Touched by a Sprite

by E. A. Reynolds

  Baylee made a face and reached for his wallet and put a few bills on the table. “I just don’t want things to be exactly the same as they were. I mean, some things don’t need any improving on.” He wiggled his brows suggestively, and Kirkyn chuckled.

  “That’s always been good, despite your penchant for topping from the bottom.”

  Baylee leaned toward him. “You should let me show you my top skills.”

  “One day,” Kirkyn said. “I’m sure you’ll make me come so hard I’ll pass out.”

  Baylee laughed. “I’m looking forward to that,” he murmured.

  Kirkyn winked at him. “Me too.”

  Kirkyn paid for their meal, and they stepped out into the cool day. The temperature felt below average to Baylee, and he prayed it wasn’t too late.

  “Why don’t we take a little stroll around the town square?” Baylee asked, not in any real hurry to get home.

  Kirkyn shrugged, and Baylee led the way from the diner along the brick sidewalk.

  “When I first moved here, I thought I’d be bored out of my mind,” Baylee said. “The town is so small. Not even three thousand people live here. There’s almost nothing to do.”

  “But after being on the run, you found the quiet peaceful,” Kirkyn said.

  “I did, and I still do. The only thing I was missing was you.” He looked up at Kirkyn as they came to a stop at the cross-walk.

  Kirkyn nodded, his eyes glowing gray in his handsome face. “I’m sorry I did all that to you,” Kirkyn said.

  “Me too, but today, we’re starting fresh,” Baylee said and took his hand. He’d never been one to hide once he’d came out to his family, and he didn’t see any reason to hide now.

  “Hey, Baylee. I haven’t seen you in a while. What’s going on up at the hotel? I heard you guys evacuated it.”

  Baylee tore his gaze from Kirkyn to look at the newcomer. “A bit of a problem with the construction, but everything is back on track.”

  “I saw Parker a little while ago, and he said your cousin was selling.”

  “Actually, Peter, that’s not true,” Baylee said. “My cousin is moving, but I’m going to manage the hotel. In fact, they gave me half.”

  The brown-haired man beamed. “That’s good for you,” he said. “Who’s your friend?”

  “Peter, this is my boyfriend, Kirkyn,” Baylee said. “Kirkyn, Peter is the mayor.”

  The two men shook hands, and Baylee noticed they were sizing each other up. He’d had coffee with Peter once and learned then that Peter was interested in him, but not coming out of the closet.

  “I’m in security,” Kirkyn was saying. “Personal security.”

  “Oh. Well, we don’t really have a market for that kind of company around here,” Peter told him. “You won’t want to stay long.”

  Kirkyn chuckled. “Thanks for the heads up.”

  He grunted. “I have to get going. It was nice seeing you again, Baylee.” He nodded to Kirkyn and turned the corner.

  “You dated him?” Kirkyn asked with a scrunched face as Baylee pulled him across the street.

  “We had coffee once, but he’s hell and gone from coming out. You know, I’m not about closets and secret lovers.”

  Kirkyn snorted. “You are rather social and territorial.”

  “It might just be a sprite thing,” Baylee said with a sniff.

  “Right,” Kirkyn said mockingly.

  Baylee swatted at his arm playfully. They took a walk around, and Baylee noticed Kirkyn checking everything from the trees to people out. He wondered what he was thinking.

  “Is something wrong?” Baylee asked.

  “No. This place could be nice with a rowdy bar and an amusement park.”

  “You have that kind of money?” Baylee asked curiously.

  “Enough for a start,” Kirkyn said.

  “An amusement park or arcade would be great,” Baylee said. “But if you had a bar, I could come in and ogle you all night.”

  Kirkyn laughed. “You can ogle me at an amusement park. Nothing huge but something with a water park. I think it would be a good attraction considering the location.”

  “Probably,” Baylee agreed as they reached the truck. “Are you going to give it a go?”

  “I’m thinking about it.”

  The drive back to the hotel was a quiet one. Baylee paid as much attention to the road and his surroundings as he knew Kirkyn was. He feared another attack, but the drive only took ten minutes without incident.

