Crown of Moonlight (Court of Midnight and Deception #2) - K.M. Shea Page 0,107

“Hazel’s cousin? The one she had to duel to free her family?”

The Paragon tossed back what he had left of his original cup of tea before taking masala chai tea from Eventide. “The one and the same.”

“Then they must have a motive.” Chase ran a hand through his precisely cut hair—short on the sides and just long enough on the top to show a hint of curls.

“I’m sure they do,” the Paragon agreed. “But I have been unable to discern it through their wanton destruction.”

Chase growled like the wolf he was, and his golden eyes glittered with anger.

“The only positive thing I can say about them is that they are a small group. They target one spot at a time,” the Paragon said. “I thought they’d moved on from Magiford, but I suspect they either never did, or they returned because they thought the Night Court would still be easy pickings. They hadn’t realized what a powerful queen they’d have to reckon with.”

“While I appreciate the compliment, it’s not quite true,” I said. “The real reason why the Night Court is surviving is because I’m different—I do things differently. I’m willing to cut expenses and kill traditions.”

“Perhaps.” Lady Chrysanthe spoke up for the first time in the whole meeting—she’d been hanging low since Chase had been reluctant to include her. “But that’s only a portion of your charms, my Sovereign. You are undeniably powerful—we don’t need to look beyond this afternoon for proof. I’d long heard stories and jokes about the monster that lived in the lake, but in all my schooling and tutoring, I’d never heard anything to indicate it was more than a fairy tale told to mischievous children. We didn’t know it was real. But you called, and it not only helped, but it slept again without causing havoc.”

“I do have animal magic,” I felt bound to point out.

The Paragon laughed so hard he almost spilled his clay cup of tea. He actually slapped his thighs and had to gasp for breath after a while. “My dear Queen Leila,” he said when he finished. “Using animal magic on a hydra would be like throwing a cup of water on the surface of a star. There is no way you had control of the hydra. It chose to listen to you because of who you are.”

Solis smiled proudly. “Indeed. It is why I am proud to call you a fellow monarch.”

“Aw, you guys are going to make me blush.” I waved to Eventide as the faun butler backed out of the dining room. “But I’m worried about these backers. I take it you think they’re behind the monster, Paragon?”

“Probably,” the Paragon said. “It’s possible they’re behind more shenanigans, but the monster seems like something they’d do—particularly because they knew they could cause damage between the Courts by using Fell as their delivery mechanism. The other Courts won’t take that news lightly—which is probably what they hoped for, though I don’t imagine they ever dreamed you’d raise the hydra to deal with their creation.”

I pressed my lips together as my thoughts rolled around in my head. I’d learned I was better off letting things simmer than trying to forcibly connect them. But I still listened to the table conversation with half an ear.

“Obviously we will prepare differently now that it seems we’re dealing with a magical organization,” Chase said. “Do any of the other supernaturals know it exists?”

“Of course,” the Paragon snorted. “I didn’t track down all this information on my own—and when I first stumbled upon their existence, I thought perhaps they were tied to a specific person or supernatural race. Unfortunately they are not. It seems like fae, vampires, shifters, and supernatural beings in general belong to this plague of a group.” The Paragon scowled, which softened to a smile when Aphrodite leaned her head against his shoulder and purred. “The Dominant, the Ancient, the Magister, and myself have long been working together to observe the situation.”

He seemed pretty casual considering he’d just name dropped the top werewolf, vampire, and wizard in the USA. But I was just glad to know the other communities were aware of it.

“They are the top priority?” Chase asked.

“They weren’t,” the Paragon said. “Everyone is far more concerned about the inevitable death of magic than these shadowy beings. But recently the vampires have taken a bigger interest—I expect in no small part due to Killian Drake.”

Chase was taking notes—on a pad of paper this time. “Do you have any suggestions on how