by Chloe Neill
“Typical Big Fairy,” Theo said, closing his eyes. “Could you maybe keep it down a little? I’d like to rest a little bit.”
I hadn’t made a sound, but I didn’t argue. I let him sleep, and I thought about fairy tricks . . . and whether they’d work in reverse.
* * *
• • •
We were greeted at Cadogan House like heroes, or Theo was, anyway, as my mother proceeded to ply him with food and drink. Lulu had dropped off my katana, and it felt good to belt it on again. Gabriel and Miranda waited with my parents in my father’s office, and I felt a momentary pang that Connor wasn’t with them.
He’ll come back, I told myself. He said he would, and he will. But he wasn’t here yet, and I had to put that out of my mind.
“You don’t need to thank me,” Theo said. “Your daughter did the heavy lifting.”
“Literally,” I said. “And I owe you for showing up in the first place.”
“The OMB owes you one,” Yuen argued.
I looked at him, nodded. I was enough of a Sullivan to accept a good offer. “Okay. I’ll take that on credit.”
“Let’s start with the fact that Riley will be released within the hour,” Yuen said with a smile. And a little of the weight that had pressed down on my shoulders fell away.
I closed my eyes in relief.
“The pin you found tested positive for Tomas’s blood,” Yuen said. “Adding that to the surveillance video from Cadogan House, the fairies’ subsequent activities, and the remains of a bloody tunic found by the CPD in the castle’s keep’s main fireplace, the prosecutor became convinced she had the wrong man.”
I opened my eyes again. “He burned the tunic in the castle?”
“He did,” Yuen said with a smile that said he was less than impressed by the fairy’s effort to conceal evidence. “Most of the tunic was destroyed, but scraps of the fabric near the collar remained. They tested positive for blood—and there are visible holes from the pin.”
My only regret was that I hadn’t found it myself, since I’d walked right by that damn fireplace.
“The fairies were gone when the CPD got to the castle,” Yuen said. “Presumably hiding in the green land again.”
“Ruadan wants to complete his plan,” I said, “and he hasn’t been able to do that yet because the ley lines weren’t strong enough. He kidnapped me because he thought I could provide the missing power.”
“Why?” my father asked.
“Because we were born around the same time, right after Sorcha, during the fairy Renaissance. He thinks that makes me magically similar to the fairies, and that he could use that power to complete the switch. He started the magic, but didn’t finish it before Theo showed up. And he’ll try again, because he’s convinced that’s the only way fairies will survive.”
I hadn’t told my parents the entire truth about me, but I’d been honest about what Ruadan had said. I decided that didn’t make me entirely a liar.
“In order to do that,” Theo continued, “they’re going to have to show themselves again. Pop back into this world.”
“Yeah,” I said. “And when they do, I think we should take advantage of it.”
“How so?” my father asked.
“Fairies like to play tricks. They like cons and games, because they think they’re innately smarter, braver, and more talented than any other supernatural. I say we turn the tables against them. We trick them into believing we have something they need.”
“Which is?” Yuen asked.
I smiled. “A solution to their magical problem. We give them one. We give them Claudia.”
* * *
• • •
An hour later, after the idea had been talked and argued through, and Yuen had secured Dearborn’s and the mayor’s approval, my mother opened the door of my father’s office to the fairy queen who stood in the hall.
Her hair fell loose in waves over pink scrubs, and she was escorted by Delia on her left and Kelley on her right. The vampires in the room looked curious. The shifters still looked dubious. The humans looked amazed.
Claudia tossed her head. She might have been physically and magically weak, but the woman knew how to get attention.
Since she was in my father’s House, he and Yuen had decided my father would take the lead. While the rest of us looked on, he stood with his hands in his pockets, wearing his coldest—and, to my mind, scariest—expression.
“Claudia,” my father said.
“Bloodletter. I am being held against my will. I wish to be released.”
“Excellent news, as we are here to offer you the terms for your release. Your protégé has tried again to shift the green land to Chicago. Thus far, he’s tried and failed. And, as a result, he has spread, shall we say, bubbles of your world around ours. Theo,” he prompted, and Theo sent images of the affected areas to the wall screen.
Claudia’s gaze flicked to the grasses that waved in the pockets of Chicago. Her eyes widened instantaneously. “He is no protégé of mine.”
But the lie showed clearly in her eyes.
My father didn’t comment on it. “Ruadan is destroying our world. He kidnapped my daughter this night in an effort to try it again. He was thwarted, and your castle was damaged in the process.”
Her eyes flared. “He dare not.”
“Oh, he dared,” my father said. “And now he will be stopped. You can assist in that process, with a result that is beneficial to your interests, or we can do it without you.”
Silence fell heavy, a curtain drawn forward, interrupted only by the tick of the clock on the other side of the room.
“How do you propose to stop him?” she finally asked.
