Guess turnabout was fair play.
“I meant—”
“I know what you meant. Zak, Dad. Dad, Zak. Feel free to ignore him, kid. I do.” Twig’s brows drew low, annoyance radiating from him.
“Um, nice to meet you, uh, sir.” Zak kept looking between Twig and Auric.
“High Councilor is my appropriate title.” Auric sniffed.
“High and mighty is more like it,” I said under my breath. Apparently not quiet enough, since Twig snickered.
“O-okay. Nice to meet you, H-High Councilor,” Zak tried again. “I’m Quinn’s brother—”
“It’s quite clear who you are, young human. I’m sorry for your pedigree. You have my condolences.” He glanced at Zak before dismissing him. Considering what he could have said, I’d count that as a win.
“Dad, quit.” Twig growled and turned to Zak. “He’s an ass. Ignore him. Seriously.”
I continued shoveling food into my mouth, so I wouldn’t say something cutting. I nodded at Zak to do the same, but his plate sat in front of him forgotten. Not sure whether he felt starstruck or horrified. Probably a bit of both. Auric had that effect on people.
Twig’s dad snapped his fingers, and a rolled-up parchment appeared. “Young Broomsparkle’s residence permit. You can’t imagine what I had to do to make this happen. You’re making this quite a habit, rescuing strays.”
Zak sputtered. “I’m not a—”
“They’re called friends, Dad. You should try it sometime.”
Auric didn’t deign to respond to the taunting. Instead, he studied Bill, his eyes narrowing in thought. Nothing good ever came of that.
Bill swallowed, then slid closer to Twig, striving to make himself as invisible as a red, eight-foot-tall demon could. Since Auric held Bill’s residence permit hostage, our red fury remained rightfully skittish around Twig’s dad. The fact Bill ate one of Auric’s other sons, as demons were wont to do, didn’t endear him to Twig’s dad, either.
Twig placed a reassuring hand on Bill’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’re safe. He wouldn’t throw you out of the Elder when it would mess up his political machinations for me. He’s just trying to intimidate you. Right, Dad?”
Auric harrumphed. Didn’t deny it, though.
Zak squinted at Auric, then at Bill. It must be weird for him to see Bill cower. To my surprise, Zak scooted around the table to Bill’s other side. He even puffed up a bit, attempting to look fierce. My brother had it bad for Bill. I didn’t know whether to laugh or groan. Maybe a bit of both?
“Listen, Dad, I’ll come by your place in an hour. I want to enjoy the rest of the delicious meal my mate made”—he shot me a soft, besotted look—“and you have a way of ruining everyone’s appetite.”
Auric smiled. Showed lots of teeth.
This naturally meant trouble. I braced for it. So did Bill. Zak looked wary, and Twig . . . well, a growl began low in his chest. He knew trouble when he saw it.
Twig’s dad’s gaze flicked to my mating bite, his grin never wavering. As quick as that, he dismissed me and fluttered over in front of Twig. He reached out and patted Twig’s knuckle in what passed for a paternal gesture. Bill actually flinched, while Twig stiffened.
Holy handmaidens, this dysfunctional family dynamic proved exhausting.
“Finally, you’ve completed that unpleasant task.” Auric waved vaguely in my direction, yet didn’t bother to address me. “You’ll have better control of your dragon, and you’ll have a mate who, if not respectable, at least won’t shame you. We urgently need to fit him for a wardrobe that doesn’t scream ‘tacky harlot,’ though.”
“Hey,” Zak gasped. “You can’t say that to—”
Bill clamped a hand over Zak’s mouth at the same time as Twig bellowed, “Enough! Out—”
“Bill,” I broke in, taking a fortifying breath. “Please take Zak and Twig elsewhere for a bit. My father-in-law and I need to have a chat.” I kept my tone honeyed. Twig was right. Enough was enough.
“Don’t be ridiculous, wizard. I can’t leave you with him,” Twig sputtered.
Bill’s own relationship with Auric could kindly be called fraught, so he knew exactly how I felt. He bared his teeth at Twig’s dad in the parody of a smile, then winked at me. Before Twig could react, he clamped a large clawed hand around Twig’s forearm.
