“For all parties involved.” Lord Rigel stared at me over the edge of his cup, his black eyes still as soulless as they had been in our previous meetings.
“And are you friends with Lord Dion?” I asked.
Lord Rigel shrugged, but Lord Dion threw an arm over his shoulders. “Of course we are! We’ve been friends since we were kids.” He winked at me. “These socials are wretchedly boring if you don’t have anyone to drink with. But with you as our queen, I expect that will change.”
Lord Rigel swirled his cup. “Most likely in more ways than one.”
“You know, Lord Rigel, your positive, can-do outlook is downright inspiring!” I bubbled, sounding excited and cheerful just because I knew it would irritate the assassin.
Hey, if I was stuck talking to him and making the clock tick down on my lifespan, I was at least going to have fun doing it!
“And you seem to have a remarkably changed opinion of me since our first meeting.”
“As I told you last time we chatted, you’re no longer the scariest thing I have to deal with.”
The Paragon had sucked his neck into his shoulders as he watched us go back and forth, but he apparently had worked up the gumption to interrupt, because he jumped forward. “I told Lord Dion about your fondness for the night mares, Leila.”
“Your devotion to them is admirable.” Lord Dion’s smile and pleasant voice were a stark contrast to his deadly friend. “I’ve heard you are selling all but one sun stallion?”
“Yes. Fax is staying—the night mares are incredibly fond of him,” I confirmed.
“Lord Dion loves all types of animals!” the Paragon bragged. “He’s very thoughtful toward creatures.”
I took a sip from my water bottle as I watched the Paragon. “I see.”
He sounds like a neighborhood matchmaker—wait…is that what this is? Does he want me to choose Dion as my husband?
“In case you’re not keeping track, he’s a fae lord, a lawyer with a successful practice, he loves animals, he’s single, and he’s handsome to boot! What a catch, right?” The Paragon winked at me.
Wow. He’s certainly not trying to be subtle about it.
I took another swig of my water so I didn’t have to answer.
Lord Dion laughed. “You can’t talk about me like that, Paragon, or she’ll have such great expectations for me I’ll never be able to meet them.” He flashed that smile of his. “And I would never want to disappoint Queen Leila.”
Ahhh, he’s in on this.
I glanced at Lord Rigel and was surprised to see that his eyescouldhold something besides death: boredom.
His eyes were still a fathomless black, but the soulless look had faded due to the obvious boredom flickering across his face.
That’s something to tuck away and remember later.
“You sound like a very inspiring person, Lord Dion.” I finished my water because I’d been using it as a delay tactic for talking, so I looked around for a recycling container.
“Not at all, Queen Leila.” Lord Dion gently took my bottle from me, his smile devastating. “I merely love my Court and wish for what’s best for it.”
And that’s why he’s willing to get saddled with a half human.I tried to smile back, but some of my bitterness might have leaked through.I guess I can’t complain. He’s actually been decent, and I don’t think the Paragon would recommend him like this if he didn’t have a track record of it. I’d been hoping I’d be able to avoid thinking about the required marriage part of this job for at least a few more weeks, though.
I opened my mouth, intending to say something, when someone crashed into me.
“Paragon,” Lord Linus drawled. “I told you—no dragging my daughter off to secret meetings without me! Who knows what sort ofstuffyou’d get her involved in?” The dark haired fae peered at Lord Dion and Lord Rigel with suspicion. “Aha!” He pointed at Lord Rigel. “See?”
It’s 100% confirmed. Lord Linus is a blockhead.
“I’ve told youclearly, Lord Linus, that you are not to refer to me as your daughter.” I don’t think Lord Dion and Lord Rigel could hear my teeth cracking as I gnashed them together, but the Paragon must have from the wide-eyed look he gave me.
“Oh, posh. Yes, Saul is your dad, but you’re still my daughter—or we wouldn’t be standing here!” Lord Linus said.
