Clara winked. “I want to be on the right side of things for once.” She held a stiffness in her shoulders, and her eyes flicked away as if she waited on my judgment.

  But there wouldn’t be any. We all had our reasons for every decision we made. “Why did they try to hurt you?”

  “The question is, why are you not out there gathering allies as we speak?”

  My jaw dropped at her rejoinder, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes. What else had the angels done to her before I found her on my doorstep?

  “They came at me because they know we need this place to survive. Our lot might be cursed, but we try as best we can to keep the peace.”

  “You eat humans,” I said flatly.

  Clara’s eyes flashed with anger. “We do no such thing. Blood is the main part of our diet, yes, but my people do not harm our donors.”

  “But others do.”

  “I am the Vampire Queen, Guardian, but even I cannot see everywhere. I have…lieutenants who oversee separate factions.”

  “Your lieutenants aren’t doing their job then?”

  Clara held my gaze for a long moment. “Careful there. How long have you been hiding, Guardian? How long have you allowed people to die when your power could have saved them? How many years have you walked among us, keeping your face and name a secret?”

  Silence fell between us. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I finally said. “I stayed hidden for a reason.”

  “To save your own skin,” Clara said, her tone a mocking lilt. “And you still hold yourself apart.” She picked up her wine glass and leaned back against the couch cushions, studying me.

  The burning judgment in her gaze made me look away. Her soft laugh burned through my soul. “You are the spawn of two of the most powerful creatures in creation. The strongest archangel and a witch/demon hybrid. There is no other magic like yours, child. Few could stand against you. Why do you still hold yourself back?”

  Her eyes stripped me raw.

  “I—I still don’t know how to use my magic,” I confessed, my voice a hoarse croak. It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t all the truth either. The brewing part of my magic always came so easily to me. I honed it over the years. The other…not so much. I’d suppressed it for so long, it felt like it was having a temper tantrum these days and refused to come out with even the softest coaxing.

  Clara blinked, a furrow forming between her brows. She straightened. “Oh,” she breathed. “Oh. That’s how you stayed hidden so long.” Her lips tightened. “And now you’re crippled.”

  A slow exhale came from the queen. I resisted the urge to ask her if she needed to breathe at all. Clara’s eyes became lost in thought.

  “Crippled seems like a harsh word,” I said slowly. Clara’s people skills seemed a little rusty.

  She shrugged a thin, pale shoulder. “Who’s training you?”

  Ugh. Who wasn’t? “Jude. Mom. Lucifer sometimes.”

  Her lips pursed. “And your power still won’t come out to play?”

  I sighed. “Not like it should.” Pouring us both more wine, I sat back and studied her. “Maybe everyone is overestimating my power. Maybe this is it.”

  The words felt false coming out. I knew it was there. It had shown itself a couple of times under extreme duress.

  Clara’s eyes narrowed. “What did you just think about?”

  I blinked. “Excuse me?”

  She pointed one red tipped fingernail. “Just then. What were you thinking about?”

  “Uh. Being under duress.”

  One of her eyebrows went up. “That’s when your magic comes out?”

  “Seems to. Only when I, or someone I care about, is in mortal danger.”

  “Fear is a great motivator,” said the Vampire Queen.

  It sounded like a threat.

  I made Clara a bed up in the guest room and barely refrained from asking her if she needed a coffin.

  She smirked at me as I trailed out the door as if she knew I was biting my tongue.

  The hour was late, close to midnight, but I wasn’t as tired as I should be. Slipping my slippers on, I headed downstairs to the bar to see if I needed to clean anything up. I’d left so abruptly that I was sure there were still a few closing chores left over.

  When I opened the door to the bar, the entire place was silent.

  Landry, I assumed, had turned off most of the lights, but a golden glow had settled around the room from the fake fairy lights I’d picked up at the craft store not too long ago.

  The real fairy lights came from contractors, and I tried to treat them as fairly as possible, even though their queen was a raging bitch.