“You will send a message to Ruadan that you were captured by vampires and cruelly treated. You now see that he was correct, that the fairies must bring the green land here, whatever the cost. After studying the Ephemeris yourself, stolen from the Cadogan library, you have identified the optimal location for the process. You will wait for him there, and you will work the magic together and rule as king and queen.”
Her eyes were hard. “I am queen of the fae. I rule with no man.”
“Get it, girl,” Petra muttered.
“You don’t have to rule with him,” my father said coolly. “You only need tell him that you will. The humans will arrest him and his allies. You will be returned to your castle to live in peace with the fairies who chose not to join him.”
“I owe you no boon.”
“My daughter was kidnapped by one of your people,” my father reminded her. “A boon is owed, as you will recognize. But moreover”—my father moved closer, and there was no mistaking the cold anger glinting in his eyes—“you will help stop Ruadan, or you will lose what’s left of your people and your kingdom. You help us, and you will regain them. And we will deliver him to you to be punished as you wish.”
Yuen hadn’t been thrilled about that part of the plan, but he knew my father would need room to negotiate.
Claudia walked to my father’s desk, ran a fingertip across a chunk of quartz that held down papers. “And what do you seek in return for delivering him to me?”
“You will reverse the damage he’s done.”
“I could tell you that’s impossible.”
“You’re a powerful queen,” he said. “That would be a lie.”
She lifted her gaze to him again. “I could betray you.”
“You could. But you won’t. You may not like or respect us, but you hate him more. He has sought to depose you. To harm your subjects. To ruin your castle. To destroy your world. To harm what you have built here. You have no love of Ruadan.”
A pause. “They will be suspicious.” She looked at me. “You told him that I believed he was wrong? That he would harm this world?”
I glanced at Yuen, my father, got their n
ods before answering. And when I did, said, “Yes. But he didn’t believe me. And I think you could convince him pretty easily that I was lying to drive a wedge between you. That you weren’t sure it could be done, but the Ephemeris changed your mind.”
“You are their queen,” my father said, the words a challenge. “Make them believe.”
Claudia walked back to him, and my mother moved a hand to her katana, just in case.
“Your blade is not needed,” Claudia said, without looking at her. She looked down at her scrubs. “But I need garments befitting royalty. Something that will . . . inspire him.”
“That,” my father said with a slow smile, “can be arranged.”
TWENTY-THREE
Claudia was escorted back to her room, and we got to work on the details.
“We need a location,” Yuen said. “We need to ensure that area is evacuated. We need CPD personnel in place to capture the fairies, and transportation to get them to the facility.”
“Faster to just kill them all,” Miranda muttered.
“Mass murder isn’t the most diplomatic solution,” Gabriel said.
“We have time,” I said. “Because this is our con.”
“And I think I have a place.”
We all looked at Theo.
“Lake Shore East Park,” he said, gaze on the monitor.
He’d pulled up a satellite image of downtown Chicago that showed the small park north of the river and just west of Lake Michigan.
Walkways swept through a rectangle of grass in dramatic arcs. There was a playground near the lake end, and a water feature that moved downhill toward it. The walkways were lined with trees and shrubs, as were the outer edges of the park.
“It’s over the north-south ley line. It’s a manageable area, and it’s bounded by buildings. But it’s also near Lake Shore Drive, so most of the humans have already been evacuated. We’ve got the lake nearby if we need to make a quick escape. And it’s fancy.”
“It’s fancy?” my father asked.
Theo lifted a shoulder. “It’s a nice park. A modern park. It looks like the kind of place Ruadan would want to take a stand.”
“Now that you mention it,” my father said, nodding his agreement.
Yuen was already working on his screen. “I’ll contact Dearborn. Then we’ll work on getting everything else in place.”
“I’ll help.”
We looked back.
The prince of wolves stood in the doorway in jeans and a T-shirt, leather motorcycle jacket over it. Helmet in hand, Connor strode toward us, but kept his gaze on me. The look in his eyes was like lightning, and it sent a bolt of heat through my body and a frisson of magic into the room.
That magic was matched by Miranda’s rage.
She strode forward and grabbed his arm with painted fingers, fury radiating in her wake. “What the hell are you doing here? You were supposed to leave hours ago. You have responsibilities!”
Connor’s expression went hard, his gaze very cool. “I’m well aware of my responsibilities, Miranda. And you’re going to want to remove your hand. As much as you might want to be, you aren’t Apex of this Pack.”
Her eyes fired, but she pulled back her hand. “Neither are you.”
“I’m aware of that, too.” He looked back at his father, his competitor. “If the Pack determines they don’t want me, that will be their decision to make. But I’ll be damned if I’ll run away now.”
Miranda pressed on. “So you’re abdicating your responsibility to lead them to Alaska?”
“No. I’m taking on the responsibility of leading them here. There’s a battle to be fought on the road, and there’s a battle to be fought in Chicago.” He looked at me, his gaze searing right through my soul. “I’m joining this battle.”
“And Alaska?” Gabriel asked.
“I’ve found a replacement.”
Gabriel just lifted his brows.
