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“We can’t,” Laz said. “You’re beyond our power.”
I touched my forehead again. “Because of the mark. Doesn’t that make me a threat?”
Annie arched an eyebrow. “Why? Do you intend to be a threat to us?”
“Not a threat to you, but a threat to the system. People in power generally take issue with a cog that strays from the wheel.”
Chloe closed her laptop with a gentle snap. “We have ways of keeping track of you now.”
The crows. Maybe I’d keep Buddy outside the Castle after all. The scarecrow could serve double duty.
“Wait, what about the dress? I really do have an event to attend.” And I didn’t have the money to afford one.
Chloe tapped her phone. “Kelsey, I’m sending Miss Lorelei Clay to the twenty-eighth floor. Would you be so kind as to assist her with a dress from the winter collection?” She snapped the phone closed. “Done.”
“I’m glad we were able to get to the bottom of this, for the most part,” Annie said, escorting me to the elevator.
“What did Chloe want to tell me about my family?”
Annie wagged a finger. “All in good time.”
I slammed the heel of my hand against the button to summon the elevator. “Would an apology kill you?”
The Fate looked at me blankly. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“You snipped the thread. You took my parents away from me. I get that it’s your role in the universe, but you can still offer a ‘sorry for your loss’ or something that makes you seem less like a monster.”
Her fingers moved to her throat. “A monster? Miss Clay, my sisters and I each have a duty to fulfill. While there are certainly many monsters in this world, we are not among them.”
“I guess it depends on your definition.” The elevator doors parted, and I stepped inside.
Annie clasped her hands behind her back. “We’ll meet again, Miss Clay.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it. Like you said, I’m beyond your control.”
I hit the button for the twenty-eighth floor and went to get my damn dress.
CHAPTER 16
The drive home from the city with Gunther consisted of the mage fussing over my dress and me fussing over the Fates’ cryptic messages. It was basically two people each having a one-sided conversation, not to mention the added stress of avoiding any mention of Melinoe. That part I kept to myself. As much as I wanted to tell Gun, I wasn’t ready.
“Big deal,” he said. “You have an invisible rose on your forehead. Better than a tiny clown face.”
“Someone marked me, Gun. Someone powerful enough to hide me from the Fates. And what about my parents? And Chloe’s comment about my family? Why did Laz silence her?”
“Because it was information you aren’t meant to know.”
“Or aren’t meant to know yet.” But now that I knew there was information to learn, I wouldn’t be able to rest. Information that “changes everything,” according to Chloe. How could I ignore that?
Gun cut me sidelong glance. “You have enough to worry about right now. Try to set aside the vague messages until you’re ready to deal with them.”
He was right.
“Plus, your dress is stunning.”
I groaned. “So you’ve told me fifty times in the past hour.”
“I mean it. Kane is going to go full demon when he sees you. The horns are going to pop out and everything.”
