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Somehow.
Even if I have to die trying.
I couldn't sayhow long we were in the Nightshade demesnes. Days...or even weeks might have passed. It's not until we return to the human world that I learn it's only been two weeks, somehow.
Two weeks lost in pleasure, and torture. Two days of dreams bleeding into my reality.
The only way I know what was real and what was not is the ache between my legs.
When we arrive by portal, Olivia is waiting and runs to hold me.
"You're back," she whispers.
"I am."
"Are you all right?"
"Who knows? Yes? Maybe?"
I lean my forehead against hers and she sighs and smiles.
"That good, huh?"
All I can do is nod.
We go into the house together and it feels oddly empty. Compared to the demesnes in Faerie, which is still filled with revelers and all manner of magic and wonderful creatures, this mansion seems quiet and…ordinary.
I mean, it’sincredible. But it’s notmagic.
I think I love magic.
I see why the Fae look down on this world. It's like the reverse ofWizard of Oz. Like stepping from technicolor back into black and white.
Or maybe it's just Fabien won't be home until this afternoon. God, what has he done to me? It's like he's all I can think about. And I don't even have the first clue what I'm going to tell Rasmussen. You can't just have a wild sex-fest with someone you're investigating.
It's a big no-no in the courtroom.
Not that I’m looking for evidence anyways. I saw those shipments of Jir and other medicines, but they help people. They’re illegal,technically, but people need them badly. Fae venom is raging through the streets, a terrible addictive drug. Jir helps people get over their withdrawal.
If it was being made by the Big Pharma companies, It’d already be legal. It’s just that it comes from Faerie and it’s made from plants. The profits are barely enough to keep the Raidh floating. Not nearly enough to synthesize and develop on a massive scale the way those companies want to.
I need to find something else, something that’ll get Rasmussen off this trail. Maybe something to do with the Oleander clan?
I’ll need to give himsomething. And he’s impatient.
But it's still only been a short time. Undercover ops can last months or even years. It'll take time to earn their trust enough, and time to find their secret hiding places. Time to find where they have their most secret meetings.
Olivia leads me to the kitchen, where I absolutely destroy a plate of leftovers. Fruits, meats, cheeses, the works. I top it off with a huge glass of mulled wine and a couple of the little cakes Bastienne makes.
The irritable cook only gives me a sidewards glance as I come and go with multiple helpings. His huge wooden spoon is poised as if he might deliver a blow to the back of my hand at any moment. But he doesn't. Only the glint in his eyes tells me he wants to.
"Bastienne, are you having an off day?" I tease him. "You're not going to throw me out of your kitchen? Or make grumpy remarks?"
He frowns and shakes his head.
"No, I won’t,” and then he shocks me by bowing deeply. His face is still full of mockery, but he doesn't say any of it out loud. "The kitchen is at your disposal, Lady Nightshade."
Lady Nightshade?Whoa. I'd almost forgotten, since I was basically kept a sex prisoner in Fabien's rooms at the castle, I'm now royalty. Or a royal consort or whatever.
