“Well…”
He shot me a look as he placed Dixon in front of the carrier. The cat seemed to sigh but climbed in. “By the way, I think that’s the first time someone said ‘the King’ around you where you haven’t muttered ‘asshole’ under your breath. Turning over a new leaf?”
“No. He’s still an asshole,” I said without much heat.
Tink looked at me over his shoulder. “He is trapped by duty. That is what he is.”
“What kind of duty?” I asked, thinking of what Caden had said about the traditions.
“Lite Bright, there is not enough time to talk about all his duties.” Locking the door on the carrier, Tink met my stare. “But suffice it to say there are a lot of things that he has to do and say because of that. He had to sacrifice what he cherished most to become King.”
“What would that be? Freedom to do as he pleases?” Which would be a lot.
A faint, almost sad smile appeared on Tink’s face. “In a way, I suppose.”
Fabian returned then. “It is time for us to leave, Tink.”
My heart grew heavy at those words, and as I looked around my living room, it already felt emptier. “Have fun.” I plastered what I hoped was a bright smile on my face. “And take pictures and send them to me.”
“I’ll take so many pictures, it’ll blow your phone up!” My laugh was cut off as Tink all but tackled me with his embrace. We held onto each other for so long, I didn’t think he’d ever let go, but he did, and I saw that his eyes appeared damp when he pulled back. “Tink,” I whispered, sliding my palms down his arms until I reached his hands. I squeezed them. “I’ll see you soon.”
“And you’ll be okay?”
“Of course. Do not worry one second about me.”
He opened his mouth as if he wished to say something, but then he just nodded. “I suck at goodbyes.” He popped forward, kissing my cheek, and then he hurried to Dixon’s carrier, all but running out of the house. “Oh, there’s a package coming from Amazon with the name Peter Parker on it,” he yelled. “Don’t open it! Just put it in my room.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I turned to Fabian. “I don’t even want to know what’s in that package.”
“Strangely, neither do I.” Fabian came forward, hugging me. “You know, you are welcome to join us if you find yourself with free time. I would love to have you there.”
“I’ll think about that.”
“Please do.”
“Take care of him,” I whispered as I hugged Fabian, thinking how strange it was that a few years ago I never would’ve considered embracing a fae.
“Always,” he replied, pulling back. “I imagine you will be heading out yourself, to the meeting my brother called.”
Meeting?
“I do believe Ivy and Ren are on their way,” he added, reaching down and picking up a tote. “They received word that they believe will lead them to the Ancient who wishes to free the Queen.” His gaze caught mine with meaning. “Be safe, Brighton.”
I turned, watching him leave. Something told me that he knew I was unaware of the meeting and was telling me about it. My stomach knotted. Caden had information about Aric and didn’t tell me. I wasn’t exactly surprised by that. While he may be more accepting of me being out there hunting, that didn’t mean he was going to help me find Aric. But it still stung.
The silence of the house settled around me.
Snapping forward, I hurried to the foyer and snatched the keys off the table.
Uninvited or not, I was not being cut out of this meeting.
* * * *
I knew exactly where to find them.
There were several rooms used for meetings on the main level of Hotel Good Fae, and we often moved from one to the other. But the two male fae standing outside the closed door with their backs rigid and their hands clasped was a dead giveaway.
The Knights were always present when Caden was here. I imagined he must stop them from following him when he was at his apartment. Or if they did trail him, they remained well-hidden.
I stopped in front of them, and one of them must’ve seen the look on my face because he stepped aside with a sigh.
“Thank you,” I said sweetly, opening the door.
Ivy and Ren sat across from Caden. Ivy was perched on the table, one leg curled up to her chest. Ren was sitting in the chair beside her. They looked over. Ren’s face went expressionless, but Ivy’s lips thinned. Faye and Kalen were also present, both standing by a window. The latter looked uncomfortable, but Faye looked well…annoyed. Like usual.
Caden was speaking. “Even though he was seen alone….” He trailed off, and without even turning around, I knew he knew it was me. “I see my brother has loose lips.”
The rather cold greeting after yesterday did more than sting, even though I told myself that this meeting wasn’t about us. It burned a hole right through my gut, but I lifted my chin. “I figured you just forgot to tell me.”
“Brighton,” Ivy began.
“Nope.” I held up my hand as I stalked across the room. Sitting down in one of the chairs, I calmly placed my purse on the floor. “I’m here. You all have some sort of information, and I’m a part of this whether you like it or not.”
Ivy looked down at Ren as if he were supposed to do something.
“We were discussing a possible lead.” Caden looked over at me, and our gazes met. Nothing could be gained from his expression, but heat bloomed across my cheeks nonetheless. His lashes swept down, concealing the amber hue of his eyes.
“Oh, so now you’re okay with bringing her in on this?” Ivy demanded.
Faye sighed, muttering, “Here we go again.”
Kalen stared up at the ceiling.
“I’m not okay with it,” Caden answered, refocusing on Ivy. “Not remotely. But it does not appear that any of us, no matter what we do, will change her mind.”
Did including having sex fall in the whole no matter what we do equation? My eyes narrowed on him as a seed of illogical and ridiculous suspicion took hold.
“This isn’t okay.” Ivy unfurled her leg. “I won’t be party to you—”
“Stop.” Ren placed his hand on her leg. “He’s right. Nothing is going to change her mind. And at this point, we’re just beating a dead horse, and we don’t have time for that.”
Ivy looked as if she wanted to argue. “Fine,” she snapped, sending me a look that said this wouldn’t be the last time I’d hear about this.
Great.
Kalen stepped forward at Caden’s nod. “We’ve learned that Aric is still in the city,” he explained. I stiffened. “He was seen this afternoon.”
“Where?” I breathed.
Kalen looked at Caden before answering. “He was seen exiting Flux.”
“What?” I twisted in the chair and turned toward Caden.
“Before you ask, yes, we’ve had eyes on Flux. He was not seen going in, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t well-hidden.” He paused. “Like some do when they go to Flux.”
I ignored that. “And where did he go?”