Grave Dance(83)

“I—”

She cut me off with a wave of her hand. “Even if the two are later proven not to be connected, the current evidence looks damning, so that fae should be taken back to Faerie for his or her own protection. Humans can be ruthless to those they don’t understand.”

I swal owed. She was threatening me. There was no denying at this point that she knew I had fae blood, and she wasn’t giving me an option of not going to Faerie. Will she slap cuffs on me and drag me off right here and now? My gaze shot past her head, searching for Falin. He was near the gate, talking to two men in suits who I was pretty sure I’d seen identify themselves as working for the Ambassador of Fae and Human Relations. I met Falin’s eyes, just briefly, but hopeful y long enough to convey that I could seriously use an intervention. Then I focused on Nori again.

“I didn’t open that tear,” I said, instil ing as much certainty in my voice as possible.

She frowned. She couldn’t insist that I was both fae She frowned. She couldn’t insist that I was both fae enough to be held under fae laws but human enough to lie.

Though I supposed she could stil drag me to Faerie under the pretense of protecting me from humans who perceived me as being able to open rifts.

“Is there a problem, Agent?” Falin asked as he joined us.

And the cavalry arrives.

“Sir.” Agent Nori stood straighter, her wings flaring behind her. “I believe this . . . person . . . should be detained and transported to Faerie immediately,” she said, and then repeated the scenarios and reasoning she’d given me a moment before, though this time the tone of her delivery held no threats—it was just the facts of her case.

Falin listened to her recitation and my pulse beat double time despite the exhaustion and chil as he nodded at several of her points. If she hadn’t been talking about me or suggesting the gross violation of personal freedom, I’d have thought she made a compel ing case, which wasn’t reassuring. When she final y finished, Falin rubbed his chin for a moment, as if weighing the decision.

He won’t really let her cart me off to Faerie, will he? I didn’t actual y know.

I glanced behind me at the cops who were processing the crime scene. I spotted several familiar faces working the site, John among them, which was a relief. The NCPD

wouldn’t interfere if Nori arrested me, but she couldn’t just make me disappear into Faerie. I was a legal citizen and I had friends who would make sure I was granted due process. Of course, that relied on someone knowing what had happened to me. I took a step back, closer to the gate, and prepared to cause a scene if it came to that.

Thankful y, it proved not to be necessary.

After a moment of deliberation, Falin shook his head. “I think taking her to Faerie now would be premature.” He turned to me. “Miss Craft, you are appearing too frequently in this investigation. If you value your time in the mortal realm, I suggest you consider your actions very, very realm, I suggest you consider your actions very, very careful y.”

I nodded, trying to look properly admonished and frightened, which considering that the idea of being dragged to Faerie scared the crap out of me, wasn’t hard.

Besides, the pompous delivery of Falin’s threat might have been for Nori’s benefit, but I knew ful wel that he meant every word of it.

A film crawled over Nori’s multifaceted eyes from the outside toward her nose and back— a blink? —and she said, “Sir, I’d like it on the record that I think it is in the best interest of the queen, the fae, and even Miss Craft herself if she were removed to Faerie.”

“Duly noted, Agent. You’re dismissed.”

She stared at him, that keening sound issuing from her wings, the disharmonious notes rising in decibels until the sound grated in my head like nails down a chalkboard.

Falin turned his back on her, accenting her dismissal.

“Miss Craft, since you are at the scene already, there are a few matters I’d like to discuss with you,” Falin said in the same professional but antagonistic tone he’d been using since he interjected himself in the situation, but as Nori stormed off his voice dropped. “She’s going to cause trouble,” he muttered, shaking his head.

He ran a hand through his hair, the movement stiff, jerky, and I frowned as I studied the exhaustion written across his face. I myself felt ready to drop, and while he’d gotten a few more hours of sleep than I had, he was also healing from a nearly fatal wound.

“You okay?” I asked as I touched his arm. Why do people do that? Touch people they’re concerned about? What comfort or reassurance can it real y give? But I didn’t even think about it; I just flowed into his space and reached out as if we had some sort of history instead of an acquaintance that would equal less than a week if al the moments we’d actual y spent together were added up.