“Nope,” I said. “Not going.”
Chase rubbed the back of his neck. “And why won’t you?”
“You don’t have to put a brave front on,” Indigo said. “You said you wanted to break the way the Court operates.”
“I do,” I acknowledged. “But this is a lesson I’ve learned living on a farm. Youdon’tturn your back on an animal you can’t trust. I need to stay.”
Chase sighed. “Very well. But you’re going to have guards stand with you while I talk to the fae.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Chase.”
He nodded, then started barking orders at his men that were taking photos of the giraffe feet and sweeping the area.
Four of them split off, discreetly moving into place around me.
Skye eyed them, then bowed to me. “I’ll see what reconnaissance I can do.”
Indigo picked up my silver travel mug. “And I’ll get you another beverage—notcoffee!” She shook my mug at me with such a fierce look I couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“Thank you, both of you,” I said.
Another shake of the travel mug and a bow, and they were off, leaving me alone with my guards.
I made a point of mingling around the top for a few minutes—I spoke to Lord Dion for a while, and some of his acquaintances—but around the time my Court’s interest had finally waned and they were returning to their games, I escaped out of the hot sun, and moved closer to the entrance shaded by trees—with my guards, of course.
I took my sunglasses out and fished my prism out of my purse, noting with disappointment that my can of bear mace wouldn’t have done much against the statue.
I pulled the bear mace out as well and was studying the bottle, when Ifeltsomething behind me.
I popped the lid off my can and had my finger on the spray part, when I realized I was staring into the unimpressed eyes of the Wraith.
My movement caught my guards’ attention, and they all turned inward, grappling with their weapons when they saw him.
My heart stuttered for a few beats, but I smiled at my guards. “It’s fine,” I told them. “Lord Rigel isn’t going to hurt me.”
I wonder how I know that.
I wouldn’t trust the fae to stand at my back, but somehow I instinctively knew he wasn’t standing here with the intention of killing me.
Probably because he would have already made his move by this point.
The guards exchanged uncertain looks, but I flapped a hand at them. “It’s fine—isn’t it, Lord Rigel?”
Lord Rigel stared at me for several long moments. “You have an interesting definition of ‘fine’,” he said.
I noticed it wasn’t the reassurance I asked for, but my guards did turn back to scanning the course—though they kept their weapons, all of them artifacts that glowed with magic they had gathered—out and ready.
I reluctantly capped my bear mace and stuck it back in my clutch. “What do you want?”
Rigel said nothing, he just stood next to me like a handsome statue.
I rolled my eyes and meandered up to the suspension bridge at the entrance, which crossed a little pond of water that looked about five inches deep, but the water color was questionable, so it was hard to judge.
Rigel followed behind me and even stood on the bridge with me as I peered over the side.
“Why did you arrange for the social to take place here?” he finally asked.
I pressed my prism to my heart. “I’m shocked.”
