“Yeah, but those aren’t in Boston.” Wade bit into it and took a selfie at the same time, nimbly dodging a couple on the sidewalk heading in the opposite direction. “I need to post this.”
Riordan shoved down his worry and annoyance. “You need to help us figure out what we’re going to do about Niall.”
“Yeah, about that. Do you think your clan and Ella’s god pack are the only groups Niall is targeting? Have you heard of anyone else having problems?”
“The first I’d heard about Ella’s alphas going missing was today. If anyone else’s leaders have been taken, I doubt they’d advertise it. My clan certainly didn’t.”
Wade reached for another cannoli. “Who are the big players in Boston? If I wanted to take over a city, who would I need to take out first?”
The thoughtful question was at odds with the way Wade was currently stuffing his face. A bit of the creamy filling was smeared at the corner of his mouth, and Riordan had to drag his mind out of the gutter. “My clan isn’t the fae he would’ve gone after if that were the case. He’d have gone after Lady Caith.”
“Hm.” Wade crunched his way through another cannoli, somehow finishing the top box without Riordan realizing it. He was a little amazed by that. “Is she water-bound like you selkies?”
“No, she’s—” Riordan cut himself off, swearing under his breath. “I see what you mean.”
“Yeah, it’s always about territory with these assholes, and Boston is a seaside town. Niall would have to ensure he ownedall his borders, even the wet ones. Are you on good terms with this Lady Caith? Do you think she’d be willing to talk to you about anything going on in her territory?”
Riordan shook his head. “Selkies don’t have the clout thedaoinesídhehave. We’re seen as lesser to those fae who can’t shed their skin like we do.”
“Why?” Wade asked as they crossed the street. He grabbed the empty top box and chucked it in the bin once they reached the other side. “You’re all fae.”
“We are, but some of us aren’t treated as fairly as others.”
Wade paused only long enough to somehow cut the string keeping the second box closed and pulling out another cannoli. “Okay, so she’s, what? Noble and you’re not?”
“My kind are kin,” Riordan said, words coming out flat as they walked. “Selkies are insular by nature simply because of our ability to shed our skin and how it affects us.”
“The whole being held captive mess, yeah, I can see why you’d want to stick to your own people. So you’re saying you and this Lady Caith don’t cross paths often. Would she have crossed paths with Niall?”
“If he was smart, no. Lady Caith was cast out of the Seelie Court for reasons I’m not sure of. From what I’ve been told, Queen Medb tried to entice her to the Unseelie Court, but she declined and stayed inÉirebefore coming here.”
“You’ve only heard it all secondhand?”
“She’s older than I am. She was known as the Lady of Wind and Sky past the veil.”
“Older and dangerous. Got it.” Wade crunched his way through another cannoli, looking at his phone as they walked. “Sage said if we bargain with any fae, she’s going to throttle me.”
“Maybe you should listen to your dire.”
“Eh, I’m pretty sure fae bargains don’t work on me.”
He said it casually, like the idea of being bound by fae for an eternity wasn’t something to worry about. Riordan’s eyebrow twitched. It felt like trying to teach some of the younger kin that just because they were fae didn’t mean they weren’t excluded from the cruelty of their kind. “How sure are you about that?”
“I’ve never tested it before. Oh, hey, is that a Nutella one?”
Wade swiped the second-to-last cannoli from the second box. Riordan stared down at the mostly empty box in disbelief. “Seriously, what are you? You’re putting away more food than most mundane humans outside competitive eating can.”
“Do you know I’m forbidden from entering the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest? Jono preemptively banned me for life.”
“Probably wise. You’d be the winner every year, and that would be boring.”
Wade cackled, the corners of his brown eyes crinkling. He shoved the last bite of cannoli into his mouth and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. A bit of cream smeared across his cheek, and Riordan had to resist the urge to wipe it off with his fingers.
Maybe his tongue.
He cleared his throat. “You’ve got some cream on your face still.”
Wade wiped it off with his hand again as he laughed. “I can’t even blame my niece. Let me grab the last cannoli, and we can toss this box in the next trash can we pass before we get back to my car.”
