The fae was taller than me, with a wealth of curly blonde hair that fell almost to her butt. She wore a snug green dress that managed to flatter her figure while still remaining office-appropriate.
I gazed ruefully down at my coffee-stained t-shirt, meeting Vas’ gaze as I glanced up. He grinned at me, his eyes dropping to the stain.
At least one of us was amused.
The elevator was tiny, and I had a sneaking suspicion it was to discourage demon visitors. Of course, if they truly wanted free reign of this building, they’d land on the roof, but without an invitation, that would likely be seen as an act of war.
Unlike his uncle, Vassago showed no discomfort as we squeezed into the elevator. The fae jumped, glancing at him, and he smirked at her.
“Apologies,” he said. “My wings are… big.”
He gave her an ‘ain’t-I-irresistible’ grin that implied it wasn’t the only thing about him that was big, and the fae sent him a flirtatious smile in return. Feathers brushed my neck as Vas slumped in the elevator, and I had a feeling he’d wrapped his wings around him like a cocoon. I pushed down the urge to ask him to show them to me.
Almost twenty-six years I’d gone without seeing demon wings, and now I was surrounded by them at every turn. It wasn’t surprising that I burned to see them.
Mariam’s office was roomy, with floor-to-ceiling windows which offered sweeping views of the city and allowed the sun to stream in. She gestured for us to sit in the plush chairs in front of her desk and as I turned, my shirt slid up, revealing the Mistilteinn Dagger in my belt sheath. Mariam’s eyes widened as she stared at the dagger’s hilt. “Where did you get that?”
“I have Samael’s permission to use it,” I dodged the question, well aware that my trusty dagger would narc on me if I lied. I sat down and made sure the dagger was covered by my shirt. I didn’t need to use it here. The high fae couldn’t lie.
Disgust mixed with avarice in her eyes and I tilted my head. Her glamor had slipped, and she couldn’t hide exactly how much she wanted to get her hands on my dagger. I’d bet she thought it should be returned to the fae.
Not if I had anything to do with it.
Next to me, Vas shifted, likely arranging his invisible wings around the back of the chair. I shifted my attention back to the fae.
“We just have a couple of questions for you regarding some recent murders,” I said, and Mariam’s eyes lit with interest.
“Murders?”
I nodded and gave her most of the details, leaving out the knife and the fact that it had pointed to either a fae or a witch.
“Both the light and dark fae kings are currently in a truce with the demons. None of their subjects would dare disobey them in this.”
“The bodies had been sucked dry of all magic,” I told her, and her brow furrowed.
“The dark fae could do that,” she murmured. “But there would be no point. Fae create their own magic– stealing it from others would be useless to us.”
She clamped her mouth shut and I gazed steadily at her. Like most paranormals, the fae kept their exact powers— and the way they worked— to themselves.
“Look, I’m not here to dig up dirt about your magic, or the way you use it. I’m just trying to find out if a fae could’ve killed those demons. It was a bad way to die,” I said, and her eyes turned brighter.
“I’m sure it was,” she said, nibbling at her lower lip. Finally, she sighed and leaned back in her desk chair.
“I can tell you for sure that the light fae couldn’t have done it. Seelie power is too different from demon power, and they likely would’ve become poisoned in the process.”
“And the unseelie?”
Her nose wrinkled and I almost rolled my eyes. Even amongst their own race, most fae seemed to hold onto ancient grudges.
“The dark fae could do it. But there would be no point. It would take an incredibly powerful unseelie to be able to wield demon magic, and a fae that powerful would have no use for it. They could level this city with barely a thought.”
I shivered at the thought of that much power. No wonder most humans wanted laws in place to tamp down the paranormals’ powers. Mariam seemed to realize she’d freaked me out because she gave me a wide smile, which she also turned on Vas.
“The fae have no need to start a war with demons,” she said. “Many of us enjoy this world, and those that don’t have plenty of other worlds available to them. Besides, none would risk either of the fae kings’ wrath.”
She paled at the thought, and I nodded. “Any chance I can speak to the light fae king?” Mariam would be unlikely to be able to get me close to the dark fae king.
Mariam’s eyes widened in a way that suggested I’d asked to dance naked on her desk.
