Chapter 30 starts with Merry and Co finally arriving at the Humvees that will carry them to the airport. Doyle notices that it’s armored, and the sidhe do not do well surrounded by a lot of metal. They also are prevented from performing any magic. Merry gets all serious, likely planning on asking the humans if they have any other vehicles so that her men can ride comfortably.

Rhys pulled me into a one-armed hug. “Don’t look so serious, Merry-girl. We can do it for a short ride. Besides, this much metal doesn’t just keep us from doing magic.”
I looked at him, and thought I understood what he meant, but it was too important to leave to chance. “Do you mean that if we are attacked their magic won’t work around the armored vehicles either?”
“I think this much man-made shielding will shatter any spell directed at it,” Doyle said.

I swear, half of Merry’s dialogue lines start with “Do you mean…”. She never understands anything anyone says to her and needs it clarified 100 times.

Merry kisses Doyle, telling him it was for “being brave”, and then they start fully making out. Specialist Gregorio gets pissy about this, telling them they’re “running short on time”, and when Merry pulls back from the kiss her eyes are glowing, which startles Gregorio. So Rhys begins teasing Gregorio, telling her Merry’s eye’s glowing is nothing compared to how they glow during sex.

So finally, FINALLY, we think they’re going to get in the cars. You know, the armored vehicles that her men said would be fine for them for a short distance?

Rhys turned to me and there was no teasing on his face ,but almost a sadness. “You don’t know what it’s going to be like for us inside there, Merry.”
I squeezed his arm. “If it’s that bad, Rhys, then you and the other men ride in something more open. I saw some Jeeps. I’ll ride in here by myself.”
He shook his head. “What kind of guards would we be if we did that?” He leaned in and whispered, “And what kind of future fathers would we be?”

Ones that didn’t whine all the time, that’s who.

I laid my face against his cheek. “Being my king may never be safe, or easy.”
“Love isn’t supposed to be easy, Merry, or everyone would do it.”
I drew back enough to see his face. “Everyone falls in love.”
“It’s not the falling, Merry, it’s the staying in love.”

So, this bullshit is highlighted in my Kindle copy of this book. Enough people think this is deep and insightful that they highlighted it to save it as a quote. Fuck that. I for one DO NOT believe that love isn’t supposed to be easy. Love can be SUPER easy if you’re with someone who also believes that. Love can be SUPER easy if you’re with someone who respects you enough to make it so, and you respect them enough to do the same. I for one don’t want love to be so difficult I have to overcome challenge after challenge just to be happy. That’s not love.

Anyway, Merry gives Rhys a kiss “for bravery”, and Rhys tells her that she makes her men all want to be better than they are, which pisses both Gregorio AND ME right off.

“What is this a late-night Gidget rerun?” Specialist Gregorio asked. “I don’t know what you mean.” I said.
She frowned at me. “The moral of the original Gidget movie was that a real woman makes the men around her want to be better people. Which I hated, because then if the men around you are bastards, it implies that if you were woman enough, they’d straighten up. Which is bullshit.”
I looked at the two men nearest me. Galen waved from the other truck they were getting inside. I blew him a kissed, and wished I could have done more.
“A good leader inspires her troops to do their best, Specialist Gregorio.”
“Sure,” she said.
Doyle spoke as he slipped into the Humvee. “Women are always the head of the household, if the house runs well,” he said, and he slipped inside the great metal beast.
Specialist Gregorio looked at me, frowning. “Is he for real?”
I nodded. “Oh, yes, he’s for real.” I smiled at her. “Remember, we’re Goddess worshippers. It makes us see things a little differently.”

NO IT DOESN’T.

First off, Merry is NEVER the head of their household. The men are constantly overruling her, constantly ignoring her suggestions and orders, and constantly changing everything about their household. Merry simply exists around them. She inspires nothing except inspiring me to throw my Kindle across the room.

Anyway, this utterly pointless chapter ends with Merry and Rhys climbing into the Humvee.