I winced. That didn’t seem like a particularly good thing. I would rather be less noticed by Faerie, not more. Faerie clearly had a different agenda, and I was definitely on more royals’ radar than ever before.
Not that every Faerie ruler was my enemy.
“So . . . Winter King, huh? That’s quite the promotion. I guess you came to clean out your old rooms here?”
“You kicking me out?”
“What? No. I—” I was spluttering.
Falin leaned down and kissed me. It started gentle, questioning. But when I stepped toward him, he wrapped me in his arms and pulled me close, deepening the kiss. He tasted of snowflakes and new beginnings, and I met the passion in his lips with my own. By the time we broke away we were both breathing a little too heavily and grinning like children.
“You are amazing,” he said, staring into my eyes, and I got that feeling again, like that he saw me. Really saw me.
“Don’t you forget it.”
He laughed, the sound thick and joyful, and I wished that moment could last forever.
Then he ruined it.
“I’ll need to appoint a new head of the FIB.”
I blinked, confused by the sudden topic switch. “You said Nori was your second in command. She seems the obvious choice?” The woman was a thorn in my side and I hated the idea of her being the one in charge of the policing force on the mortal side of the door, but it was what it was.
Falin’s nod was slow, his blue eyes fixed on me. “She would be my second choice. Alex, I’d like you to step in as agent in charge.”
“Me?” The single word was somewhere between a shocked laugh and a squeaked exhale. “I don’t think so. One, I have no training. Two, I don’t do blood. And three, I have Tongues for the Dead to run.”
Falin looked around for a moment, then sat down in the grass. He straightened his legs, crossing them at the ankle. When I didn’t follow, he glanced up at me and patted the ground beside him.
I had a Faerie king lounging on the ground in my garden. It was absurd, but then I looked at him and I didn’t see a king. I just saw Falin. The friend who had been there for me in whatever way he could, even when it cost him dearly. I sat down next to him.
“It’s true,” he said. “You need some training on how to deal with the bureaucratic side of law enforcement, but your investigative instincts have been well proven since we met. And while you might not like blood, you deal with it. I’ve seen you wade through crime scenes when needed, destroy decaying zombies with your bare hands, and let’s not forget the little jaunt through the woods carrying a pair of heads. When push comes to shove, you do what has to be done.” The smile he gave me was both encouraging and admiring, and I felt a flush of warmth rise to my cheeks. “As for Tongues for the Dead, you wouldn’t have to abandon it completely. You might not be able to work at it full time, but you do have Rianna, and it isn’t keeping you that busy currently.”
He had me there.
I tried to consider the offer, but head of the FIB? I shook my head. “Would that make me your knight?”
The softness bled out of Falin’s face, leaving him looking severe and cold. “No. The winter court will not have another knight. Not as long as I am king.” He glanced at his gloved hands and a jagged smile crooked the edge of his lips, but there was no humor in it. “Besides, I could never hold the throne if I gave up the power in the blood I carry. I’m the youngest Faerie ruler in history.”
“That doesn’t sound like a safe position.”
He turned that wry smile on me. “No. I suppose, in the end, if Ryese’s goal was to destabilize the winter court, he succeeded completely.”
Though I doubted he’d intended to put Falin on the throne. Ryese had previously been in the position to gain the winter throne, but he no longer was. It was possible he’d been targeting the winter court purely out of spite, but I doubted it. His recent machinations would have deeper ramifications. Ryese and the Queen of Light were unlikely to be kind to Faerie’s newest king.
My worry must have shown on my face because Falin reached out and cupped my cheek, his smile softening. “It’s going to be interesting for a while. Which is why I’d like to have you watching my back as head of the FIB. We would not run the organization as it was run under the queen’s rule. We could modernize it and make sure the independents receive fairer treatment.”
That did sound good, but I wasn’t sure I was the one who should be tasked with doing it. “I’ll consider it,” I said, not committing to anything. “I’m guessing such ideas aren’t making you very popular?”
He laughed. “When have I ever worried about being popular? But in truth, fae who wouldn’t have spit on me had I been on fire a month ago are now all fawning and flattery. Each vying for a higher position in the new court. It is all horribly fake and exhausting. I haven’t disbanded the old council yet, but I need to at least fill the empty seats, so every ambitious fae is falling all over themselves to try to claim one. Add to that the fact that Maeve and Lyell have been very vocal with the opinion that I need to take a consort or queen to shore up my power base, and the courtiers are intolerable.”
The bottom dropped out of my stomach and I looked away, trying to keep my face neutral as I asked, “And did you pick one? A consort?”
“I have an idea of one I might consider, but she has commitment issues. I’m thinking she would be more comfortable starting with dinner and a movie and seeing where things go.” He paused. “So, any restaurant preferences?”
About the Author
Kalayna Price is the USA Today bestselling author of the Alex Craft Novels including Grave Visions, Grave Memory, Grave Ransom, and Grave Dance. She draws her ideas from the world around her, her studies into ancient mythologies, and her obsession with classic folklore.
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Grave Destiny Page 33
