Sigil #3
Adolescent, maybe twelve, thirteen, wearing weird, long net things on his feet, out in the snow on a blinding, bright day. He was facing forward but twisted to smile behind him at whoever snapped the pic. His burgeoning extreme good looks were already coming to the fore.
And that was when the pic cycled to a female on a couch under a throw. She was ducking her head and lifting a hand in an effort to hide from the lens.
But her gloriousness had been captured.
Queen Darynda, Tanyn’s mother.
“By Lilith,” I breathed, reaching out to touch the frame so the pic wouldn’t slide away.
I’d seen photos of her, of course. Official ones or others when she was doing official duties. I knew she was beautiful.
But that casual candid shot, her easy, dazzling smile.
She was, put simply, staggeringly stunning.
Tatra, on the other hand, was not.
How that other female won over Riland had long since been a matter of discussion, because it was a mystery to everyone.
Not just because she was nowhere near as gorgeous as Darynda, but because it was known Darynda had a kindly heart and managed the impossible: being both regal and approachable, two things Tatra was not (she wasn’t regal, she was imperious, and that was a very different thing).
It was not the first time I noticed Tanyn took after his mother. They had the same gorgeous dark hair, the same intense blue eyes, the same classic bone structure.
But these pics…
All of them.
They were happy here.
This surprised me.
What surprised me more was that I understood Tanyn’s telling of the story of the beautiful, sequestered fae who died of inattention.
Because another Sky’s Edge king did the same thing, if not for the same purpose.
However, the subtext to Tanyn’s story, I sensed, was the reason they’d been exiled out here was because Riland might no longer have wanted Tanyn’s mother.
But he didn’t want anyone else to have her either.
I felt a deep burn in the back of my throat commencing, and I suspected my eyes were beginning to turn red, a demon trait when we were riled.
These both went away when I heard a throat clearing.
I whirled as if I was caught, guilty of doing something I shouldn’t.
Zyra was standing there.
Her expression was soft and aimed at the digi-frame.
“She’s missed,” she whispered, the tone of her voice making even me feel melancholy.
She pulled herself together and lifted her gaze to mine.
“Tanyn had a comm come through he had to take. He’s on that in the study. I’ve programmed the Cook-Companion to start your dinner. Now, we don’t have automated closets here. Do you want me or a bot to unpack you?”
“I can unpack.”
Something shifted on her face. Something that was lovely to see because it made me feel warm and content.
Then she said, “Luv, I live on a remote island. For fun, I dock the bots and clean this place myself.” Her gaze shifted to my outfit before returning to my eyes. “And I suspect, in those bags, you have beautiful clothes. Please, let me unpack you.”
I laughed quietly and nodded. “Okay. If that’s what you want to do.”
She nodded in return, stole a quick glance at the digi-frame before coming back to me and saying, with weight, “We’re really happy you’re here.”
I hadn’t exactly been invited.
Still, I thought it important to say, “Thanks for having me.”
She dipped her head and ducked out.
I looked back down at the digi-frame.
I’d taken my finger from it, so now there was a pic of Tanyn, maybe in his late teens, very early twenties, holding up a tablet still in its box, a taped tear of Dead Winter wrapping still stuck to it, and he was smiling lovingly at whoever took his picture.
More than likely, his mom.
I had not once seen his smile, and now I’d seen it four times in these snaps.
Five, because now there was a pic of him doing it while wrestling on the floor in front of the fire in that very room with two dogs that looked like Hurley.
I went to my bag, pulled out my Palm, and engaged the group text comm with my besties.
I think I’m in trouble.
What? Why? Gayle commed back immediately.
Because he has a digi-frame. I commed in return.
Then concluded, And I’ve seen him smile.
I stood in my nightgown in the bathroom, more than mildly chilly in the long slip of black silk I was wearing.
This had been one of my major conundrums because this was exactly what I would normally wear to bed.
I might shake things up with a pair of silk pajamas.
But mostly, yes…
This was it.
Now, I could have purchased ugly or unflattering nightwear for this weekend, but I felt that ploy was too obvious.
But in that moment, I was thinking that wasn’t the right decision.
I was also weirded out.
Tanyn had gotten off his comm about five minutes before Zyra told us dinner was served.
We ate in a small dining room that had a heavily carved oval table that seated six, and another blazing fire in the fireplace. This room, too, was homely and pleasant, charming, but with no airs or graces.