Once past the inner courtyard, which boasted an indoor skating rink, we headed toward the queen’s parlor. Unlike the larger audiences she met in the throne room, she granted private discussions in her parlor.
At the door, the guards motioned for me to stand with my arms out. I handed another my purse, and he quickly sorted through it, making certain I wasn’t carrying any weapons. The first guard patted me down, quickly but thoroughly. He then ran a mage stone over my body to pick up any hidden talismans. It let out a chime as it passed my pentacle. I had locked my dagger and wristlets in my trunk. Wynter wouldn’t care, but I didn’t want the guards getting too interested.
“What have you got here?” The guard motioned for me to lean my head back so he could get a better look at it.
“Pentacle, made out of silver dragon scales. It was a present from my mother. It’s sort of a protection charm.”
The guard to my left let out a low whistle. “Silver dragon…you don’t see much of that around, now do you? Especially in today’s world. Where did your mother get it, if I might ask?”
He was being pleasant, although I had a feeling that he was fishing for something he could take to the queen. It never hurt to be in her favor, and the guards knew that better than anybody. But the surprise would be on him, because Wynter already knew about the pendant, dagger, and wristlets.
“Wynter gave it to her as a birth gift for me.” I met his gaze squarely.
The guard blinked, then quickly shifted from one foot to the other. This really was a no-win situation for him. If he called me out as a liar and I asked Wynter to prove it to him, she would punish him. If he didn’t, and Wynter got on his tail about it, then she would still punish him. I could see the indecision playing over his face and felt a brief flash of sympathy.
“Truly, she did. But if you are worried, go ahead and ask her. I will vouch that you only had her safety at heart.”
His cheeks flushed and he ducked his head. “I haven’t been on the job long—”
“Shut up. If she said this bauble is a birth gift from Wynter, you will not question it. Any jackass fool enough to lie about something like that will get more than her due from the queen.” His companion flashed me a rough look, but it was tinged with respect. He nodded toward the door. “We’ll go in now. You’ve been in audience with Wynter before, I assume?”
I nodded. “I know the protocol.”
“All right. Are you ready?” They waited while I adjusted my dress and, with one of them carrying my purse, the other opened the door and stood back. I would enter first, with the guards following behind me.
As I swept through the door, it felt like I had entered another world. I had, actually, when I had come through the gates out front. I had entered the heart of winter, and we were standing between the worlds. I caught my breath. As jaded as I was and as terrifying as visiting Wynter could be, there was a majesty and awe that surrounded her.
She was ice and snow, sleet and hail, icebergs and the frozen lands of the world. She was eternal winter and icicles growing like long daggers off the eaves. She was the snow-covered forest and barren realms where only the polar bear and seal existed. Wynter was the fallow Queen of Ice, whose heart burned with blue fury.
As I glanced around the room, the chilly austerity struck me. All colors were shades of blue and white, of black and silver. The floor was polished marble, the walls the same chilly ice that formed the rest of the palace.
Wynter herself sat beside a table on a throne of wrought silver. She was tall, but not extraordinarily so, and cloaked in a diaphanous gown spun from silver and the pale blue of early morning. It was so sheer I could see her breasts beneath the material, full and round like alabaster porcelain. Her hair was silver, spinning out into a cascade of curls that were piled high atop her head, held in place by a diamond headdress.
As she motioned for me to come forward, the weight of her years hit me. Age did not show on her face, but it crept through her aura, surrounding her with a nimbus that reached back thousands of years. She had seen the long march of time, and while not yet weary of it, there was nothing new that could strike fear or surprise in her heart.
“Lily O’Connell, be welcome.” Her voice was a whisper, yet it echoed through the chamber and struck a cold spear of fear through my heart. I realized right then that Jolene had been right not to come. The Fae did not welcome Weres; they thought them uncouth and common in a way that—as hedonistic and savage as my people could be—would never be acceptable. When Wynter’s gaze caught my own, she held me fast. Her eyes shone, the irises brilliant silver against a pale blue background.
I sank into a deep curtsey, touching my forehead to my knee.
“Rise, Lily O’Connell, and stand before the Court of the Winterborn.” Her voice echoed through the room, ricocheting off the walls. I caught my breath. As jaded as I was, Wynter never failed to strike both terror and awe into my heart. She was ice incarnate, ruthless and cold and chilling, but she was also austere in her beauty.
I slowly rose, and with my fingers pressed to my forehead in a sign of genuflection, straightened my shoulders and spine. I did not speak until she bade me to.
Never, ever speak before Wynter bids you to speak, Lily. I could still hear my mother’s voice as she hurried me toward the palace to meet the queen. Different country. Different palace. Same goddess of our people.
Wynter’s gaze dallied over my body, moving slowly, as if she were examining every nuance of my stance, my dress, my expression. Finally, she motioned to the chair opposite her. “Sit at my side, young succubus.”
