It’shisblood. It has to be.
“There was a note,” Jake’s handler says, and then he’s in front of me, showing it to me, as if it was written to me.
The paper is thick and expensive, the message inked in elegant script.
If anyone threatens her or touches her again, they’ll share his fate.
My heart slams against my ribs as I read the sentence over and over again, as if it might change if I will it to. But of course, it stays the same.
Jake didn’t deserve this. Not for what he did yesterday. I was angry with him, furious even—but this?
Sure, I scratched him with that rake. But I never wanted himdead.
“I need to see Aerix,” I say, trembling as I take a step back. “Now.”
Aurora catches my arm. “Zoey, wait?—”
“No.” I shake her off, turning to Aethelthryth. “Take me to Aerix’s quarters. Please.”
Technically, I have no say around here. I’m just a human, and even though Aethelthryth is only a servant, she’s still fae. She outranks me. I probably shouldn’t be asking her to do anything for me at all, and I especially shouldn’t be demanding her to take me to Aerix’s quarters.
However, she’s also only shown me kindness so far. And I’d like to think it never hurts to ask… but the scene in front of me makes it clear that in the Night Court,anythingcan hurt—and it can hurt hard. But I’ve already asked, so I might as well wait for an answer instead of taking it back.
Aethelthryth studies me for a long moment, her wings shifting uneasily. “Are you sure that’s wise?” she finally says.
“I don’t care if it’s wise.” Relief fills me at the fact that she didn’t say no, and I scramble for my next words, since my thoughts are a storm of shock. “Aerix killed Jake because I scratched him with that stupid rake. This is my fault.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Aurora says firmly, surprising me by jumping into the conversation. “Jake’s actions were his own.”
“And now he’s dead because of them,” I snap. “Because Aerix decided to?—”
I can’t finish the sentence. Because even though I’m purposefully not looking at him, the image of Jake’s slit throat is burned into my mind, along with the knowledge that his blood is filling that fountain right now.
Somehow, through the horror, the blood is one of the worst things here. Because Aerix couldn’t even bother using it for sustenance. He just left it there. For all of us to see.
No… he left it there as a threat.
Aurora glances back and forth between Aethelthryth and me.
“It might not be a bad idea to take her to him,” she finally says. “So she can learn.”
Aethelthryth lets out a low sigh, her gaze heavy with something between pity and frustration, and turns her focus back to me.
“Are you sure about this?” she asks.
“Yes.” I don’t need a second to think about it. “I want to see him.”
“I can’t promise he’ll want to see you,” she says, and she studies me again, as if she’s sizing me up. “But I’ll take you to him. And if you need anything, remember I’ll be right outside his doors.”
