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Bleddyn said drily, “I do not believe this demon is cunning enough to be an assassin.”
What? I wasn’t sure he’d said what he’d said. I blurted out, “You’rean incubus?”
It certainly explained why I’d felt so wrecked after our night together. Didn’t they drain their victims through sex?
Bleddyn’s, “Now she understands,” was met with Daeary’s hissed, “Shut up, Fae. As if you could talk.”
And before I could ask any of the burning questions on my mind, the two large men were at each other again. They faced off, and images of them tearing into each other in a sexy way clouded my vision. But just for a moment.
“Can you stop behaving like fucking children?” I said, loud enough to cut through their bickering.
When they still stood chest to chest without either of them backing down, I shouted, “Somebody tried to kill me at the Academy. I think my parents’ murders and the attack on me are related. Plus, my friends Luke and Kenzy were abducted into Faerie, and I want them back. Those are the reasons why I’m here. Good enough for you?”
Daeary was the first to sit down. Thankfully, he didn’t try to touch me again. I was struggling to keep my composure after my outburst. The last thing I wanted was for them to think I was weak. I might look small, especially compared to them, but I had grit and determination. It would have to be enough to carry me through the next days and weeks.
We sat silently for some time while the two men chewed over what I’d revealed. It was a companionable silence without the aggression present earlier.
Bleddyn eventually said, “I am sorry to hear about your parents. That must have been hard for you. Do you know who ordered the killings?”
“No.” I brushed the bangs out of my eyes with shaking hands. My hair was getting too long. The layers of my pixie cut were brushing past my ears already. “But my father’s killer used a portal and then came after me in a supposedly secure facility. They had money and power, and we traced them back to here.”
Bleddyn said quietly, “There are not many Fae who can use portals. The right is reserved for the royal court and their servants.”
I didn’t respond. I didn’t have to. The atmosphere grew heavy, the cloud of fear and sadness becoming more dense as time passed.
The kitchen door opened, and the younger of the servant girls called to us, “Would you have another drink before we return for the night?”
Her words broke the silence. With a strong exhale, I expelled the tightness in my chest. Then I did it again until I felt easier. The men watched me, their posture relaxing slightly.
Daeary rapped his knuckles on the table, drawing our attention. He held my gaze, his lips pulled in an upward curve while his eyes sparkled with mischief. Despite only knowing him for a few days, I already dreaded what would come out of his mouth next. He didn’t disappoint.
“Beth, my little lamb. You mentioned your two”—apparently the Fae also used finger quotes—"friends.Will it cause trouble when they find out what you have been doing with us?"
Yep. He went there. But his question wasn’t unreasonable, even if he’d wrapped it up as a joke.
I held his gaze and answered, “Relationships between human mages tend to be open, as long as everyone agrees. But they were taken weeks ago. I don’t know if they’re even alive. If I manage to free them, they’ll be traumatized. I’ll play it by ear when we’re all together again.”
Daeary leaned forward, licking his lips. “Would you be open to having some fun with us until then?”
Bleddyn interrupted. “Do you know who took your friends? And who tried to kill you?”
Relieved I didn’t have to answer the incubus’s proposition right away, I considered the question. The initial HRH in the material we found at the Academy suggested a royal connection. So did the use of the portal, according to Bleddyn.
Watching his reaction carefully, I said, “There is an organization, run by our government, called the FBMA.”
“FBMA?” Daeary asked.
Bleddyn stayed silent, his lips pressed into thin lines.
“Federal Bureau for Magical Advancement,” I explained. “They were founded to police the magical community. But something strange is going on with them. I believe it was the FBMA who sold my friends to the Fae realm. They’re likely also behind trying to kill Amber and me.”
If I hadn’t watched Bleddyn so carefully, I would have missed the minute pursing of his lips. He knew something, I was sure of it.
Daeary no longer smiled. He glanced at Bleddyn, then back at me. Looking around to make sure nobody else was within earshot, he said, “Your enemies may be closer than you think.”
I waited for an explanation, but Daeary had apparently said enough. Bleddyn’s face, on the other hand, looked like thunder, with his brows pulled down and his nose flaring as he struggled for composure. His reaction to Daeary’s words was telling, but I needed to be sure.
“Bleddyn, have you ever killed anyone on the prince’s order?”
