“Of course, Windrose!” Clover gestured to the queen. “When it is Queen Celandine’s turn to rule, I join my fellows in the human realm. I learned a great deal about humans, watching them.”
“Well, someone tried to off one of your employees by giving them a sentient alchemy spell that almost blew her up. Do you have any idea who could do that?” Parker looked between Clover and the queen.
Clover blinked, her eyelashes almost exaggeratedly long. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Finally, she said, “I know of no one who bears any of my employees ill will. Granted, I am only present for a short flicker of their year. And it is hard for me to keep track of their names or what they do when I am not around.”
“What about the name Cayo Durkavic?” Nick asked, the cop in him needing to steer them back on track. “Does that name ring any bells?”
Clover’s eyes lit up, and she smiled eagerly. “Yes, yes. Him, I know. He worked next door and was sent over to negotiate a treaty.”
From the way Clover’s eyes crinkled in the corners, Nick had the feeling that the “treaty” hadn’t gone as well for the yoga studio as it had for the fae. Granted, he doubted that the owner of the yoga studio had any idea she had been negotiating with a member of Queen Celandine’s court.
“What did the yoga studio want?” Nick asked.
“Space in our shared storage room, less noise. For us to stop using their parking.” Clover smirked.
“And did they get what they want, or did they find out that they should have gone to law school before negotiating with you?” Parker raised both eyebrows. “Maybe even clerked for the Supreme Court before even considering taking you on?”
“I gave them nothing. And in return, I acquired two of their parking spaces!” Clover giggled, clapping her hands in delight. “I even gained an obligation!”
“From who?” Nick asked, taking out his notepad and writing down a few details.
“Cayo, of course.” Her eyes went distant. “He wanted money, and I gave him the ability to obtain it.”
“By making him irresistible to older, rich women?” Parker asked suspiciously.
“Exactly!” Clover nodded. “Even after he paid off his debt, he still continued to come by.”
“For the illuminating company?” Parker asked dryly. “Or because he liked cutting off pieces of his own soul for a handful of silver?”
“No. Because he liked one of my other employees. The boy.” At Parker’s alarmed look, she clarified, “He was only twenty-five. A child! Still, he brought in plenty of business.”
“Do you remember his name?” Nick asked.
“No. No. He left. It made me sad, I think.” Clover’s lips firmed. “He left about the same time that Cayo stopped coming around. I suppose he was jealous. Humans get that way very easily, wouldn’t you say?”
This time, she reached out, stroking a finger up Nick’s face until he shivered, trying not to jerk back.
“What would youremployeehave to be jealous of?” Parker practically growled the words, his eyes snapping, focused entirely on the slide of Clover’s finger on Nick’s cheek.
“I offered to teach Cayo.” Clover blinked innocently, withdrawing her hand.
“You offered to teach a human?” Nick glanced at Parker, who seemed just as surprised. “I thought fae didn’t do that.”
“We don’t,” Celandine said severely, glaring at Clover unhappily.
“Well, he wasn’treallya human.” Clover looked down, her long ears drawn back, alarmed for the first time. Nick supposed it was different, having her monarch angry at her rather than annoying the Windrose at Celandine’s command.
“If he wasn’t a human, what was he?” Parker asked.
“Fae. At least partially. It ran in his blood. He easily took to the lessons; he was naturally doing some of the magic himself. I taught him the magic of attracting those he wanted to attract. For him, powerful, lonely women.” Clover looked back at her mistress. “It was agoodbargain. A debt where I paid nearly nothing and gained a great deal. Now that he has more money and power, I can call in the obligation.”
“That’s going to be real hard, unless you’ve learned how to talk to ghosts, too.” Parker leaned back, shrugging his shoulders at Celandine’s sharp look. “Durkavic is dead. He was the first one to fall victim to our sentient alchemy parasite.”
Celandine made a considering noise, and the slight twitch of her brows toward each other was enough to have Clover shrinking back, murmuring apologies.
“Was there any more information you needed?” Celandine asked.
“Yeah. How good did Durkavic get at his after school piano lessons?” Parker asked. “Good enough to catch all the rich widows he wanted?”
