Page 64 of A Court of Hearts and Hunger
Fin leans in, taking the lollipop out of his mouth and kissing his fingertips to her. “Your Majesty.”
Louisa gives him a hard look. “Finias, why does my sister look like a faerie?”
“Oh, it’s just something we’re trying,” I say lightly.
“A sex thing?”
“Um—sort of. You know how the Fae are.”
“Yes, the fucking Fae and their little perversions.” The violence in her tone startles me, but she flashes a huge grin as if to soften her words.
“Are you and Lir all right?” I ask.
“Perfect.” She’s still smiling widely. “We’re just perfect.”
“Can we speak to him?” Fin asks. “As Clara says, there are things his Royal Majestic Gloriousness should know.”
“Oh, he’s—he’s very busy. And he’s not here at present. Where are you, Clara? I don’t recognize that room.”
Did my sister think I wouldn’t notice the abrupt change of subject? “We’re—we’re visiting a friend.”
“How nice.”
“Indeed,” Fin says. “Very nice. And we’re all safe and perfectly fine. See you at the palace next week?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Louisa glances to her left, as if she’s looking at something on the floor. “We’ve encountered some minor delays to our travel plans. Might be a couple of weeks. I have to go now. You two take care of each other.”
“We will.” I stare as she moves out of my line of sight, somewhere on the other side of the mirror.
Fin swipes his hand across the glass surface, and the hazy image of the faraway room vanishes, leaving only my glamoured self staring back at me.
I frown over at Fin, who is still leaning forward in his chair. “That was strange, wasn’t it?”
“You know your sister best. But I got the feeling she was hiding something.”
“Yes, she was.”
“Of course, you were hiding something, too,” he points out. “You weren’t exactly lying, but you certainly weren’t truthful. Well done.”
I shove his shoulder and he laughs, capturing my hand and bringing it nearly to his mouth before he catches himself. He lets go, his pretty face falling into a despondent expression.
A pained joy pierces my heart, because not being able to kiss me causes him such distress. Being needed like that, cherished like that—it’s all I’ve ever wanted.
“Do you think I should have been honest with Louisa?” I ask him.
He swipes his pink tongue over the purple globe of the lollipop. “Maybe. But it looks to me as if your sister is dealing with something at the moment. Knowing what we’re up to would only make her more anxious. You did the right thing.”
“When we’ve rescued the girl from the White Rabbit, we’re going to find out what’s really going on with Louisa and Lir,” I say firmly. “Do you know what she meant, when she said his powers aren’t that simple?”
Fin shrugs. “I know his father the king didn’t use his shape-shifting abilities often. Perhaps there are rules or restrictions—what am I saying, ofcoursethere are rules and restrictions because we’re the fucking Seelie and nothing can ever be easy and carefree.” He rolls his eyes, rocking the chair back on one of its battered legs.
“That chair is going to collapse right under you,” I tell him.
“Nonsense, sugar.” He gives me a wink.
My attention switches to the Hatter, who has been busy in a dark corner while Fin and I were talking to Louisa. She’s humming and muttering over the clickety-clack of her jointed fingers. She seems to be working on something, but her back is turned to me so I can’t see what it is.
I cock an eyebrow at Fin and jerk my head in Ygraine’s direction, wordlessly asking him. But he only smiles wider, mischief gleaming in his yellow eyes. “Get that memory ready, sweetness. Not one of our best times, though, if you love me.”
