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“You just left out the part about being Fae.” She squinted at me. “Wait. What do you mean ‘can’t’? Like Pinocchio?”
“Who’s Pinocchio?”
Evelyn groaned. “Little wooden boy. Couldn’t tell a lie or his nose would grow.”
“You believe in little wooden boys who can talk, but Fae, spirits, and demons are too far-fetched for you?”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s a story for kids, and you’re not answering my question.”
“No. I can’t tell a lie. Not even one that would make my nose grow.” I grinned.
“Not funny.” She frowned at me. “Whatcanyou do? Fae are supposed to be immortal, but these spirits and demons could still kill you, right? What about magic? Do you have any sort of powers?”
I hesitated. Whatever I told her might make things worse. I might be able to convince Fiona to let Evelyn live if the only thing she knew was that we existed, and that I was Fae. If I told her anything about my powers, Fiona might not be so easily convinced. Even if I failed, I wanted to know that Evelyn would live.
“Liam?”
“Yes, I have magic. But if I tell you more, they might kill you.”
“They who?” She shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Whatever magic you have, we need it. I’m just a human who’s supposed to be going to grad school in a few months. I certainly don’t have any special powers that might help us escape from this band of vengeful spirits and creepily attractive demons.”
“It would be a lot safer for you if you could pretend you never heard about this Fae thing and go back to just worrying about my being your uncle’s secretary,” I said.
She glared at me. “If we don’t find a way out of here, we’re both going to die. So, start talking.”
“Right. Well, yes, I have some magic, but I can’t just conjure us out of here, if that’s what you mean.”
“What can you do?”
I cupped my hand between us and conjured a ball of light, then let it float toward the ceiling.
Evelyn gasped. Her eyes followed the light up until it disappeared, blending in with the decorations. “You really are one of them,” she whispered.
“I’m not one of them. I’m Fae. My mother is the Queen of the Faeries.”
“I thought Godda was Queen of the Faeries.” Her jaw dropped open. “Wait. Is Godda your mother? Is that why Edric wants you? But that would make you hundreds of years old or something…” She glanced away, clearly doing the math in her head.
“It’s not like that. Godda was my aunt. My mother was her second-in-command and took over as queen when Godda disappeared.”
“So that’s what Nigel meant. He said you were Fae royalty.” Her eyes widened. “And you said your mother is sick. If she dies, do you become king or something?”
“No. The title is handed down to the eldest female in the line, my cousin Fiona. I’m just one of the Sworn in her Court. Or, I will be once I take the Oath.”
She pressed the heels of her hands against her temples. “This is insane.”
“Eve, I shouldn’t be telling you any of this. Humans can’t know about our existence. It’s our way. Ever since what happened with Edric and Godda. It’s the only way we’ll be safe.”
She looked thoughtful again. “Edric said you marked me. What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t do anything to you. I wouldn’t hurt you.” Until Evelyn had told me what Edric had said, I hadn’t even known that was possible. I certainly wouldn’t know how to do it on purpose. Perhaps I had somehow managed to mark her on accident. I wished there was someone I could ask about this, but we were on our own, for now.
“Nigel said Edric and his Hunters would kill me if they found out I’m of no use to them, and now you’ve told me that the Fae will kill me just for knowing they exist. Is there any way for me to get out of this alive?”
“I won’t let them hurt you. Edric or Fiona. We’ll find a way to get you out of here. Alive.”
“And what about you?”
“I can take care of myself.”
