Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
It was two in the morning. I was missing a shoe; I had a headache, and a handsome prince had not come chasing me down the steps with my missing sandal.
Fae balls sucked.
“I’m still hungry,” I complained. “Is that how the fae eat all the time?” The dinner had more wine than anything: multiple courses, teeny tiny portions, copious amounts of wine. Everything tasted good, but there was no main course. Only nibbles.
Cernunnos snorted. “You know you don’t have to eat, don’t you?”
I flopped onto the couch and glared at him. “I do not see the point of living if I can’t inhale a slice of chocolate cake when I get a hankering.”
Cernunnos groaned as he sank into the seat.
“Do you not eat?” After his speech, he barely touched anything on his plate. A bite here and there, but most of his food went uneaten.
“I find my attention is on other things when I am among my own people. Eating does not hold the same joy for me as it does for you.”
“So that’s why you ate almost all the tacos.”
“Human food is surprisingly delightful,” he admitted.
“Amen to that.”
“So…” His voice trailed off.
“What did I think of everything?”
“I know you were overwhelmed.”
I thought about my words. These were my people. Technically. By blood but not by choice. But they were my father’s, and I know he loved them. He promised me honesty, and I could do no less for him.
“I like knowing where I stand,” I admitted.
“I want my friends to feel comfortable enough to tell me I suck when I do stupid things, and that I’m awesome when I do great things.
I want them to feel comfortable enough to come over to my house, kick their shoes off, and steal my food, but I also want to feel comfortable enough to do the same to them. ”
A smile tipped his lips up. “And you met no one like that tonight.”
I shook my head. “Though I wonder if you feel that way about Conor.”
“He is my oldest friend,” he admitted, “but we are fae.”
“I’m fae.”
“Raised by humans.”
“I dunno. If I’m fae and I can find friends like I have, why can’t you?”
Cernunnos laughed. “You make it sound so easy.”
“And you make it sound so hard.” I flipped onto my side and studied him. “Did you love Mom?”
He stilled. “Such an abrupt change of subject.”
“She seems so cold all the time. If I didn’t know I was the product, I never would put you two together.”
“I’ve already told you our time together was brief. Your mother is a…force.”
“So just sex then?”
He looked pained. “Evie.”
“It’s cool. Sometimes the loins want what the loins want.”
“I am rethinking this heir thing.”
But I could hear the amusement in his voice. “Too bad. I’m going to come in and declare Taco Tuesdays and mandatory movie screenings in the throne room on Saturdays.”
Cernunnos shook his head and rose. “Get some rest, daughter. I will visit again soon.”
“Do we have to go back there?” I couldn’t quite keep the whine out of my voice.
“They are not bad,” he said after a moment. “Only complicated.”
“And power hungry.”
“Yes.”
“And I should probably watch my back for assassination attempts?” My words were lighthearted, but some of the looks I received tonight got my hackles up.
His eyes swirled with fury. “No one would dare.”
I tried not to laugh. “If someone thinks they won’t get caught, they’ll dare way more than we think they will.”
“I will send a guard.”
I held a hand up. “Absolutely not. If you get all protective on me, you’ll regret it. I’m a grown woman. And if what you say is true, I have more power in my pinky than most people do in their entire body. I’ll be fine.”
With a groan, I hefted myself from the couch. “I’ll hang the gown and give it to you next time I see you.”
Cernunnos rolled his eyes and walked to the door, even though I knew he could disappear in a flash if he wanted to. He acted a little more human around me, which I appreciated.
“You will call me the instant something happens.”
“I will,” I promised, even though I had zero intentions of doing so. “Though I just want to make sure if someone does come after me, I can put them in the ground, right?”
His smile was all teeth. “I’d expect nothing less from my daughter.”
We walked onto the porch. A swirl of magic surrounded me before a heavy sweater lay across my shoulders. My fingers stroked the soft fabric.
“Cashmere?” I gasped.
“I spotted one tossed across your couch.”
“It’s so heavy.”
Cernunnos pressed a burning kiss to my forehead. “Only the best for my child.” He took my chin in his fingers and lifted my face. “Be careful, Evangeline. Violence swirls around you.”
Before I could respond, he was gone in a wisp of golden light.