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"Did he really just run away?" I demanded, planting my hands on my hips. "Coward!" I called to the sky.

Robin hooked her arm through mine and tugged me along. "It's what he does. You'll get used to it." Then she snickered under her breath. "You really should have seen his face, though. He was blushing so hard when he remembered we were here watching him flirt with you."

I smirked to myself, even if my own cheeks were feeling a bit warm. "He really is adorable," I murmured.

Robin laughed. "Adorable? Yes, that's one way of putting it. Oh, Ruya how I've missed you."

Chapter 15

Josh

Ismiled softly as I handed a cup of tea to the delicate waif of a woman who sat perched on the couch in the main living room area. The others all lounged or milled about not far away, waiting. Robin had clearly not wanted this stranger in the private area of The Fox. In her lair. Or her nest. Or whatever it was to the dragon. But she had instructed us to keep her here where she would be harder to detect and access if the emperor should figure out who had ransacked his secret mansion and absconded with his banshee.

"Thank you," she murmured, taking the teacup and primly sipping from it, her posture meticulous, and her tension clear for all to see.

"You're quite welcome," I said softly. "Please let me know if you need anything else."

The last day and a half had been an unbelievably awkward sort of standoff. It was almost as bad as when Sadavir and I had arrived at the court. The others were clearly mistrustful of this stranger and conditioned to be alert and watchful of any threat. But at the same time… she claimed to be Ruya's mother—a claim which all of the paranorms in the group seemed to believe, so they must sense something in her aura or her scent that reinforced the idea. Everyone was curious about her. I assumed they were as full of questions as I was. But no one would dare start the inquisition until their alpha returned.

I felt bad for the woman. From what little I had gathered about how they found her, Ruya's mother had been little more than a slave to the emperor. A captive. Just like me and Sadavir had been at the vampire court. Then she was scooped up and carried off by her owner's enemies—a group of powerful paranorms who were currently radiating obvious intimidation and mistrust. She must be terrified.

She was so quiet. Contained. But she wasn't as good as Ruya at pretending to be calm. Clearly, the emperor hadn't trained or beaten that quality into her, the way Ruya's cult captors had with our witch. That thought made me realize there were probably other reasons why the rest of the court were watching her with suspicious eyes. Perhaps they blamed her for Ruya's mistreatment. For abandoning her child. Though clearly there was more to the story than that.

Sadavir was pacing back and forth in front of the sofa where she sat, agitated and angry that his true mate was missing, but automatically taking up a defensive position near Achlys just in case. Even a human like me could feel the powerful alpha aura he was putting out. It made me want to cower and prostrate myself and do anything to please, like a good little beta.

But I grew up with the powerful naga prince. I was used to his alpha moods, and he was used to my lack of visible response. I took a deep breath and forced myself to relax. Despite Sadavir's feelings toward the dragon, the rebel princess was more than capable of finding Ruya. And she was, as much as Sadavir might hate it, every bit as driven to protect Ruya as my own alpha was. Between her and the sorcerer, I knew our worry was for nothing. They had not only Ruya to drive them, but their love for Yukio as well. All would be well.

I had to repeat that to myself constantly to make myself believe it.

I realized I was hovering near the end of the couch, probably adding to Achlys's anxiety. But I was hoping she'd ask for something. Anything. That way I'd have something to do to distract me from my own worries. I might not be a possessive alpha. But I cared for Ruya. I wanted her back just as much as the others did. Not knowing anything was driving me mad.

But my time with the vampire court had taught me to keep my emotions to myself and play the calm, quiet servant.

Cicely crossed the room and took a seat on the couch beside the banshee, earning a lifted eyebrow and a curious look from our uncomfortable guest. He smiled at her, warm and golden as always, and I felt some of my own anxiety fade as banshee's shoulders relaxed a bit. The faun's magic was fascinating. I really could have benefitted from powers like that back when I was tasked with tending to the deranged vampire queen's abused menagerie of donors.

It didn't hurt that the man also had a handsome, easy-going face, all golden skin and tumbled blond curls. He was good-looking, but unassuming and boyish. Custom-made to draw a person in and make them forget their worries. I was certain that was part of why the fae king had found him so useful.

He answered the banshee's unspoken question by tilting his chin back and patting the angry scar tissue that slashed across his throat. Then he shook his head.

"Cicely can't speak," I added, for good measure. Translating would give me something to do. "I've been teaching the court sign language so he can communicate."

She glanced at me, then back at Cicely as she took a sip of her tea. "Was there something you wanted to ask, Cicely?"

He nodded and signed to me. Everyone was learning, but the others were still a little slow or clumsy sometimes. Cicely, however, had been very motivated to learn, and he had thrown himself into his studies. His signs were fluid and swift.

"He says you have Ruya's eyes. He wonders if all banshees have such pretty blue eyes, or if it's a family trait." I smiled, amused by the faun's blatant flattery.

Achlys chuckled softly, the eyes in question twinkling at his mild flirting. "It's a family trait. Not all banshees have blue eyes—at least not that I know of. There aren't very many of us around." Then she lifted a hand to pat her silver hair. "The hair though, that's pretty common in banshees."

Cicley nodded happily and continued making small talk, all the while pumping out the feel-good aura to calm everyone in the vicinity. I translated for them, glad for the reprieve. They talked about unimportant things. Her favorite food. Ruya's pets. Eventually, he smiled softly and shared something more personal. "Everyone here is a rescue case," I said softly, voicing Cicely's words aloud. "I was a slave to the fae who did this." He gestured to his throat.

Then he waved a hand at me, inviting me to join the conversation. I took a breath, never fond of talking about my own history. But if it helped put Ruya's mother at ease, then it was worth it. "I was a captive in the vampire court. As was my friend Sadavir there," I said with a nod toward the pacing naga. "All of us have a similar story. You're not alone in that."

She sighed and watched Sadavir pace, his handsome face lost in thought. "He's deaf, isn't he?"

I nodded. "Yes, but unlike Cicely's muteness, Vir was born that way."

"And still, he has such a powerful alpha presence. Not at all hindered by that challenge." She quirked a wry half smile. "Why is he guarding me?"

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