When there were barely a few feet separating Callie from the threat, the creature pounced. She braced herself, unable to do anything else, and through wide, terrified eyes she watched as the male lunged right in time to stab the length of his sword through the back of the goblin-looking thing’s neck before slamming the sword—and the body—into the ground. He landed in a graceful crouch right behind his sword, his long, tawny hair rippling in the slight summer breeze.
The thing let out a garbled sound that might’ve been a shriek if it wasn’t for the sword buried in its neck. Its four limbs twitched and jerked for a few terrible moments before it went completely still against the earth.
Callie didn’t scream. She wanted to, had every intention to, and it came out as a rush of air instead.
“Holy shit,” she said, the words tripping over themselves as her heart pounded wildly in her chest. “You… you saved my life.”
The male had been crouched over the creature, most likely checking to see that it was dead. Which, yeah, considering it was skewered on his sword through its throat, there was a good chance it was dead. As soon as he heard Callie’s strangled words, though, he slowly, gracefully rose from his crouch, pulling his sword out of the dead monster as he did.
A flash of surprise crossed his face, even more glorious up close, but it was there and gone again by the time Callie got her frantic, frightened breathing under control.
“Yes,” he said clearly, in an accented voice that was so soft, so lyrical, yet undeniably haughty. “I did.”
Callie felt like she heard danger alarms going off. If there was one thing she learned from the faerie folk before she began to ignore them completely, it was pure trouble to be in their debt since they believed they were in their rights to demand anything to make things even.
And how did you make a life debt even?
She swallowed, hoping desperately that she found the one being from Faerie who saved her because he was a good samaritan.
“It came out of nowhere,” she said, hoping to show him that it wasn’t her fault that the toothy goblin-like creature attacked her. “I just saw it running with those teeth…”
The words thank you were on the tip of her tongue. Only the memory of a mistake in her youth—one that cost her a pint of blood, a lost baby tooth, and a promise to a sprite she hoped never got called in—kept her from saying the words. If there was any hope that he’d walk away and the two of them could go back to pretending that the other didn’t exist, she had to be on her guard.
There was something about him. Something she recognized the first time she looked in his sun-colored eyes. He wasn’t anything like the faerie folk she once knew, or most of the ones she spent her teenage and young adult years avoiding.
This close, Callie could sense the power and strength humming off of him, and not only because she knew he was quick enough and forceful enough to catch up to a faerie creature and stab it like that.
“You saw it?” the male wondered. His golden eyes darkened for a heartbeat, before he resumed the same indifferent expression he’d been wearing. “So it’s true, then. You do have the sight.”
Huh? “The what?”
“The sight. You can see me. You can see me as I am, just like you saw the kobold. Is that so?”
“Oh. I—” Callie didn’t quite know how to answer him. A lie would be a mistake, and it wasn’t like she could deny it when she was looking at him, talking to him, anything to keep from glancing back at the creature’s body in the grass. Which, now that she thought about it, she couldn’t stop herself from doing again.
She fought a shudder as she pointed and, instead of answering him, said, “Um… are you going to leave that there?”
“Does it matter? Only a human with the sight will see that it’s a kobold.”
Right. Because its glamour made it seem like it was a dog. She was surprised that none of the other park goers had come by to check on her—and that’s when she realized that, somehow, it had gotten much later than it had been earlier and there wasn’t a single person around except for her and this male.
And he definitely wasn’t a person.
She gulped. “It’s still not right.”
He gave her a curious look, as if he wasn’t sure what to make of her. “What will you do for me?”
“Uh— what?”
“I’ll remove the kobold remains, but it must be a fair trade. A bargain if you will. What will you do for me?”
Nothing. It was just beginning to dawn on Callie that this male might be her savior, but she was already in his debt. So what if he hadn’t demanded payment just yet? He would eventually.
Great.
She didn’t want to get sucked in even deeper. “Forget it. If anything, animal control will come and think it’s a dog.”
“That’s not necessary. I’ll do it for your name.”
“My name?”
It was a question. A way to verify that that was all he wanted from her. But no matter how she meant it, it didn’t matter if the fae could use her words against her. As if he hadn’t heard the questioning lilt, he clearly took it as if she was offering her name since he swept down and, spearing the kobold’s crumpled body with his sword again, he easily hefted up the corpse, dropping it into the burlap sack he had tied at his hip.
It must be magic, she thought, watching as it swallowed up the three-foot high creature before shrinking to a much smaller size.
The fae male did something then. Cupping his right hand, he conjured something that looked like a fireball. Then, drawing with his finger, he traced a small square. Wherever his finger went, a flame leapt to take its place until Callie was looking at a fiery shape floating between them. He pushed the bag with the monster’s body up against it and, in an instant, it was gone.
He waved his now empty hands. The fire popped out.
“There,” he said. “Now tell me your name, human.”
In the back of her mind, Callie bristled. She knew he was different—that he was other—and there was no denying the layer of disdain oozing off of his clear voice when he called her human like that. She wanted to refuse him. To shake her head and, clutching her camera, just dash away from the park.
