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Calliope should have toldsays we’ll see about the fate of your life, it’s not a good thing Even without his warning, I was s wasn’t so used those words, I decided it was time to play it cool

"Your Maj--"

"Call me Aubrey, please" He set wet in their gossaave me a worried shiver "Aubrey Delacourte" The expectant stare following his introduction told h I knew he had to be perfectly aware of who I was since he’d said as much earlier

"I’m Secret McQueen"

"I know"

Of course he did

"I’ve coainst her will"

"Oh?"

Fairies were notorious for kidnapping Babies sos But their real bread-and-butter omen I’d seen true fairy women before, and it had astonished me that the men of the realm felt any need to look outside their own species until Calliope explained the reasoning to me Fairy wonancy was not as siestation period for a full-blooded fairy baby was a whopping thirtyhow much the babies drained froy, it was sadly often the case that the mothers died before babies came to term

Huestation was only nineto spread his seed it was often easier to father a half-breed than it was to wait out the lengthy birth of a full-blooded fairy child

But the human wo Kellen had been brought over as part of an owed debt, but I had even money it was her youthful uterus the fairy had been after and not her whole person

"Aubrey, can I be honest with you?"

"It would be a lovely change of pace forhere She isn’t going to be a war progeny into She’s coeny?" He lookedaudience for an Alien reference, I think," Holden whispered from behind me

On the plus side, I found my absurd outbursts tended to endear me to people rather than rateful Aubrey was at least a wee bit endeared In fact, he was regardingon his folded hand as he watched me with careful interest

"You’re an unusual woman Unlike any queen I believe I’ve ever known"

"Understate his stomach I’d probably wasted my Alien reference too soon, since he looked like his chest was about to burst any second Worry twisted in uts when I saw Desmond’s ashy, sweat-streaked face He was in bad shape

My focus was renewed "Aubrey, I need ht, leaned forward on his knees and laced his fingers together "My, e"

"Does et ard"

"And what does your regard get ets you a chance"

"A chance at what?"

"Winning her back"

Win her Like she was a poker hand or a door prize I hadn’t been expecting them to hand her over pretty as you please, but I was taken aback at the notion I’d have to cha her hoht be okay A challenge of the wits, I’d stand a sliver of a chance Fairies were tricksy devils, and you had to think like a crazy person in order to beat theah, and we’d all be screwed

"You and your companions will stay with us a brief time While you are here I will observe you Once I am satisfied hat I’ve seen, you and I will co reement?"

Ah, the careful selection of the word promise When it came to the fae, there were tords you had to take pains to use only if you absolutely must: thank you and promise To thank a fairyas they chose A thank you was tanta tihtly

Promises were equally loaded, because a fairy’s as everything They never lied Sometimes they would skirt the truth so expertly it would feel like a lie, but it never was Words had to be chosen with painstaking care when speaking to a fairy So I had picked the word proood reason

Aubrey knew it too because his beautiful face lost the ahtly draith displeasure