“Bah, women and their questioning nature.” Jean paused, answering my question by avoidance. Another tidbit to file away. “Again I must ask, Drusilla. Do you wish to know the truth in this matter?”
No, I wanted to move somewhere warm, where I’d never see another prete and would never be in danger of hibernating. “Just tell me.”
“Sabine, the monarch of Faery, is quite old and is childless.”
I knew that. “Right, and Christof and the other guy both want to be the grand poobah of all Faery.”
Jean stared at me a moment and I waited for him to figure out grand poobah. Finally, he grunted and nodded. “Mais oui. He and his brother Florian, the Summer Prince, are the eldest of Sabine’s family—nephews, perhaps several times removed. Pardon, I am unsure. They both wish to be this poobah.”
I twirled my finger in the universal symbol for get on with it.
“Florian is a foolish and careless bouffon, and would be quite unfit for the monarchy, but he curries favor among the others of Faery.”
I was beginning to see the picture. “So Christof wants allies on the council who will support him in taking the monarchy if and when Sabine bites it.”
Again the confusion. I hadn’t realized how often he had to stop and try to interpret my slang. “When Sabine dies,” I clarified.
“Ah. Oui, just so. I wished to make life uncomfortable for the elves without incurring their wrath, and Christof suggested a brutal winter. It seemed quite clever and hurts no one. The humans who study such things are quite excited. In return, I have promised him the support of the historical beings when he is in need of it, and have promised to attempt to convince others to support him as well.”
Uh-huh. “Others like me?”
He shrugged. “You, and the wizards and even the elves. Christof is much more serious of mind than his brother. The support of the council should be his whether I speak on his behalf or not. The problems created by Florian at the last meeting should prove this.”
Yeah, Florian hadn’t quite seemed the soul of maturity.
We sat in silence for a while before Jean finally spoke again. “Now that you know the truth, Drusilla, there remains the question: What will you do?”
I took a deep breath. I had no idea. Plus we had one more thing to discuss.
Us.
CHAPTER 18
I tried to figure out how to broach the subject of Jean’s and my relationship, and like any master procrastinator, decided there was no need to have this conversation now at all. I could play duck-and-run with Zrakovi a good long time and feign ignorance at the council meeting.
That last thought almost stopped my heart. If I were planning to lie to the Interspecies Council and my new First Elder—even by a lie of omission—I had chosen sides already, hadn’t I? And if I lied to the council, that meant I had to lie to Alex. I wasn’t sure what it said about me that lying to the Elders didn’t bother me. Lying to Alex bothered me a lot.
God, shoot me now.
“Will you tell your Elders that I burned Etienne’s business establishment, Drusilla?” Jean asked. “Moreover, will you tell your lover?” He put a little spin of disdain on that last word.
Alex, my heart whispered. Alex was the reason this conversation couldn’t be postponed, whether I wanted to have it now or not. If I were going to lie to Alex about something this big, I needed to have a damn good reason, and I needed that reason to be perfectly clear in my mind. Maybe getting things between Jean and me in the open would bring clarity to my muddied, swamp-bogged thoughts.
I didn’t love Jean Lafitte—not in a romantic way, no matter how attractive I found him. A little lust was good for the soul, I always said.
I did, however, admire Jean, and I liked him. I liked him a lot. I enjoyed spending time with him. I saw him as a kindred spirit in some warped kind of way; he played by his own rules and had a peace of mind with it that I envied. I wanted him to be happy. I wanted him to be safe.
Which meant I wanted to protect him, as stupid as that sounded considering I was mortal and he was not.
I wasn’t sure how to begin this talk, except with the truth. “Jean, if I am going to lie for you, I need to be convinced that you aren’t playing me—using me, I mean. I need to know whether I’m a political asset, or a friend, or maybe both—a friend who could come in handy during a political showdown.” That was my best guess.
I paused. “I know I’m young.” Hell, even Zrakovi was a pup compared to Jean. “I know I can be too trusting. I know I let myself act on impulse too often, and you’ve done a lot to help me after we got off to such a rocky start.”
Jean smiled at that understatement. “Because you deceived me and attempted to harm me, Jolie?”
I smiled back. “You got your hits in.” Literally.