Crown of Shadows (Court of Midnight and Deception #1) - K. M. Shea Page 0,53

fae lords who were standing by one of the decorative lanterns, sipping beverages from crystal chalices.

One lord was classically handsome with crimson red hair which was cut short but partially covered by the black fedora he wore. His fashion style was more human—although his black tweed suit matched with the fedora had more of a vintage than modern feel to it. If all my name memorizing served me correctly, his name was Lord Dion.

But Lord Dion’s fashion sense only caught my attention for a moment. Because the second fae lord was none other than Lord Rigel, the Wraith.

The Paragon made the noise of a balloon leaking air.

Can I duck out? I’m pretty sure Skye’s manners books wouldn’t approve, but chatting with a confirmed assassin who tried to kill me doesn’t sound good for my health. Maybe he was the one who bespelled the food?

The red-haired lord stood straighter when he saw the Paragon. “Paragon.” He smiled—a disarmingly mischievous grin with a glimmer that brightened his eyes. “I see you have returned.”

“Yes, and I probably wouldn’t have if I knew you intended to chat with someone else,” the Paragon said. “Queen Leila, please allow me to introduce you to Lord Dion.” He put his body between me and Rigel, but he was shorter and skinnier than the lean fae lord, so he didn’t block much of my view.

“Queen Leila, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Lord Dion smiled gallantly. He took my hand and—like a prince from a storybook—kissed my fingers.

Sounds romantic, right? I can’t say I liked it considering I’d almost gotten offed like a fairy tale princess just a few hours earlier. I’d be happy to leave prince charming and poisoned apples/cannoli in the books, please, kthx.

“Good evening, Lord Dion.” I spoke extra slow to buy myself some time to remember what Skye had told me about him.

I didn’t need to bother because the Paragon took it upon himself to rattle off his personal history. “Lord Dion is the pride of the Night Court!” he said. “He runs a law practice in Magiford that serves both supernaturals and humans, he attended a human university, and he is the head of his family since his father passed away some years ago.”

Why does the Paragon sound like he’s a proud parent?

“You’re a lawyer?” I asked.

Lord Dion laughed—an infectious sound. “Indeed, I am. You’ll have to excuse my pride, but I dare say I’m skilled at it since I inherited a fae’s way with words.”

“I can imagine.”

“Oh, please let me introduce you to my close friend, Lord Rigel.” Lord Dion glanced at the Wraith with a rueful smile.

Today Lord Rigel was still wearing black boots, but to jazz it up for the occasion he’d switched to gray breeches and a black long-sleeved shirt.

Yeah, the color variety in his wardrobe was stunning.

My smile probably showed more teeth than necessary. “Ahh, yes, Lord Rigel, is it? Such a pleasure to officially meet you.”

“Queen Leila.” Lord Rigel sipped from his fancy chalice. “It is remarkable to finally be introduced to you.”

“Oh, I’m sure. Our first meeting was such a surprise.” I smiled at the man who tried to kill me and was tempted to tell him it was not as exclusive of a club as he might think, but I wasn’t tipping my hand about anything. Especially to him!

“For all parties involved.” Lord Rigel stared at me over the edge of his cup, his black eyes still as soulless as they had been in our previous meetings.

“And are you friends with Lord Dion?” I asked.

Lord Rigel shrugged, but Lord Dion threw an arm over his shoulders. “Of course we are! We’ve been friends since we were kids.” He winked at me. “These socials are wretchedly boring if you don’t have anyone to drink with. But with you as our queen, I expect that will change.”

Lord Rigel swirled his cup. “Most likely in more ways than one.”

“You know, Lord Rigel, your positive, can-do outlook is downright inspiring!” I bubbled, sounding excited and cheerful just because I knew it would irritate the assassin.

Hey, if I was stuck talking to him and making the clock tick down on my lifespan, I was at least going to have fun doing it!

“And you seem to have a remarkably changed opinion of me since our first meeting.”

“As I told you last time we chatted, you’re no longer the scariest thing I have to deal with.”

The Paragon had sucked his neck into his shoulders as he watched us go back and