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Liliana chuckled. She took a moment to enjoy the literary parallels. “Does that make me Galadriel?” she asked him, grinning at his black combat boots on her brightly colored hand-woven rug.
“I think you might be Galadriel and Eowyn in one body, with a dash of Gandalf thrown in.”
Pete’s view of Liliana always pleased her.
She would see him happy. There must be a way to make that happen. “I like your Ben. He will be kidnapped soon by an adhene, but do not worry. They kidnap people sometimes when they find them pretty. They are not evil, just lonely and not skilled at social interactions. You must not fight the adhene.”
“Lilly, if someone kidnaps Ben, I’m going after them.”
“The adhene are very powerful seelie Fae. She will crush you if you fight her, but if you do nothing, Ben will slap the adhene when she tries to kiss him without permission. Siobhan will scold her. The adhene will be embarrassed, and her feelings will be hurt, but she will release Ben unharmed after only two days.”
“Two days? I’m not going to do nothing if someone kidnaps Ben and keeps him for two days.”
Liliana sighed. The trouble with knowing the best advice was also knowing that people often did not follow it. This could either be a minor thing that happened, a strange anecdote for Ben and Pete to laugh about, or Pete could get himself killed by trying to be the rescuing hero. “When I told you we had to wait to rescue Sergeant Giovanni from the widow spiders, you trusted me.”
“Yeah. And you were right, every step of the way. And I know, I should have shot the stone woman in the hand when you told me to.” He drank the rest of his beer and sighed. “All right, Lilly. When is this going to happen?”
She tilted her head to one side. “I am uncertain.” Her visions jumbled and shifted, mixed in with images of the prince’s murder. “A few months. A lot will be happening at the time. You will return home and find an enemy there instead of your beloved. Defeat the enemy, but do not search for Ben. Ask Siobhan to do it, instead.”
Liliana glanced into Sergeant Giovanni’s future and was delighted to see that Pete would follow her advice despite his misgivings. Sergeant Giovanni would survive, be disillusioned with the wizard, and continue to be her normal, competent, cynical self.
The day the adhene would take Ben was less certain. Too many different paths intersected on that day for her to see for sure, but she did get a momentary glimpse of Pete talking to Siobhan about finding Ben for him.
Pete chuckled. “Ben will slap a powerful Fae, huh?”
“He is a good match for you.” Liliana reached across and patted Pete’s arm. “Be patient. Give him time.” The fates of Janice Willoughby and Ben Harper were becoming more intertwined every day as their friendship deepened. “Janice and Lou Willoughby and their children might be able to help ease Ben’s transition into the world of Others. I will speak to Janice about the best way to gently introduce him to the hidden peoples.”
Pete wrinkled his freckled nose. “Being patient sucks, but I’ve never gone wrong trusting you.” He got up and went to her fridge to get himself another beer. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“I asked for advice on my love life. How is yours?”
An image of Colonel Alexander Bennet flashed in Liliana’s mind. Again.
Liliana sighed. “I don’t really have a love life.”
“Why not? You’re pretty and available, and I know you need to find a life partner soon. What’s holding you back, Lilly?” Pete settled back comfortably into the armchair. He seemed far more relaxed now that the tables were turned, and Liliana’s love life was under scrutiny.
“I’m good at fighting. I’m good at seeing. I’m not very good with relationships. I only get kissed by men who do not love me.” Rather than the brotherly kisses Pete often gave her, she thought of the feel of Alexander Bennet’s warm lips on her fingers. What would those lips feel like on hers? Warmth flushed her skin at the thought.
Pete laughed at her. Everyone laughed at her. For some reason, it didn’t bother her as much when Pete did it. “That’s not really that unusual, you know.”
Liliana tilted her head to the side. The wolf-kin knew a lot more about love than she did, despite his young age. It might be her turn to take some advice, rather than giving it.
Pete said, “Love at first sight, or even first kiss, isn’t really how it usually works. Love takes time to build.”
The spider seer turned that over in the various segments of her mind. Alexander Bennet was attracted to her. And while William Eliot was not a man she would have chosen, she could accept him if he made Alexander happy. Alexander obviously cared for him. Perhaps if she knew him better, she would, too. Maybe if she took her own advice and gave the relationships time and patience.
Considering possibilities allowed her to look at more images of the Sidhe prince at various points in time.
He really is very nice to look at.
Pete stayed, sipping his beer for a while. When he finished it, he stood up and leaned down to give Liliana a peck on the check. “I’m going to head out now, Lilly.”
“I’m glad you came, Pete. Come and visit me again any time you wish.”
“I will.” Pete smiled at her and left.
