“A lot of folk have suffered in the permafrost. Some Point Fae, but many more of us,” Lark says kindly.
Us.
I’m only pretending to be one of them. Yet I feel a kinship I never expected to find out here. I was scared. Lost. Alone. It was Wilder Fae who took me in.
Somehow, I feel more wretched now than when Beron tossed me from my gilded carriage.
I clear my throat, needing to change the topic. “So you looked after Aili when she was a baby, too?”
“I did. And if you think she’s cranky now, you should have seen her when she didn’t have words to express all the things that made her unhappy.”
“She does seem a little—” I’m unsure how to phrase it delicately.
Lark chuckles. “There’s a reason we call her Grumpy. She is part gremlin, after all.”
My eyes fly wide. “Wait, really?”
He laughs. “No, not really. That’s just what we used to say. She’s just another Wilder Fae whose parents couldn’t look after her.”
There’s a note of bitterness in his voice that makes me ask, “Is that what happened to you?”
He’s silent for a moment, then says, “No one would have kept me.”
Reaching for him, I tip his chin up so he has to look at me. “What do you mean, Lark? Anybody would have been lucky to have you as a child. You’re—” I realize I’ve invaded his space, close enough to feel his breath tickle my cheek. It suddenly feels too intimate to say what was on the tip of my tongue. That he’s amazing. That I’ve never met anyone as impressive as him, not among all the royals or rich courtesans. “They would have been lucky,” I repeat lamely, returning my hands to my sides.
Hugo gives a grunt from Lark’s hat, almost like he’s sayingI told you so.
Lark rolls his eyes up toward the spiky little meddler. Turning serious, he searches my eyes. I don’t know what he’s seeking, but apparently, whatever he finds there is enough.
“I haven’t been completely honest with you,” he says at last. “There’s a reason my mother didn’t want me. A reason no one ever would have adopted me.”
“Lark, you don’t have to—”
Squeak. Hugo agrees. Or disagrees? Who knows?
“Let me finish.” Lark goes on. “If you want to end our agreement after this, I understand. No hard feelings. I just ask that you keep my secret when you walk away.”
“Lark, why would I walk away? You have no idea how much you’ve done for me, or how much I appreciate it.”
“Well, you might change your mind,” he says, exhaling sharply. “I’m going to take off my hat now.”
Chapter 15
Lark
Iscoop Hugo off my hat and place him beside Eevi before tightening my fingers around the blue brim. With a deep breath, I force myself to pull it off.
Snow doves burst forth, their bright wings catching the light as they wheel through the laundry room, circling above us in a magical storm. Val flinches at the burst of movement, but her tension fades to wonder as she watches the doves wheel across the ceiling. Every moment she watches them is another moment she isn’t looking at me.
I may have panicked at the last moment…just a little.
But every good illusionist must have his tricks.
Finally, the last dove vanishes, and her gaze drops back to me. The breath she was holding escapes in a startled gasp.
I fight the instinct to duck my head, to snatch my hat back and hide. I’ve spent my whole life keeping this part of myself out of sight—at the orphanage, on every outing, even now. Hiding is habit.
But she doesn’t recoil. Doesn’t step away.
