Page 2 of White Little Lies

My eyes narrowed further, but he was right. I was dead on my feet. I took his arm, trying to not delight at the little thrill of dark magic prickling up my skin, instantly tightening things lower.

By the gods, I really needed to find the Realm Breaker to fulfill our contract and get me away from him.

Considering he was a devil, my very soul might hang in the balance.

“So listen,”Elena said as we rode our bucks toward the gates. “I’ve been thinking about the fairy who cast the glamour to fake your death.”

My eyes whipped from our green surroundings to study her face. Part of Sebastian’s new contract with Elena’s father was to share whatever information either of them had on my mother. Even though Sebastian had garnered that information fromspyingon me, it was technically necessary to share it. Since it would come out anyways, I had told Elena about it too.

“You want to go to the Crystal Vale, don’t you?” I smoothed my hands across my buck’s fur. At least I wasfinally trusted to ride on my own after the past week visiting Crispin.

She rolled her eyes toward me. “WellIcan’t go there.”

“Only Eva can go there,” Sebastian said from my other side. “And it’s far too dangerous.”

“Those fairies only tried to kill her because they believed Ivan was paying them!” Elena argued.

Sebastian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “There are many others in the city who still want Eva, and the fairies have made it obvious they will work for the highest bidder.” His buck shook its head, unsettled by his irritation.

“Itisthe best lead we have on my mom,” I interrupted. “The glamour was aimed specifically at her. Whoever cast it would have needed to know her.”

“And what makes you think they’re still alive?”

I shrugged. “Until recently, my mom still thought I was dead.”

“That does not mean the glamour is still active, only that she stopped looking.”

My shoulders hunched against the sun heating my back. “It’s still our best lead,” I muttered. “Either that, or Lucas.”

Sebastian had claimed Lucas was just following orders, that he had no true contact with my mother, but was fulfilling an old debt. Even if it was true, it had to be some debt for the effort he’d putin, not only killing night runners, but harassing me, and even threatening to hold me prisoner in the Silver Quarter.

The latter had convinced me to stay away from him, but I might have to confront him eventually. Even if I could learn to travel to the near realms, I would still need to have a rough idea of where my mother was hiding.

“Just work on your realm jumping,” Sebastian said tersely. “Without that, none of the rest of it matters.”

Elena chewed her lip like she wanted to say more, but she kept quiet. I had a feeling I would be hearing all about it once Sebastian wasn’t around, but that might take a while. The only place I could go to escape him now that the elf king had given him a free pass was the Bogs, and Elena couldn’t go there.

And ifIwent there…

I’d had communication with both Gabriel and Mistral since that night, but I hadn’t gone long enough to stay within the Citadel. I would have liked to say that maybe I didn’t fully trust them, but it wasn’t true.

In reality, I just didn’t fully trust myself.

2

We raninto one of my neighbors on the way up to my apartment. Noel had fairy blood somewhere in her ancestry, but it wasn’t strong. Just enough to give her a feel ofothernessthat most wouldn’t even notice. She pushed a lock of black hair behind her ear and gave me a coy smile as we passed her on the stairs.

I forced a smile in return. Sebastian had been around so much, I was pretty sure most of the neighbors thought he was my boyfriend. Most of them also wouldn’t be able to tell that he was a devil. If they could, they might think a little differently of me.

I glanced at him as we continued toward my door. He seemed oblivious, but I knew it was an act. Sebastian missed very little.

He finally looked down at me as we reached my apartment, but his dark eyes were distant, his thoughts somewhere else. “I will return for you tomorrow.”

I could have let it go at just that. Ishouldhave let it go at just that. But hells, he had saved my life one too many times. It didn’t feel right lying to him. “I have a delivery tonight, so if you sense your calling card out and about, that’s why.”

His eyes were suddenly keen on my face. “You’re being foolish.”

I lifted a hand to cut him off. “Hey, a girl’s gotta eat, and there’s nothing in our contract that says I can’t take other jobs. But in case you didn’t catch the rest of my statement, I will bring my card.” It vexed me, but once again, he had saved my cookies one too many times. Every time I’d heard a motorcycle over the past week, I was looking over my shoulder for fae.

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