  A buzzing sound came from above the bar.

  “Hey Keelie,” I called as the little fairy floated over to me. Her gaze flicked up to the room.

  “You let the Vampire Queen into your home?” she asked quietly.

  “She swore I’d come to no harm while she’s there.”

  Keelie snorted. “She could sneak into your room, put the whammy on you, down a pint, and you’d be none the wiser.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I grumbled.

  She knew some of my skills but was most familiar with my brewing ability. I considered her a friend…one with a complicated background. Even though Keelie had a contract with me, she was still a member of Ariel’s court. Because of this, I don’t feel comfortable sharing many things with her, my magic being one of them.

  Clara probably couldn’t mesmerize me. Probably being the keyword. Her age and power level concerned me, but I had a lot of magical resistance to many creatures, including vampires.

  I hoped I’d never find out.

  Keelie floated around me, shedding a concerned gray dust. “Everyone left about half an hour ago. Landry said to tell you that you owe him one for the cleanup tonight.”

  A quick look around the bar showed everything completed. Landry was a good egg. I didn’t want to go back upstairs, but if there wasn’t anything to do down here…

  “Where’s Lachlan?” I asked her.

  “He went up with Jude.”

  My eyes widened.

  Keelie laughed. “He seemed unconcerned. Lachlan’s magic is bound, isn’t it?”

  “That’s what he says.”

  Keelie frowned. “It’s dangerous to keep him here for long.”

  “Because he’s a king?”

  She shook her head, her eyes wide.

  “Because he’s Ariel’s husband.”

  chapter five

  A bomb could have dropped on my bar, and I wouldn’t have been more surprised.

  “Her—” I coughed. “Her what?”

  Keelie stared. “You didn’t know?”

  My jaw dropped. “How the hell could I have known?”

  She snorted. “You really don’t know much about the fae, do you?”

  I pinched the space between my brow and sank into a chair. “Keelie,” I groaned. “He’s been here for a while now. Why hasn’t Ariel been beating down my door?”

  She floated down to perch on the napkin holder. “She hates him. Ariel won’t come looking for him.”

  “Does she know he’s here?”

  An uncomfortable look flitted over her face. “Hard to tell,” she said after a beat. “It depends on how strong the magic is here.”

  “Very strong,” I blurted.

  “But she knows you were in her territory.”

  I nodded. Boy did she.

  “Ariel will have felt the portal open. Whether she realizes where it came from…” Keelie put her hand out and wiggled it back and forth.

  Fifty-fifty then. Not great odds for my continued existence.

  “Does Lachlan have certain territory he has to stay in?”

  Keelie shrugged. “Not much is known about the Unseelie King. It’s not my story to tell.”

  “You’re right, young fairy,” came a dark voice from above. “It is mine.”

  Keelie zipped into the air, bright red dust sifting down upon the table. “I—I’m sorry. I meant no harm.”

  Lachlan stood at the top of the stairs from Jude’s apartment, staring down at us. He inclined his head. “No harm done, Keelie.”

  She swallowed hard, gave me a warning look, then zipped away in a flash, leaving me alone with the fae king.

  I propped my feet up on the other chair. “Can’t sleep either?”

  He came down the stairs, silent as a ghost. “Your magic holds the beast at bay. It feels odd lurking under my skin, unable to form.” Even with his magic bound, Lachlan had a formidable air about him. Every step full of lethal grace, he was a vision to watch, a feast for hungry eyes.

  I brushed that thought away and gestured for him to take a seat.

  “Ariel’s hubby, huh?” I said. “Gotta admit. That one threw me for a loop.”

  Lachlan flinched.

  So…trouble in paradise, then. Unsurprising, really. Being married to Ariel had to be like sleeping with a cactus.

  When he didn’t speak, I continued. “You aren’t only the Unseelie King,” I mused. “You’re the king of all fae.”