I gingerly took my seat, taking care not to tip the table between us. A tea tray sat there, a porcelain pot steaming with what smelled like winterberry tea. Sandwiches were arranged on one side, cookies on another. She motioned for the maid, who was standing well back from us but ever at attention, to pour. The tea was a lovely shade of purple. Winterberries reminded me of spiced blackberries. I accepted a couple cookies and a sandwich. Wynter nodded to me, and I tasted my tea, then nibbled on one of the cookies. A moment later, a dreamy vanilla flavor filling my mouth, chased down by the peppery bite of the tea, I let out a soft breath.
“Now then, tell me why you have come.”
“There’s a problem you should know about, Your Majesty. While I doubt it will impact much of the court, it’s affecting me, and it may well harm others.” I cleared my throat.
“Well then, this sounds serious. What’s the nature of the problem?” Wynter leaned forward, just enough to tell me she was listening. One thing could be said about her—she didn’t blow off the trials that faced her court. She was ever vigilant, and I had the feeling that was how she had kept her throne for so long. There had to be usurpers looking to take her place, but she wasn’t about to let them through the gate without a fight.
As concisely as I could, I laid out the background and problems with the Souljacker, and mentioned that Archer Desmond was helping us. I showed her my tattoo, and her eyes widened as she stared at the phoenix on my leg.
“What an incredible piece of art. Yes, it truly feels alive. I’m amazed a human could be so talented. And if this is truly your inner self, then Lily O’Connell, you have remarkable potential. You say there have been three murders so far?”
“Three that we know of. The problem, of course, is that the police can’t do anything about vampire kills. I don’t know how many of the court may have gotten tattoos from Charles, but people should be informed and cautioned to guard their wards and make certain they don’t disobey the curfews if they live in the cities.”
“We shall put the word out. I will also put a bounty on his head.” Wynter paused, leaning back to rest against the throne. “Lily, you say your business has been affected because of this?”
I nodded. “He killed Tygur—one of my clients, in my salon. Now Tygur’s widow is out to get even with me.”
Her eyes flashing with a dangerous light, the Queen of Winter smiled. “Ah, but in this case, I agre
e with her. You should not be selling sex in the first place. Among our people, sex is a passion to be enjoyed, and if you need chi, you take it where you can find it. My people are not prostitutes, to be bought and sold like chattel. Your favors should be gifted, not purchased.”
Oops…I hadn’t seen this coming. What interaction I’d had in the past with Wynter had never come near the subject of my business. I stammered, trying to find something to say. I couldn’t disagree with her—that would be stupid with a capital s. I licked my lips.
“I don’t like killing humans…”
“Whoever said you had to? You know you can feed off the Fae and Weres without killing them. Why bother with humans? Take what you need, but don’t demean yourself in the eyes of the court, young succubus. You are not a commodity.” She motioned to my tea. “Finish your drink. Eat your sandwich.”
I slowly picked up my sandwich, obeying her without a word. But my mind was racing. What the hell did she expect me to do? I had to pay my taxes; I had to make a living. My worry must have shown on my face, because she shook her head.
“When I first met you, it was long ago, when the world was a far different place. Do you remember the day your mother presented you to court? When she sealed your fortune to mine?”
I nodded. “I do. I was terrified—you were so…you are so…brilliant. Like an alabaster statue come to life.” I had been so young I could barely look at her without seeing a tall, thin carving of ice and glitter.
“Lily, you are bound to this court. You are bound to me—to the nature of winter. From now on, you work for me. If you must live in the outside world, comingling with humans and Weres, then I’m going to take an active part in shaping your behavior. Your mother isn’t here to do it for you, so I will.”
I almost choked on my tea. This was outside any expectation I’d had of how the afternoon would go. I slowly set my cup and saucer down.
“First, since you brought him to my attention, I’m assigning you the task of destroying this vampiric leech. Get rid of him. Find him before they can lock him up out of reach once more.”
Her words hit me like a sledgehammer. I opened my mouth, but one look from her and I closed it again.
“As you say, the police won’t be doing the job. Somebody has to. You have the talent. You did not wear your dagger here today, nor the wristlets, but there was a reason I gifted your mother with those objects, to be given to you when you came of age. I did not envision a life for you as a concubine, but as one of my Aespions, one of my agents.”
That did cause me to sputter. “You want me to be one of your Aespions? Why have I never known about this?” Nowhere, ever, had any sign been given to me that Wynter had plans for my future.
“I expected for you to return to court after you had gotten your wanderlust out of your blood. But so far, you haven’t. This is the perfect time to set my plans in motion. My daughter, I’m reining you in. Especially now that we are out to the mortals, the courts need good liaisons between the world of the Fae and the world of mortals, people who understand both worlds. Who better than one who is from our world, yet lives among the humans?”
I stared at her, uncertain how to respond. What the hell was I supposed to say to that? Very few ever caught the interest of Wynter, and here she had dumped what was supposed to be an honor on my shoulders, but instead, it felt like a terribly frightening responsibility. I was an independent businesswoman, but now…I was reminded once again that all of us who owed allegiance to Wynter were only waiting for the chains to her service to appear. They were always there, even if invisible. If I protested…well…protesting wasn’t an option. Not if I wanted to walk out of these halls again. There was no questioning the queen.
