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Elva bristles, but I put my hand on her. These people are helping us, they deserve to know what we can tell them.
I bite my lip, trying to piece together what to say. “I’m Nathaniel, and this is my wife, the Crown Princess of the Winter Court. We are seeking refuge from the Queen.”
“Why?” Calitha demands. “What was that report about?”
“Because I am going to take the throne,” Elva interjects, something shining in her eyes. “My mother is dangerous and needs to be stopped. Change needs to come to the Winter Court.”
For a long moment, the air is so thick I can barely breathe. Calitha stares at us both shrewdly before nodding.
“That’s just what I’ve been hoping to hear. I have some people you’d like to meet.” She briskly turns on her heel and walks away.
Her husband is still in the room. He crosses his arms and stares at us both. “You’re really going to try to help?”
“Yes,” Elva says.
He stares at us both, tapping his foot. “Alright. Then you’ve come to the right place.”
My brows furrow. “What do you mean?”
The human runs a hand through his hair. “You can’t share this with anyone.”
“We won’t,” Elva and I say at the same time.
He bites his lip. “We are with the resistance.”
I didn’t even know there was a resistance. It makes sense, I suppose, considering the horrible way this country is run.
Elva’s eyes widen. She opens her mouth and then closes it. After a moment, she says, “This is wonderful news.”
The man’s eyebrows shoot up.
I rub the back of my neck for a moment. “Hey, look, do you have a phone?” I say, and Elva turns to me, tilting her head inquisitively.
He nods. “Yes, of course.”
* * *
Elvaand I are alone in the room, and I feel a twinge of guilt for how hard it is for me not to kneel and…
Focus.
“Bad news,” I say. “We need to call my mom.”
Elva’s mouth falls open. “Lucinda?”
“Yes. Wait, how do you know her name?”
She smiles as Jeremiah returns, pulling out a ghastly flip phone. “I remember everything you tell me.” I take it slowly, trying not to look like I was touching a dead rat. It is a damn miracle I still remember the number. I punch in the digits quickly, and the phone rings.
“Hello?”Lucinda’s voice sounds morose, and more guilt stabs at my heart.
“Uh, mom?” I say tentatively.
“Nate?”Her voice sharpens. “Nathaniel, is that you? WHERE. HAVE. YOU. BEEN. I thought you were dead. DEAD. Cherie and her adorable husband are beside themselves. What number is this?” She stops yelling long enough to check her phone.“THE NORTH? Nathaniel Sprigg, I am going to—”
“Hey, Mom, calm down. I’m married. I have been away because I got married,” I say, and Elva’s eyes are wide at my mother’s sheer volume. I smile sheepishly.
“Married? Oh, Nathan, really? It’s not that Vampire you mentioned once, is it? Please, please, I don’t need to wake up some morning and find you drained of blood—”
