"It means exactly what I said."
"Why would you offer to make a weekly blood offering to me?"
"For an alliance between us."
Frost pushed toward me over the bed. "Meredith, no..."
He was going to say something unfortunate and ruin everything. I had the beginnings of an idea and it was a good one. "No, Frost," I said, "you do not tell me no. I tell you no or yes. Don't forget that." I gave him a look that I hoped he understood, which was shut the fuck up, and don't ruin this.
He closed his mouth into a tight, thin line, so obviously unhappy, but he sat there, sulking. At least he was quiet about it.
I heard Doyle take in a breath, and I just looked at him. The look was enough. He gave a small nod of his head and let Rhys begin to brush out his long hair. There was a wave to all that blackness, because of the braid, I think; I remembered Doyle's hair as straight. I was distracted for a moment watching Rhys kneeling so pale and perfect against all that darkness. It was Doyle clearing his throat who made me jump and turn back to the mirror.
Niceven laughed, the sound of just slightly off-key bells, as if it were something lovely that had been just a bit malformed.
"My apologies for my inattention, Queen Niceven."
"If I had such a bounty awaiting me, I would make this a short conversation."
"And what if you had the bounty of my blood awaiting you? What then?"
Her face sobered. "You are persistent. It is most unfeylike."
"I am part brownie, and we are a more persistent people than the sidhe."
"You are part human, as well."
I smiled. "Humans are like the sidhe; some are more persistent than others."
She didn't smile back at me. "For another drink of your blood, I will cure your green knight, but that is all. One drink, one cure, and we are done."
"For one drink of my blood, King Kurag of the goblins became my ally for six months."
Her delicate eyebrows raised. "That is goblin and sidhe business, and none of ours. We are the demi-fey. No one cares who we ally ourselves with. We fight no battles. We challenge no duels. We mind our business and everyone else minds theirs."
"So you refuse an alliance?"
"I think caution is the better part of valor here, Princess, no matter how tasty you may be."
In negotiations, always try to be nice first, but if nice doesn't work, there are other options. "Everyone leaves you alone, Queen Niceven. Because they consider you too small to worry about."
"Prince Cel thought us big enough to spoil your plans with the green knight." Her voice held the first hint of anger.
"Yes, and what did he offer you for that bit of work?"
"The taste of sidhe flesh, knight's flesh, and blood. We feasted that night, Princess."
"He paid you in someone else's blood, when his body was full of blood only one step down from the queen herself. Have you ever tasted the queen?"
Niceven looked nervous, almost frightened. "The queen shares only with her lovers, or her prisoners."
"How that must irk you, to see such a precious gift wasted."
Niceven pouted tiny ghost silver lips. "If only she would take some of my people to her bed, but we are..."
"Too small," I finished for her.
"Yes," she hissed, "yesss, always too small. Too small a power for an alliance. Too small a power to be used except as her sneak spies." Tiny, pale hands balled into fists. The white mouse cowered away from her as if he knew what was coming. Even the trio of ladies behind her throne shuddered as if from the brush of an icy wind.