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“That’s some trick.” The way witches worked, to do something specific to me, yet covert, they’d have to take some of my hair or something personal from me. But I’d been purposefully ignored all evening, and no matter how much my senses were dulled by the environment, I was pretty sure I’d notice if someone had taken my hair.
“We have our own ways of doing things.”
“I’m sure.” Aside from Rayvien, this guy was the only one to engage with me since entering the Court of Gales’ underhill. I wasn’t sure what to make of him yet, but if he was talking to me, then there had to be a reason.
I held out my hand. “Christopher Matthews.”
The man looked at my hand without taking it and grinned. “Ziriel.”
I lowered my hand, not offended at all. “And what do you do here at court?”
“I rule it.”
I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came. I wasn’t sure why he was even talking to me, and yet I couldn’t waste this conversation. I came for help, and he—whoever he was—might be the one that could give it to me.
“You think I’d put one of my fey next to you and risk their life? A werewolf I don’t know, don’t trust?” The grin on the man’s face disappeared, his eyes went hot and dark, and as I kept my gaze locked on his, it was as if I was back in the chapel in Santa Fe. Back where the open pit to hell spewed demons into our realm. His gaze held the same heat and depth of that open pit.
I held my breath as I realized three things: I didn’t know anything about the Court of Gales, the fey here seemed to be aligned with something dark and sinister, and if I wasn’t extremely fucking careful, agreeing to come here would be the last mistake I’d ever make.
“I would say it’s a pleasure to meet you, Christopher Matthews, but you’re the reason we’re in hiding and I haven’t decided if I’ll forgive you for it yet.”
I pushed away the fear that was rising up before it could take hold of my thoughts. It wouldn’t do me any good right now. I wasn’t in Santa Fe, and as far as I knew, this underhill wasn’t anywhere near hell. And even if I was out of my depth, Eli had sent me here for help. He wouldn’t have done that if it would put me in imminent danger.
“You don’t want to be in hiding?” It was my understanding that the majority of the fey actually asked for this. So, I was surprised to hear otherwise.
“No. No, we don’t want to be.” He leaned to the side a bit, placing his elbow on the table as he looked at me.
Okay. Maybe I understood what he wanted. “And you want me to do something about it.” It wasn’t a question because I was pretty damned sure of the answer.
His smile came back, bigger than before, and he twisted to the side. “See! Marsta!” Ziriel yelled across the room. “I told you he wasn’t going to be as blond as he looked.”
A woman sitting at the same table as Rayvien yelled something back at him and Ziriel laughed. A few others started yelling and a quick exchange of coins rippled through the room. Rayvien gave me a long look before turning back to the man whose lap she was still sitting on and whispered something in his ear.
I was too baffled by the exchange and whatever was happening with the coins to be insulted. “Thankfully, no, I’m not an idiot, but I don’t think that I can do anything to help you.”
The man leaned toward me. “I can smell Eli in your blood and feel Cosette Argent in your Were magic. If you don’t help us, it won’t be because you can’t.”
That creeped me out. I wasn’t aware that either were true, even if both made sense. “You’re giving me too much power. I might be connected to both, but I don’t control Cosette and I sure as shit don’t have any influence over Eli.” That was the absolute truth. “The archon does what he wants.”
“But Cosette is your mate?”
I didn’t want to lie to him, but I wasn’t sure what the truth was. The bond barely existed. Neither of us had said the words to cement it, so technically she wasn’t my mate. Not yet. She was well within her rights to refuse the bond, but saying that she wasn’t my mate would be very close to a lie. And lying to the King of the Court of Gales seemed like a very stupid thing to do.
“It’s complicated.”
“Fine. Keep your secrets, but convince Cosette’s mother to stop this madness. We can’t live like this much longer. The courts will implode.”
It was funny that he thought I could change anything to do with the fey courts. “Honestly, I’m not sure I can help. I thought the fey majority ruled. Didn’t you vote on this?”
“Only two of the courts mostly wanted to go into hiding—including Lunar. And even their court had some reservations about it, but what Helen wants, Helen gets. The Lunar, Solar, and Midnight Courts are among the strongest. The elemental courts…we’re powerful, but not like them. Our power is made of a different breed.” Ziriel gave me a small smile, as if he were goading me into guessing.
I didn’t know what kind of power the Court of Gales had, but I knew that I was here because they could do what no one else could. “I can’t help without going to the visit the Lunar Court, and I can’t do that until I break my lunar tie. Can you do that?”
“Maybe. With the right incentive. You see, Gales like living in the mortal realm. We’re made of smoke and wind.” He motioned with his hand and he faded, turning to smoke for a split second before reforming. “Neither can flourish when confined.”
He was trying to intimidate me, and if I were anyone else, that would’ve worked, but I’d been subject to a lot of power plays growing up. I’d learned that the best way to survive them was not to engage. No matter what I said to him, he wasn’t going to be happy. I barely had control over my own life, so there was really no way I could help him overrule the fey.
After a long moment, he let out a frustrated huff. “Are you sure you want to get rid of your tie to the moon?”
