Page 14 of Blood & Ice

Astrid grinned at me, resting her head in the cradle of Rook’s throat. The vampire wasn’t wilting under Maverick’s stern disapproval, which was a point in his favor. I’d seen lesser men cowed by Maverick’s scowl alone.

“Fine. What did you want to talk about?” Astrid asked Maverick.

He cleared his throat. “A few things, actually.” Then he cleared it again, like what he was about to say wasn’t comfortable. “First, I need you to contact Fox Aspen for me.”

Astrid sat up a little straighter, shrugging off Rook’s arm. He adjusted his position, draping the arm over the back of the damask sofa instead. Meredith watched with interest, saying nothing. She had an oversized rat clutched gently in her hands. The rat looked like a tiny, adorable lapdog surrounded by the ruffles of Meredith’s skirt. I thought she was leaning a little hard into the Old West aesthetic, but it wasn’t my wardrobe.

“You actuallywantto talk to Uncle Fox?” Astrid asked. “I thought you said you’d rather choke on a cactus than haveanother conversation with him.”

“Astrid...” Maverick sighed.

“You said you’d rather dive into an empty swimming pool headfirst rather than listen to him lecture Tally or me again.”

“Astrid,” Maverick repeated more forcefully, pinching the bridge of his nose, rather than glare at her.

He did that a lot lately. Whenever she was pleased or amused, Maverick would find a safe point on the opposite wall and wouldn’t look directly at her for the rest of the evening. He wasn’t being obvious about it, and I didn’t think Astrid had caught onto the reason why. But I knew. He didn’t want to see her fangs. I knew he’d always wonder if he could have saved her if he’d set out sooner. The fangs were a reminder of one of his biggest failures.

“You said you’d rather lick an ogre’s sweaty back—”

“—I did not!” Maverick burst out. “Damn it, Astrid, this is serious. Are you going to give me the number or not?”

Astrid’s smile shrank, and the bewildered expression on her face made her look younger than her now eternal nineteen years. It was almost painful to watch the whiplash hit, and for all her good cheer to drain away. I wanted to push her lips back into that easy grin. No kid deserved to wear a look that anxious. She should have been worried about college finals and boyfriends, not magic and death threats.

“Mav, you’re scaring me. What’s this about?”

“It’s a faerie thing,” he answered noncommittally. “Tally needs the number. We need to fact check something.”

Astrid pursed her lips. “I’ll give you the number, but I doubt it will do you any good.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because Fox is staying in the newest hollow in Louisiana, and they don’t have any cell towers near the swamp. Hell, they don’t even have electricity all the time. It’s still early in theconstruction process.”

“What the hell is he doing there?” I burst out, unable to help myself. After all the times Fox had lectured me about duty, here he was pissing off and settling wherever he pleased. What a hypocrite.

Astrid shrugged. “I don’t understand it completely. Apparently, it’s a Sidhe protocol thing. Autumn is allied with Spring, and Fox wasn’t able to stop the attack on a spring royal. That means he has to tend to her duties to the Hollow until she’s well enough to resume them.”

“So, it’s like taking over someone else’s contract,” Maverick said.

“Yes,” Rook answered. “And he’s locked in for another year, at least.”

Maverick swore under his breath. “Of course he is. Any chance Dickhead Reynard introduced you to one of his counselors? I could use the advice of a faerie noble right about now.”

Lines appeared between Astrid’s brows. “I only know a handful of Autumn faeries, and none of them have great attention spans, so I doubt they can give you the answers you’re looking for.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully before adding. “I guess you could ask me. I’ve been getting a lot of court politics shoved involuntarily into my brain right alongside the magic lessons. Which I’m still not good at, by the way. All this power and I have no clue how to use it...” Astrid trailed off, muttering darkly. I empathized with her. I’d been the one learning harsh truths against my will only a year ago. At least Astrid had chosen her title and royal duties of her own free will. I’d been put on the spot, menaced with the threat of becoming someone else overnight, and then punished for reacting poorly. I still wasn’t completely in control of my abilities, though I was getting better.

Maverick took in a steadying breath and let it out slowlybefore he could speak. “I heard a rumor recently and it’s been bothering me. I need you to confirm whether what I heard is even possible.”

Astrid pulled her knees under her, sitting lotus-style as she faced her brother. I recognized the meditative posture with some chagrin. Bea had started me on a yoga program when my powers resisted all other calming techniques. Maverick’s insistence on joining me had done a lot more for me than the stretches and breathing exercises had. Just being in his presence was like draping a blanket over my shoulders, warmth that held the cold at bay.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “What’s the rumor?”

“That winter faeries can perform a type of blood magic, even without being blooded by vampires. Is that true?”

Astrid grimaced. “Yeah, it’s true.”

“Really?” Maverick seemed surprised.

Astrid nodded. “It’s dark as hell, but it does happen. Without that spark of death in you, performing blood magic involves taking a life. Using blood magic is illegal for a reason.”

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