Antonio
ThelasttimeAntonio’dwalked into a fae party, he’d been eleven and glued to Calloway’s side like a good little pet.There’d been rainbows.Antonio remembered that.One of Calloway’s cousins had pushed him into a ruby pool, the viscous, too-sweet liquid filling his mouth and nose.
This time, the theme seemed to be clouds.Mist covered the ground, as they arrived on the allotment of House Acacia, and everything was hazy and muffled by the fog.Talia was on Antonio’s right, buried deep in her hoodie.Their getaway driver.Declan to his left, tension ringing through the bond.That made sense.They were here to kill someone.
Antonio focused on breathing.He was fine.
Declan might die before the night was out.
He wasfine.
The fog cleared enough to reveal a mansion made all of soft edges and faded colors.Inside, it was much the same.Even the furniture had a wispy, insubstantial look.The hosts, Antonio was able to spot from Declan’s descriptions.Yenah and Charil, Councilors and moderates, looked down at their guests from the top of the stairs.One of them lifted an ironic eyebrow.
Pale colors and glittering fae.Occasionallyglittering.This crowd, like those at the parties Antonio remembered, was mostly seelie.While many of the unseelie Antonio had met seemed to prefer either human fabrics or faerie-weave, the seelie leaned heavily on glamour.
Either that or they really enjoyed public nudity.
“Enough dicks out to shoot a nudie calendar,” he muttered to Declan.Better to make a joke than to think.
Declan laughed, low and rasping, sidestepping a stark-naked faun with the barest nod of acknowledgment.
Then he frowned, anger flickering through the bond before his expression went blank.Antonio followed his glance, expecting to see Nimai.But it was Calloway, skittering toward them, then stopping just outside of reach.
Antonio’s pulse kicked up, throat going tight.
He wasn’t twelve.Wasn’t Calloway’s pet.There were no laughing cousins around Calloway, their smiles falsely kind.Just the single wisp, soft eyed and cringing.The man had ruined Antonio’s life.Brought him to a world with as many horrors as wonders, then abandoned him with the memories of all he’d seen.
Antonio reached for the bond, for the tattoo sting of Declan’s aura.The smell of woodsmoke and lilacs, drowning out everything else.He wasfine.
“You need to go,” Calloway hissed in an urgent whisper.“You can’t be here.Go.”
“Lovely to see you, too,” Declan replied.
“Calloway,” Antonio started.And then realized he had nothing to say.
Luckily, Talia didn’t have that problem.
“Oh, this is him?”she asked.“And with ominous threats, even!We can be wherever I want.Just try and stop me, little wispling.”
“Threats?I–” More than anything, Calloway lookedscared.And he had saved Declan.Sort of.Eventually.“It’s not safe.He’snot safe here.”
“Declan isn’t safe anywhere.You got anything more specific?”
“You should have heard about– I made sure you would hear who had sent the…”
“Assassins,” Declan supplied, his hand brushing Antonio’s.Steadying him.Later, they’d talk.
Later.If Declan wasn’t dead.
“He’shere.And his friends.And you shouldleave, because he’s dangerous.I’m not– This isn’t a threat, I swear.”The last, Calloway aimed at Talia, shoulders hunched up towards his ears for a split second.“Antonio said he wants the sluagh.I’m not going to try to hurt him.”
“A third time?”Declan interjected.
Calloway swallowed again.“I thought you… Yes.”
It was hard not to feel sorry for Calloway.The softness in his eyes.The helpless, almost fluttering way he spoke.Christ, if the wisp had gotten his way, Antonio would have broken him in a week, without even meaning to.
“Oh,puppy.”Talia crossed to Calloway’s side and patted him lightly on the arm.“Don’t worry, wispling.They’re just grumpy about all the attempted murders and kidnappings.But you’ve got that out of your system.Haven’t you?”
