"I'll come to the theater, offer to help as...as myself," he said, dropping his voice, as if there were anyone else to hear.
"I did have to tell them that you were fae to get them to agree that I should come speak to you," I admitted.
Jude's gaze dropped and his shoulders drew in near his ears, but he nodded just as the door opened.
"Thank you, Humphries," he said as a young officer carried in a tea tray, neither of us speaking again until he was gone.
"What happened to Beth's roommates?" I asked.
Jude frowned and shook his head. "They never turned up. Dunno if they spooked that hard, their punter did, or—"
"Or if he did something to them too," I finished, and Jude nodded solemnly.
I sipped the tea, grimacing at the burn of the hot liquid down my throat.
"Why did you ask to speak to me alone?" Jude asked, tipping his head.
I sat up, not realizing before that I'd even said those words. And Jude sat across from me, watching me swallow another more soothing gulp of tea as I searched for a reasonable answer.
Except I found myself wanting to tell him the truth, which was the least reasonable thing of all.
"They don't know," I said in a tiny voice that made Jude lean in closer.
"Know what?"
"That I'm not all human," I whispered, my eyes wide on his. Had I imagined the hint he'd given me the last time we spoke? Did it even matter when I knew the truth about him?
He only nodded slowly. "I wouldn't have said anything. Why don't they know?"
I blushed and released a shuddering breath, licking my dry lips. "They can't know. Not while I work at the theater."
Jude's frown grew deeper. "You know as well as I do what it's like to not feel as though you belong in the world you walk through, but I…I'd assumed for you, there, it might be different."
My smile was fragile, so brittle I thought it might crack apart as I spoke. "So did I at one point, but..." I remembered Mr. Reddy's words from all those years ago. "It's humans they pay to see. Not me as I am, but the human fantasy."
Jude's lips pursed, his stormy grey eyes holding mine for a long moment before they trailed slowly down my entire body and then back up again, every inch observed making my skin suddenly tingly and awake.
His lips quirked, just the slightest bit. "I very much doubt that, Miss Nix."
Don't flirt, I thought, but I wasn't sure if it was a warning to myself or Jude.
He spoke again before I had time to control my blush or think of a response. "It's late, and you need to rest. I'll come to the theater today, speak with the owner."
"I'll tell Hunter to be there," I said, pausing as a thought occurred. "You may have to prepare yourself to...not look so surprised by everything you'll see."
This time it was Jude's turn to blush, his head nodding and ducking. "Of course."
"They'll need to believe you're...acquainted with their world."
"I understand, Hazel," he said, a faint smile on his lips. "You won't catch me gaping again. Now, let me walk you out so you can get some rest before we meet again. A doctor, do you need—"
"I'll heal in a day, maybe less," I said, and it was so easy to speak the truth I was almost afraid I might forget how to lie in the future. "Perks of my mother's blood."
Jude nodded. "My father's, it does the same for me."
He stood and held out an ungloved hand. His fingers were strong and elegant, and they clasped firmly around mine as I reached for him. Fae were generally aloof, and I wondered if Jude knew his father at all, knew if he was Unseelie or Seelie. He was certainly beautiful enough to be one of the Seelie race, at least from the little I knew.
But as we walked out of the office, Jude tucking my hand around his elbow, the halls were too busy to ask such personal questions.
"Someone should watch your apartment, in case he tries to return," Jude said. "How secure is the theater?"
"Not very," I admitted. Plenty of patrons knew their way backstage, and aside from late at night after the show was over and the audience had left, we didn't keep the doors locked.
"Then don't find yourself alone," he said as we reached the lobby.
I had to search the lobby twice before I remembered Hunter's disguise as the little human man, who was now striding across the checkered tile to reach us.
"Thank you," I said to Jude, squeezing his arm.
He nodded, holding my gaze, the look in those soft grey eyes too familiar to face for long. "Until this afternoon, Miss Nix," he said, his fingers covering the back of my hand in a brief stroke.
I slipped free, and Hunter dipped a low nod to Jude as I reached him.
"He'll help us," I whispered to Hunter.