With shaking hands, I set down my cup and slid to one knee, bowing my head. “As you wish, Your Majesty. Of course I will serve you, and offer you my life and my heart.”
And just like that, within the course of ten minutes, I had a new life, a new job, and a frightening new task.
Chapter Fifteen
The magnitude of her orders left me reeling. It’d taken me years to build up my clientele, but only one day for Tricia Jones to destroy 70 percent of it. And one hour with Wynter to bury the rest. I wasn’t clear on what the Aespions did, but I knew that it wasn’t anywhere near what I was used to—at least not in the present.
Seventy-five years ago I had locked away my dagger and wristlets, along with Marsh’s picture. I swore never to use either again unless in an extreme emergency. They reminded me of days gone by, when I’d had to fight to survive in a brutal world.
Now, Wynter was asking me to pick up a way of life I thought I had long left behind. This time it would be in her service, rather than as a mercenary, but it still hearkened back to the days when I’d held no trust in anyone. To the days where I constantly slept with one eye open and my life had depended on my skill with the blade. My years of owning Lily Bound had given me a breather, one I was grateful for.
Wynter must have sensed what I was thinking. “Lily, be at peace about this. I’m not asking you to be a soldier, nor a warrior. Yes, we still need soldiers and warriors even in today’s world, but that’s not what I want you to do. I’m not asking you to go back to those days when you wandered from town to town, struggling to stay alive.”
As my surprised look, she smiled.
“Do you think that I let any who are bound to my court out of sight? The day your mother brought you to me and you pledged at my knee was the day that your name went in the book. I knew then you would be one of my chosen—one I would cultivate into a vital link in my chain. I didn’t know quite how, but even then, I read your stars and saw you were destined for greater things than being a pleasure girl.”
“You’ve been watching me?”
“Not personally, but my eyes are everywhere. You haven’t been alone, even though you thought you were. I do not interfere with the journeys of my courtiers unless it proves to be a hindrance to the Crown. My people live and die at their own will. But I keep informed as to what happens to them. I know about your past. I also know there’s a ghost sitting in your car right now.”
I fought the desire to deny that Marsh was there. There was no use in lying. She already knew the whole truth, I suspected. “He’s the ghost of a man I once loved…a man I ended up killing.”
Her gaze lingered over my face. “Yes, I know. More the pity you had to destroy him. The hunger makes your kind do things they would normally never do. But he is of no danger to me…or to you.”
I paused for a moment. “May I ask you a question?”
“Of course.” She gestured toward the teapot. “More tea?”
“Thank you,” I murmured. Right now, winterberry tea seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. “My mother died when I was very young—only a few years after she presented me to the court. I was never told what happened to her. And my father vanished. I don’t even know if he’s still alive. Do you know where he is? And how my mother died? When I asked my aunt, she refused to answer. The moment I came of age she gave me the gift you gave my mother, and told me to leave her house and never darken her doorstep again. I don’t know what I did, but she seemed to hate me.”
Wynter gave me a long look. “I’ve been waiting for the day when you would come to me with these questions. I thought about telling you numerous times, but you had to be ready to ask. Do you know what your father was?”
“I thought he was an incubus.” Generally, the only ones who could live long term with succubi were incubi. They had much the same nature.
“Correct. He was an incubus. But he was also a maverick. He refused to pledge to me. When your mother insisted on presenting you to the court, he was furious. He had a temper that was unmatched and I warned your mother she should bring you to the palace, and live here under my protection.”
“But…she wouldn’t?”
“No, she insisted she loved him. Her love led her to her death. A year or so after you were pledged to my court, he w
ent off the deep end—I don’t know what triggered him, the reasons are lost in time—and he killed your mother.”
I stared at her, open-mouthed. My father had killed my mother? As the shockwaves ran through me, the queen continued.
“He tried to hide her body, but we knew what had happened. I decreed that your aunt take you. She wasn’t happy about it; she and your mother had fallen out when they were young. But she was as bound to my will, as are you. She took you in and she took care of you.” Her brow narrowed. “She also knew enough to give you the birth gifts I bestowed on your mother for you. I warned your aunt to keep silent about your mother and father. That’s why she never told you. As far as you knew, your mother died in her sleep, because that was the way I wanted it.”
I shook my head, unable to take in what she was telling me. “My father killed my mother? I had no idea. I thought he just abandoned me.”
“You were too young. My advisors counseled that you be spared the truth, for the world is harsh enough as it is. I would rather you think that he abandoned you, than to know how cruel he truly was.”
“What happened to him?” I already knew the answer but wanted to hear it for myself.
“He was executed for his crime. I have ever wished that I had ordered her to leave him. I was too soft-hearted.” Wynter stared at me for a moment, then quietly added, “Since then, I have been more proactive when problems arise. Which is why I insist that you close your doors and take up service to me. I can foresee problems you cannot imagine, if you continue on your path.”
I was barely listening by this point. The shock of finding out that my father had killed my mother was reverberating through my core. Then a sudden fear took hold of me that his blood had tainted mine. I raised my head to meet Wynter’s gaze.
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