His slender hands curled into fists. “You don’t want to change? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through for you? Why do you think I keep coming back to that horrid, dirty, decaying world of yours? Because you changed me! It makes me sick to think of how I have shifted away from what I should be!”
I leaned back, terrified of the pure fury in his face.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and releasing all the tension from his facial muscles, returning them back to the mask of perfection. “But this is irrelevant. When I get back to where I am supposed to be, my connection to eternity will be restored and flawless. I will be restored. And you will be connected, too, and we have forever to—”
“Whoa, whoa, stop right there, psycho. I’m not coming with you.”
He got that infuriating smile, that one that all faeries have that says they know more than you ever will and you can’t even begin to function on the same plane as them but isn’t it cute that you think you have any right to consider yourself a rational creature. It was a condescending head pat in smile form.
“Evelyn,” he said, his golden voice trying to pull me in closer. “I love you.
What do you think?”
She turned to Reth, who avoided her eyes, staring determinedly into the sparkling pink distance. “You are the queen. Why are you asking me?”
“Because I value your opinion.”
“Excuse me,” I said, since obviously she wasn’t used to Reth’s sneaky circular way of talking. “You do realize he didn’t answer your question, right?”
Reth glared at me, then looked back at the Light Queen. “I could not say what I think.”
The Light Queen narrowed her eyes. “Could not say, or will not say?”
“Slim difference between the two.”
“My golden son, the mortal realms have changed you. Would you deceive even me?”
I snorted. “You don’t know Reth very well if you think he’s ever straightforward about anything.”
His full lips twitched toward a smile. “Will not say.”
“I command you to.”
The smile bloomed, full and sly. “Ah, but not even you know my name now.”
Her huge cat-shaped eyes went round with shock. “Have you no loyalty?”
“I do. I am loyal to myself and I am loyal to what Evelyn should become. Everything I do is to those ends, to securing the eternity we should have together.
You’ve come to your senses, that’s what. Although stubbornness may be a quality some admire, I find your overabundance of it quite distasteful. You take an enormous amount of leading to reach the correct conclusions.”
“You know what I love? I love being manipulated! It makes me so happy and so willing to do whatever I’m being manipulated into!”
His mouth curved into a puzzled frown.
“It’s called sarcasm, you stupid faerie nitwit.” I picked up the nearest object, a froofy pillow with gold thread in intricate swirling patterns, and chucked it at his head. He stared at me, aghast, and I was pleased to see I’d managed to muss his perfect golden hair.
Reth had the nerve to laugh, the silver bell sound disappearing into the voice around us. “Fortunately for me you have never excelled at observation.”
“Yeah? Observe this.” I snaked my foot out in front of his and caught it around his ankle. He stumbled and nearly fell, and I cackled with laughter. Sure, it was immature, but when trying to get revenge on faeries you couldn’t kill, the little things made all the difference.
But you changed me. I changed because of you. I could feel you, worming your way into my heart and soul, shifting things. You’ve no idea how aggravating it is to have to adapt to new feelings and thoughts.
Kiersten WhiteWhat’s going on?”
He looked up at me, a scowl marring his cherubic features. “Bloody handcuffs—made of steel, which has too much iron, which means I can’t go anywhere.”
“Well, yes, clearly, but what’s going on?”
“Search me. Oh wait, they already did. You know, I take back everything I said about you being my only friend. I don’t like you at all. No amount of fun makes up for all the pain and annoyance you introduce into my life.”
“Right back at ’cha,” I muttered, walking past him. I wished I had Tasey, but then again, being armed right now was probably a bad idea. I wondered why no one was watching Jack, but that was quickly answered when I walked past the corner of the unattached garage and had a view of the wraparound porch. Arianna stood there, continuing her verbal abuse, surrounded by a dozen uniformed men.
I shouldn’t have found the sight amusing, but she had all of them fighting with one another. Clearly her vampire powers of compelling people were in full force, but since she could only push someone in a direction they were inclined to go anyway, the only police she could affect were those that felt some sympathy for her. Those ones were passionately arguing with the others to leave Arianna the creatively-cuss-laden-adjectives alone.
Look, guys, I know you mean well and you’re doing your job, but it’d be better for everyone if you all got back in your cars and drove away. Pretend like this never happened. I promise I’m not going to blow anything up and the most un-American thing I’ve ever done is root for South Korea in speed skating during the Olympics. This whole thing falls so far out of your jurisdiction it’s not even funny.” I pictured the officers cuffing Reth and reading him his rights, then trying to detain Cresseda. “Okay, it’s a little funny. But seriously. As far as you’re all concerned, I’m just a teen girl who is really far behind on planning for the dance decorating committee. And also dating an invisible boy.”
“Orders are orders,” the mustachioed man said gruffly, elbowing the men around him and startling them out of their paranormal-induced stupor. “We’re taking you in.” He walked down the steps.
