by K. V. Adair
There was a loud crash ahead. My eyes flew open, and my heart went back to pounding in my throat.
I raced down the hall toward the sound. It wasn’t until I made it to the door at the end of the hall that I realized my ankle no longer hurt.
Good things happen to good people. Or something, I guessed.
I prayed to whatever god or goddess might exist in this plane and twisted the knob. It was locked.
I squeezed the handle, my knuckles turning white. I tried to open the door through sheer force of my will, but my will was apparently as weak as I was.
I slammed my palm against the door twice. It stung and was ineffective.
Now what?
There had been an endless amount of doors in the hallway I had rushed past. Maybe it was time to try to open each one. I trudged through the hall, twisting more knobs than a whore.
None budged.
I growled. Maybe Aidan had been right. Maybe I wouldn’t survive even a day here.
I glanced over my shoulder to see how far I’d come. The door at the end of the hall was gone, and so was the end of the hall. It again stretched for miles behind me.
What kind of Fae could control this kind of magic?
Eoin had said only the Zephyr commanded the power of illusion. This did seem to be that kind of magic.
Illusions can be seen through.
I closed my eyes again and reached for the unfamiliar—yet somehow intimately familiar—power buried in my gut. At least it felt like it was in my gut. That seemed like a good place for magic to live, right?
I cradled it in my imaginary hands, whispering soothing words out loud, trying to butter it up. I didn’t know how to control it; I barely knew how to access it. Was it an it? Was it sentient? Did I have something living inside me that wasn’t actually me?
My stomach churned. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the disturbing thoughts, or if I had offended it.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “This is new to me.”
“Who are you talking to?” a voice asked behind me.
Sheepishly I turned, feeling a bit embarrassed at being caught. I wasn’t sure why. It’s not like I had been doing something wrong or bad. Talking to yourself was perfectly normal.
Standing in front of me was a regal, well-dressed man in his, if I had to guess, mid thirties.
He wore a red doublet that emphasized his lean figure and long torso. It didn’t even reach the waistband of his matching red trousers.
A gold blouse peeked through beneath. He had matching gold boots on his feet. They reached mid-calf on his obscenely long legs.
He looked like he couldn’t decide that morning which century to belong to.
Straight, light blond hair flowed over his shoulders and down his back. Too wide to be natural dark brown eyes stared at me behind thick, black lashes. His eyebrows matched the color of his eyes, looking unnatural with his dirty snow colored hair.
He had one of those smiles that showed teeth you could only get with veneers.
His face appeared friendly enough, but as he approached confidently toward me, I stepped back.
Never accept help from strangers. That’s how you get kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder.
I didn’t think anyone would bid very high for me. And the cheaper the slave, the more disposable.
Shut up, brain. You’re the worst.
“You must be the princess Morrigan.”
No one had called me Morrigan before. It seemed to make sense, though, my name being Morgan and all. But I didn’t like it.
I also didn’t like the idea of him calling me Morgan, either, so I didn’t correct him.
I raised my chin, faking bravado I didn’t feel. “Yes, I am. And you are?”
He swept his arm out in a wide, exaggerated arc as he bowed from the waist so far, I worried he’d snap himself in two. “I am Gavin. And you look lost, mo stoirin.”
“Sorry, I don’t speak Fae. I have no idea what you just said.”
He chuckled, and my skin crawled. He was treating me like a child—a child he wanted to fuck.
Bad, bad combination.
“My apologies, my little darling. I forget you don’t belong here and do not speak the tongue of our worshippers in the mortal realm.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Worshippers? I’m confused.”
The Fae—Gavin—looked over his shoulder. “We do not have time for a history lesson, I’m afraid. Come before you further lose yourself.”
“Nah, I’m good. Just going for a walk. These endless hallways are great for the calves.”
His smile deepened and no longer looked friendly. “It would be my pleasure to escort you back to your room.”
It wouldn’t be my pleasure.
