Bahz kept his eyes down for a minute before finally looking back up at Kalian and nodding. I could see how tense his jaw was from across the room. “Very well, General. I wish to serve.”
Kalian smiled, though there was a hint of mischief in it. For the first time since meeting him, I saw that tricky quality on his face that Seelie and Unseelie were so well-known for.
“Good. Starting tomorrow, you’ll return to training.” As he said that, Bahz’s face dropped as if he’d just seen a ghost. “If you follow orders and convince me that I can still trust you, you’ll be Lieutenant again in no time, maybe as little as seventy years,” he shrugged. “Alright, Private?”
Bahz regained his composure, and his face hardened. I couldn’t comprehend agreeing to something so humiliating, but then again, I couldn’t even begin to imagine doing something for thousands of years only to have it taken away from you. Perhaps the threat of that was far worse than the embarrassment.
“Yes, General.”
I smiled, and then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Tawney. The tall woman towered over me in her yellow gown, and she smiled at me with the softest look.
“Even though we never met, I always liked to think I knew Alless. I made up stories about her in my head. And what I pictured might have been nothing like the real Alless, but the one I pretended to know… well, she would be proud of you.”
I felt my lip quiver and bowed slightly to her. “Thank you for your help, Tawney. I can’t tell you how much of a difference it made. I hope I get to see you again soon.”
“Oh, you will,” she laughed. “I told you I saw myself dying. I’ve got at least another century before that happens. You’ll have a hard time getting rid of me until then.”
“I hope that’s a promise,” I grinned. The old Seer abandoned all sense of composure and wrapped me in a tight hug. I wasn’t a fan of those types of things with people I wasn’t close to, but I could tell how much it meant to her. Before she left, I promised her that I’d make time to teach her the ancient fae.
“You’re quite popular around here,” Daath whispered in my ear once she’d gone. I turned to face him and smiled, exhaustion hitting me like a truck. I picked up my scythe from where I’d set it in front of the podium when I went to save Marielle, the elven mother.
“Can we go home?” I took a deep breath to hold back a yawn.
“Yes,” Syrion nodded. “Let’s go.”
32
Myrcedes
“What is this for?” I frowned as Lindsay had me hold on to a bedpost.
“I told you I want to go to a party!” She giggled as she pulled hard on the strings of the corset. I still couldn’t remember how I’d let her talk me into that. I was sure it was only because it looked so cool. The top was a long-sleeved, high-necked, black shirt, but the left shoulder and sleeve were dark purple lace with a leaf and snake pattern that looked so badass. The whole thing had a built-in corset. She promised it would look even more awesome being laced up, but as I struggled to breathe, I doubted that, so I told her as much.
“Well, that’s my problem!” she shrieked. “You’re not supposed to be breathing! Hold your breath!”
I rolled my eyes and groaned, but I did as I was told. The faster we got this on, the faster I could loosen it when she wasn’t looking. Once it was finally firmly in place, she showed me the full body mirror she’d made Daath and Syrion put in my room in the House of Stars. She’d wanted to get ready for the party here since it was more luxurious than our crappy apartment. She wasn’t wrong, but I was just as happy being bossed around by her in our cramped two-bedroom as I was anywhere else.
She had a point. The whole thing looked good. The pants were jet black as well but had the same lace snake pattern going from the waist, down the hip, and to the ankle. I tried to talk her into letting me wear boots, but she had never in her life been so insistent that I wear heels. She said anything under three inches would “assassinate the look,” whatever that meant. Oh, well. I’d at least gotten her to agree to let me wear a thicker, open-toed heel with straps instead of those stilettos I always felt like I’d step out of or fall down in.
She’d straightened my hair, so it fell dramatically over my shoulders, which I had to admit I was a fan of, actually. I liked the waves my hair naturally had, but something about it being so straight felt intimidating and powerful. In return for forcing the corset and heels on me, she’d agreed to let me wear as little makeup as possible, which meant just a touch of dark purple and black eyeshadow, mascara, and dark lipstick. Oh, and whatever she insisted on putting on my eyebrows. I never understood why I needed makeup on my eyebrows.
“Okay, as much as I feel like I’m going to pass out,” I turned to the side in the mirror and couldn’t help but smile. “You did a fucking good job, Linds!”
She squealed and clapped, hugging me from the side so she could admire her work in the mirror. “I did! Can you believe I designed that all by myself?”
She was already dressed. Her gray skin was surprisingly
