She frowned at him. "He is my king, my consort." Her eyes narrowed again, but more like she was squinting. I wondered if the diamond lights were bright enough to affect her vision. She was acting as if they were.
Her face softened suddenly. "The Killing Frost. I had heard you were in L.A. I've been waiting for you to visit me." Her voice was suddenly sweet and teasing. There was some power to her voice, but it washed over me like the sea on a stone. I didn't think it was my improved shields. I think this compulsion spell was simply not meant for me.
She turned and said, "Darkness, the Queen's Darkness, now exiled to our fair land. I'd hoped that you would both pay court to me. It has been so long since I've seen anyone from faerie. I would dearly love it if you would visit me."
"Your magic will not work on us," Doyle said in his deep voice.
A little shiver ran down her, making the top of her crown shake, the blue lace quiver, and the diamonds send little rainbows around the room. "Come over here and bring that big, deep voice with you."
Frost said, "She's insulting you."
"More than us," Doyle said.
I took in a lot of air, let it out slowly, and moved forward past the police. My men moved with me, and I felt that Gilda genuinely thought her spell was working. Now that we'd seen what she did to Bittersweet, and what she had tried to do to my men, we were going to have to take a harder look at how she got the other lesser fey to obey her. If it was all magic and compulsion and no free will, then that was bad.
"Both of you coming to me, how marvelous," she said.
"Am I missing something?" Lucy asked as I passed her.
I whispered, "A pissing contest of sorts."
Gilda couldn't keep acting as if she didn't see me. She kept smiling past me at Doyle and Frost, as if pretending still that they were coming closer for her. She actually held out her hand at a higher angle than I would need, as if she'd just bypass me.
"Gilda, Godmother of Los Angeles, greetings," I said, voice low but clear.
She made a little humph sound, then looked at me, lowering her hand as she did so. "Merry Gentry. Back in town, I see."
"All the royal of faerie know that if another royal gives you your title, you must give them back their own, or it's an insult that can only be settled by a duel." That was half true - there were other options - but a duel was at the end of all the other options. But Gilda wouldn't know that.