  He snorted. “You overestimate me. Ariel does not share the rule. She is incapable of sharing.”

  “Is that why she turned you into a beast and released you into the woods like the lousy pet owner she is?”

  Lachlan wasn’t amused. “What is it you want from me?”

  I stared for a beat. “I’m not the one who tried to beat me into submission and drag me back to your wife.”

  “That isn’t an answer.”

  “But it is.” Shaking my head, I got up and rummaged in the fridge. One small cheese plate lurked in the back. With a huff of victory, I pulled it out and brought it back to the table before returning and pulling two amber beers.

  Lachlan frowned at the one I pushed in front of him. “You are…kind.”

  “I’m really not,” I muttered.

  His eyes flicked up to me.

  “I don’t want anything from you,” I said as I unwrapped the cheese plate. “I’d rather dump you back in your woods and forget this ever happened.”

  A frown settled on his face. Lachlan looked…unsettled.

  “What?” I demanded. I popped a piece of smoked gouda in my mouth and almost moaned as the flavors burst.

  “You truly don’t wish to barter with Ariel for me?”

  A bark of laughter escaped. “The only thing I wish for Ariel is a punch to the face.”

  A faint smile bloomed. “I know a few who might say the same.” Lachlan studied a piece of white cheddar before taking a tentative bite. “We do not have this in my lands.”

  I snorted. “I bet Ariel does. She just doesn’t share with the woodland creatures.” My chest shook with laughter at Lachlan’s dark look. I held my hands up. “Kidding.”

  We ate in silence for a while before I broached the subject of my curiosity. “How did you wind up living in the woods?”

  His hand stilled as he reached for a grape. “It is a long story.”

  I waved at myself. “Insomnia. Plus, I have a scary vampire roommate right now. I don’t plan on sleeping any time soon.”

  For a moment I thought he might refuse to tell me. In fact, I expected him to. But Lachlan surprised me.

  “Marrying me was advantageous to Ariel. You call me the king of all fae, but Ariel never gained a foothold in my lands. She couldn’t. Not without a binding.”

  “And now?”

  He sighed and looked away. “And now, Ariel is the Unseelie queen, and my people have never suffered more.”

  Silence fell. There was a lot more to this story than he was telling me. “How did she overpower you? I felt your magic that day in the forest.” The power he held leashed inside of him seemed world breaking. “I’ve never felt anything like it.”

  “How do all fae fall?” he said, popping another piece of cheese into his mouth.

  I studied him, his handsome features, sad eyes, the magic leashed tightly to his skin. “A bargain,” I breathed. “She tricked you.”

  “Fae pride themselves on their ability to spin a bargain to their advantage. Ariel won this one.”

  “Why are you being so open with me?” I pushed the last couple pieces of cheese over to him.

  Lachlan shrugged. “You have no stake in this. I overheard you weren’t in our realm by choice?”

  I snorted. “Not even a little.”

  “Then there’s no harm in you knowing, I suppose. It’s not exactly a secret in our realm. The circumstances surrounding it, yes, but all the fae assume I bargained poorly.” His smile was tight. “And they are right.”

  My mind spun with the implications of his predicament, but something about it bothered me. “You aren’t dumb.”

  His lips curved up in a smile.

  “You aren’t. So tell me how she screwed you so hard.”

  His eyes flashed. “I can assure you, there was no screwing to be had.”

  I waved a hand. “It’s a saying. How did she trap you as a beast in the woods? That couldn’t be part of the bargain. You wouldn’t agree to it.”

  He studied me. “You might be overestimating me.”

  I slowly shook my head. “No. Tell me what she did.”

  He pushed away from the table and offered a slight bow. “Perhaps another time. Thank you for the snack.”

  “Lachlan…”

  He held up a hand. “Another time, Brewer.”

  I watched him walk up the stairs, his shoulders slumped as he went.

  Liking him was a complication I didn’t expect. Trusting a fae wasn’t smart, but something about Lachlan made him hard to hate.

