“Hi, Eleanor.” The fae set the glass in the woman’s hands, and Eleanor raised the drink to her lips without looking away.
“What happened to you?”
“I mean, the short version is nothing. Technically.”
“She’s a fae, Eleanor.” Cheyenne sat on the loveseat beside the chaise and propped her forearms on her thighs. “You already knew she was part of this whole world.”
“I did.” Eleanor took a long drink, stared blankly at the ice in her glass, then gazed up at Ember again. “I didn’t realize you were… Are you like Cheyenne, then?”
“Um, beyond the magic part?”
“Part human.”
“Oh.” Ember smiled at the woman and floated over to take a seat in the armchair. “Nope. Both my parents are fae, and I was born here on Earth.”
“Earth.” Eleanor took a long gulp of the vodka tonic. “Makes it sound like we’re dealing with aliens.”
“I’m pretty sure aliens aren’t a thing,” Cheyenne muttered.
“But do you know?”
“Well, no. Never crossed my mind, honestly.”
“Hmm.” Eleanor took another drink, and the vodka finally hit. She leaned back against the chaise and stared at Ember. “Pink.”
“Is it bothering you?”
The housekeeper barked a laugh. “Absolutely not. Can I be perfectly honest with you two?”
Cheyenne held back a laugh. “Might as well.”
Eleanor slugged down another huge, boozy swallow. “I’ve always wanted to know more about your world, Cheyenne. I’m fascinated. If it weren’t for your mother, I would’ve asked a lot more questions far sooner.”
“Oh.” Cheyenne cocked her head and couldn’t help but smile. “I’m right there with you.”
“She does have a way with off-limits topics, doesn’t she?” Eleanor chuckled and stared into her two-thirds-empty glass. “Then again, the magical world didn’t seduce me for one night and leave me with a child who can do that.” She gestured at Cheyenne with a flip of her hand.
“Ha. What’s that, exactly?”
“Everything about you, sweetheart. Lord knows I love you to death.”
“Love you too, Eleanor.” Cheyenne and Ember exchanged quick glances, and the fae nodded. “She’s gonna be okay.”
“Cheyenne, if you’re involved, I know she will be. It’s a shock.”
“I know. None of us expected anything like this.”
The housekeeper sniffed and took a much more demure sip. “Do you know what happened to her?”
“Kind of, and I’m happy to tell you about it if you really wanna know.” I have no idea what she thinks. Never got this far without Mom butting in and telling me to shut up about it Bianca-style.
“I have no problem with the topic, sweetheart.”
“Okay. This is probably gonna end up being a giant conversation about magic, other worlds, and overthrowing asshole rulers. You sure you wanna hang around for it?”
When Eleanor finished downing the rest of her drink in one breath, she set the glass on the side table and turned to fix Cheyenne with an unwavering stare. “I’ve been working for your mother for over twenty years, Cheyenne. What can’t I handle at this point?”
Ember grinned. “Wow. I like Eleanor and vodka.”
“Don’t think that’s the vodka talking, honey.”
The fae raised her hands with a soft laugh. “Not a chance.”
“All right.” Cheyenne nodded at the housekeeper, then took a deep breath. “Basically, Mom’s been unintentionally cursed, I guess.”
“Cursed.”
“By someone in the other world, Ambar’ogúl.”
Eleanor burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. I heard you say ‘hamburger.’”
Cheyenne sat back on the loveseat and shook her head. “Close enough.”
“Well, go on. Keep going.” The housekeeper patted her graying bun and nodded. “I’ll keep my comments to myself.”
“Okay. The Crown cursed L’zar when we were over there, and somehow it slipped through the portal and hit Mom at the same time.”
“The Crown.”
“Oh, boy.” Cheyenne ran a hand through her hair. “So, this is where things get weird. Fair warning.”
Eleanor twirled her hand for Cheyenne to continue.
“L’zar’s sister is the ruler of Ambar’ogúl.”
“But not for much longer,” Ember added. “Cheyenne’s next in line.”
“My God.” Eleanor tilted her head and studied the girl she’d helped raise as if seeing her for the first time. “How long have you known this?”
“About four days.”
“Four days! Is she sick or something?”
“What?”
“Your aunt.”
Cheyenne grimaced. “I’m not calling her that, Eleanor. She’s not really aunt material.” Come to think of it, L’zar and Bianca aren’t parent material, either.
“How are you next in line? Is there some kind of vote? An age limit?”
“She’s been the Crown for a few thousand years, Eleanor. An age limit would be pretty pointless.”
“We staged a coup.” Ember grinned.
“Ah, yes.” Eleanor frowned. “I’m sorry. I’m familiar with the term, but I still don’t understand.”
“We stormed the castle and took it by force. More or less.”
“Oh.” The housekeeper nodded, then stood. “I’ll need another drink for this one.”
Cheyenne and Ember looked at each other and held back their laughter. At least Eleanor was capable of pouring her own drink this time.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
“And that’s basically where we are now.” Cheyenne finished her human-appropriate retelling of the last few weeks and crossed an ankle over her other knee. “L’zar’s out there meditating on how to pull Mom out of that curse, and then we have eleven days to pull everything together before we go force Ba’rael Verdys off the throne and choose someone else to sit on it instead of me.”
Eleanor blinked rapidly and lifted her glass. “Naturally.”
“But the most important thing right now,” Cheyenne continued, speaking more to Ember, “is focusing on what’s happening with the FRoE.”
“Oh, yeah.” Ember nodded. “Did you find him?”
“I did more than that.”
“Who, now?”
Cheyenne squinted. Really, it’s the least sensitive information I could possibly give her. “Magical Special Ops, more or less.”
Eleanor took a sharp breath and perked up in realization. “Those men in black you fought in the drive.”
“Yeah. Same guys who are down there in the yard. Rhynehart’s the one who took the phone from you when you called me. You met him before.”
“Bianca’s the one who remembers names and faces, Cheyenne. I just serve the drinks.” Eleanor gave her a tight smile and lifted her mostly full second glass. “I’m amazed he even agreed to show his face on
