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LYSANDER

“ I ’m getting another drink,” Ezra’s friend announces, getting to his feet.

The show is over, and I feel surprisingly… okay. What Bear used to do for me was important, yet I don’t feel the pang of loss I expected. I’ve gained a lot more.

As Felix disappears into the crowd, I pull myself away from Ezra.

“Pardon me,” I murmur, but Ezra and Orion are talking about behind-the-bar business, and Ezra only gives my hand a distracted squeeze as I slip away.

I catch up to Felix on the other side of the club. “Felix! Wait, I need to talk to you, please.”

He turns, his green eyes practically crackling with fire. “If you’re trying to get into my good graces by sucking up —”

“I need your help.”

Felix narrows his eyes. “Listen, fairy prince. I don’t know what your intentions are with Ezra, but he’s been jerked around enough by assholes who wanted to use him.

If you can’t even put a label on whatever it is you’re doing with him, I’m not about to help you push your way farther into his life. ”

“A label?” I repeat, bewildered.

“Boyfriend. Partner. Hell, get him a ring, for all I care. He deserves someone who plans to stick by him.”

“I — well —” I stumble over my words, caught off guard. I do want to stick by Ezra. But the fact remains it may not be my choice, and that’s the whole reason for my quest. “I just want to do something for him. Something that’ll last.”

Even if this doesn’t.

“You want to be better than the last guy? Be there for him.”

“That might not be possible,” I admit quietly. “I have enemies who want me dead. Someday, I might have to leave The Sanctum. I want Ezra to be happy, even if I’m not here.”

“That’s some mafia shit.” Felix shakes his head. “It sounds to me like you shouldn’t have gotten involved with Ez in the first place. The last thing he needs is to be dragged into someone else’s mess.”

I reach into my shirt and pull out the stack of human money Maddox gave me. “Please. I can’t ask anyone else.”

“Whoa, put that away!” Felix hisses, covering the money with both hands. “Jesus! I don’t want your money.”

“No, it’s not like that.” I’m messing this up.

“I need someone who can go into the city and find a reputable home to rent. The money is for a cash deposit. I don’t understand the criteria — there are too many numbers.

” I huff in frustration and fumble for the cellphone Syril gave me.

Maddox loaded it with some kind of directory that shows available homes, ones he assured me are in nice areas.

Neither the directory nor the stack of papers he sent shed any light on the situation.

“I just can’t —” I jab the numbers on the device, trying to find the thing Maddox showed me, but the little images on the screen just start shaking.

“Wow.” Felix takes the cellphone from me. “You really are not from this century. Okay, what are you trying to show me?”

I point to the icon I recognize. “That thing.”

“Greenriver Rentals?” He taps it and the familiar list pops up.

I sigh with relief. “Yes. It’s all there.”

Felix’s eyebrows go up. “You want to rent a place in Clearbrook Heights? Damn. I guess that’s what the wad of cash is for.”

“Exactly,” I tell him firmly, even though I only understood about two thirds of that. “But I need help.”

He frowns in suspicion. “I guess going to see bougie rentals isn’t the end of the world. I can tell you right away Ezra won’t like this, though. He doesn’t do handouts.”

“Just find something you like,” I tell him.

He sighs. “Okay. Give me your number. I’ll work this out.”

He opens something else in my cellphone and taps a message out. Then he hands it back to me and pulls out his own device. It buzzes in his hand.

“This isn’t mine,” I tell him. “I’m borrowing it from Syril.”

“Hon, you need a phone. Just keep it. No one’s gonna care that you’ve pocketed a five year old brick.” He takes my device back. “Don’t you have Ezra’s number? Here, you’re gonna need this.”

By the time I get it back to the table, I have two new contacts — Felix Fitzsimmons and Best Boyfriend You’ll Ever Have.

“Teach him how to text,” Felix tells Ezra when we get back to the table. “It’ll be disgustingly cute, I can tell.”

3

I send a tiny image of a heart to Ezra in the morning. His reply is quick.

I want to bite you right now

I haven’t figured out the nuances of crafting my own messages, so I just send him another one.

I hate Fitzie so much.

I stuff the cellphone back into its little bag, blushing.

Today is the midsummer festival and the boat race. I’m a ball of nerves for no reason. Okay, that’s not true. One reason is the other message on my cellphone, which is from Felix: Come find me when you get there.

