He grinned at me. God, I hoped he didn’t end up dead.
“Where are we going?”
I opened my car door and gestured for him to get in. “We need to see a fae about a knife.”
Vas was quiet as we drove, seemingly content to stare out the window, deep in thought.
The fae enjoyed the finer things in life. While lesser fae like Gary tended to work 9-5 jobs, high fae were typically powerful enough that they’d built up a sickening amount of wealth over their long lives.
In Durham, most of the high fae lived in Hope Valley, where stately mansions jostled for space amongst new, modern monstrosities. Thankfully, I wouldn’t need to go out to the valley since the light fae had an office in the center of Durham, close to Samael’s tower. I glanced at Vas as we climbed the steps, but he seemed content to let me lead the way, his expression carefully neutral.
The light fae representative’s building had been decorated in gold and white. The carpet was so thick I wished I could take off my shoes and let my feet sink into it, and a receptionist sat behind a long marble counter. To the left, a small sitting area waited, the white armchairs huddled around a gold table.
The receptionist gave me a bored look. I gave her my best hard stare back.
“I need to speak to whoever is in charge.”
She attempted to hide her sneer behind her fake smile. Her eyelashes were so long they almost touched her eyebrows, her eyes so bright they looked neon. I suppressed the urge to advise her to tone down the glamor.
“You’ll need an appointment,” she said. “Mariam doesn’t have anything available until next week.”
I held up my arm. As much as I hated the stupid mark, I may as well use it.
“This says she’ll be able to fit me in. Now. I’m investigating for Samael, and he’s interested in a fast resolution.”
Those long eyelashes fluttered, and a hint of fear entered her eyes as she stared at the gold mark on my arm. “Take a seat,” she said, the sneer gone. “I’ll see what I can do.”
I nodded and she closed her eyes, likely communicating with her boss. Vas leaned against the wall as I sat in one of the padded, white chairs.
“Vassago,” I clicked my fingers as it came to me. “Known for discovering a woman’s deepest secret, finding lost things, and foretelling the past, present, and future.”
He gave me a satisfied grin, and there was nothing innocent in it.
“That’s right.”
I checked my shields.
“I can’t read your secrets, so feel free to tone down the fear,” he told me, something like disappointment flashing across his face. I couldn’t be sure if it was disappointment at my fear or the fact that my secrets were mine alone.
“Did you… learn anything about the murders?”
He shook his head silently and I opened my mouth to press him further, but he nodded toward the long hall to our left. A woman was stalking toward us, her heels sinking into the carpet. A wide smile was pasted on her face, but beneath the glamor she could have been glowering at me, and I’d never know.
There were many reasons why I stayed away from the fae.
I got to my feet and held out my hand.
“Danica Amana,” I said, and the scent of saltwater hit me as the fae shook my hand. I’d bet she was some kind of water fae.
She released my hand and glanced at Vas, who nodded at her, pushing himself off the wall.
“I’m Mariam,” she said. Like demons, most of the fae didn’t have last names. Mariam was also not her real name— the fae didn’t share their true names with anyone.
“Nice to meet you. Do you have somewhere we can talk for a few minutes?”
“Of course. Follow me.”
We made our way down the hall, Mariam practically sprinted in her six-inch heels. I took the opportunity to examine her as we walked toward an elevator.
