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plants could not. If there was a witch there, it had to be a very clever one. How could they have been there amongst the sidhe without them ever knowing? From what he had been told, day human blood smelled distinct, and all night humans had a great sense of smelling for blood.
    Devin scanned the faces of each person. No one was looking at him directly, but they were all staring at the stage. He needed to try to force them to tell him the truth quickly. It would take forever to question each one, but if he had to, Devin would be willing to apply force for Nessa’s safety. People talked to their neighbors as they watched the stage. There were many new faces and many old ones, too. Devin still was unsure which family each belonged to, but at that point it didn’t matter. He had seen how easily the people here changed sides, and even turned on their family as Maureen had done to her own daughter Fiona only days ago. Maureen was willing to kill her child just to gain power. These were the kind of people Devin was dealing with in the audience. Nessa’s brother fit right in when he was king.
    Nessa’s uncle stood at the front of the stage Nessa was sitting on and far ahead from where Devin was standing. He would have to get Rolf alone and talk to him sooner rather than later. The witch in the crowd wouldn’t be too much of a problem if they weren’t especially interested in Nessa. She still wasn’t crowned yet, and even then, Devin doubted her being a target would end. Something had to change, and he had to figure it out soon. He had already spent the majority of his time protecting Nessa. He would never be able to help the sidhe if he had to constantly guard her. The crowd sat in the raised rows in front of them. Rolf lightly tapped the cane in his hand against the earthen floor to make a muffled sound, and the audience quieted.
    “We welcome you all to the palace for this joyous occasion,” Rolf said. “Coronation will take place promptly at midnight, followed by dinner and a dance in the honor of our new queen. All formalities are to be adhered to. Any questions?” Rolf was short and to the point with his introduction.
    The red-haired man that wanted to court Nessa stood. Devin had no doubt as to his question.
    “I want to declare my intentions to court Vanessa McKinny formally,” Liam told the crowd.
    Cheers erupted around him. A pang of jealousy and anger built inside Devin. Nessa turned to look up at him, and he realized he let that slip through their bond accidentally. Devin pulled his emotions back under control even though it was quite hard to do with the red-headed oaf smiling proudly at Nessa. She kept a fake smile plastered on her face as she looked back, but even knowing that it was fake didn’t help anything. Devin was sure it wouldn’t take much to get him angrier over the situation. It was all too unreal to deal with. He was almost going to marry her not even twelve hours ago before the oaf showed up. This wouldn’t have even been an issue if the timing hadn’t been perfect to interrupt them.
    A second, thinner man with deeply tanned skin stood. His dark eyes lit up as they gazed at Nessa. “I would like to request formally to be allowed to court Princess Vanessa also.”
    Devin reached forward and grabbed the top of the chair Nessa was sitting in. The hard wood crumbled in his grasp. This was unreal. She was already bonded, yet no one seemed to notice or care.
    “As do I,” a third man stood and spoke.
    “Then each of you will have to take the oath to make it official,” Rolf said from his position at the front of the stage.
    The three men all hurried down to the stage. As they walked across, they bowed and presented themselves to Nessa. It was like watching a peacock display their feathers, enough to make Devin’s blood almost boil. Rolf stood and walked over to Liam first. Devin couldn’t watch. Three men were pledging themselves to court his girl.
    Nessa quickly stood and positioned herself