  “Why do you think they didn’t attack us?” Baylee asked.

  “The meeting,” Kirkyn said. “They want us to relax, but we have traps to lay.”

  “Right,” Baylee said.

  Kirkyn parked, and they went inside to find a small team of agents had arrived. One of the men came out to greet Kirkyn with a grin and handshake.

  “We’re all here to help you, not Payten,” the man said in a covert tone. “She’s such a fuck-up.”

  Kirkyn smirked. “Sort of, yeah, but I need security outside.”

  “Already done,” he said. “Is this the hotel owner?”

  “I own part of it,” Baylee said. “I’m Baylee.”

  “Cord,” he said with a grin. “You two got a thing?” Cord asked Kirkyn.

  “We do,” he affirmed. “So, give me a rundown of what you guys have done so far.”

  Baylee walked behind them as they talked in low tones about the security. He didn’t feel the need to impose himself, because he was certain Kirkyn would tell him what he needed to know afterward.

  “We’ll be ready to get that done, shortly,” Cord said. “I’ll tell Payten we’re just putting in some sensors.”

  “We’ll need those with the traps, but I’ll have to alter them, so we won’t get hurt.”

  “Slidell will help,” Cord said. “He’s good at that shit, too.”

  “That should take no more than two hours, and then we’ll be ready to put them out,” Kirkyn said.

  “Ivan’s been chatting up a nymph. I’m sure he can get her to get her people to help with the installation,” Cord said. “Nice little place you have here, Baylee.” Cord gave Baylee’s shoulder a light punch. “I’ll get everyone together.”

  “How many?”

  “Eight. That’s all that would volunteer,” Cord muttered. “No one wants to work with her except her own team of sprites, and she didn’t want them for this job, but we both know why.”

  “Why?” Baylee asked curiously.

  “She doesn’t want any of them trying to take credit for what she can take credit for. They’re all looking to be top dog, and this case will get them an elevated rank.”

  “She could lose her job?” Baylee asked.

  “To one of her own teammates,” Cord commented, shaking his head. “Those sirens are all about stabbing each other in the back if it gets them up the ladder.”

  “Where’s up the ladder lead?” Baylee pressed.

  “Their own command in a nice little town or city where they don’t have to do anything but get people killed,” Cord told him.

  “And I’m sure Payten’s angling for this town,” Kirkyn said.

  “She’ll get it if she’s able to take credit for your work.” Cord shrugged. “Word is the brass have decided to open a few more field offices, and this area will be perfect for one or two.”

  “Couldn’t you take it?” Baylee asked Kirkyn.

  “I don’t want it,” he said. “I’ve been at this too long.”

  “They’re looking to open another training center,” Cord said. “That’ll be a nice job as its commander.”

  “I imagine,” Kirkyn agreed. “Let’s get some work done before dark.”

  After deciding where to meet with Slidell, Kirkyn headed for his room.

  “Why don’t you want the job?”

  “I don’t do politics or ass kissing well,” Kirkyn replied. “But I won’t allow Payten to take control. She’ll just wreak havoc on the whole town with her half-baked plans.” />
  * * * *

  “The meeting is all set,” Lenno said. “And once we’re inside, we can lay new crystals.”

  “All we’ll need is two inside and at least two on the grounds,” Creta said. “I’ll program those to destroy the place overnight.”

  “We’ll need to cover the opposite end of the hotel for maximum effect,” Lenno said.

  “We’ll do it from the outside,” Creta said. “Did you close the portal?”

  “No, why?”

  “I sent Parker and his team out there to check on the scouts. They’re dead, and the portal is closed.”

  “Why do you care?” Lenno demanded. “As long as it was open, there would be a chance others would come through, which is the last thing we want.”

  “I wanted to keep it open a while longer,” he said, putting his hands on the back of the chair behind the desk. They were strategizing in the study of the house they’d commandeered. “What about Drinzel?”

  “I took care of him and most of his supporters. Some of them got away, but there’s no need to worry. They won’t be able to do anything in another day or two.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Baylee offered to help lay the traps, but Kirkyn only wanted his influence with the water. Kirkyn went in while Baylee sang the water into serenity. Baylee didn’t know if it would work, but Kirkyn showed no signs of distress after being down five minutes.