Twig, Zak, and Bill disappeared without so much as a whisper. Twig would be pissed off, but I needed to do this on my own.
“Kizzaz, Valod,” I addressed Auric’s bodyguards politely, “would you ladies mind stepping into the hallway so we can have a little privacy?”
Auric’s eyes narrowed, though he didn’t order them to stay, much to my surprise. Kizzaz shot me a thumbs-up behind his back before they let themselves out. I waited in silence until I heard the front door firmly close.
Twig’s dad waited as well. Once we were alone, he sighed. “Was this necessary?”
“Listen to me, you puffed-up, deranged little butterfly.” I knelt up on the pillows until I towered over him. “One more word about my former bed-slave status, and I swear to all that’s magical, I’ll squash you under my heel like a bug. Your constant insults aren’t endearing you to your son or to me.”
“My relationship with Twig is none—”
“Shut. Up. I’m not done. You’ve had your say. Now, I get mine.” I bent and poked my finger at his tiny chest, causing him to stagger backward.
His eyes widened. I’d surprised him. Good.
I poked him again. “I’ve worked hard to keep the peace, so let me be clear. If you wish to have a relationship with Twig, then you need to at least respect, if not like, me. I won’t apologize for who I am or what I’ve endured. I’m your son’s mate, whether or not you like it. And that’s not changing. So, you either suck it up and treat me like the well-loved mate of your favorite son, or you can fuck right off! I’m done putting up with your arrogance and your insults. And if you think Twig will choose a relationship with you over me, you’re sadly mistaken.” My breath came in puffs as my long-held anger spilled out.
Perdition, punishment, and perversions! It felt good to say that. I braced myself to take his best verbal swing. No one talked to Auric Starfig like this, so retribution would be swift. And brutal. But worth it.
His lips quirked in a half-smile as he began a slow clap.
I tensed, my cheeks flushing at his obvious jibe. Here it came . . .
“I wondered if you’d ever get the backbone to stand up to me. You did it when that—” he waved toward the door, a sneer on his lips “—demon needed your help. I wasn’t certain you’d do it on your own behalf.” He . . . didn’t sound mocking. Amused, maybe?
I shook my head. “W-what?”
“Quinn,” he trailed off, pacing the length of the table.
I stood there with my mouth agape. He’d said my name. I’d been with Twig for the better part of a year, and Auric had never spoken my name until now.
He grimaced. “That’s not a good look on you.”
I snapped my mouth closed.
He chuckled. I mean, an actual chuckle, not the condescending laugh he usually sent my way. “Quinn,” he said again. “There will always be opponents who’ll try to use your past against you. A knife is such a simple weapon. But words? They cut deep. When you allow others to lay claim to who you are, don’t act surprised when their words slice you open and they watch you bleed.”
I knew about bleeding from cruel words. Auric sliced-and-diced every time we shared the same space. “Then why—”
“My son is a Starfig. He’ll always be in the spotlight, whether or not he sees that. He’s meant for great things. If you don’t wish to hold Twig back, then you have to own who you are.” Auric shrugged as if we were two old friends having a lovely chat over a cup of lava java.
“Are you saying,” I leaned forward until we were almost nose to nose, “you’ve been tormenting me all this time with the hope I’d tell you off?”
“Your insults need work.
I hardly look like a butterfly.” He sniffed. “But, my son deserves a mate standing tall at his side, not cowering in his shadow. I hoped your trip to the Hominus would prove fruitful. I figured if becoming High Rei for a time didn’t fix things, nothing would.”
“You couldn’t have known that would happen. There’s no way . . . .” Was there?
He smiled, smugness radiating off all eight inches of him. “As you say.”
Was it possible he knew? How could he know something like that? Impossible. No one could have predicted . . . I leaned away and squinted, as if it would give me a different perspective on him.
Self-satisfaction continued to roll off him.
No way. No, I couldn’t believe it. Yet, if it were true, did that mean Auric Starfig might not feel disdain for me? Did it mean he liked me? Thought I made a perfect match for Twig? “I don’t know what to say right now.”
