Page 36 of Deadly Little Games

“None of that means anything.”

“Eva, if you find your mother, you’re going to get her killed. Don’t you realize that all of these men around you just want to turn her in for the bounty? I know she left you, but do you really want to see her dead?”

“That depends. Does she want to seemedead?”

She rolled her eyes. “I thought you understood that was an accident. Your mother believed you were already dead.”

I stiffened, my mouth going dry. “What?”

I had to wait on an answer as the waiter returned with her tea, then looked expectantly at us for a food order. Marcie stared back at him, deadpan, until he lifted his hands and strode away.

She turned her attention back to me. “Your mother thought you were dead, Evelyn.”

“It’s Eva,” I snapped.

“Yes,” she sighed. “Your name change did add to the illusion that you were deceased. She is, of course, thrilled that you are still alive, but you understand why she cannot meet with you.”

“No, actually I don’t.”

She put her hands flat on the table, leaning forward. “These men are using you, Eva. Especially the devil, but the goblins and the elves too. They will see your mother dead.”

“They will not,” I snapped. “Well, at least not the goblins. I’m pretty sure. And probably not the elves either.”

She shook her head. “You cannot trust them. They only want the blade.”

“The elves don’t even believe that it exists. The king doesn’t care about me. His daughter asked him to protect me, and he agreed.”

She slumped back against her seat. “Oh, you are so very young. Don’t you know that everyone involved in the game was shown the blade? The elf king saw it himself. He knows it exists, and he wants it.”

Bile crept up my throat. Could it be true? Was everything Elena had told me a lie? I had to clear my throat before I could speak. “Fine, maybe I can’t trust the elves. And I’m not stupid enough to ever trust Sebastian. But I can trust Mistral.”

She lifted a brow. “Can you? You seem quite different now, practicallyshiningwith celestial magic. Was he the one to bring it out in you?”

My pulse kicked up a notch. “What do you know about it?”

She leaned forward again. “I know that you’re a celestial. And I know that these men will drain your magic dry.”

“That’s not true.”

“Then why are you still searching, Evelyn?” Her words were clipped. “Or do you suddenly have an unquenchable thirst for power?”

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Everyone only came after me because of the bounty. As long as that exists, I’ll never be safe. I don’t want to get my mom killed. In fact, as pissed as I am, I want to help her. I want to find whoever offered the bounty.”

She pursed her lips, studying me for a moment, then she shook her head. “You’ll never manage it. Take the elf king’s protection for what it is, and let the rest go. Eventually they’ll see that you cannot find your mother, and they’ll leave you alone.” She leaned forward even further, lowering her voice to a whisper. “But if you start hopping around other realms, they are all just going to want youmore.”

I tried to think of how I could explain things to her. To tell her why I couldn’t let it go, especially now that I knew the extent of Mistral’s problems.

But I had no good answer. Even before the bounty, I was hell-bent on finding my mom. “Why did she take my memories?” I asked abruptly.

“For your own safety. The only reason the people after her aren’t after you too is because she left you behind.”

“But—”

Suddenly Gabriel was standing over us. I had been so caught up in our conversation, I hadn’t been paying attention to who came and left the diner.

Marcie looked up at him. If she was intimidated by his size, she didn’t show it.

Ignoring her, he looked at me. “We need to go. There are several fairies waiting outside. Gladiola overheard their intent to ambush you.”