Seven Black Diamonds (10 page)

She paused, hoping things weren’t going to get
more
awkward. If Creed knew that she’d met Zephyr, that meant that Zephyr would’ve had to have seen Creed immediately after meeting her.

“So you know what happened? Between us?”

Creed nodded. “Why do I think there was more to the story than what Zephyr told me?”

“Claimed he was waiting for me. Explosion. No one hurt. I pulled a knife. He kissed me. Accused me of being Seelie,” she summarized bluntly. It was a tactic she’d seen her father use to great effect: state the facts and move on.

“Zephyr left out the kiss,” Creed said flatly. “And the knife.”

“Oh.” She shrugged. “I was taught never to be unarmed.
Using weapons helps me keep from drawing on an affinity and revealing myself.”

“And the kiss?”

“. . . is not the important point,” she said.

They stared at each other, and she felt the bizarre urge to apologize. They weren’t a couple. Creed had been hired by her father to sing to her. They’d talked. They weren’t even
friends.
They’d flirted . . . and then he went on to be photographed with no less than four girls between that day and now.

Creed simply watched her.

The tension was growing thicker the longer the silence dragged on, so she steered the conversation back to his earlier remarks. “Zephyr is the other person, right? The one you’re concerned about. You’re friends, and obviously both fae-blood. How did either of
you know about
me
though?”

Rather than answer, Creed closed his eyes and tilted his face up to the sky like he was asking some unseen being to give him strength. If she hadn’t known he was a fae-blood, she would have suspected that’s precisely what he was doing, but she’d felt the way he moved the air near her when he sang. He wasn’t praying. Creed was
literally
drawing strength from the air above them, or more accurately, from the sun. In a voice so low Lily had to strain to hear it, he said, “I want to tell you everything, every secret, every good and bad thing I know, but I can’t.” His eyes were still closed. “I want to, but Zeph . . .”

“What?”

“It’s complicated,” Creed offered weakly, as if that was any kind of an answer.

“He blew up a ship. He’s a terrorist, isn’t he? That’s the secret. You’re not just fae-blood. You’re
sympathizers
.”

Creed laughed, a bitter, almost mean sound. “I’m not a sympathizer, not even a little.”

“Have you bombed anything?”

“No.”

His tone was hesitant enough that Lily prompted, “But?”

“I can’t answer that.” He stared at her, looking more lost than rock stars with bad attitudes ever should. “I wish things were simple. I wish no one could issue me orders. What I
can
tell you is that if people knew we were talking, if
Zephyr
knew we were talking, it would be bad. I broke a lot of rules coming to your house. I’m breaking more every moment we speak.”

“I’m glad you’re not opposed to breaking
those
rules,” she admitted. Then, she nodded and sent the vines that had been tangled around her skin earlier out toward Creed. They slithered toward him like serpents, and he looked at them in wonder. It felt intimate to share her fae-blood traits with him. She’d never let even Daidí see the extent of what she could do.

She wanted to show Creed though, to confess her
secrets to him. She wanted to have him look at her the way he was watching the leafy tendrils gliding toward his skin. Maybe all fae-blood could manipulate their affinity elements as she could, but from the way Creed watched the
vines, she suspected yet again that she was more fae than even those who had been arrested and convicted. It wasn’t the first time she’d thought it, but it wasn’t a truth she liked to ponder.

As Creed stared at the vines that were twining their way over his body, Lily asked, “Does it always feel intense when another fae-blood touches you?”

“Zephyr’s kiss?” he asked bitterly. “He’s experienced.”

“Not Zephyr,” she interrupted.

Creed’s attention snapped to her, but she refused to be embarrassed, not by the kiss, not by the question, and not by her next words.

She clarified, “When I met you . . . it felt different. Just having you stare at me . . . and then the kiss on my cheek.”

As her words trailed off, Creed failed to completely hide a grin. “No. It’s not usually like that.”

Lily nodded. “But you’re not supposed to know me?”

“No,” he said. “I’m not sure I’m even allowed to speak to you once classes start. There are rules, Lily.”

She felt like pieces of the secrets were clicking into place. He and Zephyr were tied into the same group, and for some reason Zephyr had a personal interest in her. “So you knew what I was before we met?”

“Yes.”

“And that’s
not
why you wanted to talk to me? Not that . . . or anything to do with my father?”

Creed made no attempt to hide his expression, making it clear that he wasn’t lying as he said, “I’ve listened to
stories about the missing Lilywhite for years, so maybe it was part of it, but when I met you? I wished you weren’t fae-blood at all. Then you could be free of this.”

She could hear things in the spaces between the words he was uttering aloud, and she knew that he was very carefully trying to adhere to the letter of the rules he was under. It was a very fae approach. Even so, what he did admit told her enough. Whatever secrets Creed had, whatever secrets they shared now, it centered around the fae and Zephyr. Coming to St. Columba’s suddenly felt more than dangerous; it felt like a conspiracy, and getting tangled up in fae-blood conspiracies was both illegal and deadly.

