Page 50 of Solstice

“Meet me here tomorrow at lunchtime.” A plan formed in the back of my mind, one that would help me sniff out whatever Poppy was hiding from us while preparing her for what would come next.

* * *

I didn’t knowhow this was going to go, but I figured I had to give it a shot. No one else knew we were meeting. Ivy had gone out with her sisters, and I had the whole place to myself.

This plan had been forming ever since Miri showed us the memory of Alberich saving her from the car crash. I put myself in the shoes of the egomaniac that had been terrorizing Faerie for eons. I imagined living my thousand millennia as the strongest, scariest thing in the world, only to be replaced by a human child that could manipulate space and time. Poppy was powerful, quite possibly more so than the king or queen combined. Fear could be a great motivator, and if I were him, I’d want to kill it, too. Hell, I’d do worse if I thought it would protect my realm, hence the reason I wanted to leave her right the fuck where we found her.

Given that, if I were an immortal being that had broken out of Faerie into a different realm with unknown rules, I’d bide my time. I’d wait for the most opportune moment, or perhaps, in his case, the most ostentatious moment. I’d watch my prey meticulously to learn their habits and search for their weaknesses.

The fairy king wasn’t one to sneak in and do the deed quietly. No. On Samhain, he had made a grand show of invading the queen’s quarters after her night of rituals. He’d waited until she was weakest, until she was distracted, and then he’d shown up with his forces and easily brought her to her knees.

The wedding.

That’s when I’d do it.

That would be the biggest, flashiest time to announce his presence, and that gave meloadsof ideas.

All this time, I’d been insisting we should draw him out, make him fight him onourturf. I didn’t know how yet, but we had fairy gifts and Miri had been keeping him out with hers. That meant he wasn’t imperviousto them. He could be contained. Once that spider in my mind started turning this nugget over in its web, my plot solidified while I waited for Poppy to show up.

Finally, the space around me shifted and a loudzapechoed through the air. She appeared in the living room, her hands crossed behind her back as she eyed me suspiciously.

“I’m here.” She took a step toward me and swallowed, glancing around to ensure we were alone.

“Thank you for coming.”

She nodded. “I’m still not sure what you think you’re going to tell me that I don’t already know.”

“I want you to practice.” I gave her a knowing look. “If you can control it, he can’t use it against you.”

She narrowed her gaze. “I already told you, I can’t go back?—”

I cut her off. “What if I told you I knew that you could?”

“Because the king is at Miri’s car crash?” Poppy rolled her eyes. “He’s the king. He can do all kinds of dark magic.”

“Yesterday, I said I wanted to make a deal with you. I’m trying to get the paperwork to bring you here permanently.”

Her eyes widened, her hands coming to a clasp in front of her chest as excitement flushed through her.

“That’s not part of the deal. I tell you that so that you know I’m serious about what I’m going to say next.” I stood and walked toward her, keeping my voice calm and level as I spoke. When I met her gaze, I didn’t see the child we’d brought home two years ago. I saw an ancient soul, someone that had lived multiple lifetimes and kept her secrets closely guarded for the doom they could unlock if anyone knew them. “I’ll help you survive the king. I’ll work with you to figure out the breadth of your gifts, but I expect loyalty in return.”

She straightened when I said the word, tilting her chin up to face me. “Loyalty.”

“Yes. If I find out you’re working for Alberich behind our backs?” I shook my head. “Poppy, I’ll do anything to protect my family. You understand that?”

Was she too young to pick up my threat? Was I mistaken when I believed her to be older than she appeared? When she nodded and pursed her lips, she confirmed my suspicions. She understood everything I saidand didn’t sayperfectly.

“If you turn me over to the king or betray me, I won’t hesitate to use what I know against you.” She steeled her tiny jaw and shot daggers at me from behind that brown gaze, saying so much with that one expression. If I betrayed her, she’d do the same. She knew where we lived; she knew where our secrets were buried. She could ruin us with barely any effort.

That should have shocked me. I hadn’t expected her to reciprocate the threat, but now that she had, I respected her more than I thought I ever would.

“This is our secret, then?” I held my hand out to her, and she took it, hers so small and infantile in mine.

“Yes.” She gave our clasped hands a firm shake.

“Good.” I cleared my throat and took a step back. “Let’s begin.”

“How?” She sat down on the couch and crossed her legs up under her body.

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