When All is Lost

2.

"Charlie!" Nate bumps into me while I stand at the bar. His elbow resting beside my own as he twists around me to look at my face. "Get shots!" He smiles and I roll my eyes, at least he's a funny drunk.

"You're supposed to be at the table, Your Highness." I smirk and he laughs.

"Yeah, but you were at the bar, and you told me 'Low profile' over and over so I'm being all sneaky and low profiled." He grins his green eyes shining with drink and the giddiness of winding me up. It's been just us for a little while now, Tommy had been requested to assist with the transfer of the dead thief from this afternoon to his family - he hadn't even made it out of the palace, poor guy - while Adam had slipped away with a blond barman almost as soon as we got here.

"Would you prefer if I stood on my chair and shouted?" Nate continues.

"No." I pat his arm. "Well done, you've mastered the art of the low profile."

He laughs, turning back to our table where Alice, a fairy he's been seducing is staring at us in a scarily intense way. She works here and while she always takes an interest in our group, tonight she's been all over us.

Nate. She's been all over Nate.

Not that I care.

"Does she seem a little full on to you?" He asks me as he smiles to her. He's got his back to the bar now as I order our drinks, both elbows resting against it - holding him up most likely. His position shows off his slender figure, his jacket is old but fits perfectly showing off his slim waist. He's taller than me, though right now he's about eye level. His tawny brown curls are accentuated in the humid air of the busy bar, and he's spent most of the night pushing them out of his eyes.

"She thinks she's going to sleep with a prince tonight. She's just staking her claim." I answer, handing him a tray of shots to carry back. I take the tray of pints, not trusting him with that.

He smiles to me, pushing his hair back, leaning close again, whispering. "Jealous?"

I laugh and he pretends to be offended, picking up his tray.

"One day deCarteret," He teases, and I shake my head.

"You forget, I know where you've been. Pardon me for having standards." I head back to the table swinging my skirts in a show of confidence, even though it makes the waistband rub against the trousers I'm wearing underneath.

"Rude!" Nate's burst of laughter follows me, making me smile to myself. There's only three - maybe four - people in the world that speak to him like that; I kinda like that I'm one of them.

He's drawing attention to us though, and the new moon isn't a great night to be socialising in mixed company. The boys like this bar because it's open to all, Fae and human alike, and it's a great place for gaming, drinking, and other pleasurable pursuits. I glance around but everyone is focused on their games, two goblins in the corner haven't even looked up from their dominoes.

For the last hour we've been playing cards with a tree elf, and a grey skinned creature I haven't seen before. Nate slips into his seat and drapes his arm casually over Alice's shoulders, her green and golden wings preen in the candlelight as she meets my gaze, bragging that she has him tonight.

I'm stuck with him all the time I want to tell her, but I don't.

"I win, again." The Elf declares as I set the drinks down, his long slim limbs creaking as he stands reaching for his coins. His fingers look like twigs, and I'm fascinated by them; are they strong? Does he have sap instead of blood?

"Elves cheat." The grey creature states and I prepare to intervene.

"They don't cheat," Nate says calmly, stroking his fingers over Alice's arm.