“I don’t run, and I don’t let anyone decide my path but me.” She let the vines retract, pulling them back from where they had begun to twist over his calves and knees, and stood.

Abernathy Commandment #5: Be bold.

With every bit of poise her father had taught her, Lily looked down at Creed. He hadn’t stood.

“I’ve spent my life not getting mixed up in anything political. I haven’t attended school, gone anywhere without a guard. I like my privacy.” She let a little of her public facade down and smiled. “You’re tempting, but temptation isn’t enough reason for me to get mixed up in whatever mess you and Zephyr are in.”

“It’s not that easy,” Creed started.

Lily laughed. “I’m Nick Abernathy’s only child. It truly
is
that easy. To disappear. To eliminate anyone who tries to stop me from doing so. My father has taught me more about
being ruthless than I ever want people to see.”

And with that warning to the fae-blood, she walked away from him and realized that it was a reminder to herself as well. She wasn’t going to be pushed around by a couple of tabloid darlings with penchants for drama. She was Lilywhite Abernathy, and no one, fae or human, was going to control her.

ZEPHYR

When Zephyr realized that Alkamy hadn’t come outside all day, he went to check on her. He told himself it was because he had a duty to all of the cell members. He told himself it was because Alkamy wasn’t good at being bored. It simply wasn’t something she
did.
If there wasn’t entertainment, she created some. If there wasn’t anyone to amuse her, she found someone.

Zephyr wasn’t jealous. He couldn’t be. She wasn’t
his.
She was his best friend though, and he had been responsible for her since the day they’d met. She never demanded it of him, never reminded him when he failed. She was patient and tolerant with him as she was with no one else. It was a rare gift to be cared for by Alkamy Adams, one he’d let lead them both astray a few times.

When Zephyr met her in one of her many, many classes,
he became an accessory. He didn’t mind. She was amazing. Hapless instructors would tell her rock star daddy that she was a very talented young woman, but had trouble with authority. Zephyr was the perfect boyfriend for
that
girl.

By the time she was twelve, she could play everything from the lute to synthesizer, tribal drums to cello. Any instrument was a perfect fit in her hands. By sixteen, her father had her in studios performing like a trained monkey. Zephyr wanted to beat the man for not noticing how hard Alkamy tried to get his attention. He was clueless, never even suspecting that her inhuman gift for music was fae or questioning her unearthly beauty when she became a teenager. Alkamy’s handler had noticed though and began to teach her how to feed lies to the media so she seemed that she had to
work
at looking like a doll. Without her handler, Alkamy would’ve been outed as fae before she was thirteen. Since then, Zephyr had helped, as had his handler, who was now their shared liaison with the courts.

He opened the door to her suite and looked around. Alkamy was stretched out inside the soil she stored inside her sofa. The sofa cushions were on the floor, revealing a bed of soil where Alkamy was currently half-submerged and mostly naked. She did, at least, have underwear on.

“No roommate yet then, Kamy?” he asked. It wasn’t something she did in front of suitemates.

“Why don’t you ever knock?” She flung a handful of soil at him. “What if I were naked? Or sleeping? Or naked
and
sleeping?”

He stepped into the soil and tilted his face upward like he was stepping under a water shower. Then, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You are naked, by the way.”

“I am not. Underwear means not naked.” She rolled over and wiggled her hips a little so she sank deeper.

Relieved that she had moved so he wasn’t trying to talk to her without letting his gaze drop to her bare chest, Zephyr started scooping soil over her back. He didn’t comment on the fact that she needed so much soil-time every single time she returned to campus. They’d fought about it enough to know all the lines already.

You need to tell him to keep his cigarettes and cigarette-
smoking
friends out of the house.

That’s not my character.

You’re not a
character
, Kamy. You’re a person.

I’m a person whose father is a whisky-drinking, cigarette-smoking rock star. If I want him to be sympathetic to me, if I want to avoid being detained as fae, I need to be the daughter he wants. You know that.

What I know is that you
need
to stop drinking.

Zephyr didn’t ask if she ever smoked too. Alkamy had enough self-induced sickening all on her own, and Zephyr didn’t want to add to it.

“You could try being my public girlfriend again. Go vegan and organic because you’re so into me.” He rubbed the soil into her back, never once letting his hands even brush the top seam of her underwear. “Stop drinking, at least. Pretend like I do.”

Even though Zephyr flirted, slept around like the spoiled New Hollywood child he was thought to be, and had publicly admitted to choosing dates to coordinate with his clothes, he’d always treated Alkamy with respect. Now that they were platonic, she nagged him that he didn’t show that kind of respect to other girls.

Of course, there was Vi. Sometimes, he wasn’t sure that he respected her as much as
feared
her. Her element was fire. In theory, an earth-aligned fae would balance her, but Zephyr wasn’t sure there was a faery born who could balance her. She was volatility in motion. He respected her, but he gave her wide berth when possible. Now there was the third female member of their cell.

“I met Lilywhite.”

Alkamy didn’t budge. “Seelie?”