  Cord donned a wetsuit and tank and went down after that to help.

  Baylee had no idea what they did down there for thirty minutes, but the water was still black, and small pieces of black log floated to the top along with sparks of color.

  Finally, they came up, looking none the worse for wear.

  “You can release it,” Kirkyn said after Cord climbed out.

  “That water still has a bit of a mind of its own,” Cord said. “Can’t the sprites do anything?”

  “It killed several,” Kirkyn told him. “And as you can see by the lack of bodies, it consumed them for their energy. By morning, we’ll know if my plan worked.”

  “I hope so.” Cord set the tank down.

  Baylee removed Kirkyn’s tank and gave him a hug. “Are you okay?”

  “He’s fine, lover boy,” Cord teased. “I’m the one who was attacked by the coral. That shit is no joke. That Kirkyn has managed to come up with a calmer for it at all is amazing.”

  “Not really,” Kirkyn said. “Let’s get out of these suits.”

  “And into a full plate of food,” Cord said, hurrying inside.

  “Do you trust him?” Baylee asked. “I have mixed feelings about him.”

  “He’s ambitious, too,” Kirkyn replied. “But he’s not hard-headed like Payten. He’s willing to listen.”

  “Will he take credit for your work?”

  “He knows not to fuck with me,” Kirkyn told him. “I killed his best friend for trying to cross me five years ago.”

  “He was an agent, too?”

  “Yep.”

  “Makes me wonder about your temper,” Baylee commented.

  Kirkyn stole a quick kiss. “I’m a war demon, Baylee. Never forget that.”

  Baylee followed in Kirkyn’s wake, wondering if he could love him yet let his guard down. What did he mean anyway?

  “Kirkyn,” Baylee called.

  Kirkyn slowed down and gave him a curious look. “What is it? Are you afraid of me?”

  “Shouldn’t I be?”

  “Not unless you’re playing me and you really mean to kill me once you think my guard is down,” Kirkyn said. “Trust me, that wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  “I’m not. I don’t want to hurt you, but I don’t want you to hurt me, either.”

  “I won’t, Bay,” Kirkyn assured him softly as he moved closer to him. “I promise, as long as you give me no call, I’ll cut my own throat before I draw one drop of your blood.”

  Baylee gasped. The thought of Kirkyn hurting himself hurt him. “I trust you,” he said, reaching out to cup the back of Kirkyn’s head and draw him down for a kiss.

  Kirkyn’s lips parted, and Baylee’s tongue swept inside. He savored the taste of water on Kirkyn before releasing him.

  “I’m trusting you, because I love you.”

  “And I love you, Baylee. Now, let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”

  Baylee laughed. Part of him was concerned, considering what he’d already gone through with Kirkyn. However, the other part of Baylee trusted Kirkyn’s word implicitly.

  “When can I talk to Alisa?” he asked.

  “Not until this is over,” Kirkyn replied. “I don’t want to take any risks.”

  Dinner was a noisy affair, and Baylee was surprised his grandmother joined them. He didn’t miss the fact that Payten and her assistant had chosen not to.

  “Sounds like your job affords plenty of adventures,” Clarity said as they lingered over cookies Baylee had made last week for guests. He’d stored half of the dough, and tonight it had come in handy.

  “Oh, yes ma’am,” Cord said with a gleam in his eyes.

  “Payten has told me that this town could come under her jurisdiction or one of you,” Clarity said conversationally.

  “Gram.” Baylee poured Kirkyn a cup of coffee. Kirkyn wasn’t drinking, and the others hadn’t had more than two beers.

  “Thanks,” Kirkyn said, and Baylee leaned against his chair.

  “It’s a valid statement, Baylee,” she replied incredulously.

  “That’s true,” Cord said. “Me or Kirkyn.”

  “Not me,” Kirkyn said. “I’m quitting after this.”

  “Why?” Clarity asked carefully.

