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“That’s correct,” I replied, loving the curiosity lighting up Ms. Lowe’s eyes. “Through the course of our time together, Sera’s magic became easier for her to manage.”
“Interesting. Do you have any idea what might have changed?”
Oh, I had my theories, but I’m not sure ‘enough mates to blunt the wild edge of Sera’s fire and bleed off the excess’ was an answer I was willing to deliver to her grandmother. “I’m sure I wouldn’t know. I’m no mage.”
A ghost of a smile played over Ms. Lowe’s lips. “I’d wager cheeky is your default mode, Mr. Tedros. I’m not a fan, and you’re lying.”
And yet her smile remained, so I held her gaze and my tongue.
“You’re determined to keep Sera’s secret?”
“No.” Marcos spoke up for the first time. “It’s her tale to tell.”
Ms. Lowe appeared taken aback. I didn’t imagine she often heard the word no.
“So protective of you, considering you all dragged Sera into danger.”
I could see both Marcos and Liam’s hackles rise at the insinuation that they’d endangered our mate, and so did Ms. Lowe.
“Ma’am,” Ms. Lowe’s assistant interrupted. She’d been busily tapping on her device ever since we’d mentioned Taneisha’s name. “There’s a Taneisha who’s a subject of the Summer Court. I have reached out to your associate there, the Lady Alia, who will receive you now.”
“Oh goody. Lucky us,” Ms. Lowe replied, and I sensed she didn’t have any great fondness for the fae either. “Good work, Prudence, as always.”
“Ma’am,” the assistant replied, hiding her smile.
“Erebus, make them comfortable until we return,” Ms. Lowe replied, waving her hand in our direction, dismissing us. She moved toward the door, her retinue of the assistant and her guards falling into line behind her. “Don’t worry, it’s not jail, but I insist you remain here until we return with Sera.”
I jumped out of my chair, moving to join Ms. Lowe. “I swear we’ll answer all of your questions, but please let us help you look for Sera.” Marcos and Liam stood at my side in solidarity. I let out a slow breath, knowing I was about to take an enormous risk. “We’re stronger together.”
“You’re not in charge here, playboy, and I have all the strength I need without you troublemakers.”
“We’ll do anything, just let us help,” Liam added.
Ms. Lowe’s brow arched. I’d like to think we’d all learned a thing or two about over-promising, but at least Sera’s grandmother wasn’t a fae.
“Anything,” I repeated.
“I’d advise against taking this one at his word,” Erebus spoke, his voice grating over my ears. “My research says he can’t be trusted to keep any of his commitments.”
I wanted to snap back at him, to tell Erebus that he was wrong, that I’d changed, but I held my tongue. I couldn’t defend myself against my past. Ms. Lowe would either believe me based on the truth of the words I’d already spoken or she wouldn’t. My heart raced as I watched Ms. Lowe closely, waiting for her to decide. I had no idea what she was thinking, but the silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity before she finally spoke.
“It appears the playboy learned a few things over the past few weeks as well. Fine,” she said, looking us all in the eye. “I can see that you are genuinely concerned for Sera and her safety. I will allow you to join me in this search, on one condition.”
We all nodded eagerly, eager to prove ourselves worthy of her trust.
“You must swear an oath of loyalty to me and my family before we set out,” she said firmly. “If you will do this, then I will accept your help in finding Sera and bringing her home safely.”
We all exchanged glances before nodding again in agreement. We had no choice but to agree if we wanted to find Sera—we had no other leads and no other way of tracking down Taneisha or finding out where she had taken our mate. Besides, as Sera’s mate, swearing loyalty to her entire family didn’t seem like much of a stretch.
Ms. Lowe nodded curtly and stepped forward to take each of our hands as we swore our oaths of loyalty and promised that we would do whatever it took to bring Sera home safely.
Once the oaths were made, Ms. Lowe turned briskly on her heel and strode out of the room with Prudence at her side, leaving the rest of us standing there feeling a mix of relief and excitement at the prospect of finally being able to find Sera and bring her home safe and sound.
“Now, we’re off to meet Lady Alia before she plays the fae and changes her mind,” Ms. Lowe said.
We followed along behind her with a scowling Erebus bringing up the rear.
“Where are we meeting the fae?” Marcos asked.
