I stared at him, jaw slack. “And you’re okay with this?”
“Do I appear okay with it?”
“Not especially.”
Raif slumped back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. “Gods, Darian. At least when he wasn’t lucid, I had hope that he’d come around. Now…” He shook his head. “He’s almost too lucid. Too focused. He’s always been stubborn, but this is so out of character. I have no idea how to deal with him.”
That made two of us.
“What happened between Alexander and Tyler, Darian? He seems convinced that the Jinn isn’t simply a nuisance anymore but a threat to your safety.”
I trusted Raif with my life but suddenly, I wasn’t sure if I trusted him with my secrets. “I honestly don’t know,” I said. “Neither one of them will tell me.”
Raif fixed me with his shrewd stare. Nothing got by him. “But you know something.”
“Yeah.” I blew out a breath. “I do.”
“Many things have changed, Darian.” Raif’s voice softened. “I have not.”
Damn him. Tears sprang to my eyes and I willed them to dry. “A few months ago, I went to Reaver,” I began. “To ask him if he knew what my ring was.” I held up my left hand and Raif regarded it briefly. “I’ve never taken it off, and now I know that I couldn’t even if I wanted to. After Demitri was killed, Adira called it Nys’Asdar. She was afraid of it. Afraid for Tyler for giving it to me. I figured Reaver was old enough, he could tell me whatever I needed to know about the Jinn and what my ring might be.”
“I see.”
Raif waited patiently for me to continue. I took a deep breath and rested my palms on the cool, glossy surface of the table. “Reaver didn’t know much. Well, more to the point, he wouldn’t tell me much. He suggested that the Jinn are…gods. That their power is infinite. He didn’t know what my ring was but he said that the power it contained thrived. Like it might even be alive.”
“Did Tyler confirm this?”
“No,” I admitted. “Everyone who knows anything about it says it’s a myth, which I know is total bullshit. But whatever this ring is, I don’t think he was supposed to give it to me. The Synod is in Seattle. They laid down a mandate and told Tyler to break off his relationship with me beyond our bond.”
“Interesting.”
I had to hope that Raif wouldn’t share this information with his brother. Xander didn’t need any ammo against Ty at this point. Especially with the way he currently felt about him. “Ty says he’s not afraid of the Synod or what they might do.” I swallowed the lump that rose in my throat. “He says that they’re afraid of him.”
“You’re under the Synod’s scrutiny as well?” Raif asked.
“Yeah.” I decided not to tell him about the cloud of doom. “I had a chat with their head honcho the other night.”
Raif swore under his breath. “You know I have little knowledge of the Synod, but I don’t think this can be good.”
“Me either. But I don’t believe Tyler is dangerous, Raif. No matter what Xander says. He’s still rattled, that’s all. Who knows what images Padma planted in his mind?”
Raif’s scowl darkened further. “Indeed.”
“What about Anya?” I’d hoped that our little talk had given her the sufficient motivation to help bring Xander back fully to himself.
“She spends a great deal of time with him.”
Definitely a mark in our favor. “But he hasn’t left the room?”
Raif gave a sad shake of his head. “Not once.”
Damn it. “What in the hell do you think his plan is? I mean, he looks like he should be hanging out in a dorm room or some shit.”
Raif gave an amused snort. “I’m not sure what his plans are. All I know is that ruling his people, and putting an end to Saben’s coup, isn’t one of them.”
“He seems like he’s got his shit together,” I began. “Like his mind is clear. But Raif, you know if it was, he’d never give up his crown. It’s the only thing that matters to him.”
“I know that,” Raif said. “Which is why I’m prepared to do what I have to do to hold on to it until he’s ready to take it back.”
Raif, always so honorable. So fiercely loyal. When Xander finally came to his senses, he was going to owe his brother, big time. “I’ll be back in a couple of days.” I needed to form a new game plan before I knew how to deal with Xander. Not to mention the fact that I had problems of my own to deal with. “Until then, make sure Anya keeps spending time with him. I truly believe that if anyone can bring him out of this, it’s her.”