He wouldn’t follow her, would he? There was no reason he would unless he intended to call in her debt for saving her right then.
One look at the determination blazing in his fiery gaze, though, and Callie had her answer.
He would. He definitely would.
This magnificent male stepped out of his world to save her. Even if he regarded her as one of the primitive humans who lived on the other side of the veil, he shielded her from the toothy, snarling creature, and he had gotten rid of its remains.
“Callie,” she offered. “My name is Callie.”
“Take me to your home, Callie.”
No, screamed her sense of self-preservation.
“Okay,” she breathed out.
His name was Ash. At least, that’s what he told her to call him during the short walk back to Callie’s apartment.
He offered to whip up a portal, whatever that meant, but while she was still grateful for his save, she wasn’t so enchanted that she was going to follow a creature of Faerie into some kind of “portal”. She’d read the stories. She’d done her research. If she wasn’t careful, she could end up trapped in Faerie.
No, thanks.
She also knew she couldn’t just refuse him. Ever since she first locked eyes with the golden male, she’d thumbed through all of her books, hoping that her instincts were wrong. She was convinced that he was Seelie, one of the Light Fae, and a member of the ruling class in Faerie. Referred to as the Blessed Ones, that was only when you compared them to their dark counterparts, the Unseelie.
Whether they were called Dark or Light, though, fae were fae. It would be a mistake to offend him, just like she knew better than to give him her full name or follow him anywhere. It probably wasn’t the smartest idea to show him where she lived, either, but she c
ouldn’t figure out how to get rid of him without insulting him.
When they arrived at her building, she hesitated before walking inside. At this time of day, Mitch would still be at work, but she still had her neighbors to worry about. Since she’d lived there, she’d never brought anyone home with her, especially not such a stunning creature. From the faint haze surrounding him, she knew he was using glamour so she could only imagine how much more attractive he looked, if that was even possible.
It had to be, Callie decided. Despite her nerves and her instincts kicking her for getting involved with this Ash, she hadn’t been too distracted not to notice all of the women—and some men—breaking their necks to get a better look at him as he all but swept gracefully at her side. He caught the attention of almost everyone they passed, but the strangest thing was that he was focused solely on her.
That should’ve been her first clue that something wasn’t quite right.
Callie got lucky. The doorman’s post was empty, and she didn’t run into any of her neighbors as she crossed the lobby, heading right for the elevator.
She jammed the “up” button with her thumb, too unsettled to make small talk with her new shadow as they waited for the car to return to the first floor. When it did, Callie stepped inside, then waited for Ash.
The fae moved to follow her but, one step over the threshold and he froze. His eyes seemed to flash beneath the fluorescent bulbs as he glanced around the cramped space before he shot out his hand, stopping the doors from shutting them inside of the elevator. Callie could’ve sworn she heard something sizzle, but the sound only lasting a second before Ash moved out of the elevator and back into the lobby.
Maybe it was the dim lighting out there, but it seemed as if he lost some of his deeply bronzed color.
The arrogant expression, though?
Yeah, she decided as she slipped out of the elevator after him, that wasn’t going anywhere.
“Is there another way to your home?” he asked. “Without using that box? There must be stairs.”
“Um. Yeah. I live on the tenth floor, though.”
He arched an eyebrow. From the cut of his uniform to the corded forearm peeking out from under the loose sleeve, Callie was willing to bet that ten flights would be nothing for someone like him—and that wasn’t even taking in account that he was from a magical other realm. While she usually would get winded after three, he could probably take the ten flights and still be good for another ten.
“Okay,” she said. “If you insist.”
There was that spark in his gaze again. She couldn’t tell if it was interest or, most likely, scrutiny. That she was something he didn’t understand, and that he was working toward figuring her out. So it was no surprise to her at all when he said, “Oh. I do insist.”
Callie fought the shiver running down her spine. This was a bad idea, she knew. A very bad idea. She wasn’t even sure why she was entertaining it. The shock over the toothy goblin-like creatures might’ve gotten him this far, but now that she was safe at home, it would be the very height of stupidity to invite further danger into her personal space, especially with Mitch out.
And yet—
“Come on.”
4
She was right about his stamina. While she was discreetly trying to hide her huffing and puffing, Ash didn’t even seem to notice the upward climb to her floor. His long legs ate up the steps, with Callie struggling to stay ahead of him. Eventually she just let him go since, if he passed the tenth floor, it would be his fault for not paying attention.
She found him waiting beneath the large number “10” sign hanging over the exit. With a sheepish shrug, she scooted by him, leading him toward her apartment.
Still he followed.
In front of her apartment, she dug around her purse, searching for her keys. She grabbed them, then quickly opened the door before one of her neighbors popped their head out to say ‘hi’.
Once inside, she set her camera bag and her purse down on the nearest flat space, waiting for his reaction. When he didn’t say anything, she followed his gaze, seeing the shabby furniture and the scattered mess in a whole new light. It was all she and Mitch could afford when they pooled their resources after they moved in together after graduation and, well, if it ain’t broke, right?
