Page 29 of Invidia

I nodded twice—once to convince her, once to convince myself. “Let’s make it happen.”

Chapter 10

“Hey,” Astrid said, striding over to where Meera and I were having breakfast in the dining hall. “You two need to come with me today.”

I’d mostly gotten accustomed to Astrid’s blunt way of speaking, but there were still times when I couldn’t help but be irked that she never said please.

Astrid softened her tone at whatever expression she saw on my face. “A Hunter has defected, they left a note where Soren and I had stationed ourselves in the human realm. It could be a trap, of course,” she added, not sounding particularly concerned either way. Astrid was a weapon all on her own, I doubted she was afraid of anything. “But if it’s not… Well, she sounded like she really needed help, and I’m not going to let her down.”

“Do you want us to accompany you to the human realm?” Meera asked, immediately straightening.

Astrid looked horrified. “Fuck no. You two need to stay here where it’s safe. The last thing we need is another Verity situation. I’ll bring her to you. I just need you two to be on standby to help me get her settled in.” Astrid shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet. “You know I don’t excel at being, you know, welcoming or whatever.”

“I’m sure we can fill in those gaps,” I said with what I hoped was a reassuring smile. If it wasn’t a trap, if more Hunters really were defecting and coming to the shadow realm, that could only be a good thing. I had a responsibility to do my part to help them acclimatize to life here, the way Ophelia had helped us.

Astrid gave me a curt nod. “Great. Finish up then come with me—Soren is setting up a temporary entry room closer to Elverston House so she can get onto the grounds more discreetly. The note made her seem kind of frail. We thought parading her through the palace grounds to get there was a tall ask.”

“Very thoughtful of you,” Meera said softly. “I do hope that life here won’t be too much for her.”

Astrid smiled grimly. “Only one way to find out.”

Andrus, a particularly smug member of the Guard who I loathed making small talk with, stood watch at the makeshift entry room as we waited for Soren and Astrid to return. I’d expected a larger contingency of both guards and a welcoming party, but Astrid had really meant it when she said she didn’t want to overwhelm the new arrival.

“So,” Meera began. “What was it that Ophelia wanted to talk to you about yesterday? Not that you have to tell me, of course. I’m just being nosy.”

“She, uh, asked if I would go on some prearranged dates,” I admitted. “With some Shades who don’t feel like they’ve had a fair shot at getting to know us.”

Meera wrinkled her nose slightly, the only outward sign of her disapproval. “How do you feel about that?”

“I mean, I don’t have anything else going on.”

“Except some unresolved feelings from your fling at the ball.”

“Ouch,” I gasped, twisting to look at her. “Meera! Right in the heart.”

She shot me a brief, unapologetic half smile. “It’s true, though. Isn’t it?”

I was pleading the Fifth on that one.

“I support you, of course,” Meera continued. “And you’re not making any promises by meeting with Shades who just want to meet you. Just… be careful, okay? With your heart.”

“I will,” I promised, my voice slightly strained. “You need to stop being so great, or I’ll stink up the place with my feelings.”

That earned me a slightly more confident smile.

“Andrus is quiet today,” she whispered conspiratorially, leaning in close to speak in my ear. “Usually, he’s always trying to get your attention.”

“There’s fresh meat coming through that door,” I replied wryly. Andrus’s attentions were fickle. Even if I had been able to overlook his Trust Fund Baby energy, he just seemed immensely unreliable.

Meera wrinkled her nose at the description, but it was only the truth. Andrus saw us as power sources first, romantic interests second. He was exactly the kind of Shade I wanted to avoid. Hopefully, Ophelia’s vetting process would weed those ones out.

He straightened as the door opened, Astrid emerging first and holding it wide.

The first thing I saw was a dog.

A golden lab, to be specific. In a red vest with “Service Dog” printed in bold white text along the harness.

Followed by a pale, wan woman with patchy brown hair—her face tilted up toward the sky as she walked, gaze unfocused.

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