Page 58 of Blood On His Lips

She makes a face she only makes with me. When around everyone else she must be a House Lord and have no faces, but with me the corners of her eyes crinkle as she smiles. She tickles me and I giggle, then obediently settle into my pillow and close my eyes. I want to play, and when I’m sleeping, there are the best playgrounds ever. I fly all over and play with so many fun people.

I zip towards my favorite sunny meadow, high on a cliff. I’m not afraid as I approach the edge, looking down into the loud blue ocean. Fear is for humans and Numair—he’s such a spoilsport. Juliette is funner, but her big sister squashes us like bugs if we try to have actual fun, then tattles on us to Auntie. Ugh.

I turn and begin running towards the castle. It’s my favorite castle. It’s tall and pretty like Everenne’s castle, but Maman won’t let me play in the Prince’s white-and-black palace. She says the Prince cannot know about me yet.

I can play here, though.

I explore the halls, the crumbled ruins, and wonder why it feels both happy and sad.

“It is happy because I was happy here, child.”

I whirl around, startled, and see a warrior, my eyes getting big. He stands down the hall, looking at me.

“But why is it sad too?” I ask.

“Because great happiness is never absent great sorrow.”

I think about his words, then shrug. He’s as tall as Danon, and his eyes are like the cobalt of Faronne House. He walks toward me slowly, his black hair shiny and almost blue when the sunlight hits it. His robes are like the ones Maman wears when she goes to Court, though his are plain. White and silver and black.

“You aren’t Faronne,” I say.

Maman is teaching me how to recognize what Houses the Fae belong to. Faronne doesn’t have dark hair except for me and Baba. Maman and Danon and most of my Fae cousins are yellow-haired and sky-eyed, though Baba’s kin are dark of skin and hair and eye.

I am in between. Not one or the other. Sometimes it makes me confused, but Maman says I will grow into my skin—whatever that means—and Baba says I am the prettiest girl. I roll my eyes. Who cares about pretty? I need to be powerful to help Maman and Danonrule. Danon says if anyone besides Édouard insults me to stab them and run to him, and he’ll meet them in a dark alley one final time. I’m not sure what that means. . .but it doesn’t sound nice—for them. Which means it’s probably fun.

Maman says not to talk to any Fae who aren’t Faronne.

But he doesn’t seem scary. His eyes aren’t mean, and his skin is a little darker than Faronne’s, light golden brown rather than milkmaid white like Auntie Fatma says. His voice is deep like Baba’s. I like his robes, they’re pretty up close. I reach out and stroke my hand on the velvety fabric, staring at the glittery threads.

He kneels, but he’s still tall. I scrunch my nose.

“That’s a good rule. You are Aerinne Kuthliele. Muriel’s daughter.”

I stop stroking his robes. “How do you know? You talk funny, like Maman and Aunt Nora. My last name is Capulette.”

“Your mother and Nur and I are good friends. They used to live in this castle with me when we were very little, like you.”

“But this is my secret castle,” I protest with a scowl.

“Yes. It will have to be a secret for now. You should not have been able to come here.”

My shoulders slump. “Is it yours first?” If it’s his, he will probably tell me to leave. “You should share.”

Now he smiles, and he’s the prettiest Fae I’ve ever seen. Even prettier than Maman or Danon. Prettier than Aunt Nora andshehaspurpleeyes.

“Perhaps I will. But you will have to show me how you came here. Not all places are safe, bébé. I did not let my son wander when he was your age, either. Does your mother know?”

I say nothing. I’m not a baby. I know I can’t lie.

He laughs. “I see.”

He stands and looks down at me, and sighs. Then he holds out his hand. “Your mother is always very busy. But Muriel should have—”

He stops talking, and I know that’s because he was going to say something adults shouldn’t say in front of children.

“I’ll show you the best places to play here, but you must promise you will not wander anywhere else unless I am with you. You could hurt yourself or someone else, and that would make your Maman very sad.”

I think about the offer. It doesn’t seem tricky. “What’s your name?”

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