Once rejected twice shy, p.14
Once Rejected, Twice Shy, page 14
Suddenly, she didn’t like this world so much. Or rather, she didn’t like Mikail’s version of it. Sucking in a deep breath, she focused on relaxing, channeling her inner calm. She didn’t know what she was doing, of course. She’d never gone to a yoga class, never studied ways to find inner peace. When she was stressed, she’d pop over to Mikail’s bar and have a couple of drinks while chatting him up. For her entire adult life, that had always helped her find her zen.
Not anymore. First, they weren’t anywhere near his bar, and second, he was the cause of her stress.
Thrusting her nose in the air, she stood as gracefully as she could—which, to be clear, wasn’t at all—and brushed the dirt from the back of her pants. “Well, then, let’s go.”
Two sets of eyes blinked owlishly at her. Dru’s gaze was more speculative.
“To the fae. That seems like our most logical next step. You said they need a leader, and we need a place to hide out where we can feel reasonably safe.”
Preston scrambled to stuff the food they hadn’t eaten into one of the sacks, then hopped to his feet and promptly bowed deeply. “My queen,” he declared.
Faith raised her hand, palm facing out. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. We have to make sure these people want me as their queen. Oh, and that they actually believe that’s who I am. Something’s been bugging me since I found out about it. How did my mother manage to hide her pregnancy for nine months?”
Mikail stood much more slowly than Preston, making it clear without words that he was not fully on board with this plan. Whatever. Faith was losing, well, faith in his decisions and beliefs at this point. He didn’t want them to be together? Fine. Neither did she.
“Few were aware she was pregnant,” Mikail finally said, which didn’t tell her anything at all.
Faith arched her brows while Dru unfolded herself and stood. The other woman had hardly spoken a word since returning with Preston and the food. Faith had no idea how she felt, and to be honest, Dru was another whom Faith wasn’t particularly pleased with, so she didn’t waste time asking. If Dru wanted to go with them, fine. If not, so be it.
“So faeries don’t gestate the same way as humans—or any mammal, really?” Faith asked.
“They do,” Mikail confirmed. “But the queen had become a recluse once she figured out she was with child. She said it was fear for your life. It was best if as few people as possible were even aware of your existence.”
“Wouldn’t she have needed an heir at some point?”
“Not necessarily,” Preston responded. “The fae do not procreate often, and as you are immortal, she could have, potentially, reigned forever.”
“Except she’s not your first ruler, so there’s precedence that she wouldn’t.”
“True,” Preston said approvingly. Mikail silently watched their exchange. She wished she could tell what he was thinking.
No, she didn’t. She didn’t care.
“More often than not, another faery topples the current ruler and declares themself king or queen—exactly what’s happening right now,” Mikail said.
Faith had been making her way to the stream to rinse her hands. She paused and turned around. “You mean if I do become queen, I’ll be forever dodging people like Zadkiel?” Why this thought was occurring to her just now, she couldn’t say. For God’s sake, even over in the human realm, there was always someone who felt they could do a better job ruling. And this was a different world with different rules. They didn’t have elections here, like they did in the US, or a monarch who was beloved around the world, like the British had once had with Queen Elizabeth.
This world felt much more savage. And she was supposed to rule? While constantly keeping an eye out for potential usurpers?
Was it too late to back out?
“This is why you have Watchers,” Mikail said, accurately guessing her thoughts. “We will keep you safe.”
“Which will be infinitely easier to do if you do not take the enemy into your bed,” Preston added.
That shouldn’t be a problem. Faith couldn’t imagine hooking up with anyone other than Mikail, and he very clearly did not want her, so it looked like celibacy was going to be the name of her ruling game.
Hope they liked grumpy rulers.
“If we’re going to do this, let’s get to it,” Dru finally spoke up, as waspish as ever. “Wouldn’t want to keep Preston from his lady love any longer than necessary,” she added slyly.
