“Andwhy,” he said at last, very quietly and still not moving more than his lips—frankly she was surprised he had breath to speak with—“would you believeanythingLenorae says?”
“For starters, because the fae can’t lie,” she pointed out defensively.“Plus she called me “Bridget,’ so I know you had to tell her that name for me.I figured it was a code from you to tell me that you legitimately needed my help.”
He didn’t immediately reply to that.Instead he took in a deep and shuddering breath.“Did it never occur to you that I told her that name in order to protect your real one?”
Well, yes, but… “How about you answer some questions now?”she countered.“What the hell is going on here anyway?Why are you in Citrine instead of married to Lenorae?”A thought occurred to her.“Areyou married to Lenorae?”She didn’t really know how marriage worked among the fae, but she rather suspected monogamy wasn’t part of the bargain.
His expression shuttered and he shook his head, saliently not answering that question.“You should not be here.When I get my hands on Lenorae, I will—” He bit that off, cursing under his breath.“First, I’m dealing with Sunshine.”
So much for the hope he’d forget about that.“While I’m no fan of hers,” Cha said, “it’s not her fault.I was trespassing and she didn’t know who I was.”
“Oh, she knows who you are.”He stood, uncoiling gracefully and bonelessly, holding a hand down to her.
“How could she know?”Cha protested, but she gave him her hand.“I’m nobody.So far as she knew I was just some hapless ley rider out for the joy of it.I never told her my name.”
“Because I marked you,” he answered, pulling her toward a different door than Dy had gone through.
Cha dug in her heels.Literally and figuratively.“Whoa there, Nelly,” she exclaimed.“What was that?”
Azul turned back to her with a hint of impatience and an oh-so-casual tilt of the head that didn’t fool her for a second.“Which part didn’t you understand?”he inquired in a silky, polished voice.
“Oh, no, buddy.”She yanked her hand from his and planted her fists on her hips.pointed a finger in his face.“You don’t get to play that game with me.Fess up.Right now.”
He sighed and rubbed his forehead with his free hand.“It’s not something anyone but another fae would be able to detect.”
She yanked her hand from his and planted her fists on her hips.“Where is it?”She gestured to herself.“Show me.”
“It doesn’t work that way.It’s not in one specific spot.It’s more a part of your essence.”
“Keep going,” she prodded when he stopped, as if that was explanation enough.“What, exactly, are they detecting?”
“It’s just like… a sign.A notice that… that I marked you,” he finished awkwardly, making her really wonder what he’d been about to say instead.
“Whatkindof sign, Azul?You might as well just spit out.”
“That they shouldn’t do to you what Sunshine did,” he replied with exasperation.“It’s not worth the time discussing it.”
Oh, if it wasn’t a big deal, he wouldn’t be tiptoeing around this conversation like the ground had been mined with explosive gremlins.“A no trespassing sign?”she suggested sweetly, her ire growing.“An invisible collar, perhaps, with a tag that says ‘This human pet belongs to Azul of Amethyst.If found please return to nearest fae depot,’ perhaps?”
He shook his head in annoyance.“This is why I didn’t discuss this.I knew you’d misinterpret my intentions.”
“And just what were those intentions?”
“To protect your idiotic ass, of course!”he exploded.“The Moonstone fae very nearly killed you.Have you forgotten that in your high and mighty indignation?It’s bad enough that you’re mortal and I can’t be around you constantly to prevent your death or fatal injury.Do you want me to live in constant fear that your brutal carelessness with your fragile mortal coil will simply remove you from the face of the realms from moment to the next?”
She paused, taken aback.“I didn’t imagine you were thinking about me at all.”
“Well, you have a poor imagination then,” he snapped, sounding for all the world like she’d hurt his feelings.“Are we done with this conversation now?I have some retribution to visit on a certain cheeky Citrine fae who crossed a serious line.”
She didn’t want to be done with the conversation.The question hovered on her tongue.If you worry about my idotic ass, why did you say I was nobody?“I’m willing to be done, but I want to talk more later.”
“About what now?”He sounded entirely beleaguered.
“I want you to explain what’s going on here, remember?”
He looked cagey.“It’s fae politics and—”
“And I’m hip-deep in them.Up to my idiotic ass in them, so I need to know what the deal is, Azul.”