennes’ door.   Chase knocked three times and then pushed the door open.   Dardennes, Céline and Ivar were inside, standing by Dardennes’ desk.  
    Tony started rubbing his hands together nervously and then down the front of his jeans again.  
    “Don’t worry, man.   These’re the nice ones,” Finn whispered in his ear.
    Tony gave him a faltering grin.
    “Please, come in.   Shut the door behind you.”
    Spike was the last one in, slamming the door with too much force.
    “Oops.   Sorry about that.   Guess I’m just a little excited.”
    I looked back and noticed that the red glow in his eyes was bright.   I’m not sure whether it was exhilaration from the assembly or Becky’s hug that had gotten him going, but he was definitely feeling a liiittle too happy.   I raised an eyebrow at Chase gesturing with my head for him to check Spike out.   He glanced over at him and then back at me, rolling his eyes.   He was on constant guard against Spike’s amorous advances towards me.   I didn’t mind them – I mean, Spike was hotness times two – but Spike didn’t always wait for me to say yes before he got started; so Chase was Spike’s cold shower in daemon form.   They had a love-hate relationship.
    Dardennes smiled at us as we advanced towards his desk.   “So, we have a changeling candidate with us here today, eh?”
    “A- hem , yes, sir,” said Tony, nervously clearing his throat.
    Céline smiled at him serenely, saying nothing.   She and Dardennes looked like sister and brother – they both had silver hair and icy gray eyes.   Their tunics were silver, which matched their looks perfectly.   When they walked around in the human world, they wore silver suits too, but they didn’t look tacky at all.   They just looked extremely rich and a little bit intimidating.   I didn’t know if they were officially brother and sister, but they were both silver elves, so they belonged to the same race of fae.   Whenever there were decisions to be made about us changelings, they were involved.   Dardennes is the one who had given amulets to my friends and me, helping us begin our awakening from human to fae.   He’s also the one who had interviewed all of us and chosen us to come here in the first place.   At first I blamed him for every bad thing that had happened to me and my friends in the forest, but I’d learned to forgive him.   Mostly.
    Dardennes carefully lifted the lid of the box I knew held the changeling amulets.   He looked up at Tony and then down again at the contents in the box.
    “I have not had enough time to evaluate Tony as I would normally like.