But she held out—though I could see her muscles were shaking.
I retrieved my dagger just as the fae finished off the second monster.
Indigo made the killing blow. She crept around the edge of Leila’s shield and tossed an orb of light that was the size of her head at the monster.
The snake dissipated, leaving no evidence of the monsters behind.
I cut off my magical connection to my sword, instantly shrinking it back into a stowable size. I tucked it back in my boot and sheathed my dagger into my bracer as I looked around the lobby.
The wreckage wasn’t as bad as I had expected.
The monsters had slithered through the front doors and knocked over a stand filled with pamphlets that were strewed across the theater’s sticky carpet, but it seemed that they hadn’t caused any damage to the building—or to the theater’s other customers.
I scanned the area, looking for anything—or anyone—unusual.
Chase was the better investigator—with his nose and his men he was able to cover more ground and at a more thorough pace. I merely killed things. But it had occurred to me that the person who’d hired me for the original contract on Leila might still be trying to kill her.
It seemed odd—why be halfhearted about it?
Regardless, I couldn’t tell Leila—or her people—anything about my contract due to the geas on me, but I could confirm my own suspicions.
Or I would have liked to, but since only creatures of shadow and smoke had attacked us—and they disappeared, leaving behind no evidence—it was proving to be difficult to suss out the perpetrator.
I stopped scanning when I saw Lady Chrysanthe.
She was standing by the soda dispensers. Though her expression was haughty and her chin was slightly tilted up, she was wringing her hands and her eyes were fastened on Leila.
Is she concerned for Leila? She had a similar expression at the supernatural market, too.
Mulling over the implications, I rejoined Leila.
Chrysanthe did not seem like a threat. I didn’t really care what she was up to—or how she felt. But Ididwant to see how Leila was handling this latest attempt on her life.
Chase was already at her side, barking into his earpiece. “Sweep the area—Team Gloom, I want you checking on the theaters—turn on the lights if you have to.”
Leila was speaking with Indigo, her hands clasped together tightly enough to make her fingers white. “—thank you, Indigo. Though I would have been happier if you stayed behind the barrier.”
“I haven’t the arm—or the aim—to throw anything over a wall like that.” Indigo frowned up at Leila. “Are you okay?”
“Yep. It’s fine,” Leila said.
“Do you need anything?”
Leila gave a gurgle of laughter. “No. If we could just figure out which of those nutcase monarchs is doing this…” She sighed, then forced herself to smile when she saw me.
“Do you want a coffee?” Indigo asked.
Shocked, Leila gaped at her friend. When she recovered, her smile held a hint of its usual sparkle. “A coffee would be great. Thanks, Indigo. And thanks, Rigel, for taking out that first snake.” She and Indigo turned to me.
I shrugged.
They stared at me, clearly expecting words, but I wasn’t going to say anything.
I wasn’t wholly certain how I felt about Leila.
She amused me, and I’d come to appreciate the chaotic but clever way she lived her life. She’d made more progress with our Court than I thought possible. I married her because I’d been concerned she’d be our unending, but—as today had proven—she’d turned into a rally point for us fae.
But it wasn’t her success in ending the game of power in the Night Court that had me seeing her differently—and it wasn’t her friendly personality. I looked at her differently from how I did Dion, after all.
