“You don’t have to convince me of that, Willow. Fae do not marry. And regents definitely do not marry human nannies.”
A fresh wave of embarrassment spread through me. I let out a deep breath. “Is Severn angry?”
“The Wilde Family is always in the news for something. This news is sensational, but it will pass in time. Eventually, the media will print a retraction clarifying that it wasn’t an elopement, but you can bet they’re going to milk the news cycle first for all it’s worth. Severn wants you to stay out of the public eye for a few weeks. Let everything die down. He asked me to make sure you were willing to cooperate.”
“Of course.” What was I going to do, run to the media and tell them it was true? Claim my fifteen minutes of fame? Surely Severn didn’t think that low of me.
Locke smirked and knocked on the partition separating us from the driver. “Take us up to the Poconos.”
When I looked at him in surprise, he said, “Severn asked me to keep you busy for a few hours, away from the city, while they handled security. I thought we’d take a little road trip for the day and hope things have died down by the time we get back.”
Great. Stuck in the back of a car with Severn’s disreputable brother. It wasn’t how I’d intended to spend my day off, but I was thankful for the escape. We rode in silence out of the city, west into Pennsylvania, where urban areas gave way to smaller towns. Once the city was behind us, I relaxed a little, though I felt mortified whenever I thought of having to face Severn again.
“Fae really don’t marry?” I asked Locke. “Never?”
“It’s a human custom. None of the Gifted Ones marry.”
“Okay, I really need to know more about the hidden realm. Because honestly, nothing makes much sense in your world.”
He glanced at me, amused. “My brother only asked me to keep you safe, not be your teacher.” But when I gave him a hard look, he laughed softly and turned in the seat, holding out four fingers. “The Gifted Realm is made up of four magical species. There are the fae, the sprites, werewolves, and demons. There are also witches, though those are humans who have acquired magic through study. They tend to keep to themselves. They are individual magic practitioners and don’t affiliate themselves with a court.”
“And the others? Do they have courts?”
“No. Sprites are highly individualistic. There are werewolf packs and demon hordes, but those aren’tcourts, per se.”
“And why is Severn at war with Black Ember’s court?”
“That story, my dear, would take much longer than a car ride to tell. Suffice it to say that they philosophically disagree over the tenants of the historical Decree of Prague, which was agreed upon nine hundred fifty years ago. Before that, the hidden realm wasn’t hidden. Gifted Ones lived openly among humans. Black Ember believes humanity is weakening, and it’s time for the Gifted Ones to make ourselves known again. Severn wants to remain glamoured.”
“Why does a philosophical disagreement involve a demonic attack?”
“It’s gotten morepersonalover the last few decades.”
We’d probably been on the road for an hour and a half and were getting into the mountains. It had been a while since I’d left the city, and I liked the way the natural surroundings cleared my head. I rolled down the window and let the fresh air wash over me.
My phone rang, and I glanced down at the caller.
ZARA OLEGEV.
She’d no doubt read the news about Severn’s and my “secret elopement.” I’m sure she would have called earlier, except that she was on a plane to California with no Wi-Fi. I started to answer the phone, but Locke snatched it out of my hand. “I don’t think so, little human.”
ChapterThirteen
“Hey!” I cried.
Locke slid my phone into his pocket. “Sorry, the first rule of lying low is not answering your phone. I’ll be keeping this for a few days.”
“You can’t do that!”
Amusement played over his face. I couldn’t get over how different he and his brother were. For as gruff as Severn could be, there was still a regality to him. A nobility. I believed that he truly was committed to leading his court, though his ways might be harsh. “Nobility” wasn’t the first word that sprung to mind when thinking about Locke. He was just as vain as the rest of the fae, but he didn’t seek perfection. His clothes and hair were intentionally untidy, giving him a bit of a gorgeous, devilish rock star look—a rock star on a bender who hadn’t put out a hit in a few years.
“I can,” he retorted. “If you need to make a call, you can ask Bramble or Briar to make it for you.”
I paused, thinking of the beautiful twins. “Yeah, about Severn’s assistants…he isn’t, like,involvedwith them, right? I mean, that would be so inappropriate.”
He slid me an amused look. “We fae don’t have the same ideas you humans do about not screwing around where you work.” I gaped, and he grinned, delighted to see me squirm, but then took pity on me. “But no,” he added. “Severn isn’t in a relationship with Briar or Bramble, though I’m quite sure they’re determined to change that. They couldn’t take their hands off him at the last solstice party. Then again, perhaps I was confused. I’d had a lot to drink. We all had. I can’t quite recall whose hands were all over whose body. You’ll soon see when you attend a fae party. It’s quite the feast of flesh. Even our illustrious regent has been known topartake.”
He seemed to delight in watching me blush, though I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. My palms were getting sweaty. I wiped them on my jean shorts. “I think I’ll skip your parties.”
