“Yes.” Her expression twisted more.
“And for the sheer fun of it.”
“Yes. All right.”
I laid my hand over her clawed one. She flinched as I clasped it. Staring from my grip to my eyes, her expression faltered and her eyes teared up.
“But I'm your queen and I hope, your friend,” I said. “If you need help, I'll help you. You don't have to leverage your past deeds.”
Medea's chest shook, then a sob broke free. I pulled her into an embrace, and her wings folded around me. The wings felt natural to me, and the snakes should have as well. I'd been touched enough times by Killian's snake hands. But that was a partial shift when he'd transform his hands into snake tails. Hugging Medea was like sticking my face into a barrel of little snakes.
But they were nice snakes. They settled around my face and head, nestling against me as if seeking sympathy too. It'simpossible to cringe away from something seeking comfort. So, I just clasped her closer.
Medea was the one to pull away. She swiped at her eyes angrily, then smoothed back her snakes. “I'm so sorry. It's—”
“The heart is a weak spot for everyone,” I said gently. “Even Dragon-Djinn.” I tapped my sternum. “That's why we try so hard to protect it.”
She smiled wanly. “Someone is killing Kumihos.”
I blinked. Kumihos. Those were like Kitsunes but from Korea instead of Japan. Right. The ones with the nasty reputations that were a big bunch of bullshit. I mean, yes, the fox-shifters could get violent if pushed into it, but all of that shit about them eating livers and hearts was made up. If you look into the original myths about Kumihos, they're mostly harmless, like the Kitsune and Huli Jing from China. They could even be called benevolent.
I'm not sure what happened to change the stories. The Extinguishers have theories but no facts. One theory is that the Kumihos were hunted, and they responded by killing not only the hunters but also their entire families, leading to the myths that they were evil. I'd never had the chance to ask a Kumiho what they knew of their history. Maybe I would soon.
Hold on. Someone was killing them?
“I take it, your lover is a Kumiho?” I asked.
“Yes,” Medea said. “Ha-eun came to me last week. She said three of her people have gone missing in the last month. I investigated, but I've come up with nothing. I told her I'd askyou for help. You have the resources of the Councils at your disposal.”
“And of the Fey kingdoms.” I nodded.
“I know your child has just been born, but—”
“I will figure it out,” I cut her off.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” She took my hand. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
A twinge of anxiety shot through me as I thought of leaving Miri behind. But if people were missing, I had to help. And because it was Medea, I couldn't pass this on to someone else. She wanted my help. Mine in particular. Despite what I'd said, I did feel indebted to her. The Gorgons had fought valiantly for us.
I grimaced and added, “Now, for the hard part.”
“I will assist you in any way I can.”
“Oh, I don't mean the investigation.”
“Then what?”
“The hard part will be convincing my husbands to let me go.”
Medea grimaced. “Men.”
Chapter Seven
“Where exactly were these people when they went missing?” Raza asked.
I had sent for my husbands. Sever came with our daughter in his arms, but the other children were back at the feast. Medea was now holding Miri, cooing at her as her snakes coiled into amusing shapes for the Queen of Heaven's amusement. Miri giggled and gurgled and waved her arms about. She was just so animated. I tried to remember if my other children had been as expressive on the first day of life, and I didn't think so. Mostly, they had cried, ate, and slept. They looked dazed if anything. Nothing like this.
