Aveena held her glamour weapons for a heartbeat before they vanished. Likewise, Lilith’s flaming accessories disintegrated in a shower of embers. “Nothing, Mr. Miller,” the succubus turned her hundred-wat smile on the history teacher, and he tripped over some gravel.
“What . . . um . . .” he shook his head like he was trying to remember where he was. Then his eyes focused on me. “Dupree!” he snapped. “You’re late for detention. Get your ass to my classroom, now!”
“Yes, sir. Right away, sir,” I practically ran for the cover of the faculty member.
Aveena’s murderous gaze followed me, promising the retribution was only paused. Lilith’s eyes followed me to and they were filled with . . . “affection,” I was sure I had that wrong, but there wasn’t any time to ask. I allowed the teacher to push me forward and away from the supernaturals.
We walked halfway back to his classroom before he broke the silence. “I don’t know what you did Mr. Dupree, but Aveena’s mother is the Lady of Winter, one of The Nine, a member of the Fae High Court. All courts answer to her no matter their affiliation. There is no worse person on this campus to make an enemy of.” He surprised me by smiling down at me, but it was a cruel smile. “I might not even have to catch you breaking the rules to get you out of my hair. The Fae will just make you disappear one night.”
He left me to consider my situation. “Maybe Jerome was right. I might be the luckiest and unluckiest man alive.”
Chapter 7
I collapsed into one of the hard, wooden seats at the front of Miller’s classroom. It had been a long twenty-four hours, and I was spent. Nearly being in the middle of a succubus brawl with a noble Fae was the hair that broke the camel’s back. Unfortunately, Miller wasn’t willing to just let me sit there for the next hour and a half.
“Whatever you might think of me, I am first and foremost an educator,” the academic steepled his hands on his desk and smiled at me. “So, I will explain just how big a pile of shit you just stepped in.”
“Just kill me now,” I rolled my eyes and settled in.
“The Nine are the highest order of Fae. Together they form the core of that race’s executive and judicial body. They are led by the Eternal Queen Maeve, Mistress of Light and Darkness.”
“And apparently they like their titles,” I shook my head.
Miller continued whether he noticed my disdain or not. “There are eight other positions, half filled by Seelie, and half Unseelie. Think the Supreme Court with four liberals and four conservatives. They bicker, squabble, engage in covert warfare, and generally use the Faerie realm as their own personal battleground. The Nine are closer to what we consider gods than supernatural creatures.”
“Ominous much,” I might have stiffed Aveena, through no fault of my own, but that had nothing to do with these people.
“Aveena’s mother is the Lady of Winter, and along with the Lady of Hags, Master of Hounds, and the Green Maiden; they form the Unseelie block. Unseelie are rebellious by nature, aggressive when confronted, and rely on individual strength and power as status symbols. All Fae have a flair for the dramatic. It’s in their blood. So, consider Aveena a rebellious drama queen who sees any afront to her honor, or challenge to her strength, as a direct threat to the core of her personality.”
“Oh,” I gulped. That sounded exactly what Lilith and I had just done.
“Thankfully, Unseelie normally try to handle things themselves instead of getting their court involved. Seelie are more willing to work together to accomplish their mission. They are led by the Lady of Autumn, Lady of the Lake, Master of the Hunt, and the Satyr Prince.”
“How do you know all this?” I finally got in a word.
“I teach a class on Fae Culture and Politics at the community college,” Miller waved as if that was inconsequential. “What is important, Mr. Dupree, is that you better hope Lady Foxbelle keeps this as a matter between you and her. If she calls on the Lady of Winter, this becomes an inter-realm incident.”
“An inter-realm incident,” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “All over me not getting her . . . something,” I caught myself before confessing to a Class A misdemeanor.
“Fae aren’t logical when it comes to honor and pride. If the Lady of Winter calls on the human ambassador to demand your head, the UN will give it to her.”
“You’re shitting me?” I called his bluff, and all he did was laugh.
“We don’t have a good read on the Faerie Realm, but we estimate they have a population of anywhere from one point four to one point seven billion Fae. There are also tens of thousands of changelings in our realm, and if it came to hostilities, we don’t know what side the half-Fae would choose. They are considered barely above pets among the Fae, but I wouldn’t put it past them to want to pick the winning side. Better the bottom of the totem pole then six feet under. An untrained changeling is a match for a fully armed infantry squad. Think about what an army of full-Fae could do to our world.”
I didn’t like the visual he was painting. Or the insinuation that this was my fault.
“Our own mages and paranormal creatures help level the playing field, but it would be a bloodbath and billions would die. If Cameron Dupree can stop a slaughter by losing his head, then the UN will gladly pay the price,” Miller finished.
“So, I need to make up for this . . . and then some,” I concluded.
“Yeah,” Miller laughed, and leaned back in his chair. “I
