Page 155 of Filthy Rich Vampires: For Eternity

I ransacked my drawer, tossing underwear to the side until my fingers landed on a velvet jewelry box—the pendant Bain had given me in London. I picked it up, and Aurelia cried out, the sound pure pain. I shoved it back inside, piling panties on top of it before slamming the drawer closed.

Aurelia took a stumbling step and collapsed onto the small bench at the foot of the bed. “What—what was that?”

“A present from the prince of the Infernal Court.” I backed against the drawer, shielding her from what lay inside it.

Her mouth drooped as a single pained word fell from her lips. “Fae.”

I nodded, my mouth going dry. Bain had promised the necklace was nothing more than a gift, but the way she had reacted suggested otherwise. “He said it was a present between our courts.”

“Maybe,” she admitted, “but it’s full of dark magic—dark Fae magic. The Infernal Court is one of four courts, and they are the most evil of the bunch.”

Evil. They had been civilized for our visit, but what lay beneath that carefully-coiffed facade?

“I don’t feel anything from it.” I hadn’t dared wear it yet. After seeing her reaction, I doubted I ever would.

“You wouldn’t... only Fae can feel that magic.”

“But...” My head tilted, my eyes widened as understanding hit me. “You?”

Her chin rose, pointing at me in defiance. “Half,” she confessed.

I aimed toward the bed, needing to sit down. I studied her more closely. “You don’t look Fae.”

“My mother was a witch. My father was a... bastard.”

“We have that in common.”

She swallowed. “But...” She snapped her fingers. I startled at the gesture. Bain had done the same in London. The surrounding air glimmered, and her features shifted. Her scar remained, her eyes still dark as night, but her face... She looked as though the Gods had crafted her, each angle precise and perfect, her cheekbones regal, her lips full and sensual, and her ears...

“I wear a glamour.” She snapped her fingers, and that otherworldly beauty dulled. “It’s better if people don’t know.”

“Do Mariana and Zina know?”

Her eyes flickered. “No. Ginerva took me in—gave me a home. She swore me to secrecy and held mine. My mother died giving birth to me, and my father...”

“Bastard,” I said for her.

“It turns out no one wants a half-breed around. Ginerva was more opened-minded than most. She taught me how to control my Fae magic, how to hide it.”

“But you know about the courts?”

“A precaution,” she admitted. “Toward the end of her life, Ginerva became suspicious of everyone. She taught about the courts. She even summoned another Fae to secretly teach me how to travel to the Otherworld. I think she planned to release me of my vow to her, to the court. The Otherworld would have been safer for me, even if they hate half-breeds as much as this world hates Fae. She died before…”

The truth hit me. Ginerva had guarded her, protected her, and given her sanctuary from a world that didn’t want her. And Aurelia had loved her. Not simply as her Queen or her charge but something much deeper than that. Any doubt I had that I could trust Aurelia vanished. She’d had nothing to do with Ginerva’s death. I was certain of that now. Did that loyalty extend to the other Queens?

“But it doesn’t matter,” she said. “Everyone who attends the Midnight Carnival must wear a mask, and when I put one of those on...” A ragged breath sawed through her as she looked to where I’d left mine.

“What?”

“The Rite is a masquerade,” she explained, “unlike any ever concocted. I overheard Mariana speaking of it earlier. The mask will transform you into your true self.” She laughed, the sound so hollow it echoed through the room. “The perfect costume.”

The person who most of us hid from the rest of the world—revealed. No hiding behind charm or decorum or wealth. My stomach churned, and I almost ran to the bathroom as I considered the Rite’s purpose. The creatures that might prowl the carnival. The truths the Rite would lay bare. The secrets they would expose.

“You don’t have to go,” I said to her. “If you think the mask will reveal—”

“It will,” her voice cracked, betraying her brittle nerves. I might not know Aurelia well, but it was clear it rattled her. “Since magic reawakened, it’s been harder to keep my glamour.” She squared her shoulders and looked me dead in the eyes. “But if you go, I go.”

I heard what she didn’t say running in the undercurrent of those words. She had failed one Queen. She would not fail another.

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