Raif didn’t seem even a little skeptical. “I trust your judgment.”
I smiled. Did he know how much those words meant to me? “In the meantime, you need me for anything?” I gave him a pointed look. “Anything, Raif. I could end this coup very easily for you.” I was an assassin after all. Why not put those skills to good use?
“I don’t think we’re to that point yet, but thank you for the offer.” His eyes gleamed with a deadly light, making him look more like the Raif I knew and loved. “I’ll let you know when and if I need you. In the meantime,” Raif rose from his chair and I followed him toward the door. “There might be something I can do to help you.”
“With the Synod?”
“Not exactly. There’s a bed and breakfast off of Broadway. It’s run by an eccentric old wood nymph. He’s an historian and particularly sensitive to arcane objects. A supernatural psychometric of sorts. He might be able to tell you what your ring is.”
“Does this supernatural psychic have a name?”
“Mr. Wu. Bring an offering and leave it near the bushes by the front porch. Otherwise you won’t even make it to the front door.”
Weird, but whatever. It’s not like I wasn’t used to odd shit in the supernatural world. “Any suggestion on what sort of offering I should bring?”
“Something tiny,” Raif said. “And sweet.”
“Okaaay.”
“And bring Wu flowers,” he added. “He loves tulips.”
Was I going to this guy for information or a date? “Do I need to call or something first or just head over?”
“No need to call ahead. Just be sure you call on him before sunset.” Raif headed for the door and I followed him out. “I hope you find some answers, Darian. In the meantime, if there’s anything I can do for you, call me. With everything that’s happened, the last thing I want is distance between us.”
“Me either.” God, hearing him say those words made me feel more at ease than I had in weeks. “And if you need anything from me—”
“I’ll call,” Raif said. “Of course.”
Asher waited in the hallway like a good little soldier. I really wanted a wingman if I was going to seek out some supernatural psychic to give my ring the once-over. Unfortunately, Asher had better things to do now than hang out with me.
“A representative from the PNT’s Fae delegation is here to see you, your highness,” Asher said. “I showed him to the study.”
To hear Ash utter those words to Raif—your highness—weirded me the fuck out. Wrong. This was all so goddamned wrong that I wanted to stab something just to release the tension.
Raif cast a chagrined look my way before turning to Asher. “Thank you, Asher. I suppose we might as well get what is bound to be a very uncomfortable meeting out of the way.”
“Right behind you,” he said. He turned to me before he fell into step behind Raif. “Catch ya later, Darian.”
“Yeah,” I said tightly as I watched them head down the hallway toward the staircase. “See ya later.”
I watched them disappear up the staircase and let out a slow, measured breath. Damn. I sure as hell hoped that life got back to normal soon.
#
I paced up and down Broadway with a giant bouquet of tulips from the market in one hand, and a cup of colored candy sprinkles from Menchies in the other. The guy at the register looked at me like I was nuts when I put the paper cup—sans frozen yogurt—o
n the scale. But the sprinkles were the equivalent of sugar confetti so I figured that they’d be a small enough and sweet enough offering for Mr. Wu’s bushes. I shook my head as I continued to pace. Fucking weird.
I shouldn’t be here. The thought ran a loop through my head. I’d put my trust in Ty. Told him that I wouldn’t press him for information until he was ready to give it. Looking for that information elsewhere wasn’t exactly a loophole. I’d promised him not to dig into Nys’Asdar or the Synod. But at the same time, I knew that Ty was deep into some serious shit. Something had happened between him and Xander in the labyrinth and whatever it was had the high king shaken.
He’s dangerous, Darian.
Tell the Jinn our bargain is no longer valid.
I burned with curiosity. My muscles twitched with tension. My inability to control the situation or the flow of information caused acid to churn in my gut. That utter lack of autonomy fed my anxiety to the point that I felt like I was crawling out of my goddamned skin. For the sake of my own mental health, I needed answers. Tyler had enough to deal with and I’d promised not to prod him. I needed to know. Something. Anything.
“Shit.”
