Total pages in book: 230
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
I used one of the guest rooms upstairs for my office, which was perfect, because I could close the door on the room and pretend that a hoarder didn’t live there.
Nervous energy filled me as I dropped my hand and ran my fingers along the neck of the sweater. My throat was still tender and I knew it probably would be for a couple of days. At least the weather was cool enough to wear a turtleneck.
Got to look on the bright side.
Pressing my lips together, I dragged my gaze from the empty desk just as I heard footsteps outside the room. I dropped my hand. Seconds later, the door opened.
The Summer fae known as Tanner strode into his office. His real name was totally unpronounceable, as were the names of most of the fae who lived here. Almost all of them, including the woman behind him, had adopted human sounding names. Even the Winter fae did that, because I doubted Tobias had been that bastard’s real name.
Tanner drew up short when he spotted me sitting there, as did the female fae called Faye, who was carrying a file. Odd reaction considering when they saw me, I looked like I normally did, no wig or heavy makeup. No façade.
I was Brighton today even if I… I didn’t feel like her.
I only saw the mask Faye and Tanner wore for a second before the humanity seeped away and I saw them in all their fae glory. The only thing that hadn’t changed was their hair. Both were dark haired, but Tanner’s was salt and peppered, proving that he was aging like a human while Faye was younger, her hair a deep flaxen color.
“Ms. Jussier.” Surprise colored Tanner’s tone as he crossed the room and stopped in front of me, offering his hand. “I am surprised to see you.”
“Brighton,” I corrected him as I glanced at his outstretched hand. The moment of hesitation didn’t go unnoticed by Faye. The shrewd female cocked a dark eyebrow. I took Tanner’s hand, shaking it as firmly as humanly possible. I didn’t even know why I hesitated other than just being weird—and I was weird. A lot. “You know you can call me Brighton.”
He squeezed my hand affectionately. “Goodness, Brighton, I haven’t seen you in ages. I’m… I am so sorry to hear about your mother and for what happened to you.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been in this office or to Hotel Good Fae, but it was before the attack.
“Merle was an amazing and unique woman,” he continued, his tone and pale blue eyes full of genuine sorrow, and I wasn’t surprised he said that. He and several of the Summer fae had attended her funeral. “She is greatly missed.”
The next breath I took got stuck in my throat. I pulled my hand free, placing it on the velvety arm of the chair I sat in. I opened my mouth, but found that I couldn’t speak as sorrow and anger threatened to rise up and smother me. I couldn’t let that happen. Not here.
Clearing my throat, I pushed away the messy emotions and focused. “Thank you. My mother enjoyed knowing you.”
“She did?” Tanner chuckled as he stepped back from me and turned to his desk. “Your mother was a hard woman to win over.”
“She had… trust issues,” I explained, shifting in the chair. “But she trusted you. Both of you.”
As crazy as that sounded, it was true. Mom actually liked Tanner. I thought she might’ve been developing a crush on the fae, which sounded absurd considering what she had been through, but she really did like Tanner.
A faint smile crossed Faye’s face. “And we consider that a great honor.”
Nodding, I wished that the bitter, razor edged ball of emotion that now sat heavily on my chest would just go away. It was time to get this meeting underway. “I can tell you weren’t expecting me. Ivy was unable to make it. She’s with—”
“Prince Fabian in Florida,” Faye finished, standing a few feet from me beside the end of the desk. “We are aware that Ivy isn’t available, but we thought they’d send… someone else.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I kept my face blank as Tanner sat behind the desk. “I’m sorry, but Miles is busy with the new recruits.”
“I imagine he does have a lot on his hands.” Tanner smiled, and he was always smiling politely. It was like his face was permanently fixed that way. “But we expected someone… higher up.”
Heat crept into my cheeks as my hand on the chair became rigid. They knew. I glanced between the two fae, feeling the warmth travel down my throat. They knew that Miles had sent me in for the meeting, because, in all honestly, he was too busy to deal with Tanner and, at the end of the day, didn’t really care enough to pull any of the members off the street or out of training. That was why I’d been sent in, because in Miles’s eyes, I had disposable time.