Page 80
Khol makes a show of cracking his neck. “So we let it happen? That’s not like us.”
“No. We do the tour, but we don’t let them have control. And we give them something they can’t edit, like Tier suggested.” She looks up at me, her eyes clear and bright, and I feel a twist of pride at how strong and fearless she is. “That will show the last courts that we’re not to be trifled with. I’m tired of this shit.”
Dezi fixes her with a pointed expression. “I hope you’re ready to do some improv, witchling. If there’s one thing these people hate, it’s a wild card, and you’ll need to help the princeling with his discrete rebellions.”
Fiadh smiles, sharp and a little dangerous. “I’ll make them choke on their own bullshit if I get the chance, and if I don’t, I’ll scare them into submission. Khol can help.”
The bus rumbles over a pothole as we approach the gates of Ravenhold. I look at my family, and I know that whatever they throw at us, we will not give in to tyranny. Everything I’ve wanted to do in my court, Fi is planning for hers, and together, we can change the face of Faerie someday.
“They wanted a show,” I say, half to myself and half to the others. “Let’s give them one they’ll never forget.”
Khol barks a laugh. “That’s the spirit, Prince Pissypants. Join the bad kids’ table, and we’ll rock their socks off.”
I catch the ghost of a smile on Tier’s lips, as he realizes that we’re going to push our own long game forward as well. “We’ll have to be careful as we go. They’ll be watching for any excuse, just like Harvest was, especially if our girl is making her powers known.”
Gripping my buzzing phone in my palm, I think about all the ways we could blow this up. There’s always a way to take the script and flip it; all you need is the nerve to pull it off. “We’ll be careful,” I say. “But we will not play their games anymore, either.”
My mate grins, and it’s all knives and promise. “Time to turn the volume up, my loves. The prince is on board and I’m energized again. We know our assignments and what we’re trying to achieve. Everyone in?”
They all nod, and I close my eyes as the bus approaches the gates of our next stop.
It’s showtime.
Once we’re inside the town, I wait for the bus to park, and then we all stand, prepared for the onslaught that is coming when the bus doors open. The town looms out the window—towers like coffin nails, roofs spiked and angled to catch the blood-colored light of a sky that’s not quite night. The bones of the city are not in this section; no, we’ll see those in the necropolis later on. This part is all tall buildings and modernity built to showcase prosperity and wealth. I’m sure the difference between this and the other parts will be shocking, but right now, I have to deal with this.
“So,” I say, as I glance at everyone. “Officially, the five of us—and Amethyst, trailing fans, and the ravenous press pack—are doing the tour as scheduled. Unofficially, we will not let the poor kids get shafted. But also, one person who isn’t me or Fiadh will sneak off to do all our tasks as soon as the crowd builds enough for the others not to be noticed as much.”
The basilisk grins. “One of us goes off script, the others play along and keep the heat off. How do we decide who?”
Dezi is studying the terrain out the window and doesn’t look as he says, “If anyone spots us, or if security does a headcount, the whole ruse collapses. The person who is branching off has to be extremely cautious and blend in, so no antics that will garner interest.”
“You want us to just walk off with the eyes of the entire city on us?” Tier frowns. “I’m still not so sure about that. It’s making my cat twitch, especially knowing that person will be alone during their little trip.”
He’s always so focused on his job that he can’t fathom deviating, and I love him for it, but we have to do this.
“Not us,” I say, pointing at our mate with mock-ceremony. “You and the other two. The vampire is good at subterfuge; you can be discreet, and Khol will… do his best not to draw attention by unleashing violence.”
Wrinkling her nose, Fi frowns, “I could smack you right now, but I get why it has to be that way after the concert in Harvest.”
“We’ll make it happen, Rev. Each of us knows what things we need and we can do it. Don’t worry about us, Knuckles.” He takes her hand, and for a second, everything feels a bit calmer.
For now.
Dezi finally turns to face us, his expression stern. “Everyone is armed secretly and has comms and phones. Do not hesitate to report in, even if no one responds. That will help us locate you if there’s an emergency while we’re split up. Don’t use them for playtime, either, snakelet. This is serious.”
Snorting, Khol salutes him. “Got it, Vamp Daddy. No playing around, and definitely no fun.”
“If you even suspect someone is tailing you, don’t be stupid,” I say. “Drop a line and find out where the group is so we can reconvene. Don’t risk yourselves for things we can figure out another way if we need to.”
Through the window, I see the Ravenhold city crest—a crown with three broken thorns—lit up in the square. Security flares, their lights sharp and blue against the deep purple dusk, are surrounding the staging area for our big welcome.
It’s time.
Fiadh sighs and lets go of Tier to take my arm. She looks beautiful, determined, and most of all, ready to rumble. “Let’s do this.”
The bus doors hiss open, and the air outside is thick with the scent of smoke, bodies, and old magic. A crowd has already gathered, the sound of them rising like a storm tide as the doors open. As we file out, I catch my mate’s eyes. She’s scared, but more than that, she’s masking everything that she’s gained in the past few days like a fucking pro. I feel her energy humming along my arm, but her marks aren’t glowing and she’s not emanating magic like a sieve. Our woman has this shit on lockdown.
She grins at me, her teeth a little sharper than they should be, but not fully fanged. “Ready, my prince?”
