“The Unseelie Princess has located her,” Ryodan says.
“You know this how?” Jada says.
“You know where Christian is?” Dageus explodes. “Why the bloody hell are we sitting here?”
Ryodan says to Jada, “The Unseelie Princess is now in my employ. Never think to control my city. You have the sidhe-seers. That is all you have.”
“The princess is not pure blood,” Kiall says coldly. “You will never admit her to our table.”
I wonder what he means by that. Even I sensed the difference. But what?
“You will share a table with anyone I choose, mongrel or otherwise,” Ryodan says.
“I said, where the bloody hell is Christian?” Dageus says again.
“I would see Christian freed. You may present your proposition.” Jada’s voice is void of inflection. If she’s irritated that Ryodan usurped her plan, she betrays none of it. The fire I saw in his office is now ice.
“His location is difficult to reach,” Ryodan says. “The three princes will sift three of us in. Using one of them as bait and Mac to divert—”
WTF? I bristle.
“You think we will be your fucking bait?” Kiall snarls.
“—we will put the Hag down for good and free the Keltar,” Ryodan says.
“In addition to me, who are the other two sifting in?” Jada says.
“Aye, exactly who the bloody hell do you think is going?” Dageus growls.
“We will cooperate with this plan why?” Kiall says.
“With your new brother back and the Hag dead …” Ryodan lets it hang. He doesn’t need to say more. They would be enormously powerful.
“He is not their brother,” Drustan says softly. “And never will be.”
Kiall says, “In every sense that matters, Highlander.”
“Why should the Seelie give a fuck?” R’jan growls.
“A prince with no royal allies, you are the Hag’s most logical next target. If that is not enough to persuade you, Mac is in the room with us and will kill any of you that don’t cooperate with my plan. You won’t see it coming because she’s invisible. Say hello, Mac.”
Jada’s head whips from side to side, scanning the room.
I can’t freaking believe Barrons told Ryodan I’m invisible! And I can’t freaking believe Ryodan thinks he’s going to use me as his private weapon! My jaw clenches. That man makes me almost as crazy as Barrons does. No wonder. They’re related.
“You do wish to rescue Christian, don’t you, Ms. Lane?” It’s a soft warning from Barrons.
He doesn’t know I’m here. He’s assuming. And as the man once told me himself: assume makes an ass out of u and me. I clench my jaw harder. Let them talk to air. Let others think them mad.
Jada continues searching the room intently. I can practically see her ears perked up like a hunting dog. If I’m stupid enough to say something, she’ll be on me in an instant.
To Jada, Ryodan says, “If you think to attack Mac for a reason I’m certain you don’t want to discuss right now, it’ll be war between us. If you’re half as intelligent as I think you are, you know such a war would be futile, pointless, and catastrophic.” To the princes, he says, “We will work together to destroy our mutual enemies. Only then will we kill each other, making it easier for the one who remains to control the world.”
Rath and Kiall look at each other and nod. “That is the first wise thing you’ve said, human.”
Ryodan cuts Kiall a hard look. “Call me human again and you die.”
Kiall is silent a moment then inclines his head. “Mongrel will do. For now.”
Ryodan smiles faintly but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Mongrel is preferable to human.”
“Another wise comment. But we will not be ‘bait’ for the Hag.”
“Nor will I,” R’jan growls.
“Whoever agrees to be bait will get another vote at the table.”
“Who the fuck put you in charge of the table anyway?” Kiall demands.
“In addition to the advisor you killed?” R’jan says quickly.
“None of you are touching me long enough to sift,” Rath says. “I am not one of your fucking ferries.”
“Yes.”
“That would give him three and us two,” Kiall growls.
“A tie, when you rescue your brother,” Ryodan points out.
“A Keltar druid will bloody well not be joining the Unseelie Princes,” Dageus says.
Ryodan says nothing. Merely waits.
“You have no investment in Christian,” Jada says. “I have an investment in the Keltar. They wish him freed.”
“I don’t believe Mac is here,” Jada says.
“Ms. Lane, speak,” Barrons orders.
Ruff, I don’t say, feeling like a dog ordered to bark. Not speaking. I’m not getting used like this. They didn’t even consult with me. Like my vote doesn’t even matter.
“You will also have a vote at our table, Mac,” Ryodan says. “Or do you plan to continue abandoning your city in her time of need?”