I headed up the walkway toward the house. I stopped at the bushes that were planted in a large brick planter that bordered the porch. Clematis vines twined around the new growth, waking from the dormancy of their winter sleep. I bent down to examine the leaves and the tiny umbrella-like seed pods that resembled tufts of white feathers that lay interspersed throughout the green foliage.
“Okay,” I said to the bushes. “Here you go.”
I set the cup of candy sprinkles on the edge of the brick planter. The seed pods quivered on the vine of the clematis as though blown by a gentle breeze. I straightened as they disengaged from the vine completely, the feathery wisps gliding on the air currents in a graceful dance before settling around the cup. My jaw hung open as I realized what I’d thought were seed pods were tiny little creatures. The umbrella-like tendrils fanned out around lithe little bodies like delicate skirts. One by one, they gathered around the paper cup and took the candy sprinkles into hands almost too small for me to see. And then, just as gracefully, they floated back into the bushes and disappeared from sight.
“Pixies.”
I looked up to find a man standing in the open doorway of the house. He couldn’t have been taller than five foot himself. Maybe in his sixties, with thinning hair and a compact build. My gaze wandered down past his sweater and sweatpants to his feet, clad in socks with flip-flops that split his toes like those crazy ninja shoes that traceurs sometimes wore. I doubted this guy was performing parkour through Capitol Hill, though. Then again, what the hell did I know?
“Are you Mr. Wu?”
“I am.” He looked Japanese, but according to Raif, he was a wood nymph squatting in the guise of a human. I’d never met one before so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. A ripple of energy passed over me, not unpleasant but definitely old and powerful. He gave me a pleasant smile as he regarded me with an intensity that I found a little unnerving. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to come here after all.
“No one’s ever brought candy sprinkles,” he mused. “Good choice.”
Score a point for me. “I’ve never seen a Pixie before.”
“Oh, I’m sure you have,” he said as he stepped out past the doorway. “Most simply don’t realize they’re there. Very quiet. And shy. Unless you anger them, of course. But they love sugar.”
If an offering was required to appease the little seed-pod creatures, I didn’t think that an angry Pixie was something I’d ever want to encounter. In the supernatural world, size wasn’t an indication of power. “Good to know.”
“What can I do for you today?” Mr. Wu asked. “Are you looking for a room to rent?”
“No. A friend of mine suggested that I come see you. He said that you might be able to tell me something about my ring.”
He motioned me forward and I took the steps up to the porch. I held out my hand to him and he inspected my ring without touching it. “Interesting,” he said more to himself than to me. “Come in...?”
“Darian.” I said.
“Come in, Darian.”
Should I go in? Hell, I didn’t know. My step faltered just shy of the threshold. I didn’t know a damned thing about Mr. Wu. Who he was—what he was. Were wood nymphs easy-going or did they have a mean streak? The guy had guard Pixies in his planter for shit’s sake and I didn’t have the first clue what those little buggers were capable of. What if he decided he wanted my ring? What if walking through that door set me on a path I couldn’t turn away from? Shit. What are you doing, Darian?
“I can assure you that you’ll be safe here,” Mr. Wu said as though he sensed every bit of my doubt. “And I’m quite discreet.”
I supposed he thought he was reassuring. Instead, I was even more uneasy. Raif had told me what to bring to appease the little critters that lived in Wu’s planter. What he’d failed to mention was whether or not the old man charged for his services.
“What do you want?” I asked. “For looking at my ring?”
His smile remained pleasant as he turned to face me from the doorway. “Being of service to another is its own reward.”
A Zen wood nymph? What were the odds? “You’ll forgive me if I’m skeptical of your selflessness. I’ve found that nothing in this world comes without a price.”
“Knowledge is your price,” he replied.
Jesus. Did he have me pegged or what? It was a price I wasn’t sure I wanted to pay.
“Come inside,” he said again. “We’ll have a cup of tea. You don’t have to decide now if you want your knowledge or not. You made my Pixies happy. The least I can do for you is return your hospitality.”