  When the door shut behind him, I whispered Keelie’s name.

  She buzzed up to me seconds later.

  “How much did you hear?” I asked quietly.

  “All of it.”

  Expected as much. “And Olive?”

  “She’s not here right now. Fortunately,” she muttered.

  “I think it’s time we sent her back.”

  Keelie’s wings slowed. She lowered herself to the table and sat cross-legged. “Why?”

  “First, I don’t like her.”

  Keelie laughed.

  “Second, she’s pushing the boundaries of her contract in a way I can no longer ignore. She’s a danger to what’s going on here. Michael and Ariel have some kind of agreement allowing him access to her realm.”

  Keelie’s face sobered. “You think they’ve been in contact.”

  I thought about it. “Maybe. I don’t see how she could have, but Michael is proving himself tricky to predict.” I rubbed my face. “How can I break her contract but still force her to keep our secrets?”

  I had a failsafe, but there was a chance the wording wasn’t strict enough to restrict her tongue when she went back home.

  “You could kill her.”

  A bark of laughter escaped me. “Keelie!”

  She shrugged. “I’m serious.”

  Keelie’s face had gone dark, her eyes flashing with anger. “Ariel tried to imprison you when you went to her realm. More than likely, she planned to kill you. Best case scenario, she’d hold you for ransom and strong-arm your family into a bad deal.”

  Everything Keelie said was true. I barely escaped with my life. Chewing on my lip, I regarded Keelie.

  “It wouldn’t upset you?”

  Keelie gave me a look. “Olive hates both of us. If she could, she’d stab us both in our sleep. You’ve bound her by contract, but the second she finds a loophole, she’ll come after everyone you care about.”

  “I’m not a killer, Keelie.”

  I winced at the lie and held a finger up. “Not by choice. I only kill to defend myself or the people I love. Olive is what she is. She’s loyal to Ariel. If I can figure out a way to release her home without betraying our secrets, I want to do that first. If it becomes evident there’s no other way…we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  “It’s your funeral,” she muttered.

  I dipped my head. “As always, thank you for your support.”

  She snickered and flew away, gold dust sprinkling the path she left behind.

  Shaking my head, I cleaned up the mess, and headed back upstairs. Sleep might be a long time coming, but I needed all I could get.

  Fear itched at the back of my neck every single day. Things might be calm now, but Michael wouldn’t take my escape lightly.

  These calm days would be few and far between soon enough.

  chapter six

  “Wake up.”

  The words burrowed through my brain.

  “Wake up.”

  Whoever it was sounded amused.

  And female.

  My eyes popped open.

  The vampire queen straddled my hips and stared down at me, her dark eyes flashing with amusement.

  “I’m hungry,” she announced.

  My heartbeat picked up from a drumbeat to a gallop.

  She snickered and pushed off me, only to flop onto her back beside me. “Relax, Violet. I don’t bite my friends.”

  I’d known her less than 24 hours. I’d known people for over a thousand years and still didn’t call them friends, so Clara had a long way to go before earning that title.

  Clara grinned, her prominent incisors showing. They weren’t fangs. Not yet. Just…sharper than a humans would be.

  “I can see all those thoughts spinning around your pretty little head. But don’t you worry. You and I are going to be BFFs. I can feel it in my bones.”

  “Go away, Clara,” I groaned.

  She tsked. “So grumpy in the morning.”

  “I live alone for a reason.” Coffee. I needed coffee and quiet.

  “You live alone because you’re afraid to commit,” she observed.

  “If you don’t get out of my bedroom in the next five seconds, I’m going to punch my fist through your chest and pull out your black heart,” I snarled.

  Clara cackled. “Ooooh! Threats. Finally! I knew you weren’t as sweet as your little freckled face said you were.”

  I pointed to the door.

  Clara snorted and rolled off the side of the bed. “Want coffee, bitch?”

  I extended my middle finger.

  She hooted with laughter.

 

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