Page 52 of White Little Lies

So had my mom had a feather? But if the favor called in wasn’t actually from her, that would mean— “Who does he think someone tricked him?”

Dawn shrugged. “The gargoyles weren’t sure, they just knew that he was hunting someone, and that was why.”

So that’s where he had been, hunting whoever had actually tasked him with killing night runners. But that same person had also asked him to protect me… And then there was Marcie, the celestial woman who was working with him, who had tried to warn me away from the guys…

Just what in the hells was going on?

We both turned at the sound of voices outside my front door proceeding a knock. Recognizing the voices, I called out, “Come in!”

The door opened, and in walked Elena and Crispin, clearly already deep in their own conversation. They stopped talking as they realized I wasn’t the only one in the room, then Elena’s face lit up.

“Is this your old boss?” She approached the sofa, nearly tripping over her own brown boots. Along with the boots she wore torn jeans, a striped tank top, and a jean jacket. “What perfect timing. I spoke to Rian this morning.”

Dawn gave me a horrified expression. “Just how many people haveyou told?”

“Not that many!” I promised. “But she had to know enough to ask around.”

“Andsheis?” Dawn asked tersely.

Elena did a little bow. “Princess Millelena, at your service.”

Crispin rolled his eyes at Elena as he moved to sit beside me on the sofa. “She’s Eva’s old boss, not a queen from a neighboring kingdom.” He straightened his moss-green shirt, which somehow matched his tweed trousers, then put a companionable arm around my shoulders.

I wiggled a bit at a tickle of magic between us. I was enjoying seeing Dawn with her jaw agape at a total loss for words, but when she looked back and forth between the three of us, her eyes lingered on Crispin’s arm around me.

Seeming to finally realize what he had done, he withdrew it.

“Anyways,” Elena drew out the word as she slunk forward, then sat cross legged on the floor. “Rian is singleandhe’s intrigued. He remembered you, and said he would like to meet for tea.”

Dawn lifted a hand to her chest. I thought she might pass out then and there. “He—wait. He wants to meet me? He wants… tea?”

Grinning, Elena nodded.

I couldn’t help but match her grin. Honestly, I hadn’t expected this outcome. A lot of the older elvesweren’t really interested in outsiders, especially outsiders with troll blood.

Dawn tore her eyes from Elena, then looked at me. “Eva… What do I do?”

I had absolutely never seen her like this, and I had to admit, it made me feel a little sentimental toward her. I gave her an encouraging smile. “You go to tea.”

She lifted her forgotten coffee cup, but didn’t drink. It seemed more like she was just lifting it out of reflex. “I go to tea,” she repeated.

I nodded. “And if you get any more information from the gargoyles, you give it to your beloved Eva for free.”

Crispin watched the exchange with an amused expression before lightly placing a hand on my shoulder and leaning toward my ear. “When you have a moment, I need to speak with you. Alone.”

His tone was far more serious than I had ever heard it. And just like that, the lighthearted moment was broken.

19

Elena and Crispinmust have spoken beforehand, because the princess slid easily into her role of distracting Dawn while Crispin and I retreated to my bedroom. Ringo was curled up on my bookshelf, and near him stood Gabriel, perusing the few titles. Most of them were from my teenage years, and they weren’t exactly fine literature. I was ashamed to admit I had fallen out of the habit of reading once I reached adulthood.

Crispin shut the door behind us, then whirled on me. “What in the hells were you doing in the wee hours of the morning?”

I wrinkled my brow, glancing at Gabriel, then back at Crispin. “Didn’t you want to speak alone?”

“Oh he can stay.” He waved a dismissive hand toward Gabriel. “I have a feeling he had something to do with it.”

“Wait a minute—” The pieces of what he was saying clicked together in my mind. “Early this morning. You mean you felt—” I wasn’t quite sure how to finish the sentence.

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