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But that’s exactly what I was going to do. I would give up everything I was for her, and that scared the shit out of me.
Eli was right. Even if I was tricked into exchanging my soul for the releasing of my lunar tie, it would be worth it. If Cosette was in trouble, then there wasn’t a price I wouldn’t pay. “How much farther?”
Eli disappeared before answering, and I was alone again in the sweltering desert.
I reached down for my hoodie and saw a full bottle of ice-cold water next to it. And a note.
So you don’t get too uncomfortable while getting everything you’ve ever wanted.
I crumpled the note and threw it on the ground. “You could’ve left food, too.”
I waited for a second to see if something would appear, but nothing did. So, I tied the hoodie around my head, grabbed the bottle, and headed east again. I felt better than I did, and now, I had a purpose. That made all the difference.
I was going to beg, borrow, or steal enough power to save Cosette, even if I had to paint the floor in blood.
Chapter Two
COSETTE
I straightened my back as I approached my mother’s golden throne. Even seated, she was elevated above everyone else. The focal point of the room. And not just because of the moonlit glow of her skin or her elegant white suit and golden heels. No, it was the power she commanded that kept everyone’s eyes on her. Always. She was the Queen of the Lunar Court, the most powerful fey court, for a reason.
My mother’s advisors and the court’s first circle stood around the stage. I hated them all. So did she. But they’d been playing the fey’s deadly power game of who could kill me since I was twelve and I couldn’t show weakness now, even when I wanted to fall to my knees and beg my mother for help. And yet, what I was going to say would equate to the same thing in their minds. But I couldn’t let that stop me.
Van, my head guard, brushed a hand across my back. It was something that no one would notice, but it was a cue we used. I turned back to him. He tilted his head down, just a little bit. It was his tread-lightly-Cosette look. And I knew it—damn him, I was planning on being careful with my words—but I was also desperate.
I closed my eyes for a brief second, just long enough to settle my nerves, and then stepped through the ring of advisors to stand directly in front of my mother. All of their chattering stopped at once.
“What is it that you need, Cosette?” My mother’s voice echoed through the enormous room. She didn’t need to speak so loudly. The thousand-chandeliered room behind me was completely empty, but magic and power were my mother’s game. And with that one question, she’d thrown so much magic into the room that my mouth went dry, my heart sped, and I considered if Van wasn’t right after all. Maybe this was a bad idea.
Too late now. “I’ve come to ask a favor.”
One of my mother’s advisors beside me scoffed, and I could almost feel the disgust and pity filling the throne room with every breath. Their looks held a tinge of green-eyed bitterness.
“Another favor? Do you think that’s wise?” The way she drew out her words slowly made it perfectly clear what answer she wanted, but she was going to be disappointed.
“Maybe not wise, but necessary.” I didn’t want to do this—not with an audience—but I didn’t have a choice. Chris was missing. “I need your help.”
“Again?” There was an edge to the look that she gave me. The way she tilted her chin ever so slightly told me that she was already annoyed with me.
I swallowed, bracing for her reaction to my next statement. My palms were sweating and I itched to wipe them, but didn’t dare show my nerves in front of this group. “I need to speak to my father, and I need you to help me reach him.”
There were gasps in the room, but I kept my eyes on my mother. No one ever spoke of my father, and I’d obeyed that request. Until now.
“You will not want to pay the price I’d ask for such a thing.”
My mother’s eyes were cold, but I didn’t dare let myself shiver. “We would bargain, as is our custom, but it’s been weeks—weeks—since Eli took Christopher, and I can’t find anyone who has seen or heard anything about where they are. He isn’t in Texas. He isn’t with any coven—and I’ve contacted all of them. He isn’t at any of the courts. I haven’t checked Heaven or Hell yet, but they’re next on my list.” The room grew brighter with my mother’s anger, and I felt her power press against me, urging me to stay silent. But that wasn’t happening. Not until I’d gotten what I’d needed. “My father can check both Heaven and Hell for me, but I’ve no way to reach him. I need use of your mirror to—”
“You dare still speak of him?” My mother’s anger made the walls pulse with moonlight.
Everyone in the room took a knee, except for me.
It took everything in me not to back down. She was my queen, my ruler, my mother, and she was pushing more magic at me than I’d ever felt before. I fought it, and I managed to step closer.
This wasn’t going well, as expected, and I needed to change the venue. That would give her enough time to calm down a bit, give her the freedom to say yes, and give me the ability to bargain properly. “I request a council in private.”
“Cosette. You—”
“Your office,” I said the word sharply, making it sound like a demand.
