ZEPHYR
Zephyr was fairly certain that Lilywhite was going to be the biggest challenge he’d faced. He walked silently with her and Creed, wishing that Alkamy or Roan or, hell, even Violet was there. Lilywhite was his partner, his probable betrothed, his. Creed knew that, knew how Zephyr felt, but he was toying with her.
Maybe Creed was Unseelie after all. It was a game Zephyr played sometimes, sorting them all in his head, not that he told them that. Aside from Alkamy, he didn’t share his suppositions with people. Some of them were clear: Violet was obviously Seelie. Her element was fire, like the Seelie King himself. Roan looked Seelie, but he was aligned with water, like the Unseelie Queen, and he was a strategist, always planning for contingencies. Will and Creed could go either way.
Lilywhite was a complete anomaly. She hadn’t so much as blinked when he spoke to the plants. She’d also bared her feet as they walked, using the excuse of uncomfortable shoes. Earlier, she’d been drawn to the water. Her breathing had tensed in the tunnel, much like Creed’s did when he used it.
Common knowledge was that fae-blood had more affinities the purer their blood was. True fae could have as many as four affinities. Of course, Clara had told him that the Sleepers were true fae, not just fae-blood, but so far only he and Alkamy had more than one affinity. Lilywhite appeared to have three.
“Are you claustrophobic?” he blurted out.
Both Creed and Lilywhite stared at him like he was speaking in tongues.
“Seriously?” Creed shook his head at Zephyr, turned to Lily, and told her, “He’s usually not this way. It’s been a stressful day.”
The sheer truth of that careless statement made Zephyr laugh. He’d met the queen, bled for her, and been given an order he didn’t know how to follow. He couldn’t kidnap Lilywhite; even if she wasn’t Nick Abernathy’s daughter, she was someone he’d been raised to believe was his other half. Delivering her to the Queen of Blood and Rage was wrong—and unavoidable.
The walk through Belfoure was almost beautiful at this hour. He’d seen a lot of the world because of his human family, but there was something about Belfoure that he’d come to associate with the concept of home. Hollywood always felt too stifling. Sure, he had his garden, but outside of that walled space, there were eyes everywhere. Camera flashes were far more common than rain, and the whispers of strangers felt oppressive. The Hidden Lands, at least the part he’d seen, were unwelcoming. He hadn’t expected that, but the harsh landscapes and glittering fae seemed alien to him. Even though he was a part of their world, was destined to kill or die for them, he felt like he didn’t belong there. Belfoure was an oasis that he hadn’t found thus far in either world.
In the slowly dawning day, the lingering shadows danced on the surfaces of dirty stone buildings, and the hum of humanity was reduced to only those strange souls who did their business—or were still out chasing their pleasure—in the darkest parts of the day. The glow of sunrise reflected and twisted in the water, as if the streetlights and the neon lights from the bars were meeting to share secrets.
Beside him, Creed was telling Lilywhite about a party at the Serpent’s Den that ended with Violet setting every drink in the bar alight at once. “She was stressed, and when she exhaled, every glass with actual alcohol had a flame on its surface.” Creed grinned, his teeth a flash of white in the darkness. “It completely ruined my ‘oh, it’s just juice, Zeph’ lie. Kamy and I were totally busted.”
No one commented on the fact that he’d all but told Lilywhite that Violet and Alkamy were fae too. The conversation had taken a turn toward blunt, but Zephyr decided that it was necessary to let it continue to be so. Lilywhite needed to know about the Black Diamonds. Although Creed’s approach wasn’t what Zephyr would’ve chosen, it was done now.
“Do you know any true fae, Lilywhite?” Zephyr interjected.
“No,” she said flatly, her laughter of a moment ago totally vanishing. “No one does. Pure fae don’t live in our world. Everyone knows that.”
Creed raised both brows in an are-you-an-idiot expression when Lily looked away. Zephyr shrugged in reply. It wasn’t the most graceful attempt at a segue from Creed’s story, but it was a hard question to interject casually. The fear of the fae was an almost palpable thing after more than a half century of conflict.
Once the three of them were in a private room at the Row House, Creed flopped onto the love seat. Zephyr ignored both the other love seat and the empty space next to Creed. Instead, he took one of the two chairs.
Lilywhite didn’t sit.
Creed patted the seat beside him, and Zephyr realized that they’d reversed their normal habits. Usually Zephyr took the love seat with Alkamy, and Creed sat alone.
“Let me grab a drink first,” Lilywhite said.
“They will come to us,” Zephyr explained. He didn’t want to raise his hand to motion for one of the servers, preferring to keep his barely healing palms hidden. Showing them would mean questions, and any answer he could give wouldn’t make Lilywhite eager to meet the queen. Instead, he said, “Just wait with us. It’ll only take a moment.”
After a slight pause, Lilywhite clarified, “I’m well aware of that, but I feel better if I see the layout and exits. I’ll only be a moment.” She tilted her head up a little farther, looking almost regal in the moment. “I came for answers, Zephyr, but I won’t be able to concentrate until I sort a few routes. Abernathy Commandment #15: Always have a way out, more than one if possible.”
She walked away, and Zephyr wasn’t sure what to think. There was clearly more to being Nicolas Abernathy’s daughter than his research indicated. A lot of the data emphasized that her father was overprotective of her, and the implication was that she was sheltered and cossetted. Her most recent birthday party was by invitation that required fingerprinting, and the entrance to the gala was through a metal detector and full body scan like at public airports. Not one single photograph turned up anywhere after the event. Everything indicated that Lilywhite wasn’t actively involved in her father’s business, but she moved like she expected to be attacked or blindsided at any moment. She’d already pulled a knife on him. Was she more involved in her father’s business than he’d expected?
Reluctantly, he caught Creed’s eye. “I don’t want to argue tonight,” he said, keeping his hands folded together to hide his injuries.
“Then don’t talk to me like I’m a child.” Creed leaned back, arms draped on the back of the love seat. “I put up with a lot, Zeph, but we’re all in this mess together.”
“I know that. If you had any idea how—”
“Then fucking tell me.” Creed’s voice shoved into him like a physical touch. It stunned him.
“Did you . . .” He leaned forward. “You can solidify the air?”