“Aunt Fallon,” Connor said with a smile. “She and Uncle Jeff decided to take a vacation.”
Only a shifter would refer to a several-thousand-mile drive though enemies as a vacation.
“I’m here now,” he said, and slid his gaze to my father. “And I understand you’ve got a plan.”
* * *
• • •
It took hours to get the CPD team in place, the remaining residents evacuated. And, of course, to get Claudia suitably dressed.
When she walked back into my father’s office, her hair was gleaming and plaited and crowned with a golden diadem, the scrubs exchanged for a gown of stunning crimson with beading along the scoop neck and long, draping sleeves.
“Claudia,” my father said, walking to her, “you are a vision.”
As if the dress had restored her confidence, her acknowledging smile was haughty. “I am a queen,” she said.
“Of course.”
“Where’d you get the outfit?” I whispered to my mother.
“Lindsey’s been doing cosplay,” she said with a grin. Lindsey was her best vampire friend, and a whiz at reinventing herself.
Yuen showed Claudia the park, explained the general plan, then looked back at her. “The CPD team is in place and waiting. The rest of the team will move into place when you can get an invitation to Ruadan.”
She slid her gaze to Petra. “May I borrow your hand, aeromancer?”
Petra glanced at Yuen, got his nod, and walked toward her. She pulled off her glove and presented her hand, palm up, to Claudia.
Her eyes fixed on Petra’s, Claudia put her hand above it, then closed her eyes, murmured something that had magic lifting in the room and sparks crackling between their fingers.
Her lips spreading in a smile that had my mother putting a hand on her weapon, Claudia touched a fingertip to Petra’s palm. The resulting spark was enough to make even Petra jump.
“The message is sent,” Claudia said, opening her eyes again and shifting her gaze back to the rippling grass on the monitor. “We will see if he agrees to play your game.”
* * *
• • •
Transportation was arranged. Weapons were checked. And Connor walked to me, his expression unfathomable, and gestured to the hallway.
“Can I talk to you?”
I nodded and followed him into the hallway, then down the corridor to a quiet spot behind the main stairwell.
I wanted to tell him I was glad that he’d stayed, but I didn’t think I was ready for that admission.
“I brought you something.” As I lifted my brows in surprise, he opened his jacket, fished for something in an interior pocket. He pulled out a toy sword.
I stared at it. “That’s my sword. Why do you have my sword?” I narrowed my gaze. “How do you have my sword?”
“I stole it from Cadogan House.”
I blinked. “You did what?”
“Four years ago, I snuck into Cadogan House and I took it.”
“Why would you do that?”
He lifted a shoulder and grinned in Classic Teenage Connor style. “I wanted to see if I could.”
“You are such a punk.” But I couldn’t help being a little impressed. He might have been reckless, but he was undeniably brave.
His grin was wide, confident. “I should get points for bringing it back to you.”
“Why should you get points for returning something you stole in the first place?”
“Because I think you need a reminder about who you are.”
“And who is that?” I asked cautiously.
He watched me for a minute, as if carefully choosing his words. “You’re different, Elisa. You’re different than you were, and you’re different from the rest of them. You aren’t just a vampire, and you aren’t just their kid.”
“No, I’m the monster nobody knows about.”
“No,”
he said, and the word was forceful. “That’s my point. You’re thinking about rules and biology and what vampires are supposed to be. They don’t apply here, because there’s nothing else like you out there.
“I don’t know what happens in your head,” he said, moving a step closer, his voice growing deeper with each word. “Because you won’t let any of us in. But I’ve seen you fight.”
I swallowed hard against the desire to argue, to reject what he was telling me. To shake him off, because that’s how I’d dealt with the monster. By not thinking about it. By pushing it down and away.
“Trust a shifter, Elisa. Claws don’t make you unclean. They make you strong.”
“Calling a girl’s murderous inner urges one of her strengths isn’t going to win you friends.”
“Are they murderous?”
“They’re violent.”
“I’m violent.”
“It’s not the same.”
“Isn’t it? It’s all magic in some form or other.”
“We don’t have time for this right now,” I said, anger and impatience growing. “We have to get ready for the fight.”
“We absolutely have time for this, because we are getting ready for the fight. This is a conversation you need to have. Why did you let it hurt the man who hurt Lulu? Because you wanted it to.”
My blood sped, my eyes silvering at the rush of fury. “Take it back.” Every word was bitter and bitten off.
“No,” he said. “Because it’s the truth. There may be foreign magic inside of you, Elisa. But there’s no foreign magic in control of you. If you gave it control, it’s because you wanted it. Stop justifying it and stop overthinking it.”
Connor moved a step closer, close enough that our toes nearly touched. And now his voice was a whisper.
He put a fingertip beneath my chin, lifted it so our eyes met. “You’ve been in control for a long time. And you’ve always had your rules. You’ve always known the way things are done. Maybe, with Lulu’s attacker, it was time to do what you wanted.”
The idea made something clench in my abdomen. “To hurt people?”