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“I intend to remedy that immediately.” Rogue’s voice held an echo of a growl.
“Wise.” Fafnir smiled at me, a bit stiff with it, as if he was out of practice. “We shall talk more later, Lady Gwynn. I have a story you’ll appreciate. I understand there will be dancing. Perhaps we shall share a dance together as we enjoyed so much last time.”
He bowed out and sat somewhere on the other side of the hall. Servers streamed in with platters of food, having clearly waited for this final audience to end.
Beside me Rogue seethed. The black anger rose high enough under his skin that I didn’t try to tug my hand away, lest I set off his transformation into the Dog. I wasn’t entirely sure what the exchange with Fafnir had all been about.
“If you don’t want him here,” I said, “make him leave. I won’t argue.”
“We cannot afford to alienate anyone at this time.”
“Then why—” I started, but he cut me off.
“Later.”
“Do I have to wait until then to get my hand back?”
Rogue turned a look on me that, had it truly been heated chromium, would have melted my face off my skull. “Why,” he asked, steel-edged as his sword, “what do you plan to do with it?”
Chapter 13
In Which I Meet a Doppelgänger or Five
‡
More and more, I perceive how the physical laws of the universe are common between my old world and Faerie, but are perverted by magic in the latter realm. Or, to be fair, are made mundane in theformer.
~Big Book of Fairyland, “Rules ofMagic”
Istudied him.Not intimidated, because I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, but uncertain how to handle this side of him. Not that he was Mr. Even-Tempered, but this felt different. Jealousy?
“Did I do something wrong?” I inquired, keeping the question as cool and reasonable as possible.
“Did you have to dance with him?” he snapped back.
Really? “No. I could have caused a diplomatic incident instead. You know how I love that. It was a real toss-up.”
“You’ve never hesitated to say no to me.”
“Does this mean we are discussing this now?”
“So it would seem.”
If he only knew how difficult it had always been for me to refuse him, even back when I’d been much better at it than I was these days. “Rogue.” I threaded my tone with as much of the deep feeling my heart held, wondering if it would translate to him as “dear Rogue,” or “my Rogue,” the way my name did on his lips. “You know how much I hated him from Mistress Nancy’s tale and, at that point, I didn’t know otherwise. It made my skin crawl to be in the same room. I never wanted to dance with him. In fact, the whole time all I could think was that it should have been you.”But you weren’t there.
I didn’t say the last out loud and I didn’t have to. We both knew that truth and Rogue no doubt caught my flash of emotion on that, since it broke through so unexpectedly that I had no opportunity to hide it. Probably I was still worked up from the whole ring thing—not to mention everything else—but how I’d felt when Rogue had apparently abandoned me, the things I’d faced alone while dreaming of him laughing at me from Titania’s silken arms, it smacked me between the eyes just then.
Rogue released my hand and stroked his down my back, sending some of his energy into me. “Your point is well-taken. Neither of us can change the past. Eat. You’re hungry and worn-out. If I could have avoided the timing on this feast, I would have. Even with the magic you’ve ingested lately, you’ll find that the babe drains you faster.”
I’d noticed that, on the journey to Titania’s castle in the Glass Mountains, though I hadn’t thought I could be pregnant and so I had put it down to the lack of Rogue’s stimulating presence. “Why would something physiological like that affect my magical energy?”
“Sex involves your body, too, doesn’t it? And that has an effect.”
That was oh so true.
“I would love to eat, as soon as someone feeds me.”
Rogue indicated the platter of pastries, fruit and other sweets that had appeared in front of me as if by magic—except that I knew someone must have set it there. Meat courses would come later, so I tried not to gorge on the empty calories and save room for some protein. The fae had missed the concept of silverware so I tore apart something like an almond croissant with my fingers and scanned the army of human servants swarming the room now. None of those uncanny drudge guys in sight. What had become of them?
