The Glass Man - Lila Gray Book 1

Chapter Eighteen

A knock came on Parthalan's bedroom door ten minutes after Donovan left. My thoughts smashed through the fog of my inner world, where I'd been trying to remember every detail of my childhood, to my new reality. Who had come for me? Where would they take me?

Trust him, Donovan and Liam had told me. Play along and wait. Trusting and playing along hadn't been in my wheelhouse since puberty sent my life skidding out of control.

Damn Liam for taking all my metaphysical weapons and dropping me into the lion's den. I couldn't even hate him for it. If he hadn't led me to that farm and I hadn't wound up in the Black City, I might never have met my father. Or my brother.

Or him. Dammit.

I still had a family. All this time, I believed in my heart that I was alone in the world. Figures my luck would find all three of us stuck in the most dangerous place on the planet. If we were still on Earth, given the portal that magically transported us here, and the sky that appeared more ocean than air. Either way, I had to round up my father and brother and get them away from Parthalan.

A fae guards entered, wearing the same black outfit with the red and gold capes that Donovan had been wearing. His black shoes gleamed, and so did the sword handle poking out of a sheathe on his belt.

"Will you be coming with me?" I asked Willa, who stood to my right.

"Servants have no place in the court," the short guard said, his back as straight as a ruler. He had thick, forest green hair woven into braids and light coffee-toned skin. His crystal eyes held splotches of mint.

My lip curled, and I'd have plowed my fist into his round face if Willa's delicate fingers weren't suddenly wrapping my wrist.

"It's all right." A frown pulled at her full lips, the warning in it loud and clear—make a scene, and someone would get hurt, probably her.

Asshole.

Fine, I'd play along. For now. I crossed my arms as another guard entered behind the short one, stopping fast when our eyes met. His bulged, as if they might pop out and roll over for a closer look. I glared at him. His short hair appeared dark at first, but when I looked closer, I found a few shades of plum.

He cleared his throat, offered a little bow. "Pleased to serve you, my Queen." His mellow voice was soothing to the ears.

"I'm not your queen." I couldn't be as rude as I wanted to be. Who knew which of the fae would be useful later? "Nice to meet you." My hips swayed as I walked toward them. Damn shoes. "What's your name?"

Green Hair fumbled for the door knob while gaping at me. When he managed to get it open, he gestured for me to go out with a dramatic sweep of his arm. What was his problem? He seemed cocksure a moment ago, but now he seemed to be nervous of me.

He stuttered a few times before speaking. "I'm Lochlann, and this is Cas." He cleared his throat and his gaze left me in favor of the wall.

I kept my smile plastered on and sauntered past them, nodding as if I gave a crap. Cas's lips jerked into a crooked grin. Innocence. With him for one minute, and I knew the Black City would eat him for appetizers if he stayed much longer.

Concentrating on the growing ache in my chest—which I realized worsened each time I thought of Liam—I followed Lochlann along the wide corridor. I tried to avert my mind from the impossible task ahead and the consequences if I failed. Liam would have found me already if he'd survived. Doubt slithered around my guts and filled it with stones. What if Donovan's plan didn't work? How could I stand Parthalan touching me that way again? What if he used me to destroy what was left of the human world?