“Like my new accessory, niece?” he asked, holding up the birdcage. “I have you to thank for it, after all.”
I realized with horror that Oberon was inside the cage. Oberon, the former High King of Faerie. Oberon, whom I had diminished during a battle in which he had cheated and attempted to kill me. Oberon, whose wife I had killed when she had refused to believe I was innocent in her son’s death.
The fae could have fit in the palm of my hand. He gripped the silver bars of his cage and glared at me.
Puck looked from Oberon’s face to mine. “If looks could kill, you would certainly be dead now, my niece.”
“You’re sick. Parading him around like that,” I said. “And quit calling me ‘niece.’ I would much prefer that no one realize we are related.”
“Oh, it’s too late for that,” Puck chortled. “On the joyous occasion of his nuptials, Lucifer has decided to reveal our long-secret filial relationship. So everyone will know you are related to me.”
He then turned to Nathaniel, whose coloring precisely mirrored Puck’s dark hair and jewel-blue eyes.
“And you, my son? Would you, too, prefer to disavow our bond of blood?” Puck asked.
“I cannot disavow what is apparent to everyone,” Nathaniel said.
Puck’s smile widened. “A very careful answer. Although I think you would like to sneak up behind me and slit my throat.”
“There would be no sneaking,” Nathaniel said, his voice hard.
Puck laughed. “Families are so much fun, aren’t they?”
He gestured toward the group of flunkies that had followed him into the ballroom and continued on to greet Lucifer. We all turned to glare daggers into his back.
“You restrained yourself pretty well,” Beezle said.
“There’s no damned point in threatening Puck,” I said. “He only laughs and makes you feel like a fool.”
“Ah. So you would have threatened him if you thought it would make a difference—is that it?”
I spun around, deliberately putting my back to Lucifer and Puck and the fake display of affection that was occurring over there. The two of them were probably whispering death threats in each other’s ears.
“I’m already sick of this,” I said. “I want to go home.”
“You can’t,” Beezle said.
“Why not?” I said. “Why must we all be in thrall to Lucifer and his desires?”
“Because he can squash us with one evil thought,” Beezle said.
“Oh, yeah, that’s why,” I said. I felt abruptly fatigued, exhausted from the constant low-level buzz of stress and adrenaline that I’d felt for the last few days. “Can somebody get me a glass of water or something? I don’t feel so good all of a sudden.”
Nathaniel went to look for something to drink. There were roving waiters with trays of alcoholic drinks, but those were not for me in my current state. It was unfortunate, because an adult beverage would make a big difference in my disposition.
J.B. scooted closer to whisper in my ear. “Your buddy did go and see that individual we discussed.”
“Yeah,” I said, thinking of the expression on Zaniel’s face. “Any chance you know what they talked about?”
J.B. shook his head. “The room was sealed with magic so no one could eavesdrop.”
“So I know he was there but I still don’t know why or who sent him,” I said. “Maybe I can beat it out of him later.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Sort of,” I said. “It gets very tiresome sometimes, trying to stay on the side of the right and the good when the bad guys get to do whatever they want.”
“That’s why they’re bad guys,” J.B. said.
“Speaking of bad guys . . . did you by any chance hear about what happened to Chloe?” I said, sneaking a half glance at Samiel to make sure he wasn’t looking at me.
“I did,” he said, his green eyes very grave. “The paperwork for her soul retrieval came across my desk, and Lizzie called me. I’m assuming there’s something you want to tell me about that.”
“Yes,” I said, and turned a little so Samiel couldn’t see me talking as I described what happened. I felt guilty talking about it in his presence, anyway, although he wasn’t paying attention to me in the slightest.
Jude and Samiel had seemed like they were on alert ever since we entered the room, both of them constantly shifting and scanning the area. Now that alert appeared to be heightened. “What’s up with you two?”
“It’s not safe here,” Jude growled.
Samiel nodded. Can’t you feel it?
Now that they mentioned it, it did seem there was an air of barely suppressed tension, a sense that something might snap at any moment. And it had started as soon as Puck entered the room.
I looked over to the corner where Lucifer and Puck were playing hail-fellow-well-met with each other.
“They’re going to kill each other before the night is out,” I predicted.
“Look on the bright side. If they kill each other, you’ll only have to deal with Alerian,” Beezle said.
“Yeah, I don’t really see that as a bright side,” I said. “I kind of half expected that he would be here, since Lucifer is all into gathering his family around his bosom.”
As if my words were a summoning, the double doors at the far end of the room opened again and Alerian entered. He had no collection of hangers-on following him. He was not announced. But the power emanating from him was so palpable that a hush fell over the room.