Preston’s cheeks went beet red again. Faith could understand. Preston appeared to be a rule follower, so to buck the system like this had to be hard on his conscience.
“There are clothes,” he said, waving at the one sack they’d not opened. “To help you better fit in here.”
Curious, Faith walked over and dumped out the contents of the bag. There were several pair of women’s pants—capri length, made of what felt like linen, with a small ruffle around the bottom and laces on the front, like a dress bodice. Hey, at least they weren’t dresses. She had no idea what they were heading into, but she was absolutely confident she’d be more comfortable in capris than a flowing dress.
The shirts were cami style, with spaghetti straps and half the length missing. Maybe she’d be more comfortable in a dress after all. She’d certainly be less self-conscious.
Dru tossed something at her, and she lifted it to eye level. It was a shirt with sleeves—albeit the shoulders were carved out of it—and at least another inch of length compared to the camis. “Thanks,” she said, trying not to sound grudging. Whether Faith had feelings for Luke was entirely beside the point. The woman had slept with him while he had still been Faith’s husband. It was a shitty thing to do.
Although she was glad for the shirt.
She stepped deeper into the cave, into the shadows, where she was reasonably certain none of them could see her, and then she quickly swapped her human clothes for these new, faery ones. Or wolf, she supposed.
When she returned, Dru and Mikail had changed as well. Dru wore pants similar to Faith’s and quite possibly the skimpiest cami Faith had ever seen. And, of course, she looked stunning in it. Mikail wore brown pants and boots and a green shirt—Preston apologized; those were the only colors available—which, while he no doubt hated wearing the enemy’s colors, truly complemented his eyes in a way Faith did not need to be so acutely aware of.
“Where are the fae hiding?” Mikail asked.
“To the west and then north,” Preston answered. “There is a cove off the great lake. It is protected from storms, and there is ample fresh water and trees to make shelter. They’ve all but built a small village by now.”
“How have they kept themselves hidden?” Mikail asked.
“They destroyed the stairs built into the cliff wall, both those near the veil and the ones leading up to the castle. Made it look like the lake did it during the last storm. And they take turns using their magic to keep the cove cloaked. Plus, of course, they have Warriors keeping watch all along the beach and in the woods.”
“Faery Warriors, working alone,” Mikail pointed out, like he needed to call out a flaw in their plan. Faith opened her mouth to argue, which was silly since she had no real concept of how things worked in this world. For all she knew, Mikail was right to point out that the fae were somehow vulnerable without the wolves.
She closed her mouth.
Mikail nodded, whether at her decision not to speak or Preston’s information, she didn’t have a clue. “I believe I know where it’s located. They are outside the boundaries of the kingdom. Is that kingdom to the north aware of them?”
“If they are, they haven’t made any attempt at contact,” Preston said. “The fae were very deliberate about their decision when they made a plan to leave. They left clues leading Zadkiel to both the veil and to the mountains in the east. Those are the places he has been focusing his searches. It was my Sonara’s idea.” He puffed out his chest with pride.
“Sonara?” Mikail frowned. “I do not know a Sonara.”
“She is young,” Preston said. “Much more open-minded than those of us who have been around for a few centuries.”
Mikail pursed his lips. Faith wanted to shout, “Yay!” and give Preston a high-five for the zinger.
“Shall I lead the way?” Preston asked, his focus on Mikail, and damn, was this the wolves’ version of a pissing contest? Next he’d mention that he’d never consider rejecting Sonara, regardless of what anyone else thought about their relationship.
Mikail’s lips were still pressed together, and after a slight pause, he nodded once.
They followed Preston out of the cave and down the same hall they’d taken the day before, but after only a short distance, he led them through a different corridor, one that was much narrower and rougher going than the others they’d taken. It was also pitch black, so Faith summoned her purple ball of light and tried to send it forward to help guide Preston, except it refused to move more than a few feet away from her. Strange that it had bobbed along, leading the way yesterday.
