Feeling defensive now, I braced myself for more questions about my father. But after a few seconds, Gil just pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and a lighter from the other. His movements were too fast, too unnatural to appear human. He’d have to keep working on that.
With a thoughtful frown, Gil tapped the end of the cigarette and sent embers toward the ground. He followed the direction of my gaze and misinterpreted why I was staring. He shrugged and said, “I figured now that I’m dead, it doesn’t really matter anymore, right?”
“Funny. Emma says something similar. ‘I’m on death’s doorway anyway, girl, let me be!’”
Gil grinned. “All right, well, I’d better head back—Horstman is showing me how to replace spark plugs. Cars aren’t my thing, mind you, but I thought it might be a handy skill set now that I have an eternity of breakdowns ahead of me. Thanks for the bloodbath, Sworn. Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks. Back at you.”
The vampire hesitated, then knocked his shoulder against mine. A faint smile touched my lips as he turned away.
That smile quickly faded once he was gone, and my gaze drifted over the corpses littering the snow. A breeze murmured past, carrying Laurie’s scent on it. It was the only way I knew he was standing beside me.
“Guess this means Belanor really is awake,” I commented. “Not that the invitation left much room for doubt. I thought you said he wouldn’t attack until the night of the opera, though.”
“We were wrong,” he said simply. He turned away, raising his phone to his ear. Good to know that he had a cleanup crew on standby, I thought.
A crow called into the stillness. I searched a nearby treetop for it, but the branches were empty. They reached toward the dimming sky like a withered hand. As I stood there and stared, my arm began to ache from the weight of the sword.
Knowing there was no turning back once I obeyed my next impulse, I reached into my pocket and ran my fingertip along the edge of the invitation there. After another beat, I pulled it out and wordlessly held it out to Laurie, who was already done with his call. “Fine. I’ll go.”
I didn’t wait for his response. Instead, I returned my attention to the bloody mess surrounding us, picking my way over bodies and carnage. Belanor must’ve sent these things as an incentive. To piss me off. To warn me.
Next time he sent them—and there would be a next time, of that I was certain—someone I loved could be caught in the crosshairs. There was only one way to stop the attacks. I’d seen his stable now, and Belanor had more than enough of the beasts to spare.
I was cold now. The pain of it settled into my bones. I forced myself to meet Laurie’s gaze again. “I have an idea,” I said. “A way to make it seem that Collith and I have reconciled, find out what Belanor’s spell does, and get us close to him again. Close enough to gut, hopefully.”
The faerie’s eyes gleamed. “You have my attention.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
As agreed, I met the others just beyond the tree line.
In a single glance, it was obvious I’d interrupted something. Laurie was grinning, his eyes glittering as they always did when he’d succeeded in pissing someone off. Collith’s posture was stiff. I wasn’t sure whether to smirk or sigh. The sigh won—it was barely noon and I hadn’t been awake long. My coffee hadn’t kicked in yet.
There was something else that hadn’t kicked in, too. I’d only realized it that morning as I stared into a pan of eggs, and an alarm went off inside me. I’d thought backward, trying to remember the last time I had gotten my period.
It was well over a month ago.
“Sorry I’m late,” I said, then almost winced at my choice of words. To hide this, I raised my eyebrows at Laurie. “I got caught up in the fact that I really don’t want to be here. You look horrible, by the way.”
“I look fucking fantastic, and you know it,” he countered, entirely unbothered. As the faerie tugged at the lapels of his black tuxedo, I watched him take in the frumpy sweater and ripped jeans I currently wore. He shook his pale head. “No. We need something with more cleavage.”
“Not every situation calls for breasts, Laurie.”
He winked. “All of the fun ones do.”
I rolled my eyes as the corner of my mouth twitched, betraying me. I didn’t let myself actually smile, though—I could feel Collith watching our exchange. Listening to every word. Ignoring him, I turned and showed Laurie my backpack. “There’s a dress in here. I’ll change when we get to Germany. You’ll approve of what I chose, I promise.”
Laurie gave me a look that said, We shall see. Rolling my eyes again, I shouldered my bag and we set off through the woods, our boots crunching over ice and snow.
The journey was a silent one. My faerie companions seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, and they walked slightly ahead of me. Not together, of course. But just as Collith had watched me and Laurie, I now found myself watching the two of them. Something had changed in the brief time they’d been staying at the safe house—maybe it was that Collith didn’t radiate pure hatred, and Laurie wasn’t saying something every five minutes to piss him off.
Or maybe I’d had the thought too soon. In the next moment, Laurie spoke under his breath, deliberately making it impossible for me to hear him
Whatever he said made Collith’s fists clench. He mentioned checking the area for Guardians before sifting. I saw him far ahead, his head tilted to listen for voices or footsteps, and then Collith sifted again. This time, he went out of sight.
Laurie paused, waiting for me to catch up. We walked side by side now. Sunlight streamed through the naked treetops, and a crow’s call echoed.
“I saw a memory in Collith’s head the night we got him out of that cell,” I said without preamble. Laurie’s silver head turned in my direction. “It was right after you made that ridiculous marriage proposal in front of everyone. Collith tackled you and started beating the shit of you. ‘There you are,’ you said. You sounded so… triumphant. As if he’d played right into your hands. That’s when I finally put it together. Your reason for causing that scene in the throne room, I mean. You were trying to draw Collith out.”
I could feel Laurie looking at me, but I kept my eyes on the path ahead. After another moment the Seelie Prince said, his voice soft, “He was killing himself, Fortuna. A little more, every day. Getting Collith back to his Court, where he could see his throne, that’s what brought him back.”
“You’re wrong. He didn’t care about the throne.” I stopped and faced him. I wasn’t sure why it was so important to me that Laurie finally admitted the truth of his feelings for Collith, but it was. “I think there’s a small part of him that still loves you. Maybe more than a small part. That’s why he reacts so strongly every time so much as your name comes up. That’s why you kept tabs on him over the years, and spied on me when you didn’t know what my motives were, and insisted on saving him from Viessa—you still love Collith, too.”
Laurie’s only reaction was a bland smile. “It’s kind of you to attempt mending the bridge between us, Your Majesty, but sometimes it isn’t only a matter of too much water under the bridge. Sometimes, the bridge has been washed away completely, and there’s simply nothing left to repair.”