“Oh, fuck you,” I snap. “I didn’t plan to abandon it at all. I’ve had a few problems of my own to contend with.”
Every head in the room whips to my general direction.
I duck, tumble, and roll instantly. When I look back, Jada is standing precisely where I was an instant ago.
Ryodan is behind her with an arm around her throat. Barrons is standing in front of her. I don’t envy her, sandwiched between those two men.
Or wait, maybe I do.
Jada puts a hand on Ryodan’s wrist, executes a maneuver too sleek and fast for me to follow and is abruptly standing next to him, unrestrained. “You know what Mac is. She cannot be trusted.”
Barrons moves to her left, sandwiching her between them again.
“I do know what Mac is. Your best friend. Dani,” Ryodan says, and it hurts my heart because if I’d really been her best friend, I wouldn’t have run her off into who knows what that turned her into Jada permanently. I understand now what Ryodan wasn’t telling me that night in the Hummer. Dani didn’t kill Alina. Jada did—coerced by Rowena with her vile black arts. And Jada is savagery born of unconscionable savagery done to her. I close my eyes, mourning Dani, the girl who staunchly, bravely, took the blame for killing my sister. If Ryodan is right, Dani doesn’t know for certain that she did. Merely suspects it. If Ryodan is wrong, then somehow Dani was forced to see what Jada was forced to do. I don’t know which thought pains me more.
Kiall narrows his eyes. “Dani. This human woman who stands before us now was once the young female with the sword?” Reverting for a moment to full, mad Unseelie Prince, he swivels his head and fixes Jada with an empty stare, iridescent eyes flashing as he realizes what that means. “Both the sword and the spear are in this room with us. That is unacceptable.” He begins to chime, harshly, gutturally.
“Now you understand why I’m in charge,” Ryodan says.
Jada says coolly, “Because we have the weapons and you think you have us?”
“We are far more lethal weapons,” Ryodan corrects, “and we have you.”
“No one has me or ever will. I assure you, if Mac or I cooperate with you on any matter, it’s because we want something. No other reason.” Still sandwiched between Barrons and Ryodan, she cuts a look in my general direction. “What do you want, Mac?”
Oh, wow, that’s a long list. My sister back. Dani the way she was. The Sinsar Dubh out of me. To be able to trust Barrons again. The black holes in our world gone. And that’s just for starters.
I keep it simple. Someone needs to be the voice of reason in this room.
“I want Christian rescued,” I say. “I agree to put aside all grievances in pursuit of that end. Do you?” I pause a moment, then say carefully, “Jada.” I resume studying her, nagged by something I just can’t quite—oh, holy shit. Her clothing hugs her curves, leaving no room for her to carry anything larger than a gun, knife, or grenade concealed. Jada doesn’t have the sword. At least not on her. I mentally review each time I’ve seen her: nope, she’s never been carrying it. The Dani I know would never stand in the same room with any Fae princes without it.
After a long moment she inclines her head. “I will agree to that. For now. Ryodan, you may tell us your plan.”
I glance back at her cuff. No sword, but a shiny new cuff. What would make Dani feel invincible in the presence of Fae royalty? Not at all worried that they might control her with their sexual thrall, a thing they once did; the only time I ever saw Dani cry. If she lost her sword in Faery, what would she want instead—besides my spear, and if she’d interred me at the abbey, she could have taken it.
The truth hits me with the intensity of a two-by-four to my skull.
“Your cuff,” I blurt, stunned. I was offered it on several occasions. Never looked at it long because I wanted it so damn much I could taste it. “It was Cruce’s.” My gaze flies to her face. “And it was on his arm when he got iced!” The cuff protects the wearer from Seelie and Unseelie and, according to Cruce, other assorted nasties. If his claims about it are true, with it, Jada could literally walk through a wall of Shades and pass untouched. I stare at the cuff longingly.
“Cruce?” Rath growls.
“He was destroyed long ago,” Kiall hisses.
“Remember the fourth when we fucked her in the street,” Rath murmurs to Kiall. “We detected a presence but couldn’t see it.”
“You said ‘iced.’ By the Gh’luk-ra d’J’hai? Cruce is alive?” Kiall demands.
“Duh, iced means dead,” I say coldly, in a belated attempt to exercise damage control. Their idle comment about fucking me in the street was like a shot of adrenaline to my heart. I inhale slowly, exhale even more slowly, waiting for the Book to goad me. There’s only silence.