I fold my arms. “Godmother says I have to work with Seven on a security-related case in order to stay.”
The grunt he gives holds more than an ounce of pity. “She does know how to dole out a punishment, doesn’t she? Analyzes you to find the open wound and then prescribes the thing that pokes a salted blade into it.”
“I guess that’s why she’s in charge. She knows how to pull people’s strings. Knows exactly what they can’t resist and what fills them with fear. That particular talent gives her power.” I look around his office, trying to think of something to say to change the subject. I don’t want to talk about Seven anymore or my sentence.
He studies me, suddenly serious. “Let me guess. You have to solve whatever this is or you remain in her employ, working with Seven for free, indefinitely.”
I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Sounds about right.”
He taps his chin. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
I take a deep breath. I was hoping he’d say that. “Thing is, River, I imagine one of the benefits of running this place is that you see and hear everything.”
His eyes crinkle at the corners. “Very few things happen in Dragonfly without my hearing about them.”
“I don’t know enough about this case yet, but when I do, will you help me? Having someone like you keep an ear to the ground could give me the advantage I need to meet Godmother’s terms.”
“Of course I’ll help you. Anything you need.”
“Thank you—”
“On one condition…”
There’s always a condition with the fae. I should have expected this. I raise my eyebrows. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”
His dazzling smile is back with an impish tilt. “Come to my firepit on the beach tomorrow night. After everything you’ve been through, you deserve music, ale, and a warm heart to listen to your woes. You can bring Arden if it suits.” He turns over a hand in a gesture of welcome.
Bringing Arden is out of the question. A satyr’s fire is an adult situation if ever there was one, and although no one would hurt her, she might see things she could never unsee. She’s far too young to attend. Still, I find myself longing to go. I didn’t socialize much in the human world. Too risky. Always worried about getting caught. The idea of being myself around good friends with music and laughter sounds like heaven.
“I’d love to,” I say. “I mean, if that’s your price.”
ChapterEleven
I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it. —Thomas Jefferson
The next morning, I leave Wonderland on a crowded character shuttle for Dragonfly After Dark, the adult playground of the Dragonfly theme park world, for my meeting with Seven. Dragonfly Casino is a diamond on the horizon, all glass windows and steel girders plated gold. It’s a fishbowl, intentionally designed to invite voyeurism, a playland for the see-and-be-seen crowd. The rich love to be watched doing rich people things. Here, those on the outside can witness the glitz and glamor and dream of one day being part of it.
At leasthumanscan dream. Fae gambling is prohibited. Too dangerous, with our propensity to bargain and our competing access to luck.
A heavy weight forms in my gut thinking about that. I may have played my last poker game. Gods, I loved it while it lasted. Poker isn’t the only thing I was ever good at, but it’s the career I built and loved more than anything. What other career combines psychology, game theory, and the thrill of a big win? I’ve never found any other work as remotely challenging and exhilarating. Losing my ability to be a poker pro is like experiencing a small death. It’s losing a part of who I am.
I shake off the thought and soldier on. This isn’t about me. It’s about Arden. I need to solve this case and earn my freedom. As long as I’m beholden to Godmother, I have nothing to bargain with, and my job prospects are limited due to my obligation to her. Only by solving this case can I help Arden and give her choices and a path back to the human world.
As I pass through the glass entryway, I notice humans already hugging the craps table at the front of the building. It’s eight in the morning. Either they got an early start or more likely they were at it all night. I snort. Just like Vegas, Dragonfly Casino is open twenty-four seven. Humans can play until they drop from exhaustion or run out of money. Most of the time they run out of money. The house is run by leprechauns after all. Leprechauns always come out on top.
“I have a meeting with Seven Delaney,” I tell the security guard who stops me at the entrance. The leprechaun is wearing a dark suit and an earpiece and scans me from the tips of my wings to my gold shoes, scowling.
The urge to smack that scowl right off his face is almost overwhelming. Getting here required a thirty-minute ride on a shuttle with subpar ventilation. I’m rumpled and annoyed. It doesn’t help that I’ve had to borrow a dress of my mother’s and it hangs on me like a sack, not to mention the pastel color is completely wrong for my complexion. Then again, it wouldn’t matter if I was wearing couture. I don’t belong, not because of what I’m wearing but because of what I am. I’m a pixie, and along with satyrs, we’re not welcome in this casino unless we’re working here, and even then, our roles are predetermined by our species. This casino has never hired a satyr for a human-facing position. Pixies can be servers or dealers. Any position above that goes to a leprechaun.
I ignore the man’s snub. I’m not here to impress, and I don’t care what he thinks of me or my dress. I’m here to do what I have to do to unbind myself from my deal with Godmother.
“I have an appointment,” I say again, clutching my bag in front of my hips.
He checks a clipboard on his podium. “I’m not showing any pixie appointments today. Nice try, honey. If you want to apply for a job, I can give you an application, but either way you’ve got to leave. No pixies at the tables. You want to meet a sugar daddy, try the club.”
Utterly irritated now, I enunciate each word as if the man is hard of hearing. “I have a scheduled meeting with Seven Delaney. We’re working together.”
He chuckles. “Sure you do. I’m sure Mr. Delaney has all sorts of uses for a pixie that would require a private meeting, but he’s busy right now.”
