A Court of Bastards [ACOTAR]

Chapter 13

Baird fit in surprisingly well amongst the Night Court posse. From the impression he'd given in their evenings at the palace, Fiona had expected a reserved and proper High Lord's son when she slid along the booth beside him. Instead Baird was chatty, generous with his smiles and drinking nearly enough to match Bella glass for glass – which was saying something. If he was surprised to see Zayde, High Lady of the Summer Court amongst the young Illyrians, he did not show it, an observation that had Fiona wondering if the ties between Night, Summer and Winter were much stronger than other courts realised.

The time ticked on but Fiona's rush of careless joy had waned with the moon; as it passed midnight, she made to leave. Riordan, however, was cemented in his seat, and made his feelings crystal clear without ever saying a word in the way that only he could.

You have a job to do. His eyes flicked between her and Baird. Not until you've made some progress.

He shot her an encouraging smile that made something twist in her gut as Fiona shifted closer. Baird's hair glimmered like freshly fallen snow in the faelight, but his teeth were brighter as he smiled.

"I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight."

Fiona accepted the wine he passed her with a gracious nod. "Nor I you."

His eyes trailed to Tristan and Gabriel, who were laughing loudly over some joke about Peregryn wingspan. "I've known this lot for quite some time," he said, his pale eyes shining fondly. "Some of us grew up together.

Fiona nodded absent-mindedly, her gaze straying to Riordan. "It's nice to hear that your parents' friendship has passed on to the next generation." She was watching Riordan blatantly ignore her pointed stare. Bastard.

"What's wrong?" Baird nudged her gently. "You're acting like a stiff old courtier tonight."

Fiona tried to answer him with a smile, though it fell somewhat short of convincing. In truth, she had been distracted since Xander left, and spent much of the night sifting through her memories of the last week. He'd rushed off at the mention of Keir and Aidan – affirming her fears that he had only been entertaining her trips to Velaris for information about Eris' son. Had she missed something key, she wondered? Something that might reveal his true motive to her? Fiona had been so distracted by the beauty and promise of Velaris that she'd forgotten everything the Autumn Court had taught her.

Everyone had a motive; and if you weren't the motive, you could be sure you were the means.

And looking at Baird while her brain whirred, Fiona became painfully aware that he was hers. Her stomach twisted again, and she realised the feeling was guilt.

"I'm sorry." She shifted in her seat. "I'm not feeling well – I think I need to go."

Riordan be damned, she added silently, getting to her feet.

As though he'd heard, Dan's eyes shifted to hers with a warning glint. His easy smile faltered as Baird caught her wrist.

"Wait, he stopped her, gathering a blazer in one arm as he stood. "I can take you back, if you'd like?"

Fiona allowed herself a smile, a real one, and tried not to notice how Baird's gaze snagged on it. "That would be wonderful, thank you."

She hardly gave Dan a second glance as the pair of them walked back up the dingy steps to street level, passing a winged fae slumped against the entrance who snored loudly. They fell into easy conversation strolling down moonlit streets and squares lined with holly for the coming of winter. Baird was happy to fill the silence himself, and as he talked, Fiona remembered just how much he'd had to drink. Though he did not slur his words or stumble on the cobblestones, his eyes were unfocused when he turned to bid her goodnight.