“I don’t know,” he said, not wanting to broach that topic. If Lily
was
Seelie, she’d obviously not be blood family. He could love her a little if he wanted . . . at least, he could if the queen allowed. Real love was a mistake though; it led to fighting, hurt, and desperation.

“Lilywhite could be Unseelie, I guess,” Zephyr commented. “Or maybe her human upbringing confuses things. She was raised by Nicolas Abernathy, who makes monsters seem cuddly.” His hands paused on Alkamy’s shoulders for a moment. “Usually I have a pretty good guess. I couldn’t tell with her.”

There was a note in his voice that made Alkamy lift her head. No one else would’ve noticed. There were layers of
things he’d need to confess in time. Today wasn’t that day.

Alkamy looked back at him. “Guesses? Really? So you could be wrong about everyone in the cell.”

“Maybe.”

“
I
could be Seelie for all you know,” she continued.

“Too pale,” Zephyr pointed out, even though it wasn’t
true
proof. The only sure way to tell was skin tone. The Unseelie, the more monstrous of the two, were pale like they’d only ever walked in moonlight. The Seelie, however, could vary in skin tone.

“
Any
how,” Zephyr said, dragging out the word. “Lilywhite had no idea who she was.”

“What?”
Alkamy jerked upright, flinging soil everywhere with her sudden movement. “How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know.” He brushed the loose dirt from her arms and shoulders. “She knows she has
some
fae blood, but she doesn’t know about the Sleepers.”

“But . . . her handler? How could she make it this long without knowing that she was one of us?”

“I don’t know. All I can say is that she didn’t greet me like she was expecting me. She was not pleased by the bombing I arranged to welcome her. It was strange . . . and troubling.”

He lifted Alkamy to her feet, kissed her forehead, and grabbed her robe. Seeing her covered in soil only emphasized her otherworldly appearance. Of all of them, she’d always be the most likely to be outed—and if she was
arrested, Zephyr wasn’t sure he could restrain his vengeance. It was moments like this that made him more sympathetic to the Queen of Blood and Rage. There were people in life who were worth a storm of destruction and terror. He understood that . . . because of Alkamy.

“Go rinse,” he said. “I’m going to swing by Cuthbert’s office and see if I can find out where Lilywhite will be rooming. Do you want me to check on your latest suitemate?”

“Met her. Got rid of her.” Alkamy grinned and shrugged on the robe he held out for her.

He kissed the tip of her nose. “You are so Unseelie. No doubts.”

“We’ll see some day, I guess.” Alkamy grabbed her bag of oils and slipped her feet into sandals. “I’m going to the tubs.”

Every dorm had a basic bathroom with showers, but there were also slipper tubs on every floor that were open for leisurely soaks. Zephyr had spent one very memorable night there with her. He smiled before he could help himself, and then shoved that memory back into the mental box where he kept it now.

He offered her his arm. “Escort?”

Alkamy rolled her eyes. “There’s no one around to preen for, and everyone already thinks I’m a notch in your bedpost. Give it up until the masses arrive.”

She wasn’t like him: she wouldn’t fight because the queen ordered it. One late night, she’d admitted that she
was only going along with her role as a Sleeper because of him. He was her reason—which meant he had to keep her on target. If not, she’d likely die.

“I still miss you,” he whispered.

“And I’m still right here. Always.” She leaned her head against his shoulder.

Zephyr lapsed into silence as he escorted her to the door of the bathroom. That was the problem: she was here, but not really. She was in his arms, but not the way he wanted. She was at his side, but not his to keep.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Alkamy urged as they stopped at the bathing room.

“Define stupid?”

Alkamy sighed and kissed his cheek. “Whatever you’re thinking, most likely.”

He grinned.

“I’m serious,” she said. “She’s not from our world—the fae one
or
the human one.”

“She’s the last of us, Kamy.” Zephyr opened the door to the bathing room. “She needs to know.
We
need to tell her.”

Alkamy ignored the opened door. “Can you at least not tell Endellion?”

He frowned at her and let the door fall shut. “Title only, Alkamy. No one speaks the old name casually. Not here or over there.”

“And isn’t
that
proof enough that we shouldn’t let her know about Lilywhite yet? Should we obey someone we are
supposed
to fear?” Alkamy was clearly trying to keep her
voice level, but failing.

Zephyr sighed softly, “I live to serve her. We
all
do.”

Alkamy frowned. “I’m not saying you should
lie
to the queen . . . not really. Just omit what you can.”

She stepped away from him, pushing the bathroom door open again.

Zephyr waited until she stepped into the room, but as soon as she let the door fall closed, he turned away. He didn’t want to fight with her, but he couldn’t listen to her treasonous words. Hearing them meant he’d have to tell Clara—or worse yet, Endellion herself. He couldn’t even imagine what would happen if Alkamy were found guilty of treasonous thoughts or actions. The best-case scenario was that she’d be punished, and
that
would try Zephyr’s loyalty the way nothing else had.

He’d fight the queen’s war. He’d shed blood at her word. Those were decisions he’d made in order to protect his cell. But he wouldn’t lose Alkamy. For her protection, he’d face the queen’s wrath.