Page 27 (1/2)

"He’s a blacks innocently "Hein the world, you nas for me, of course"

"He also puts up with you," said Ja down on a tree stump on the other side of the f ire "And he’s faithful" Ava huffed "I wouldn’t be able to do my job if I was only ever with hilared, and she stopped Instead of grilling her more about her relationships, I looked down at my hands

Nicholas presuh not to cheat, unlike Ava Maybe she had an excuse, but it rehthat to her husband whether he was okay with it or not

"You’re not married, are you?" I said to James

He shook his head "Not yet, not off icially There’ve been some mortals, of course, but we’ve all had a few mortals on the side"

"More than a few," said Ava with a snort

"Then why getto stay faithful?" I said

Ava shrugged "I think Daddy believed that getting married would force me to settle down, but that didn’t work out too well" She paused "Nicholas understands, you know

He knehat he was signing up for in the beginning, and he doesn’t mind At the end of the day, he knows he’s the love of et married for the same reasons that mortals do," said James "To create a family, a home, to have that sense of security To have a partner And in Walter, Henry and Phillip’s cases, to have a queen to help them rule"

"Didn’t turn out too well for Henry," Ibreeze made the leaves on the trees above us rustle, and I forced e what had already happened I could, however, control what I did, and I already kneould never hurt Henry like that No ot

However, a tendril of resent to Ava, "If you can stay with Nicholas, then why couldn’t Persephone stay with Henry?" She said nothing The f ire crackled, and off in the distance I heard a wo, but I didn’t pay attention

Many of the s I’d recognized, others were so old that they’d been lost to ti them