“Okay,” Lilly said, nodding. She sounded calm to her own ears, although she was freaking out on the inside. Sure, she’d fought in some battles, but she hadn’t beenalone, fighting a far more experienced warlock who, if he defeated her, could change the future of the warlock people forever and probably not for the better. This seemed a tad more daunting. “So what do I need to do?”
Peri snapped her fingers and a book—large, old, and dusty—appeared in her hands. “You need to read this.”
Lilly’s eyes widened. “That whole book?”
Peri shrugged. “Do you have something else going on? Is your calendar suddenly full? Do you have more pacing, crying, and incoherent mumbling to do in between negotiating blood contracts with murderers?”
Don’t slap the high fae, don’t slap the high fae, don’t slap the high fae,Lilly chanted in her mind as she met Peri’s gaze. “I’ll have to double check. I’ve been quite busy lately, mostly with this online class I’m taking. Maybe you’ve heard of it? It’s calledHow to Strangle a High Fae and Make it Look like an Accident.”
Gerick and Lucian both coughed. Lilly didn’t miss the slight smiles that appeared on their faces before they quickly returned to stony impassivity.
Peri raised her chin and narrowed her eyes. “Okay, that was actually a good one,” she said. “Never let it be said that Perizada of the high fae can’t take as much crap as she dishes out.” She set the book on the coffee table and pushed it toward Lilly. “You don’t have to read thewholebook. I’ve marked the parts you need to read. You must know what he is allowed to do and what he isnotallowed to do. I assure you, he is going to assume you’re ignorant and try to capitalize on that.”
“It’s really annoying when people do that,” Lilly said as she stared at the book.
“If your nightly visitor makes an appearance tonight,” Peri said, looking at her pointedly, “you might ask some questions.”
Gerick narrowed his eyes and looked from Lilly to Peri, his protective instincts no doubt going into overdrive.
Lilly held up a hand. “It’s okay, Gerick. She’s talking about Cypher.” The fact that she was seeing visions of her dead mate wasn’t something she’d planned on telling the general, but she didn’t want him hanging outside her door thinking he needed to protect her from an intruder. “His soul has been making an appearance.” Judging by Gerick’s reaction, or lack thereof, he wasn’t surprised.
“Why aren’t you looking at me like I’m crazy?” Lilly asked.
Gerick’s eyes softened. “The wolves are not the only supernaturals that have a special mate bond. Ours may be different, but it is just as strong. There is nothing crazy about the fact that your souls long for one another and still perhaps need one another.”
Lilly swallowed the knot in her throat at the understanding she saw in her general’s eyes. She wondered if he knew this from experience. The question must have been clear on her face.
“No, I have never had a mate. But I have been around a long time and, unfortunately, watched many of my kind lose their mates. Your pain is not lost on your people, Lilly. There are many who have been through it and grieve for more than just the loss of their king. They grieve for your loss as well.”
“All right,” Peri stood, and her mate joined her. “We will leave you to it.”
“Wait, what?” Lilly said, scrambling to her feet. “You’re leaving?” She’d just been told she would be challenged for her throne in a couple of weeks, now she was being left to digest that little factoid all on her own?
“You have plenty to do while waiting for the crazy, cotton-candy-eating murderer and her unlikely comrade to make their appearance,” Peri said, motioning to the book. “We’ll let you get to it. I expect a text the minute they arrive.”
“Um, what should I do?” Lilly asked, her voice going up a pitch.
“I don’t know,” Peri said, waving her hand around like that somehow explained something. “Read the book I gave you? Do jumping jacks or sit-ups while listening to some music that gets you ready to kick some ass? You are looking a little soft around the middle.”
Lilly’s mouth dropped open. Oh, no she did not. “A little soft?” she drawled.
“Around the middle,” Peri said, pointing and making a circular motion at Lilly’s stomach, as if Lilly had forgotten in the span of three seconds. “Although, if I remember correctly from the other day, your thighs seemed a bit dimply as well. Maybe some lunges would be good, too.”
Lilly glanced at Gerick, who was taking slow steps backward toward the door, as if he wanted to sneak out before all hell broke loose. Smart man. “I need to speak with our warriors about Myanin and the training assistance she will offer. I think it best we don’t divulge her history for now,” he said.
To his credit, his reason for getting out of dodge was legitimate. Lilly agreed. “Good idea.” Gerick left without another word. She looked back, ready to rip into the damn high fae about her soft middle and dimply thigh comments, but Peri and her mate were already gone.
Lilly huffed and sat back down. She mentally grumbled a string of random curse words as she stared at the book for a long moment before finally picking it up. She flipped it open and ran her eyes across the letters. “Bloody high fae, asshat.” She growled as she tossed the book back onto the table. It was written in a language she couldn’t read.How the hell am I supposed to make any sense of this?“One of these days, Perizada,” she muttered and leaned back on the couch. The queen sighed and ran both hands down her face.
What was she supposed to do now? She wasn’t about to call Peri and ask the fae to come read the thing to her like a toddler asking her mom for a bedtime story. She could ask someone in the clan, but that made Lilly feel separated from them, as if she shouldn’t be their queen if she couldn’t read their ancient language. She ground her teeth. Sure, she wasn’t a warlock, and she didn’t know their history. But she’d been mated to their king, and he’d appointed her their leader.
“How can I help, my love?”
Lilly jumped as Cypher’s voice rumbled from behind her. She stood and turned to face him … or rather … his soul. “You’ve got to make some noise when you pop in,” she said, pressing her hand to her racing heart. Then she relaxed and let herself drink him in. Lilly always did when he first appeared because she never knew if it was going to be the last time she was going to see him. The part of her that had been emotionally torn about seeing him had faded. She’d decided she’d rather have her nights with him for as long as possible than not have him at all. That probably wasn’t a healthy mindset, but then signing up to work with a known murderer wasn’t her brightest decision either, so why get all crazy and start making healthy choices now?
She glanced at her phone and noticed it was several hours earlier than when he usually arrived. “What are you doing here?”
“You need me,” he said simply.