My feet made the decision for me as I took one step and then another past the threshold and into the house. No strings attached. Just a cup of tea. The decision—the control—was still mine. I could still leave without knowing. Right?
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The house was crammed with antique furniture and tastefully decorated for the period in which it was built as well as the more updated remodel. A mish-mosh of modern and old that somehow fit together perfectly. Most of the old houses in Capitol Hill were a hundred years old or older, and most had been turned into apartments while some—like this one and the houses that Xander and Reaver owned—maintained their originality. I wondered if Mr. Wu had moved into this one when it had first been built. Tasteful art decorated the walls and a large hutch in the living room proudly showcased an impressive display of Chihully blown glass pieces. Wu’s decorating bill must have put quite a dent in his wallet. And since he didn’t charge for his psychic services, I assumed that the bed and breakfast patrons footed the bill for the conversation pieces.
The place was empty except for the two of us. Either business was slow, or the B&B’s residents were out and about doing whatever people did on vacation in Seattle. The thought of sharing my home with strangers squicked me right the hell out. It violated every single one of my personal boundary issues. Did Mr. Wu sleep with his bedroom door locked at all times? I would have. Not to mention my daggers and sword tucked under the covers next to me.
As if he’d been expecting me, he headed into the modernized kitchen and took a steaming kettle off of the stove. I bellied up to the granite bar and took a seat while he poured hot water over two baskets of loose tea poised over a couple of dainty porcelain cups.
“White tea is good for the metabolism,” he remarked as he slid a cup toward me. “Has antioxidant properties too. Good for anti-aging.”
I cocked a brow. “Does it look I’m too worried about wrinkle creams and taking my folic acid?”
He chuckled. “No.”
I sensed that Mr. Wu wore a glamour to cover up his true appearance. The Fae were ageless, more so than any other supernatural creature. I didn’t know for sure, but I assumed that wood nymphs rested on a branch of the Fae family tree. He was p
robably seven-feet tall with long, flowing blue-black hair in his true form. His dark eyes twinkled as he leaned over his cup and breathed in the steam. A lot of Fae creatures could read minds and I reminded myself to keep up a strong mental shield. Then again, it was sort of rude to poke around in someone’s brain. I couldn’t see him breaking social graces to know what I was thinking.
“Let the tea steep for at least three minutes,” he said too conversationally. “Then remove the basket.”
“All righty.” I wasn’t much of a tea drinker but I’d give it a shot. “Wait.” Then again, maybe I wouldn’t. There were Fae drinks that could be dangerous to consume to anyone other than the Fae. “Is this really tea? Or something else?”
Mr. Wu laughed long and loud. “Oh, I like you.” He stabbed a finger toward me. “Who recommended me to you?”
Should I tell him? Then again, if Raif made the suggestion, I doubted he considered it a big secret. “Raif Peck.”
“Ah,” Mr. Wu replied. “I’m fond of him and his brother. You’re friends I take it?”
“Yeah,” I said. “We are.”
What could Raif or Xander have needed the skinny on that they’d come here? I fixed a pleasant expression on my face and stuffed my curiosity to the soles of my feet.
“Go ahead,” Mr. Wu indicated my cup after a couple of minutes. “It’s ready to drink.”
I lifted the basket from the cup and set it on the saucer. “Just tea, huh?”
He gave me a thin-lipped smile. “Just tea.”
I sipped from the lip of the cup, half expecting to fall under some sort of faery spell. I might have been distrusting, but the last time I’d let my guard down around someone, the bastard had kidnapped me and taken me to a dungeon to be tortured.
“What do you think?” he asked with genuine curiosity. “It’s my own infusion.”
“It’s good,” I said. “The fruit and floral combinations are nice.”
He’d married the perfect blend of flavors. The tea was mellow and naturally sweet. I focused on the heat of it as it slid down my throat. A strong aroma of jasmine wafted from the steam and I breathed it in. A few more quiet moments passed. I tried not to think too much about why I’d come here and the fact that I wasn’t sure I even wanted to be here.
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