“Just go up there with him,” Mikail finally said after the third time Preston bumped his head on the low ceiling.
She moved around Mikail, which was no small feat given how narrow the passage was and how determined she was not to touch him. Her thigh brushed against his, and that familiar tingle shot up and down her leg. Damnit, she hated this attraction almost as much as she craved it.
Finally, she was directly behind Preston. Her light seemed to want to go backward, but Faith sternly pointed at Preston’s head, and like a petulant child, it reluctantly moved forward.
The path became steep; they were obviously heading down, into the mountain, and without stairs to help ease the way. At one point, Dru slipped, and as she was last in line, she slid into Mikail, taking out his legs. The two of them slammed into Faith, who barreled into Preston, and they all went tumbling until they landed in a heap at the bottom of the incline.
“Well, that’s one way to do it, I suppose,” Preston said as he stood and helped Faith to her feet. “Not much farther and we will be out of the mountain. There is a bit of a leap to get to the beach, though, so be forewarned.”
A bit of a leap turned out to be a good ten feet.
Preston landed gracefully on the sand. Never in a million years could she be that graceful.
“I’m going to break an ankle if I do that,” she said.
“You probably will,” Mikail agreed, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her away from the edge. It was annoying, not because of his bossiness but because of those stupid tingles the contact sent through her body.
You’re not supposed to be attracted to him, you traitorous body.
“I’m going to jump down, then Dru will help you climb over the ledge until you are hanging, and I will catch you when you let go,” Mikail said.
“That’s a terrible idea.” She’d have to trust Dru and Mikail? Yes, she supposed she’d been doing that her whole life, but she hadn’t realized it, and that had all been before Dru slept with her husband and Mikail slept with then rejected Faith. Twice.
“Just go,” Dru said from behind her. “I would like to get to the fae hideout sooner rather than later. I’m quite curious to see what sort of faery could steal Preston’s heart.”
“Wow,” Faith said after Mikail jumped without preamble. “You couldn’t have added more sarcasm to that sentence if you’d tried.”
“Oh, I’m sure I could,” Dru said with a smirk.
After checking to make sure Mikail landed safely—he did. Of course he did—Faith rounded on Dru. “You know, I’m not the one who slept with some other woman’s husband. You don’t have to take your bad choices out on me.”
“This isn’t about my bad choices,” Dru clapped back. “And I do have to take it out on you now because I won’t be able to once you are queen. Now, climb down the side of the cliff so we can get on with it.”
Faith stared at the other woman while her mouth opened and closed several times. Dru simply looked bored. What, exactly, was she insinuating? That what happened between Faith and Mikail had been Faith’s fault? Was she kidding?
Okay, yes, Faith had hit on him. She’d flirted and teased and flirted some more—and holy shit, it was her fault.
So what? Mikail was single and, courtesy of Dru, Faith was about to be, so what was so wrong with them hooking up? At least she hadn’t deliberately slept with another woman’s husband.
“Why’d you do it?” Faith asked.
To Dru’s credit, not only did she not pretend she had no idea what Faith was talking about, she even looked slightly abashed for all of three seconds until she tossed the bag of leftover food over the ledge and pointed at the beach, where Mikail and Preston were waiting for them.
Giving up—for now—Faith dropped to all fours and shimmied backward until she was more or less sliding down the side of the cliff. Her fingers caught on the edge and she dangled, desperately hoping Mikail was ready to catch her.
Dru crouched until they were nearly eye level and waited until Faith locked gazes with her. “I did it because I wanted to come home.”
And then she pealed Faith’s fingers away from the rocks, and suddenly Faith was free-falling, and it was true that one’s life flashed before their eyes when they believed they were going to die.
She saw bits of her childhood: the first day of kindergarten, her mom trying to be stoic and crying big, fat tears anyway while her dad patted Mom’s back and forced his own watery smile. The horrible middle-school stage, when her period started and her hormones woke up and suddenly, she was the most awkward and uncomfortable person on the planet. Valerie Dixon had noticed, and Faith gained a bully.
