My black hair had more of a purple shine to it, but we were both tall and built leanly. Most condemning, though, were his purple-ish eyes—which I had never seen on another fae except when I looked in a mirror.
But he looks like he’s barely thirty-five!
“Here. Hold on a second.” I impulsively minimized the call and opened up my camera application. I snapped a shot of Lord Linus, who smiled obligingly, then sent it off to my mom. “Is that really him?”
“Hold on a moment, let me check.” Mom was quiet for a few moments, then she said, “Oh my.”
“It’s not him?”
“No—that’s Linus. He looks good—I don’t know if he’s aged more than five years since we met! Tell him he looks great.”
I could barely believe what Mom was saying.
She didn’t sound love addled or hurt, just a friendly sort of factual.
How could she be friendly to the fae that had abandoned her with their toddler?
“Oh, I heard that!” Lord Linus brightened. “Hello, Bethany! Thank you for the compliment,” he shouted at me and my phone.
I turned my back to the obnoxious lord, and hurried down the hallway, taking the shortest route to the nearest staircase. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I knew you’d tell me not to.”
“Then why would you still tell him?”
“Honey, you’re the Night Queen.” My mom’s voice lost its bright shine and turned serious. “There are going to be nobles going after you with everything they’ve got. Linus, absentee as he might have been, doesn’t want you to die. You’re his daughter, and he does care for you in his own complicated way.”
“Yeah, sure. I believe that,” I drawled.
“I know you resent him for how he treated us, but you don’t have many allies right now. Linus knows how the Courts work. He can help you.” She paused, then added with a hint of wryness, “And if all else fails, use him as a shield and hide behind him if someone tries to hurt you.”
I laughed, and something in me relaxed. “I wish you would have warned me.”
“You’d have done everything in your power to stop me. And Iamyour mother, Leila. I want what’s best for you.”
We said our goodbyes, and I reluctantly hung up just before I reached the first major staircase—which was carved out of obsidian rock.
I turned around and scowled at Lord Linus—who’d followed behind the whole way. “What do you want?”
“Only to help you, my darling daughter—”
“I already told you, don’t call me that.”
He shrugged and slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “I’m here to volunteer my services—and knowledge.” When he glanced at me this time his purple eyes seemed sharp, and his smile was slightly crooked. “You need an advisor.”
“I do,” I acknowledged. “But there’s no way I want you filling that job. Who knows when you’ll justabandonyour position?”
Lord Linus’s selfishness must have known no boundaries. He didn’t flinch at my jab, just laughed. “Having a flight-risk advisor is better than having none at all. Or didn’t you know—most monarchs have a handful of advisors. You don’t have any—has anyone even offered yet?”
I shrugged. “It’s just a matter of time—they’ll want to start trying to control me and use me for their own ends.”
Lord Linus spread his hands out in front of him. “Except who would be a better choice than your own father?”
“You arenotmy father,” I said bluntly. “My dad’s name is Paul, and he lives out in the country with my mom. You are a total stranger. I have no reason to trust you—particularly given your past actions.”
Lord Linus shrugged. “I’m no more a stranger to you than anyone else in our Court. And as little as you like to claim your blood, the fact is I am the last of a powerful fae house. As your advisor, I can help you. Your steward may know what needs to be done to keep your mansion functioning, and your companion can dress you appropriately, butIhave personal relationships and know the dirty underside of the noble houses. I can help yourule.”
No, absolutely not. This guy obviously has no morals, or he wouldn’t have abandoned Mom and me. Who knows what his angle is—he might be here just because another noble is making him. And—
