Alpha Greyson gave me the same frown Chase did. “Not if he’s on duty,” he said. “It wouldn’t be right.”
“Fine. Okay. Chase, I officially give you tonight off. There, you’re off duty,” I said.
Chase pressed his lips together in displeasure. “Which of my men, then, will replace me?”
“Someone will,” I vaguely said.
“Someone is not a name,” Chase said. “Your security detail must have structure—your safety is our top priority.”
Alpha Greyson nodded in agreement.
Gah, werewolves!
I glanced behind me where Rigel lingered, making no attempts to talk to anyone—though he was watching the Paragon hoist his dark blue robes to his knobby knees and go darting deeper into the mansion.
“Rigel will stick with me.” I took a step backwards to stand shoulder to shoulder with the assassin, and grabbed his arm. “I’ll be the safest person in the world, then. Will that work?”
Chase, unconvinced, looked from me to Rigel.
Dang it! I know Rigel isn’t going to back me up in this—he can’t lie!
“Chase, IpromiseI’ll be fine,” I said.
“Of course you will.” Lord Linus strolled up to our little meeting and smiled winningly. “Because I’ll stay with her. You go have fun, Chase.”
This—shockingly,confusingly—seemed to actually reassure Chase. He nodded. “Very well, then. This way, Alpha Greyson, Pip.”
My jaw dropped as Chase ushered his packmates away. “Seriously? He trustsyoumore than he trusts me?”
Lord Linus smirked and adjusted the lapels of his dove gray suitcoat. “Maybe he sees what you don’t!”
A few other fae nobles from my Court had entered while I greeted Chase’s pack. They giggled when Lord Linus stuck his hands in the pockets of his slacks and looked irritatingly charming.
There was something deeply aggravating about the fact that although Lord Linus was my biological father and pretty much a wastrel, he looked like he was barely in his mid-thirties and was irritatingly good-looking.
“It’s a mystery I’ll certainly never understand,” I grumbled.
“But never mind Chase’s and my bromance. I’m more interested in your party—I see what you did.” Lord Linus grinned at me.
I tightened my grip on Rigel’s arm, which made me realize I was still holding said arm. I abruptly dropped it. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“The other Courts are snubbing you by ignoring this party—they should have shown up by now, and as a fellow monarch theyshouldhave come to acknowledge you,” Lord Linus said. “Normally their iciness would make you look bad and lower your prestige, but instead you made arrangements for guestsfarmore powerful than they to come, giving everyone who does attend the chance to forge new alliances and connections while casting the other Courts in a pretty poor light. Well done indeed, my sly daughter!”
“I didn’t actually do it on purpose.” I waved to a cluster of pixies who fluttered through the door, their wings dazzling flashes of light in the dim mood lighting. “And it’s really all just because I’m friends with Hazel. And Killian I guess. And I wanted Chase to feel free to invite his family, which was how Pre-Dominant Harka found out about it.”
“Ofcourseshe found out about it.” Lord Linus dramatically rolled his eyes. “Do you know how many crowning banquets werewolves are typically invited to? None!”
“Yeah, I guess not many werewolves work for Courts.” I glanced up at Rigel. “Did you have a nice day?”
Rigel’s forehead twitched so fast I almost didn’t see it. But after being married to him for more than two weeks—and more importantly after confusing and annoying him for over two weeks—I was getting better at seeing the tiny reactions he’d show. If you looked fast enough, anyway.
“Are you really attempting to exchange pleasantries in the middle of a party?” he asked.
Did I mention Rigel was as sarcastic as he was handsome?
He cut a nice figure in his dark clothes with his tall, lean build, but he was also blessed with staggering good looks and perfect silver hair that, unlike the rest of the fae, he usually cut short in something closer to human styles. His eyes put a bit of a dampener on his handsomeness, though. All the chiseled abs in the world wouldn’t make up for the dead, lifeless look that usually settled in his black eyes.
“I thought it was the polite thing to do instead of asking if you’d been murderizing,” I said.
