Page 19 of Royal Ransom

Basil indicated the floor in front of him. He’d arranged pillows, poofs, and beanbag chairs around his classroom. There was no discernible order, and I suspected students chose seats at random. It was the kind of laid-back atmosphere that someone like Astrid would enjoy. I understood why she listed him among her favorite teachers.

“You are in a complicated situation, are you not? Perhaps you should talk to someone about it,” he said. His eyes were soft. Pitying. I wanted to smack him for it. I wasn’t someone to be pitied.

“That’s an understatement,” I said.

“Tell me.”

I shook my head. “God, I don’t even know where to start. This entire thing is a shitshow.”

Basil placed his finger gently under my chin and tilted myhead upward until I met his gaze. Beside me, Maverick stiffened, a low sound of protest building in his throat.

“Perhaps if you don’t know where to start, we should focus on where to end,” Basil said.

I edged away from his touch, took a breath, and sighed deeply. “Janara sent Wren to kidnap my brother’s spirit. She’s trying to force me to charge in against her since she isn’t sure that holding my ex-fiancé is enough of an enticement.”

Basil’s lips pursed. He looked disgusted but unsurprised. It made me like him an iota more than I had a moment before. At least I wasn’t the only one who hated the spiteful bitch.

“So we’ve finally come to the crux of it.”

“Of what?” Maverick exploded, clearly unable to keep his temper in check. “You haven’t made sense since we stepped in here. Speak English, for fuck’s sake, or we’re leaving. We can’t afford someone who’s just wasting our time.”

“You need intelligence to attempt a rescue,” he said blandly and then yawned in Mav’s direction, which seemed to further enrage the warlock, probably as Basil had planned. “I have some,” he continued. “Take my words with a grain of salt, as I haven’t visited Winter in a long time. I was banished from Faerie over an indiscretion many years ago. The information is badly out of date, but some insight is better than none.”

“You got kicked out?” I asked. “Why?”

His eyes turned cold, the first hint that something more than a genial professor lurked behind the unflappable exterior.

“That is my business.” Then he paused. “Do you want my help or not?”

I had to think about it. He was right that even a modest amount of information could save our lives. On the other hand, I wasn’t sure I could trust him. In fact, I didn’t trust him.

“Was what you did considered a misdemeanor or a felony under human law?” I asked.

That brought back the smile. The ice in his gaze thawed, and he allowed himself a rueful chuckle. “No. It was an indiscretion of a sexual nature with someone promised to a nobleman of another court. That’s all I’m willing to reveal to you, Chief Morgan. Is it sufficient to gain your trust?”

Ah. Soap opera logic. Something in my gut unclenched, and I scooted an inch closer to him.

I nodded. “Good enough for me. Mav?”

Mav grunted but didn’t say anything. He was still glowering at Basil, presumably for touching me so casually earlier.

Basil settled into a more comfortable position, one leg extended while he grasped the other, propping his chin on a knee. He studied us like that, wise, all-seeing eyes seeming to peer past the calm facade we tried to project.

“A direct attack is suicide,” he began. “As I’m sure you know. Janara will have her soldiers stationed at the borders and any other conceivable place you could show up. You don’t have a standing army. You don’t have full access to your powers. You are hampered by concern for Janara’s hostages, while she is not.”

“We get it!” Maverick snapped. “Janara is holding all the cards here. Where the hell is our ace? Because I’m tempted to tear your sleeves off to check.”

Basil didn’t seem fazed by the intensity of Mav’s outburst. It almost seemed to...amusehim, like a parent watching a child throw a fit.

“My love was a Sidhe of Winter,” Basil said quietly. “We knew we were breaking several laws, so we couldn’t be seen together in public. She made a permanent portal from the mortal world into Faerie. That portal leads directly to what used to be a closet near her bedchamber. She had her retreat built in secret, a lavish place for us to make love, you see? Only the servants she kept there know of its existence. All of them wereloyal to her. I doubt they would have given up its location. I can’t be seen with you once we enter Winter, but I can get you close enough to take a shot at Janara. Is that a powerful enough ace for you, warlock?”

Maverick leaned back. He didn’t look any less stern, but he seemed satisfied. “How close is close?”

Basil smiled, with just an edge of cruelty this time. “Very. Within fifty miles of the palace. It’s well concealed beneath the ground and warded for good measure.”

Maverick and I exchanged a glance. It wasn’t a guarantee, but it was more than we’d had five minutes ago.

“Where is this portal?” I asked.

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