“Of course you don’t. You need to work on that. My son will advance up the political hierarchy sooner rather than later. You should be prepared.” He clasped his hands behind his back, the weight of his gaze saying more than his words.
Okay, so he didn’t exactly like me. I didn’t like him, either. Yet his acceptance of my place in Twig’s life? I could live with it. But should Twig and I accept him fully into our life?
“Does that mean you’ll stop the bed-slave jabs? Because I’m through putting up with them. I meant what I said about Twig choosing me if it came down to it. The only reason he hasn’t cut ties is because I’ve asked him not to.” I didn’t want any misunderstandings between us. If he expected me to keep quiet so he and Twig could continue their relationship, well, too bad. I’d earned my place in Twig’s life and I refused to take second place to anyone. Not anymore.
“Are you finished letting others define you?” He cocked an imperious brow. It lacked the harshness of our usual exchanges. It almost looked like fondness, though that had to be my imagination.
Still, I smiled, my shoulders relaxing. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”
Before he could answer, we heard a loud thump in the hallway, then a grunt. Twig’s unmistakable growl filled the entryway as he shoved his way into our place—Bill, Zak, and the gargoyles hot on his heels. Bill sported a fat lip, and his glasses sat askew. Zak glared at Twig before shifting his glare to Auric. Neither gargoyles’ expression changed from their stony demeanor, but I could swear they struggled not to grin.
“Dad, so help me, if you’ve said something unforgivable to Quinn—”
I held up a hand to forestall the head of steam Twig had worked up. “Don’t worry, dragon. We had a nice chat and came to an understanding.”
Twig marched over to me, gripped my shoulders, and looked into my eyes. “Did he bespell you?”
I grinned. Might have even chortled. “No. We sorted some things out. It’s all good.”
He squinted suspiciously over his shoulder at his dad. “He’s not a doppelganger, is he? I’m kinda over them.”
Auric harrumphed. “One hour. I expect you both to dress to impress. I have plans to make and someone to introduce who will help with your future.”
“Not sure I like the sound of that—”
“I’m not asking. Don’t make me regret sending the cavalry after you. Your mother’s not pleased with my meddling.” Dismissing Twig, he gave me a slight smile and an almost imperceptible nod.
With that bombshell, Auric and his bodyguards popped away.
Twig groaned. “Son of a banshee, I knew he had to have a tiny, controlling hand in this. It seemed way too convenient with everyone in the Elder looking for me that he didn’t darken my doorstep.”
“He manipulated me.” Bill crossed his arms over his sweater-vest-clad chest. “Your father threatened me with deportation and all sorts of other nasty things if I so much as put a claw out of line.”
“Maybe he knew you needed a push?” In fact, for the last two months, Bill hadn’t moped at all. He’d stayed on as my official bodyguard, much to the witches’ dismay. He’d taken to the task like a harpy to flesh and acted more like his old self.
Had Auric orchestrated that, too? Or was that simply a happy byproduct of Bill’s involvement? How much involvement did Twig’s dad really have in all of this?
We might never know.
Twig’s grip tightened on my shoulders as he searched my face. “Are you sure he didn’t say something horrible to you? You don’t have to protect him.”
I smiled, wanting to ease his worry. “I’m not. Your dad’s a piece of work. Though in his own twisted, emotionally stunted way, he loves you. More than I realized.”
“We’re talking about my dad, right? Love me? You didn’t replace him with a doppelganger? I mean, I’d be down with it if you did—”
I silenced him with my lips, wrapping my arms around him and kissing him breathless. Twig wasn’t a dummy. He kissed back, and a happy resonance echoed along our link.
When we came up for air, Bill and Zak were nowhere to be seen. I felt giddy. I’d finally freed myself of the shackles of my past. No, I couldn’t change my time as a bed slave. But with the bad came the good. And Twig and I? We were very, very, good together.
“You want to tell me what happened?” Twig swept a lock of hair from my forehead, a touch gentle in exactly the right way.
