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21
ELI
“Absurd woman!” Eli lifted his hand as if to tear a rip in the air, to go after her, but Beatrice spoke, “Wait!”
He paused.
“Think, Eli.” She had the cajoling tone thathewas used to adopting when dealing with his irate spouse, and he wondered briefly if Geneviève found it as grating as he currently did. “Marcus has the might to imprison us all, possibly to hand us all over to Chester.”
“If this is a pep talk, you’re not doing very well.” Eli lowered his hand to his side, nonetheless. She might take her time getting to her point—seemingly assuming what was obvious toherwas obvious to everyone—but Beatrice was an elderdraugr.She knew warfare in a way that made her a clever adversary.
And she likely knew warfare as well as his uncle did.
“Everyone has a weakness,” Beatrice continued. “Geneviève is yours.”
Eli nodded, not quite following. “That’s not exactly a secret.”
“What is Marcus’ weakness?” Beatrice stared at him, her lips curving in the sort of smile that reminded him that his grandmother-in-law was a predator—one who was currently furious with his uncle.
Before Eli could reply, she continued, “Alice adores Geneviève. Rightly so. And I am not so patient as to think that we ought to wait to explore exactly how much that man ought to grovel.”
“You know where Allie is.” He stared at thedraugrqueen in a kind of admiration that nearly made him speechless.
Beatrice said nothing. She simply picked up a mobile and made a call. “Unfortunately, my dear, your time to think about what you want is at an end.”
Eli watched as she caught Alice Chaddock up on the events that necessitated her actions. Even without fae hearing, he’d have heard her response: “Well that badger-buggering, pencil-dicked, fool!”
“Yes, dear.” Beatrice looked at Eli and smiled, flashing extended fangs. “I knew you’d want to help.”
“That’s myboss.That’s Geneviève,” Allie exclaimed. “She’s theprincess.”
“He’s rescinded that,” Beatrice murmured. “He offered to end their marriage. To--” She paused. “Yes, dear. We can wait right here at the house. Yes, Geneviève and Eli’s house while you—”
Beatrice held the phone away from her then. “She disconnected.”
“Can she enterElphamewithout aid?” Eli wasn’t sure where she was or how long it would take to get there, but he was willing to risk anything for Geneviève.
“Oh, there are always guards on Ms. Chaddock,” Beatrice said. “I’ve had my people look after her, buthiskind are nearby.”
“My kind,” Eli reminded her.
And for a strange moment, Beatrice looked almost pitying. “Eli, you bonded with Geneviève. You’ve notice thedraugrgifts you now have, yes?”
“Yes.”
“You and Geneviève are yourownkind now,” Beatrice continued. “She is more than me. More than fae. And so . . . by your bond, you became something more. As much as I would like to shove your uncle in a woodchipper inch by traitorous inch, he is not wrong to remove you from his throne.”
Eli blinked at her. “But you made Geneviève your heir.”
“In this world, she will be magnificent, but surely, you know that she is not meant forElphame.” Thedraugrqueen stepped forward and patted his cheek. “You would both be bored there.”
He stared, realizing that she was, in truth, playing a game several steps ahead of them all, and Eli was grateful that she was not their enemy.
“You knew she’d draw Chester’s attention,” he finally managed to say.
She had the grace to admit, “Not quite so soon, but it was inevitable after you bonded. I have made plans.”
“You knew he’d come after her, and you simply allowed him to nearly k—”
