Page 24 of The Evernight Court

Mama Si—the succubi, the original seductress, the woman responsible for all of my misfortunes. I had to talk to her tonight, too.

But was she, though—or was it just me? My naïveté, my luck, my bad decisions, maybe?

Regardless.

She was the last person I was forced to speak to here, and then I’d be free.

So, I moved on to the table of the ruler of Faeries’ Aerie, a woman not much older than Emerald had been, this one with orange wings on her back—or what was left of them—and hair that was almost completely white. She smiled at me politely, and so did the four men and three women sitting at the table with her in perfect silence. I got the feeling they were all a little drunk. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they justdidn’t look like they gave a rat’s ass about who I was or what I’d done or what had happened to Grey.

“Our condolences for the Evernight Master,” said the leader without even introducing herself.

There went my thoughts, spiraling out of control again.Not dead-not dead-not?—

“Grey is not dead.”

The words slipped from me before I even realized I’d opened my mouth. I just couldn’t keep them inside anymore, consequences be damned.

“Of course, of course,” the leader said, and she really, truly did not give a single fuck about me or the stupid party—or Grey for that matter. “We come bearing gifts, as is custom. The finest of Faeries’ Aerie in a box, just for you.” She nodded at one of the men with dark-blue-colored hair and barely any wings left on his back, and he waved his hands around, his fingers leaking blue glitter. From that glitter a light wooden box sprung into existence over the table. It had a glass lid, and inside I could see everything they’d put there for me—more glittery dust in all colors neatly arranged and separated, bags of tea, what looked like dried berries of some sort, and honey. The biggest part of the box was full of honey.

Was it the faerie-bee honey that man had made me taste in the Faerie Bazaar that day? I’d actually loved the taste of it.

“Thank you, much appreciated,” I said with a nod, eagerly standing up. “Enjoy your night.”

“Sure, sure, you, too,” the leader mumbled with a wave of her hand, while the others looked at the gift they’d brought me in confusion. Maybe they’d expected me to pick it up?

They could leave it there for all I cared. I’d only taken the golden necklace with the crystal Reeva had put in my hands—and shit, I had her napkin, too. The magical one that fixed makeup. I needed to return it to her before I left.

But all thoughts of napkins and crystals left me when Iturned to the last table of the Isles’ rulers, and my eyes met Mama Si’s colorful ones.

She sat between Assa and Mike, and around her was another man and woman—that same couple I’d once seen at her masquerade party in the Paradise. The same ones who’d been about to come say hi to me, but she’d turned them away with a look. They were here now, and they were absolutelyin lovewith me still, just like Mike.

Assa was the same as always, though, which was a relief. And Mama Si…

“Fall Doll, you made it.”

Just those words and I was back in the Paradise as if by magic, tricked into thinking that I was safe. That I was taken care of. That I had any hopes of surviving the likes of this woman who preyed on the pleasure of others and manipulated so well even reality doubted its own self when it came to her.

“So did you,” I spit, and right now I was angry. So goddamn angry that I had to sit with her at the same table again, and that I had to look at her, talk to her,allowher to be in my presence after everything.

“I counted my days,” she said, waving at the empty chair by her side as Assa moved to the other side of the table. “You’ve grown even more beautiful than I remember—how splendid!”

Move!I told my legs, and they carried me forward, even though all I wanted to do right now was run through those doors and never come back here again. But Romin was there still, and he was watching me as he sipped his wine and Emil whispered something in his ear. He was watching me, and I’d be damned if I didn’t make it through this night in one piece.

“More beautiful than the stars,” Mike said from Mama Si’s other side. “We’ve missed you dearly, Fall.”

“I’m afraid I can’t say the same.” I ignored him completely, my eyes on Mama Si.

“Oh, don’t be so bitter, Fall Doll. Look at you—look how far you’ve come! How much you’ve stirred this place up!” And she laughed. The bitch fuckinglaughedlike she was the happiest person in the world right now. “I love it. Absolutely love it,” she told me. “Do you know how the Evernights look at you? They haven’t looked at the other bridesoncein that way—not a single time. You have them eating out of the palm of your hand, Fall Doll.”

“I amnotyour doll anymore,” I spit. “I’m your superior now. You’d do well to remember that when you speak to me tonight.”

Of course, I couldn’t care less about any of that bullshit, but I wanted to get under her skin. I wanted to humiliate her. I wanted to take away her power the way she’d taken mine.

Her smile faltered. “Don’t be silly, Fall. You’ll always be my doll,” she told me, and the aura of magic that naturally hung about her began to intensify.

Mama Si’s face was her true one—she did not have a shield of magic like the sirens did, but the magic rather hung in her every pore, like it infused even the blood in her veins. It was powerful—more powerful than the witches, or the other Enchanted I’d met tonight.

How easily I noticed it now. How easily I saw through it. That’s because I’d been chosen by the Evernights to become their bride.

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