Page 131 of The Demon's Discovery
“Feiser offered everything we could ever dream of. The houses, my title… everything.”
That was somewhat reassuring, but he’d made that agreement for himself, not for me. I’d seen no luxury during my time with them, despite having been the reason they flourished. “And to him?” I gestured at Vassago.
“Seventy,” he muttered.
“Oh,” I said, all the breath rushing from my lungs.
“You can’t be serious,” Bea gasped.
“I started at a hundred!” Henrik argued, as if that made it better.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, stopping the bickering that had begun. “I appreciate that he gave you anything at all to get me out of that house when by rights I should have just walked out the front door when I came of age. I never belonged there, and he was guaranteeing I never had to return. It doesn’t matter what he paid or what you asked. No amount could make up for what I lost all those years.”
“Forgive me, Dragonfly.” Vassago’s mouth pulled into a sincere frown.
“It’s alright.” I wasn’t sure if it was; my insides had gone still and cold. “I think,” I said, pulling myself together and turning back to my former employers. “That you could perhaps both do with some time earning your way instead of taking and enjoying what others worked for.” Vassago looked over at me, his eyes a glowing ruby. Lust pulsed from him, and I knew he’d gone from restraining himself from killing my patrons to keeping still to prevent himself from prematurely whisking me away to somewhere with a bed. “Some time at the stone kin labor encampment should give you ample time to reflect on all the choices you’ve made that led us all here.”
“Camp?” Lara asked, eyebrows pinched together.
“Yes, I think that suits just fine,” Vassago all but purred. “I’ll let Magnus know they can be collected at his convenience.”
Either they were too shocked to respond or they were simply considering their protests, but both of my patrons were unusually quiet about their situation.
Once we were out of the cellar, exhaustion set in like a ton of bricks, despite the rest I’d had in the fae realm. I hugged Bea,wished her good night, and allowed Vassago to carry me up to his apartment.
I gave him a lingering kiss, then did what I could to get comfortable before calling stone sleep to take me over.
Chapter 50
Vassago
We spent several days following our return from the fae realm in my apartment.
The first whole day Greta was locked in stone sleep, reviving herself the best way she could. I used that time to record in ink what I had learned from Vos’s hate-tainted blood. After Greta had fallen asleep at Ris’s table, I had shared with everyone what I’d seen.
Magnus had plenty of new information to sort through in regard to his council. Vos had been the one to tell them of the relationship between Ris and Rowan. Any pairing between such powerful stone kin blood and a fae prince had been rapidly and vehemently forbidden. Much like Calla’s parents, Rowan disappeared not long after the decree. For the first time in a long while, Magnus had a solid lead for several missing stone kin, and he was following it with enthusiasm.
I was not keen on letting Greta out of my sight, and fortunately she was content enough to allow me to be overbearing as she recovered from her ordeal. She never once commented that she could tell my guilt was eating me alive.Pampering her was the only way I could keep from blaming myself utterly for everything that had happened, but I could see the softness in her eyes when I suggested another bath or new braids. She understood and was going to let me do what I needed in order to ease my conscience.
Belmont had yet to tap on the window; it seemed he had stayed to keep Ris company a while longer.
Our young guests returned to the Belette manor, as Bea was eager to put things her parents had ruined to rights and Ellis was happy to be at her side offering whatever support he could. Naturally, we offered our help if she needed it. Ellis had a good job with his merchant father, and I wouldn’t be surprised if wedding invitations arrived in short order.
Magnus shared bits of news with us while delivering baskets of supplies sent by Grace. One evening, he shared several extra bits of news.
He’d seen the commissioned necklace installed in the stone kin archives on his last visit to the council building, and mentioned that things felt even less stable there than they had before. Gaius was not recovering as he should be, either, and was all the crankier for it. It sounded like he’d met his absolute match in Lovette, and she wasn’t letting him boss anyone, especially her, around, no matter how upset he was about things.
“There’s something he’s not telling anyone,” Magnus sighed one evening. “It’s important. Hopefully he shares his troubles with someone soon. I can tell it’s eating him up. I’ve never seen him so full of misplaced anger.”
Greta empathized, her heart so much larger than any of us deserved. “You haven’t been friends, not for a while,” she surmised.
Magnus ran his fingers through his hair, chagrined. “No. We had a falling out many years ago. A battle… it took too muchfrom us both. Blame was put where it should not have been. Then another instance recently…” He shook his head.
Greta shrugged, pulling the basket inside the room. “So, make it right.”
“How do I do that?” he asked.
“I don’t know, uncle,” she said, reaching out for a hug. “But I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