Until one day, Valerie Dixon wasn’t harassing her anymore. It hadn’t registered back then because Faith hadn’t known to look out for him, but Mikail had been there. He’d done something to ensure Valerie left her alone. He’d been taking care of her her entire life. He’d said it, but she hadn’t truly connected the dots until she was worried he wouldn’t catch her.
Which was foolish of her. He always caught her. He’d been catching her for forty years.
Just as he caught her now, easily, gracefully.
He placed her on her feet, and she used the moment to take in her surroundings instead of looking at him. Hopefully, he’d attribute the heat in her face to the exertion from falling, despite the breeze rolling off the lake.
Dru landed with a quiet thud, and Preston swung the bag of food over his shoulder before gesturing that they should walk along the shore, heading west. He took the lead while Mikail stayed by Faith’s side and Dru followed behind. She presumed this formation was meant to protect her from a potential attack, because there was plenty of room for them to all walk side by side.
“We should stay close to the cliff wall, in the shadows,” Preston said with a swift glance up. “In case they have lookouts.”
Faith followed his gaze, up and up and up. Holy crap, the top of the cliff was way up there. She hadn’t realized how far down they’d walked inside the castle’s hidden chambers. Ten feet was nothing compared to jumping off that edge.
They all moved closer to the rocky wall, which made for more treacherous going, as they now had to climb over and around rocks and broken tree limbs protruding from the sand. But it turned out to be worth it.
“I hear someone,” Dru whispered. They all stopped and listened, and sure enough, there was definitely someone wandering at the top.
Had Zydeco’s Warriors figured out where they were headed? Or were they canvassing the area because they had no idea where Faith and her entourage had disappeared to?
She sincerely hoped it was the latter.
They stayed in place until the sound faded, and then they continued to stand pressed against the rocky wall for what felt like an eternity longer until finally, Dru nodded, Preston nodded, Mikail nodded, and apparently, they were all in agreement that the threat had moved away.
They hugged the wall as they walked. Faith kept glancing out at the gorgeous blue-green water lapping at the sandy white beach. She was hot, she was hungry again, she was cranky, and she couldn’t do a damn thing about any of those afflictions, which only made her crankier.
“Not much farther,” Mikail murmured as if he knew how she was feeling. He probably did. She wasn’t exactly hiding her discomfort.
“How do you know?” she asked waspishly.
He nodded straight ahead. “Because I can see a Warrior standing up there, blocking our path.”
“Oh.” She stood straighter, threw back her shoulders, tried to smooth her out-of-control hair, to no avail.
“They will let me pass because they know me, know my allegiance,” Preston said. “And they will let Faith pass because she is a faery. In order for them to accept the two of you, we will need to tell them who Faith is.”
She glanced at Mikail. He was staring at her. It was as intense as he’d been this morning, when they’d made love on the cavern floor. Yes, she’d tried to convince herself they were giving in because they might not have a tomorrow, and yes, she’d been lying to herself.
She planned on a whole lot of tomorrows. Foolish, yes, but she’d never claimed to be all stoic and emotionless like some other people in her immediate vicinity.
“Are you ready for this?” Mikail asked.
She pressed her hand to her belly to calm the butterflies. This was the biggest case of nerves she’d had since walking down the aisle at her wedding with all of Luke’s family watching and judging her.
“I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“You do,” Mikail surprised her by saying. “You can go on with Preston and pretend to be a lost faery. It is entirely possible you could blend in and no one would realize your true identity.”
“But what about you and Dru?” Mikail was a wanted man. He couldn’t return to the castle.
“We will be fine.”
He was giving her an out. She wasn’t remotely ready to be declared the faery queen, and he knew it. He also likely knew how nervous she was. He wasn’t doing this because he thought she’d make a lousy ruler; he was doing it because he wanted it to be her choice.