Still, she sent a glance over at Ash as he ran his eyes over the living room. He was the first otherworldly being she’d ever allowed into her space.
Sue her for being a little nervous.
“You live in an iron cage,” he said at last.
“Oh. Um. Well, yeah. I guess I do.” She darted around the room, clearing up some clutter and garbage, covering up the laundry she meant to fold with a decorative pillow lying sideways on the couch. “It’s kind all I can afford. City prices, you know? And I even have to share it with my roomie.”
“Someone else lives here?”
Callie nodded. “Mitch. He should be home in a bit if you want to meet him. Not that I’m asking you to. I mean, we just met. But… just so you know. He usually gets home by eight.”
“I’ll be gone by then.”
“Sure. Yeah. Of course.”
Ash moved toward her, closing the space between the two of them. She was holding a stack of empty paper plates, some crumpled napkins, and a half-filled coke can. Without really knowing why, she gulped, then turned away and darted into the kitchen. Callie hurriedly placed it all on the crooked table.
He moved gracefully into the cramped space, blocking her from her next escape.
“Tell me about this Mitch.”
Her hands clear again, she wiped them nervously on her jeans. “What do you want to know?”
“Is he your ffrindau?” Ash asked, emphasizing the last word.
“My friend?” she clarified. “Yeah. We grew up in the same neighborhood together. When neither of us could afford to move out on our own, we decided to split this place after we finished school. It’s alright. Small,” she admitted, thinking about the way he called her space a cage, “but it’s better than nothing. And we get along pretty well.”
Ash took a step into her, cocking his head slightly as he studied her closely again. His long, tawny hair shifted, settling over his lean shoulder. He frowned for a heartbeat before his expression settled into that haughty glare she was beginning to think of as his default.
“Is he your mate?”
“Mate?” she echoed. “Yeah. I told you. He’s my friend.”
“Not friend,” corrected Ash. “Mate. The one you allow to touch you. The one you take into your bed. A lover?”
Callie nearly choked. “God, no. Why would you ask that?”
He didn’t answer her.
“He’s just my roommate,” she said again. “He has his room. I have mine. We share the kitchen and the living room. That’s all.”
Ash pursed his lips, then said the last thing she expected from a fae she’d just met: “Tell him not to return.”
“What?”
“The other male. Mitch. If I’ll be returning to this place, I want him gone. The iron is bad enough. The hum of the human world… I can barely tolerate it. But another male? I won’t stand for it.”
Callie blinked. Okay. The scrutiny was one thing. Walking her home to her apartment after her scare in the park, that was a nicety she wouldn’t expect from one of his kind. Then again, maybe it wasn’t a nicety.
Somewhere along the way, signals had been majorly crossed. She had to fix them and now.
“I’m sorry, but… you’re fae, right?”
He didn’t seem surprised that she knew. In fact, his sun-colored eyes brightened in… pride? Huh. It almost seemed like he was proud that she could tell.
“Yes,” he told her. “I am one of the Blessed Ones. A Light Fae who serves the Seelie Court.”
So she was right. Score one for her research books.
“Like I said. Fae. Okay. Are all fae nuts? You’re the first I ever talked to—the first who actually treated me like a perso
n instead of a curiosity—so I’m not sure. But… and I’m not trying to offend you or anything… but that’s nuts. I can’t kick Mitch out for a faerie creature I just met.”
Though Ash’s golden eyes seemed to blaze with some fierce emotion when she called him a “faerie creature”, he didn’t erupt like she almost expected him to. Instead, he quirked his lips in a mockery of a charming smile.
“You can, Callie,” he said cajolingly. “You will.”
“Um. No.”
“No?”
“No.”
Something happened. She couldn’t understand it—didn’t know how to explain it—but she felt it. A pulse of electricity, a sudden surge, and every single bulb in the kitchen simply exploded.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Callie shrieked, covering her head at the first pop-ping sound. Her first wild thought was it’s gunshots and she desperately tried to shield herself as she threw herself to the ground. Glass shattered, hitting the hardwood floor around her.
After a moment, she dared a peek up. Ash was standing in front of her, twinkling dust glittering in his long hair. He gave it a royal shake, knocking some of the shards to the floor.
What the—
She looked higher. And that’s when she noticed that the four light bulbs screwed into the ceiling fan over Ash’s head had blown out.
Scrambling to her knees, she snapped, “What the hell just happened?”
“Don’t worry about that. Now come here.”
She was right. She was so, so right. The fae was nuts and she invited him into her home.
She knew better than to do that. Twenty years of seeing creatures from Faerie—twenty years of pretending she couldn’t—and she lost her head over the first pretty one who paid her any attention. If it wasn’t for the fact that her gift meant she was basically immune to their charm and their compulsion spells, she would’ve thought that Ash had glamoured her, tricked her into taking him home with her.
But no. That bit of brilliance had been all Callie.
When she stayed where she was, Ash held out his hand. “Callie. Come.”
Glamour Eyes: a Rejected Mates Fae Romance (Wanted by the Fae Book 1) Page 3