Page 12 of Deadly Little Games
Gabriel smirked. “I thought something a little lighter might suit you better.”
My shoulders slumped with relief, and I took the glass in hand. The mead had a strong floral scent, and the sweetness ofhoney. I took a sip and relaxed. Even if it was a little strong, I doubted Gabriel would leave me in a ditch.
He held his glass near his mouth, but didn’t drink. “Tell me what happened with the elves.”
I took another sip and lifted my brow. “What took you so long to ask?”
“I thought you might volunteer the information willingly.”
Shaking my head, I lifted my fork and speared a small potato, then stuck it into my messenger bag. Ringo had been quiet, but the potato was quickly snatched from my fork. Chuckling, I speared another one for myself. “The meeting went well, though it wasn’t quite what I expected. When I heard the king offered me his protection, I thought he wanted something from me.”
Gabriel lowered his glass, his jaw agape. “King Francis offered you his protection?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but only because Elena asked him to. This was all her scheme to have me meet with their court wizard, Crispin.”
His nose wrinkled at the mention of Crispin. “Though I know you do not heed any of my warnings, you would do well to exercise caution where Crispin is concerned. You cannot trust him.”
I lifted my glass in acknowledgment. “Yeah, but you don’t think I can trust anyone.” I took a long swill. I hadn’t realized just how tense I was until I finally started to relax.
He stabbed his fork into his meat. “What else?”
I shrugged. “Nothing. I’m going back tomorrow. He’s going to help me figure out the finer mechanics of realm travel. He did it himself, you know.”
“That is not a good idea.”
I tilted my head and smiled. “Can you guess what I’m thinking now?”
He glowered. “That I don’t thinkanythingis a good idea?”
I laughed. “Finally, you’re catching on.”
I set my glass aside to cut into my meat. It definitely wasn’t as good as anything Gabriel would make, but it warmed my empty stomach, which was good enough. I washed it down with more of the wildflower mead, and offered Ringo another potato.
Gabriel watched me eat, occasionally picking at his own food. Finally, he asked, “What does Sebastian think of you meeting with Crispin?”
I finished my drink and set the glass on the table, then shrugged. “I haven’t decided how much I want to tell him about my time in Emerald Heights. But he’s practical. I think if Crispin can help him get what he wants, then he’ll be all for it.”
“And what he wants is to turn your mother in for the bounty?”
“He doesn’t care about that, at least that’s what he says. He just wants the… object.”
He set his glass aside and leaned forward, his dark eyes boring into mine. “The sameobjectthat Mistral wishes to acquire.”
“That’s the one,” I said a little sarcastically.
Before I realized what was happening, the barkeep took our empty glasses and replaced them with two full ones.
“So you will give it to the devil?” Gabriel pressed.
I glanced at a few goblins looking our way, then leaned forward and lowered my voice. “Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen with the object, but if Crispin can help me learn to realm jump, maybe I can help Mistralwithoutit.”
His dark eyes scrutinized me, but he let it drop. He reached out for his filled glass and took a long swill.
Feeling a little uncomfortable with his scrutiny, I did the same.
Gabriel’s expression softened as he watched me. “You’re going to be drunk.”
I shrugged. “It’s been a while since I could let my guard down.”