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“We have a couple of days everywhere non-Lunar Court. Maybe less. Maybe more if she stops wasting all that magic and Lunar Court moved to match the mortal realm more evenly.”
I didn’t know why I was so surprised by all of this, but I was. “Not my mother. She’s got power to spare. Even with that. She might mess with it to give us less time than we think. Just to make sure she really screws us.”
Van let out a series of fey curses that I wouldn’t translate, even to Chris. “I didn’t realize. The way she said it, like she was doing us this big favor—a fortnight to find someone or marry—yet the threat was there. Marriage. The timing. All of it. But I heard what I wanted. She played both of us.” His hand tightened around his sword hilt. “She’ll pay.” His words had a finality that sent a chill right through me.
I’d seen Van angry and hurt. I’d seen him on a battlefield, slaughtering hundreds in a breath. I’d seen him do things that both terrified me and made me so thankful that he was on my side. That he was my surrogate father. When I didn’t have strength, he’d given it to me and taught me to be who I was today, but this…
I’d never seen his cheeks show any sign of color, but his were blood red. I’d never seen his eyes brighten and glow.
This was an angry god, and I was sure whatever was going on in his head—my mother was going to regret her actions.
Chris moved to sit next to me. “We both have horrible mothers. Another thing we have in common.” He brushed a kiss on my temple, and wrapped a hand around my shoulder. “It’ll be okay.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever be okay.” I was seeing my mother in a whole new light, and a part of me hoped—desperately—that I was wrong.
“So, what’s immediately important is that I can’t use any of your bargains. What about yours? Do you have any bargains that I could use?” Chris asked Van.
Well, that was certainly a question. One I wondered how Van would answer, especially since he was already so on edge.
I waited for Van to do something—anything—holding my breath, but then he just laughed. A soft huff of a laugh, but still it was there. And I took a breath.
Thank God for Chris. Even when he didn’t know what was going on, he had impeccable timing.
Van rolled his shoulders and the red in his cheeks started lessening. “I don’t do bargains.”
The haughtiness in Van’s voice made me smile.
“What does that even mean?” Chris stage-whispered to me.
“It means that Van doesn’t need to ask for any favors, and no one has ever been brave enough to ask a favor of him.” I rested my head against Chris’ shoulder.
Trying to find a way around this one was impossible, and it was Chris. If we were going to really be together, he had to know what Van was. “Most fey are scared of Van.”
“Really?” Chris asked.
“Yes. Really.” Van’s dead-eyed stare—daring Chris to ask him again and see what happened—made me laugh.
“Don’t make the former god mad, Chris.”
“Former god?” Instead of Chris looking scared, like I thought he would, the little tilt of his head told me he was intrigued.
“Yes,” I said. “So, our plan is to…”
“We find the chip. Come back here. Give Ziriel the chip in return for cutting my lunar tie.” Chris stated it with such confidence and ease that I almost believed him.
“Van?” I asked.
“It’s as good of a plan as any. I guess we can meet with an oracle to track it down. There’s one—”
“No. I know who can find it.”
Chris sounded certain, but how? There wasn’t a chance he knew this world better than me. “Who?”
The door slid open and Ziriel walked into the room, flanked by three guards and Asheral. “I told you not to kill any of my men.”
The man should’ve at least knocked. He was being incredibly rude, especially since I was a guest and his people had tried to murder me. Again. “I said that I wouldn’t act first, but if attacked, I wouldn’t just take it. Their deaths are on you.” I stepped toward him. “You’ve lost control of your court.”
“I haven’t lost control—”
