Seven Black Diamonds (Seven Black Diamonds #1)(42)

The walk through Belfoure was almost beautiful at this hour. He’d seen a lot of the world because of his human family, but there was something about Belfoure that he’d come to associate with the concept of home. Hollywood always felt too stifling. Sure, he had his garden, but outside of that walled space, there were eyes everywhere. Camera flashes were far more common than rain, and the whispers of strangers felt oppressive. The Hidden Lands, at least the part he’d seen, were unwelcoming. He hadn’t expected that, but the harsh landscapes and glittering fae seemed alien to him. Even though he was a part of their world, was destined to kill or die for them, he felt like he didn’t belong there. Belfoure was an oasis that he hadn’t found thus far in either world.

In the slowly dawning day, the lingering shadows danced on the surfaces of dirty stone buildings, and the hum of humanity was reduced to only those strange souls who did their business—or were still out chasing their pleasure—in the darkest parts of the day. The glow of sunrise reflected and twisted in the water, as if the streetlights and the neon lights from the bars were meeting to share secrets.

Beside him, Creed was telling Lilywhite about a party at the Serpent’s Den that ended with Violet setting every drink in the bar alight at once. “She was stressed, and when she exhaled, every glass with actual alcohol had a flame on its surface.” Creed grinned, his teeth a flash of white in the darkness. “It completely ruined my ‘oh, it’s just juice, Zeph’ lie. Kamy and I were totally busted.”

No one commented on the fact that he’d all but told Lilywhite that Violet and Alkamy were fae too. The conversation had taken a turn toward blunt, but Zephyr decided that it was necessary to let it continue to be so. Lilywhite needed to know about the Black Diamonds. Although Creed’s approach wasn’t what Zephyr would’ve chosen, it was done now.

“Do you know any true fae, Lilywhite?” Zephyr interjected.

“No,” she said flatly, her laughter of a moment ago totally vanishing. “No one does. Pure fae don’t live in our world. Everyone knows that.”

Creed raised both brows in an are-you-an-idiot expression when Lily looked away. Zephyr shrugged in reply. It wasn’t the most graceful attempt at a segue from Creed’s story, but it was a hard question to interject casually. The fear of the fae was an almost palpable thing after more than a half century of conflict.

Once the three of them were in a private room at the Row House, Creed flopped onto the love seat. Zephyr ignored both the other love seat and the empty space next to Creed. Instead, he took one of the two chairs.

Lilywhite didn’t sit.

Creed patted the seat beside him, and Zephyr realized that they’d reversed their normal habits. Usually Zephyr took the love seat with Alkamy, and Creed sat alone.

“Let me grab a drink first,” Lilywhite said.

“They will come to us,” Zephyr explained. He didn’t want to raise his hand to motion for one of the servers, preferring to keep his barely healing palms hidden. Showing them would mean questions, and any answer he could give wouldn’t make Lilywhite eager to meet the queen. Instead, he said, “Just wait with us. It’ll only take a moment.”

After a slight pause, Lilywhite clarified, “I’m well aware of that, but I feel better if I see the layout and exits. I’ll only be a moment.” She tilted her head up a little farther, looking almost regal in the moment. “I came for answers, Zephyr, but I won’t be able to concentrate until I sort a few routes. Abernathy Commandment #15: Always have a way out, more than one if possible.”

She walked away, and Zephyr wasn’t sure what to think. There was clearly more to being Nicolas Abernathy’s daughter than his research indicated. A lot of the data emphasized that her father was overprotective of her, and the implication was that she was sheltered and cossetted. Her most recent birthday party was by invitation that required fingerprinting, and the entrance to the gala was through a metal detector and full body scan like at public airports. Not one single photograph turned up anywhere after the event. Everything indicated that Lilywhite wasn’t actively involved in her father’s business, but she moved like she expected to be attacked or blindsided at any moment. She’d already pulled a knife on him. Was she more involved in her father’s business than he’d expected?

Reluctantly, he caught Creed’s eye. “I don’t want to argue tonight,” he said, keeping his hands folded together to hide his injuries.

“Then don’t talk to me like I’m a child.” Creed leaned back, arms draped on the back of the love seat. “I put up with a lot, Zeph, but we’re all in this mess together.”

“I know that. If you had any idea how—”

“Then fucking tell me.” Creed’s voice shoved into him like a physical touch. It stunned him.

“Did you . . .” He leaned forward. “You can solidify the air?”

Creed rubbed one hand over his face and sighed loudly. “Yeah. It’s not reliable, but yeah.”

“We can use this. Figuring out how to strengthen our weapons will take a little practice, but . . .”

“It’s not a weapon, Zeph. It’s me. It’s my feelings, my voice.”

Zephyr shook his head. “It felt like a weapon. You hit me with it.”

“Well, you’re a special case. Not everyone pisses me off the way you do,” Creed drawled.