“Maybe,” I said as I turned out her light. “But don’t forget to just be a kid, too.”
* * *
“And you havenogossip?Come on. You’re holding out on me. What’s an NDA between friends?”
I laughed as Zara peppered me with questions. We were at Oi Sushi, the best Japanese restaurant in town, on a rooftop terrace overlooking the waterfront. It was the kind of place that didn’t even list prices on the menu. If you had to ask, you couldn’t afford it. But it was one of my first nights off since starting my new job, and as I’d crossed the lobby, I’d run into Severn, who had looked me up and down in my short strapless dress—used to seeing me in jeans and a sweatshirt—and handed me his personal credit card.
“Enjoy yourself, Willow,” he had said. “On me.”
I’d been shocked by his generosity—but not shocked enough to turn down the credit card.
“I was sworn to secrecy,” I said as the place on my neck where he’d kissed me to seal the confidentiality spell tingled. I pressed a hand to it, self-conscious like I had a hickey, though I knew no one could see it. “And I’m not risking losing a job that pays as well as this one. You should see the view from my private wing of the penthouse. Anyway, there isn’t much to tell. I don’t see Severn very often, and I’ve only glimpsed the rest of the family. I met Poppy and Clay Wilde once. Locke Wilde lives across the hall from me, but he’s a night owl. I swear, ninety percent of my time is spent taking the kids on walks in Central Park or playing Xbox. It isn’t that exciting of a job.”
“Yeah, I don’t buy that at all. You clearly have the coolest job in the city.” Zara gave me a teasing little smile. “Except for one.”
I cocked my head. “What do you mean?”
She beamed. “I got hired as the assistant to Beneto D’Alma.”
I gaped. “The director?”
“That’s right. My cousin consulted on his last movie and put in a good word for me when he heard the director was looking for someone.” She lowered her voice. “And his next movie is going to film in Paris.”
“Zara, that’s incredible! Congratulations!”
I waved over the bartender and ordered us a bottle of champagne. When it came, I filled our glasses and raised a toast. “Wait, does this mean you’re going to have to move?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “The studio is based in LA, but Beneto’s family is here, so I’ll come back to New York every few weeks. You can’t get rid of me that easily.” She gave me a wink.
Another plate of sushi came out, and she popped a piece in her mouth. “By the way, my cousin? The one who got me the job?” She waved her chopstick seductively in my direction. “He’s single.”
“Zara, no offense, but I’m not sure I want to get involved with your family. Their line of work seems…unstable.”
She snorted. “We’renotin the mob, okay? I’ve told you, that’s just a stupid rumor. My parents invest in apps.” She had given me this line plenty of times with such rehearsed familiarity that it felt less and less believable every time. I didn’t know what exactly her parents did for work, but the rumors were grim. Still, I hadn’t had a date in months, and I had put Professor Decker’s gross come-on behind me, so why not?
My mind immediately went to Mia and Talon, the human and fae couple living in Wilde Tower. Ever since I’d had my eyes opened to the hidden realm and to the gorgeous fae like Severn, normal guys just hadn’t caught my eye… How could they ever compare to a silver-haired god, the kind of person who could rule a hidden kingdom and also make time for s’mores with his wards?
My cheeks instantly went hot. I couldnotstart thinking about my boss that way. Of course, he was gorgeous, and I’d spent more time than I’d like to admit replaying that kiss in my mind, but there was no way anything could happen. He was my boss. And from what I had seen, he could be overwhelmingly cold, even cruel. After what happened to Professor Decker, I didn’t wantanythingto do with men in a position of power over me.
I thought of the kiss again, how electric it had felt. I was in serious danger of wanting more…
“Give your cousin my number,” I said quickly.
I took the long walk home, enjoying the cool night air. Two men passed me with glowing yellow eyes—werewolves. They grinned at me like Halloween jack-o’-lanterns, and one gave a wink as they ducked into a pawn shop. I kept thinking of that crazy thought I’d had about how the regular world would never be enough after what I’d seen of the hidden realm…and how no human guy could compare to Severn.
He’d been so condescending at the interview for the job, looking at me merely as a means to an end. Someone to take care of the wards he’d been saddled with. No, that was being unkind…hedidcare about Henry and May, as much as any fae could. But I wasn’t sure how much thatwas. Were fae capable of caring about humans as much as their cold, beautiful selves? What about Mia and Talon? What about how Severn had seemed to genuinely value his friendship with Marco, the children’s father?
The truth was, there was so little about my employer I knew. I’d only had a handful of conversations with him, most of them involving him being gruff and dismissive. I wasn’t sure if I was terrified of him or enthralled by him. There was so much still to learn about the Gifted Ones and the various courts, about how all the different magic worked and the delicate balance between werewolves and witches, fae and sprites and demons. In the center of it all was Severn.
It’s lonely at the top, Azalea had said of him.
Was it true that he was an outlier even among the fae? As regent, he was above them but also apart from them, held at a distance? Maybe to make the decisions he had to, he couldn’t let himself get too involved with anyone. I certainly knew what it felt like to be lonely. I’d been on my own the last five years, and before that, it was just me and my crazy mom, who’d been gone far more than she was ever home.
The doorman at Wilde Tower tipped his head with a “Miss O’Dell,” and Azalea, who had watched Henry and May on my night off, had me tell her all about my night out with Zara. We chatted about where I’d gotten my dress, and by the time I was back in my bedroom, bathed and scrubbed and in my robe, I felt a feeling I’d never felt before.
In this otherworldly tower full of monsters, I felthome.
ChapterEleven
