Peri sat there, still as a statue, staring at Lilly as if she’d lost her damn mind, which, to be fair, she kind of had. Also, she had gone over and over in her head how she was going to tell Peri what had happened, what she’ddone, with the whole blood oath thing, and she couldn’t envision a scenario where the high fae didn’t flip out.
Peri examined her nails, as if they weren’t perfect like the rest of her. Lilly wondered if she was counting backward from one hundred to calm down so she wouldn’t zap Lilly’s ass. Probably. Peri’s eyes rose to look at Lilly. Okay, she was definitely counting and trying not to zap. That was good, right? Peri actually showing some restraint.
“I’m going to speak very slowly.” Peri leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She was wearing a pair of black cargo pants, a dark tank top, and a black jacket. The ensemble didn’t fit the high fae’s personality, or at least Lilly didn’t think so, but lately she saw Peri in nothing but black. Like she wanted to make sure she was ready for a fight at any moment. “Lilly!”
Peri’s sharp tone snapped Lilly from thoughts about the fae’s clothing. She looked back at Peri’s face. It was not a happy face. “I’m listening,” Lilly assured her.
“I’m going to speak very slowly,” Peri said again. “I can only assume, based upon what you’ve just told me, that you’ve lost your ever-loving mind. That’s understandable, considering the events of the past month. Generally, when I need crazy people to cooperate with me, I threaten them with bodily harm. If that doesn’t work, I follow through with the threat. Are you with me so far?”
Lilly nodded. What else could she do? She didnotwant to be turned into a rug. “Bloody fae balls!” Lilly yelped and jumped from her seat. She turned around to look where she’d just been sitting and rubbed her backside. She gaped at the offending couch cushion that had somehow just tased her ass, literally, the impact concentrated somewhere on her left cheek.
“That was not as satisfying as I had hoped it would be,” Peri said dryly.
Lilly turned around to glare at the woman sitting across from her. The fae looked bored to tears. “Did you just zap me?” Lilly growled.
Peri shrugged. “Ididwarn you I was in a zappy mood.”
Lilly was still frowning as she sat back down. “I didn’t expect you toactuallydo it.”
“You should know me better than that by now. That’s on you.”
The smugness in Peri’s voice grated on Lilly’s nerves like nails on a chalkboard. Before she realized what she was doing, little bolts of electricity flowed between her fingertips. She flicked her hand toward Peri, who was once again looking at her damn nails. Apparently, the fae had not expected the queen to retaliate. The bolt hit Peri on the back of the hand she was admiring. Peri squawked. The sound caused Lilly to smile—a genuine smile—for the first time in three weeks.
“Did you just zapme?” Peri looked from the back of her hand to Lilly.
Lilly shrugged. “Maybe.”
The gleam in Peri’s eyes was, well, creepy. Lilly knew another bolt was coming. She turned and climbed up and over the couch just as a sharp pain smacked the back of her thigh. “Dammit,” she snarled as she landed on the other side and stayed crouched, using the sofa as cover. Both her hands danced with her magic as she lifted her head just enough to see over the couch. Peri was still sitting there, glaring. Lilly decided to try something new. Instead of a direct attack, she simply pictured where she wanted to hit Peri with her magic and then let it fly.
“Lilly Pierce!” Peri bellowed.
Lilly couldn’t help but snicker. “What?” she asked innocently. “Did the seat cushion bite you as well?”
“If you left a mark on my perfect ass, my mate is going to be thoroughly put out.”
“Then I guess his mate needs to learn who she can and cannot zap.” A second later, Lilly felt a bolt of power hit her own butt again. “Mother trucker,” Lilly said through gritted teeth.
“If you want to play, queenie, then let’s play,” Peri purred. “I’ve been zapping asses a lot longer than you have.”
Lilly pictured Peri’s thighs as she held up her hand and pushed out her magic. Peri cursed. At the same time, Lilly felt the bite of whiplike pain against both of her thighs. Why the hell was she crouching behind the couch? Just like her, the fae could obviously hit Lilly, even when out of sight. Lilly snapped to her feet and backed up, holding both hands in front of herself.
Peri’s eyes glowed faintly. She tossed a ball of light back and forth between her hands, a wicked smile on her face. “Let’s play.” She threw the ball at the queen.
Lilly held her hands up, the bolts of electricity catching the ball like an insect being caught in a spider’s web. She stared at the ball hovering in her lightning web and grinned. She shouldn’t have taken time to revel in her minor victory. A second later, something cold and wet hit her in the forehead. Lilly was so surprised that her hands dropped. She looked down at whatever had splattered her.Snow?She raised her head and found a smiling fae, holding two more snowballs in each hand. “Snowballs?”
“I could have conjured some other type of balls to throw at you,” Peri taunted. “Be happy I just went with snow.” Then she launched the other two faster than the human eye could track.
Lilly threw her hands up, but she wasn’t fast enough. One hit her in the stomach, and the other smacked one of her legs. She was pretty sure snowball production wasn’t one of her newfound powers. And before she could even think to try, a barrage of them hit her, one after the other. Within seconds, she was drenched and cold. “Okay, okay! Dammit, stop with the damn snow already.”
“Are you going to tell me the truth?” Peri’s tone held a clear warning. Lilly had no doubt she’d be buried in an avalanche if she didn’t.
“Yes, fine. I’ll tell you the truth.” Lilly knew she probably sounded like a pissed-off teenager who’d just been caught sneaking in after curfew. She kind of felt like one, too. Peri snapped her fingers. Immediately, Lilly was dry. And instead of the jeans and T-shirt she’d been wearing, she was now adorned in an outfit almost identical to Peri’s, except she wore a puffy vest instead of a jacket. “Why, thank you, Mom, for dressing me.”
“You’re welcome, child. Now sit your adolescent ass down and spill your guts.”
Lilly sulked back over to the couch and sat. She took a deep breath and blew it out, causing her cheeks to puff out. “So, I had just gotten off the phone with Jacque—”
“Thank the goddess you finally called her,” Peri mumbled.
