I poured, marveling at the fact that I was serving a lesser fae. The man I’d been just months ago would have never believed I would have ties to so many creatures I’d previously ignored. All of those ties came from my little witch.
I handed him his drink and gestured to the sitting area. “The difference is that Danica was at least outdoingsomething. I’m relegated to calling in old favors and new alliances.”
“Difficult place to be. Is it true that you can’t go to the underworld?”
“I’ll lose all power the moment I step through a portal. That doesn’t mean I can’t go.”
The gnome studied me over his drink. “You think she’ll be pleased if she discovers you’ve thrown yourself away?”
“I’m hoping it won’t come to that. But if Lucifer demands my life in exchange for her freedom, the deal is done.”
“She’ll never forgive you. Would she even survive your death?”
“It’s difficult to know. Some bondmates pass immediately. Others… linger. Danica is a survivor.”
“Let’s keep that plan up our sleeve for now.”
In spite of the subject, I smiled. “Why did you come here?”
“Danica would want me to make sure you’re not contemplating anything stupid. Since you already are, she’d want me to attempt to talk you out of it.”
I raised one eyebrow, and he shrugged. “If it comes down to you or her, I choose her. No offense.”
“None taken.”
Gary sighed, leaning back with his drink. “I also came to tell you that there are more people willing to go to war than you might expect.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m more popular than you’d think, given how little interaction I have with most of my people. The gnomes of Durham will join you. The seelie king may be a piece of shit, but Aubrey has already indicated he’s ready to war the moment you say the word, and he has many of his own people who are loyal to him.”
It wasn’t often that I was speechless.
Gary sent me a sympathetic look. “Danica is the kind of person who inspires loyalty.” He got to his feet. “Thanks for the drink. I need to get back to the boys.”
“You likely shouldn’t join this battle. You have younglings to protect.”
He grinned at me, his sharp teeth flashing in the light. “I’ve named you and Danica as godparents.”
I stared at him, speechless. His grin widened. “Yeah. She had the same reaction. Guess you better keep me alive.” He strolled out, as if he hadn’t just blindsided me.
I was ademon. What would I do with gnome younglings?
I shook that off. The gnome was just like Danica—finding amusement in my disconcertment. I didn’t have time to imagine life as a foster parent to Cil and Zip.
But Gary would find it difficult to risk his life when he was surrounded by some of my best warriors. I made a mental note to order Ag to ensure the gnome was well-protected during this war.
A roar sounded, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. I shouldn’t be able to hearanythingup here, but the griffin didn’t exactly conform to the laws of logic. The creature wasdispleasedat having both Danica and Kyla gone.
The wolves hadn’t left. It seemed as if Nathaniel had half of his pack here, all of them staying on the guest floors. Everywhere I looked, wolves lounged, ate everything they could get their hands on, and planned vengeance against the demon who had dared take one of their own.
Never could I have imagined playing host to the pack, although—after they’d hostedmypeople while I was slowly dying—it was more than fair. Another alliance Danica had created.
Lilith stepped into the room. “It’s starting to smell like dog down there.”
I sighed. “What is it, Lilith?”
“Firstly, Bael wants to keep the butler. He says he’ll put up with the scent of dog if it means he can have more of his cookies.”
