Page 124 of The Courting of Bristol Keats
Bristol obediently slowed as they passed guests already buzzing with gossip. “Right,” she answered through a clenched smile. “I’m the one in control.”
Melizan tightened her grip. “You don’t believe me? You’re the one with the upper hand now. You know something Kormick doesn’t—you’re bloodmarked. If there’s one thing all fae hate—whether it’s forest sprites, or the powerful malevolent kind like Kormick—it’s secrets. And now, thanks to Kasta, other secrets are swirling all over Elphame and he’s mad with curiosity. Why do you think he’s here? Worse, the secrets are festering and multiplying in his own imagination. Those are the most treacherous kind. Remember that. Secrets are power.”
“I detest secrets. I’ve been running from them my entire life.”
“Is that what you plan to do now? Run?”
“No.”
Melizan smiled. It was a short answer, but Bristol’s tone held a lethal edge. She pulled her closer like they were best friends. “Good. Now, how is it that you know Kormick?” she asked.
“I don’t know Kormick,” Bristol answered. “I knew a slick-mouthed thirty-year-old cyclist named Mick who gave tours on the coast. He showered me with attention just after my father died, and I fell for it. Then he disappeared entirely. That man in there, he—”
“He used you,” Melizan finished.
“For what? A quick screw in a storage room?”
Melizan laughed. “People glamour themselves for far less. But for him it was probably a spicy diversion while he tried to find out if you were bloodmarked.”
“Just because my mother was fae? How would he even know about her? And why the king? Doesn’t he have slimy minions to do his bidding?”
Melizan walked cautiously around the question. “Kings don’t leave important work to underlings, and when there’s a desperate race all over Elphame to find another bloodmarked, not a single stone is left unturned.”
“That’s what I feel like right now, a big stupid stone. And an angry one.”
“Anger is good. Rage is better. It sharpens the claws.”
“Anger and rage don’t begin to describe my state of mind right now. That sick bastard—” Bristol drew in a sharp breath. “My god. My sisters. What if he—”
“I don’t know what he did with them when he was there, but right now, your sisters are well guarded. Tyghan posted four knights at your house as soon as he found out you were bloodmarked.”
Melizan watched the fire in Bristol’s cheeks fade. Her voice went flat. “My sisters need to be guarded. What have I done?”
“The good news is, Kormick had no suspicions about you, or he wouldn’t have left any of you in that drab little town of yours. And you haven’t performed any magic since yesterday, so I’m certain he didn’t catch any scent off you, especially not in a full ballroom.”
They reached Melizan’s guestroom at the end of the hallway, and she pulled Bristol inside. “You only have a few minutes to get yourself together. We need to go back before you’re missed and everyone assumes Kormick scared you senseless. The show must go on.”
Melizan crossed the room to her dressing table and grabbed a vial. She lifted the stopper and sniffed the contents. “Gardenia will be perfect. And a bit of hyacinth. Some rose, too, I think.” She chuckled. “Kormick will hate it. It should make it easy for you to avoid him.” She dabbed a bit on each of Bristol’s wrists and another dab on the cleavage just above her dipping neckline. “There. You’re a spring bouquet. Positively not his favorite.”
“And bergamot is?” Bristol said, eyeing Melizan’s chest.
“Exactly,” Melizan answered, and smiled. “Word does get around.”
A furrow creased Bristol’s brow. “How do you do it?” she asked. “Smile? Laugh? Pretend that none of this matters to you?”
Melizan placed the vial back on the table. “You’re not a good listener, are you? I don’t need to get rattled. I get even. Now, on to other matters.” She drew the dagger sheathed at her side. “The High Witch needs a lock of your hair so she can keep tabs on you—just in case.” She explained the power of freshly cut hair. “The magic only lasts two or three hours at most or they would have done it earlier. Quin and Kasta are doing the same with the other recruits. Just a bit of insurance in case you should be lured away.”
“I have no intention of being lured anywhere.”
“And yet I lured you right here to this room, no questions asked.” Melizan turned the dagger in her hand so the blade shimmered in the candlelight.
Bristol swallowed, eyeing the knife, then reached out and grabbed the blade from her. She cut off a lock and handed it back to Melizan.
“Make no mistake,” Melizan said as she tucked the strands of hair into her pocket. “We may all belittle Kormick to vent our anger, but he’s not in his current position because he isn’t smart, ruthless, and powerful. He’s a demigod, same as Tyghan. You’d be a fool to underestimate him.”
Bristol barely nodded, her eyes narrowing.
“Well?” Melizan demanded.
