“Yes,” Fi answered, her whole body rigid with either fear or anger. Chrysabelle couldn’t tell.

Katsumi made a shallow bow. “Tell him we miss him next time you see him.”

“I’ll get right on that,” Fi muttered.

Chrysabelle cleared her throat. “Is Mortalis on the floor or in his office? He’s expecting me.”

“I believe he’s in Dominic’s office.” Katsumi waved a hand to attract a passing server. “Run to Dominic’s office and let Mortalis know that Chrysabelle is here to see him.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The server took off.

“I know where his office is,” Chrysabelle said. “Fiona and I will wait there.”

“Very good.” But Katsumi didn’t move. Her eyes narrowed. “There’s something… different about you. Your scent seems stronger.”

“I’m wearing my body armor. I’m sure the silver is affecting my scent.” And not the fact that she was pregnant.

“No.” Katsumi shook her head. “I don’t think that’s it…”

“You’re probably just used to smelling the fakes that work here.” Fi grabbed Chrysabelle’s hand and started moving. “Nice to meet you. Bye.”

Katsumi might have growled, but Chrysabelle wasn’t sure since Fi kept pulling her away. She redirected them toward Mortalis’s office. “Thanks, but I’m pretty sure it’s just the silver of my body armor, and wearing that in here isn’t a big deal. Unless someone touches it.”

“You really think that’s what she was picking up on?” Fi glanced knowingly at Chrysabelle’s stomach.

“Even if it was, she can’t figure anything out by scent alone.” She slowed Fi down. “Here. This is his office.” She tried the handle but it was locked. “We’ll have to wait.” They stood with their backs to the door, watching the crowd. Mortalis appeared a few minutes later. At his approach, the few lingering fringe disappeared.

“Good evening.” He nodded at Fi. “I didn’t expect to see you, too. Nyssa’s been asking about you.”

Fi pushed part of her bob behind one ear. “I’ve been swamped and it sucks, but I promise to get in touch with her soon. Tell her I said hi and I’m sorry.”

“Will do.” He unlocked the office door, pushed it open, then waited for them to go in before entering and locking the door behind him. “Small quarters, but at least it’s private.” He went behind the narrow desk while they took the two chairs.

“Keep an eye on Katsumi,” Fi said. “I think she picked up on Chrysabelle’s condition.”

Mortalis looked shocked for about a half second, and then his face went blank again. “What do you mean?”

“Fi knows,” Chrysabelle told him. “She figured it out when I threw up in the middle of teaching her how to fight.”

Fi laughed. “Yeah, that was kind of hard to ignore.”

His expression softened as he spoke to Chrysabelle. “How are you doing? Are you… sick a lot?”

“It comes and goes. Right now I seem to be okay, but no telling how long that will last.” She forced herself not to touch her stomach. “Do you think Katsumi would be able to tell?”

“By scent? No, but let me listen.” He went quiet for a bit. “I can’t hear a second heartbeat. I think the body armor is blocking it. That may change as the baby grows.” He leaned back in his chair. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll speak to her, see if she suspects anything.” He tapped his long fingers on the arm of the chair. “That’s not why you’re here, though. What can I do for you?”

“Mal.” Chrysabelle adjusted the chain around her neck, trying not to feel like she was being strangled. “I can’t give up on him. Or us. There’s too much at stake. I need to know if there’s anything I can do to get the raptor fae to release his emotions. Anything that will restore Mal’s feelings for me.”

Mortalis stilled, but his eyes held great sadness. “What’s done is done. Undoing it is… there’s no way—”

“There’s always a way,” Fi interjected. “What would you do if the raptor had taken Nyssa’s feelings for you?”

Mortalis swallowed. “What you’re asking is beyond my scope. It’s so impossible there’s no point in discussing it.”

Chrysabelle’s mood darkened. “Deep fae business, then. How about you humor me and discuss it anyway? Especially since you played a part in this.”

His mouth thinned into a hard line. “It is deep fae business, so deep that telling you won’t do anything but frustrate you, because I can’t give you anything you can use.”

Fi slapped his desk. The noise was like a gunshot in the small space. “Let her be the judge of that.”

Mortalis propped his elbow on the desk and leaned into his hand, his six fingers cradling his forehead. “Killing a raptor releases every emotion they’ve ever taken, good and bad.”

“How is that deep fae business?” Killing the raptor seemed easy. Well, not easy, but she’d killed Nothos. How different could it be?

With a sigh, Mortalis stared at her. “Because Amery and I brought him out of the Claustrum to meet with you. The Claustrum is on the fae plane, a place you can only access with the help of a fae.”

“You or Amery can take me then.”