“No.” I gasp. I can accept faeries, goblins, and trolls, but vampires? No, no, that’s ridiculous. “You’ve got to bekidding.”
“Why would I be?”
“I’m sorry. It just seemsa little…”
“What?”
“Silly.”
Her eyebrows raise. “Remember that when a vampire bleeds you dry for your carelessness,” she huffs. “Not that my brother would let thathappen.”
But you would.
“If it makes you feel better, the vampires and werewolves mostly keep to the mortal realm. When the kingdoms were split, most had the unfortunate luck of being stuck withyour lot.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel betterbecause…?’
“You’re in Eclipsica now,” she grins, her fangs on full display, “and we are all so much worse.”
“Thank you for that,” I grumble, stretching my arms behind my back and letting my wing-span follow as an attempt to rid myself of the building tension. “Is that what all the swordplaywas for?”
“No—”
“Then why?” I tilt my head. “Don’t tell me you just wanted to spend some time together.”
“Sharing a hobby is … a way to bond, is it not?” she asks. “As strange and silly a human you are, you seem to have captured my brother’s attention…”
Wait.
Wait.
Am I hearing her right? Does Holly totally want to be my BFF?
She clears her throat. “As for threats from other kingdoms, all I meant to say is that you will be protected.”
“Oh.” I breathe out a sigh, unable to shake the warmth in my chest that Moth’s baby sister might be warming up to me—as murdery as she is. But not wanting to push it, I change thesubject.
“So, there will be even more creatures than just fae atthe ball?”
She shrugs. “A few will come, but unless they are married into a winged court or traveling through, most will not bother with our social season in favor of their own. The invitations are more of a formality, especially on such shortnotice.”
Right. Queen Plume mentioned something similar. I guess that makes sense. It’s like traveling to Burbank to go to a theme park when you live in Orlando. I’m sure they all have their own events and seasons to worry about.
“The Gill People were in attendance when the Dragonfly Court hosted a few years ago, and I must admit, I wrongly assumed their webbed feet would affect their dancing abilities. Alas, we are too far inland to witness any of theirskills.”
Is she …blushingright now? The rosy expression suggests she did more than just dance with someone she met at the Dragonfly Court. But I can’t focus on an assumed love affair with a swamp person right now, not when I’m wrapping my head around the idea that therereally aremore than just humans and fae.
“So are all our unexplained creatures just…”
“Justwhat?” She throws down her quill to look at me, clearly losing her patience with all my questions.
“People from this world who can’t get home?” A pang of sadness rests in my stomach, and Holly’s face falls. I don’t know what she was expecting me to ask, but it wasn’t that.
“There are undoubtedly more like my brother,” she says with a small nod that lacks any sympathy. “But he’s back. I can’t worry myself with anyone else.”
“Right—no, of course,” I reply, and the chatter between us runs thin.
The sun has shifted by the time I turn the giant pile into five slightly less giant piles.
