Page 81 of Cathmoir's Sons

Luca’s probably right about that.

I want to give her something better than the Holly King’s diamonds, I tell him.

You just gave her a villa in Italy, idiot, Luca responds.Trust me, that beats a couple of diamonds. Have you ever seen Kellan wear anything in her hair but a hair tie or clips? She’s not a diamond circlet kind of girl.

With a grunt, I concede his point. I still want to give my queen jewelry. But it will be better, more thoughtful, jewelry than the Holly King’s.

Did you understand the language she was speaking to the demon?I ask, since I have my brother’s attention while the conversation continues around us.

No. I’m sure it’s Dan-Enochian. Same language as some of Rho’s glyphs. I was able to translate those but I didn’t learn the language. I’ll need to study it.

I rest my chin on Caileán’s shoulder. Maybe I should take a crash course in Dan-Enochian, too.

The Holly King, evidently unperturbed by Caileán’s coolness, asks to escort her on a walk after dinner. I nearly lunge at him when he offers her his arm. She’s been sandwiched between me and Luca, safe between her Cait, for the entirety of the meal. I don’t want her to leave our enclosure. She kisses my cheek, then turns and kisses Luca’s, then stretches back and kisses Rhodes’. We stare at her in surprise, since she hasn’t been demonstrably affectionate with any of us in front of the Holly King before. She rises from the table, her full raven cloak rippling from her shoulders to her feet. Before she takes the Holly King’s arm, she leans over and kisses my other cheek.

“I promised myself I’d never miss an opportunity to kiss you goodbye again,” she breathes in my ear, her claws curling around my nape and prickling my skin. “I love you. I want you to be secure in my love, no matter what comes against us. I won’t go far. Not out of your sight. I’m just going to count my sheep.”

My mind does a guilty canter. There might be fewer sheep than her last count.

Luca chuckles. “Busted.”

“Fairly sure you ate one or two.”

“Not how I remember it,” Luca says.

Caileán narrows her eyes at both of us as she lets the Holly King escort her out into the meadow with the Ivywhile knight trailing them.

“How soon can we kill him?” the demon asks me in Cait.

Darwin and his father, who barely said anything through the meal, choke. Evan Lords looks from one to the other before glaring at the demon.

“What did you say?” Lords demands.

The demon laces his clawed fingers together and rests his chin on them. “Who, me?”

“I still haven’t forgiven you for the whole spider thing,” Lords points out.

“Thought savin’ your ass at Jedburgh Abbey made us even?” The demon sounds genuinely surprised.

“Not even close,” Lords says. “I wasn’t anywhere near death at Jedburgh Abbey. Youdiedin front of three of my students.”

“I was only a little dead,” the demon drawls.

“Not even a little funny,” Lords says. “Are you plotting with the Cait to kill a monarch of Faery?”

The demon scratches his chin with a black claw. “Plottin’s a strong word. We haven’t done any plottin’ yet.”

“Yet?” Lords sputters.

“We’re at the pre-plottin’ stage.”

Teddy chokes back a laugh and puts her hands over her face.

Lords shakes his finger at her. “You should cover your face.”

Beside her, Gabe chortles. “Definitely not why she’s covering her face. Are we actually killing him? He doesn’t seemthatbad.”

“You only like him because he brought good wine,” Kellan’s pink-haired friend, Rachel, chimes in.

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