The other reason is the lake itself. Even the thought of the deep, dark body of water makes my stomach churn. Sitting on top of it in a tiny boat? What was I thinking?

But I’ve already told everyone I’m doing it, and I can’t back down.

The boats are already lined up on the green bank, surrounded by monster children.

Midsummer is a festival for the family. Young nymphs chase each other across the green.

Riiga and kelpie kids race in the shallows near the shore.

Even some of Plato’s cousins are rolling around in the grass, locking horns and play wrestling.

The lake stretches to the base of the mountains, shimmering with the breeze.

Sunlight sparkles off the ripples. It looks so placid and innocent, perfect shades of blue hiding its sinister depths.

Waterspirits live in there, I remind myself.

Unfortunately, the thought of living underwater is maybe even more horrifying than what we’ll be doing today, and it only makes me squirm with discomfort.

Ezra slides an arm around my waist from behind. “Everything okay?”

I tear my eyes away from the lake. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

I have a feeling he’s not convinced, but he follows me down the hill without pressing.

This part of the lake is within the lamia royal family’s territory, though Lord Regent Aryllix won’t be making an appearance today.

He was, however, kind enough to loan the land out.

Picnic benches have been claimed by monster families.

Others have their own pavilions, flying the pennant of their kingdom or another bright ribbon of color.

Costumes are everywhere, monsters dressing up like other monsters — respectfully, of course, since the event is about cross-cultural sharing.

Faun children bound past us with siren camouflage painted on their cheeks.

A nymph wearing dragon horns walks arm in arm with a minotaur in a skintight shirt that shimmers like a lamia’s scales.

I even spot someone wearing fairy wings.

“Over here!” Orion appears out of nowhere with Felix in tow and waves us toward the staff pavilion, which is decorated with purple, green, blue and silver panels — one color for each kingdom.

Antoinette, Larch, Lilian and Mara are already there.

Lilian is in bloomers and a tiny, frilly top, a lacy umbrella in her hand, and she smiles shyly when she sees me.

Larch warms his stony skin in the sun, wearing only a pair of tiny shorts.

Mara’s lifeguard whistle hangs around her neck next to the amulet, sunglasses perched on her nose and a book in one of her four hands.

Even Antoinette looks relaxed, sipping on an icy drink.

I hang back for a moment, suddenly hesitant.

A hand on my elbow startles me and I almost yank back before realizing it’s Felix.

“I want a drink,” Felix says. “Come with me to the drinks tent.”

He steers me away. I look back at Ezra, but he’s already chatting to Mara, grinning and flipping his sunglasses through his fingers.

“Alright.” I follow Felix to the other pavilion.

He searches through the cooler, huffing and sighing. “No regular soda? Ugh. I guess I’ll drink the no-sugar stuff.”

“Um, did you want to talk about something?”

He cracks the top open and takes a long drink. “Yeah. I went to see a few of the places you showed me. You could literally pick any of them — they’re all nice as fuck. One of them had a doorman . And a special door for food delivery guys. I guess you’re rich rich, huh?”

“Maybe by human standards,” I defer.

“Right.” Felix makes a face. “You could make my mom’s mortgage payments twice over with that kind of cash flow. Ezra’s not gonna be comfortable letting you buy him a place like that. You need to talk to him first.”

I bite my lip. “I don’t know.”

“I do. I know him, and he won’t even let me pitch in for rent. What has he told you about his past?” Felix’s gaze is shrewd.

“He told me about the man. Jasper.”

Surprise flashes in his eyes. “Then I shouldn’t have to explain why he doesn’t ever want to rely on anyone.”

“It’s not for him,” I blurt, unable to keep up the charade. “It’s for you.”

Felix chokes. “ What? ”

“The home is for you. I wanted you to pick the one you like most. Ezra needs you to stay in Greenriver — he’s so much happier with you here. He smiles every time he talks about you. He loves you like a brother.” I grab his hand. “Let me do this. Please.”

“You —” Felix gapes at me. His eyebrows come down abruptly and a furious look crosses his face, and my heart sinks.

He yanks his hand free. “You — you entitled fucker. You don’t know anything about me, or my reasons for staying away from this place.

You think you can just throw money at your problems to fix them, huh? ”

“It’s not like that! I just… need him to be happy,” I protest, but I know it’s not enough, and my harebrained scheme is blowing up in my face.

“Then make him happy,” Felix snaps. He turns on his heel and stomps back to the pavilion.