  “I just think it’s time for a change,” he said. “I won’t mind helping out if they need me, but I’m not in this for the long haul.”

  “Not anymore?” one of the men asked. “I thought you were a company man after all these years.”

  “How many years?” Baylee asked.

  “One hundred,” Kirkyn told him. “The Council has been operational in some capacity for three hundred years, which is why there’s an international registry of demons by type and family.”

  “What type are you?” Clarity asked.

  “The kind that kicks ass and takes names,” Kirkyn replied, and a few of the men chuckled.

  “A roughneck,” she said disdainfully. “Baylee, you deserve better.”

  “But sometimes, you get what you get,” Astarte spoke up quietly. “No rhyme, no reason, just door number two.”

  “Yes, well, we’ll see about that,” Clarity said. “Nothing is set between you two.”

  “Ma’am, unless you want Kirkyn to kill the man you pick for Baylee, then it’s set,” Cord said evenly. “We’re all warrior demons of the same species, which is pure gray spade shadow.”

  Clarity paled. “The death demon.”

  “That’s the death stalker and the black shadow,” Astarte said. “The gray spade in all three of its sub-species are some of the safest demons you’ll ever meet.”

  “Really? Is that why Baylee spent almost three years being stalked?” she demanded in an accusatory tone.

  “He’s fine,” Cord said with a shrug and looked at Baylee. “He’s still alive and free to do as he pleases. My uncle locked his mate up and then cut her up when she escaped.”

  “Oh my god,” Clarity exclaimed in a hushed tone.

  “And she was a wood nymph,” Cord said.

  “I heard about that,” Astarte commented. “She was really sweet. It was a shame someone didn’t behead him.”

  “He cut his own throat six hours later,” Cord said. “He was already in the death grip. Nothing would have brought him back but her.”

  “Is that what you were going to do to me?” Baylee asked, keeping his voice low.

  Kirkyn pulled him onto his lap. “No. You would have been alive through some of it.”

  “Huh?”

  Kirkyn kissed Baylee’s neck. “I was going to just cut off your head.”

&n
bsp; His eyes widened. “My god,” he whispered and got to his feet and hurried from the room.

  “Baylee.” Kirkyn was hard on his tail. “Bay, baby. It’s the nature of the demon. The insanity is physically painful.”

  Baylee paused in the hall leading to the kitchen to face him. “Then, if we don’t work, how are you going to get past that when you said you wouldn’t kill me?”

  “I’m going to kill myself after I get my affairs in order,” Kirkyn told him as he leaned toward him. Kirkyn touched Baylee’s cheek. “I love you, Bay. Trust that.”

  Baylee hugged him, though still a little on edge. “How does your breed live with that? You just allow each other to kill.”

  “The family is the only check and balance and most families are built on units of more than one kind of demon,” Kirkyn said. “Each type of demon has a function in the hierarchy that keeps the whole running smoothly.”

  “That sounds good in theory, but it does nothing to address this problem.”

  “I know,” Kirkyn replied. “Families handle it the best way they can. The insanity isn’t a choice, Baylee, it’s a flaw in our design, and not every demon is like us. Astarte isn’t.”

  “Don’t you fear falling in love?”

  “Always did,” Kirkyn said. “But what can you do when you meet the one?”

  Baylee’s heart clenched, and he braced a hand on Kirkyn’s chest. The tears he refused to cry made Baylee’s throat ache.

  “It just breaks my heart,” Baylee said, and then leaned against Kirkyn.

  “There have been attempts to treat shadows, but nothing’s been successful.” Kirkyn wrapped an arm around Baylee and held him close. “There’s no reason to think about what might happen when it would only mar what good we might have.”

  “I know,” Baylee said.

  They stood there holding each other for a long time. Baylee reveled in the strong arms and warm body that he’d missed so much.

  “Sleep with me tonight?” Baylee asked. “One of the things I loved about being with you was when you’d come over after you came back into town. You’d just hold me, fall asleep with me.”

  “I missed that, too,” Kirkyn said. “It’s one of the things that drove me crazy not having.”

  “We’ll make new memories,” Baylee said. “Ones that will fortify our new life together.”