“Later, dragon. There’s less than an hour until operation ‘take-over-the-realm’ begins, so we should make every minute count.”
“What did you have in mind?”
I gripped his tunic and pulled him with me toward our bedroom. “Just looking to get my fair share of your time.”
“For you, wizard, anything.”
Acknowledgments
This work would not have been possible without the support and eagle-eyes of my writing group: Carla Coupe, John Betancourt, Barry Fulton, and Karen Diegmueller. Thank you all for your hard work. I’d like to think I surprised you with this one . . . in a good way. A special shout out to the amazing and bawdy bard, Barry Fulton (Bairre Fooltin), who wrote “A Pirate’s Lament” specifically for this story because my writing group thought I should “show, not tell.”
A huge thank you to Carla Coupe and Rowan McAllister. You both spent countless hours helping me polish this book to a high shine. Carla, you always amaze me with your endless generosity. If I need you, you’re always there. Rowan, you listened to me at my low point and gave me gentle encouragement. You’ll never know how much that means to me.
Also, once again, thank you, Lauren Weidner for your copy-editing expertise. You are the best author-wrangler in the biz, and I feel lucky to call you friend. You’ve been with me from the beginning and I can’t express how much your steadfast support has meant.
Lou Harper, once again, you did a fabulous job with the cover. Your creativity and talent blow me away.
Speaking of the cover, thank you, once again Bru Baker for making my cover reveal graphic. One of these days, I’ll learn how to do this, lol.
AJ Corza, I still adore the dragon headers you designed for this series. It’s been a pleasure to work with you.
Thank you, Meredith King and Diverse Reader for hosting my cover reveal and being so supportive of the m/m community.
A special thank you to my readers who didn’t give up on me and kept prodding me along. I may have whined at the time, but knowing that you were waiting for this book, pushed me through the hard times.
Finally, a much needed thank you to my family. You guys always have my back. I love you.
About the Author
Mischief, Magic, and Murder . . . That's a Maslow!
If you're looking for comedy, fantasy, or dead bodies in your romances (sometimes all three at once!), I'm your gal.
I'm also a. . . gasp!. . . extroverted writer. It seems counterintuitive that as someone who is energized by people, I spend most of my time alone. Yet, that's the case. And I don't mind.
Mostly.
If I get writer's block or start to go a little stir crazy, I head out to a coffee shop,
a restaurant, a friend's place--anywhere to fill up my need for human contact. It also helps that I spend a lot of time with the voices in my head. Some of them are really quite opinionated.
I love writing gay romance because I'm a sap for a happy ending, and I believe everyone—regardless of orientation—should be able to find books that have them. And if that romance comes with a dash of mischief, magic, or murder, all the better.
I believe that life is for living, kindness is contagious, and a good book makes the world a better place.
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Also by Meghan Maslow
By Fairy Means or Foul (ebook)
By Fairy Means or Foul (audiobook)
(Book 1, Starfig Investigations)
The last thing half-dragon, half-fairy private investigator Twig Starfig wants to do is retrieve a stolen enchanted horn from a treacherous fae, but there’s no denying the dazzlingly gorgeous unicorn who asks Twig to do just that. Literally, no denying, because compelling the reluctant detective is all part of a unicorn’s seductive magic.
To add to his woes, Twig is saddled with the unicorn’s cheeky indentured servant, Quinn Broomsparkle. Dragons are supposed to want to eat humans, but Twig’s half-dragon side only wants to gobble up Quinn in a more . . . personal way. Making matters worse, it’s obvious the smokin’ hot but untrustworthy sidekick is hiding something. Something big. And not what’s in his trousers. In the PI business, that means trouble with a capital Q.
Throw in gads of zombies, a creepy ghost pirate ship, a malfunctioning magic carpet, and Twig’s overbearing fairy father’s demands to live up to the illustrious Starfig name. Naturally, an old but abiding enemy chooses this time to resurface, too. Those inconveniences Twig can handle. The realization he’s falling for a human who isn’t free to return his affections and whose life may hang on the success of his latest case?
His Fairy Share Page 36