I sighed. “Don’t make me call the dragon.”
He laughed, and so did most of the others, but a few looked back at Lend and the blood drained from their faces.
“Look, kid, I’m with you. I think this is all a mistake, maybe even a clerical error. We’ll figure it out at the station.”
Arianna swore, stamping her foot. “That’s it! She put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill, earsplitting whistle. A rush of wind engulfed us as the dragon in all its serpentine glory snaked out of the trees, settling onto the ground and rearing up to stare down at all of us.
I thought I’d learn a few new words, but the men were too shocked to even swear this time.
Even more confused than before, I started backing up. I’d go around and get in through the kitchen; David and Raquel had to know what was going on. Unfortunately for all of us, that was when Lend came out the front door, immediately collapsed with a thunk that made me cringe, and—perfect—went completely transparent.
The police officers stopped fighting, every eye glued on my boyfriend, now essentially invisible other than this T-shirt and flannel pajama pants.
“Okay,” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “No. This is unacceptable. I don’t care what the bleep is going on, we’re going to get it settled immediately or I swear I will give you all to the Dark Queen and let her feed on your dreams for the rest of eternity.”
Every head turned my direction, their faces a portrait of shock and disbelief.
“What, you’ve never seen a boy made of water before? Yawn. Go down to the pond—it’ll really blow your mind.”
One close to the front—barrel-chested, middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and a thick mustache—shook his head as though trying to clear it. “Are you Evelyn Green?”
“Sort of. Mostly. I mean, legally. Again, sort of.”
He tried to look at me, but his eyes kept drifting back to Lend. “You’re under—We’re here to—Could you please come with us?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, I couldn’t. You’re last place in a very long line of people who want me right now. Besides, I haven’t done anything.”
“Actually,” said a painfully tall and thin officer with a voice that struggled between tenor and bass but really sounded like a dog with something caught in its throat, “you’re wanted for terrorism.” He shrugged apologetically. “We’re supposed to take you into NSA headquarters.”
“I think you have the wrong acronym there,” I said. This had Anne-Whatever Whatever written all over it.
I sat on the porch floor, pulling Lend’s head into my lap and hoping he wouldn’t be bruised from that fall. “Reth!” I shouted. “Reth!” Where was that blasted faerie?
After a few minutes Jack walked over, rubbing at his wrists with a sour look on his face as he casually dodged around the sentinel dragon. “I always forgot how little sense of humor police officers have. Shame, really, considering how much fun they could have with their jobs.”
“I’d kill for a siren and lights. Or, you know, a car and a license.”
Jack sat on the steps, leaning back on his elbows. “That was a little more excitement than I usually like at dawn.
Stick around, though. I’m going to need all the help I can get to figure all this out.”
“That’s me! Mister Helpful. Captain Dependable.”
“That sounds like a brand of adult diapers.”
“This nickname needs some work. Lord Wonderful? The Incredible Hunk?”
“Please, for the love, go inside.”
He laughed, then clomped up the steps and into the house.
“Reth,” I shouted. “Reeeeeeeeth! Reth! Reth, Reth, Reth! If you don’t come in the next thirty seconds, I’m going to do find David’s golf clubs!”
“That tone and level of voice does nothing attractive you for, my love.”
I jumped, startled, but of course Reth would be behind me, leaning heavily on the porch railing.
“You,” I said, glaring. “Fix it. Now.”
A look of disdain on his face, he leaned over and trailed his fingers across Lend’s forehead. A single whispered word, and then . . .
Nothing.
“You liar!” I shouted, standing so abruptly that Lend rolled off my lap and down a step. As he hit the first one, color bloomed through him into his usual glamour and his eyes flew open in panic.
“He was asleep, Evelyn.” Reth’s lips were pursed, but I knew he was smiling gleefully on the inside.
“Lend!” I lunged forward, knocking into him, and we both rolled down the next two steps, landing in a heap on the gravel at the bottom. “You’re awake!”
“Evie! I’m . . . wow, why am I so bruised?”
“Shut up,” I said, grabbing his head and pulling him in for a kiss. It was freezing and we were on the ground but I didn’t care, couldn’t care, not when I could touch my Lend and he was awake to touch me, too. I knew I’d missed it, but it wasn’t until now that it hit me just how empty and desperate it felt to be separated from him like that.
“Maybe,” he said, between tracing my neck with kisses, “we could go inside?”
“Maybe,” I agreed, not getting up.
“Or maybe,” Reth said, his voice dripping with disgust, “Evelyn could come with me to determine how best to fulfill her end of the deal.”
Lend lifted a hand off me and held it in the air. I couldn’t see what he was doing with it, but I had a good idea, and I heartily approved.
“See what I meant about the ability to focus?” Reth snapped. “You two are ridiculous.
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