I hesitated before refusing. I was lost. Very. And he was offering a way out. But at what cost? What was the end of this maze worth?
“Are you a child of the Zephyr?” I asked.
He looked surprised at my question but didn’t answer. Instead, he reached over to the door on his left, grasped the handle, and twisted with ease. It swung open.
Son of a bitch.
He gestured toward the open door, waiting for me to enter first.
Like freaking hell. I didn’t want this guy behind me.
“After you,” I said. He made no attempt at going through the door. “I insist.”
Another creepy smile crossed his face. “You’re not very trusting, are you, Morrigan?”
I didn’t know a lot about Fae politics or protocol, but I had the feeling calling me Morrigan instead of princess was a faux pa.
“It’s worked for me so far.”
“How sad for you?” His tone was mocking and not at all sympathetic. “How do you ever make new friends?”
Before I could answer, raised voices carried down the hall. Gavin looked in the direction of it. Thank God I wasn’t imagining it. There was no way to know if the voices would be a respite from Mr. Rapey or just another dangerous mess.
I took my chances, slowly backing up so I could keep my eyes on the Fae as I moved toward the yelling.
I got to the door the arguing was coming from. Gavin still watched me but hadn’t moved from the open doorway. I wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but I wasn’t going to give him the chance to make a move.
I could make out two distinct voices, one male and one female. I turned the knob on the door, but it was locked. Of course, it was.
Instead of letting my frustration show, I knocked three times against the wood. The voices fell silent.
I knocked again, this time more forcefully. Someone opened the door slightly.
I didn’t recognize the male. He had blond hair, like Mr. Rapey behind me, but that’s where the similarities ended.
Pale blue eyes stared at me. He had a scar across one eyebrow. There was a small tattoo etched on his cheek. The whorls of ever-changing color reminded me of the portals. He was dressed in what looked like tweed with a bowtie secured snugly against his neck.
Normally scars and tattoos made someone look like a badass. On this guy, it did nothing to toughen up his librarian look.
He had a scowl on his face and looked no more friendly than the Fae behind me. “What?” he asked.
I swallowed. He made me nervous, though I couldn’t put my finger on why. Energy wafted off of him. I assumed it was magic, but I hadn’t felt any magical energy coming off anyone else I had met here.
“Are you from Zephyr?” I asked. I had no idea how I was supposed to say it. Was it a place? The name of some god? A fancy way to say air?
He blinked twice. “Why?”
It wasn’t an admittance, but it did confirm my suspicion. “Could you maybe turn off the never-ending hallway of hell so I can get out of here?”
More blinking. I began to doubt my assumption. He wasn’t coming across as very bright, but it was hard to tell what was an act and what was reality.
He was blocking my view of the inside of the room so I couldn’t see who he�
�d been arguing with. “Who are you with?”
He narrowed his eyes, but his energy vanished. “You ask a lot of questions.”
I shrugged. “I’m inquisitive.”
“That’s not the word I would use.”
“And you’re evasive. Can you just answer my question, please?”
He slammed the door in my face. While rude, the movement had allowed me a glimpse of the figure behind him.
Niamh.
What was my brother’s wife-to-be doing arguing with Mr. Stick-up-his-ass? And what had they been arguing about?
Maybe he’d been right. I did ask a lot of questions.
Before I could think of some more, a hand grasped my shoulder. I stiffened. I’d forgotten about Gavin.
Chapter Nine
I turned slowly. The hallway had returned to normal, though not the same as the one I’d been in with Eoin.
“The royal chambers are elsewhere, Morrigan. Let me bring them to you. You look a bit peaked.”
Bring them to me? Was that just a funny way of talking or another weird magic thing. “I’ll be fine on my own, thank you.”
His hand remained on my shoulder. The urge to punch him in the nuts went through me. I resisted. I remembered all too well Aidan’s magic wrapped around my face, sucking the air from my lungs. A swift kick would probably do very little to stop whatever magic this guy possessed.
I was trapped, alone and defenseless.
“I insist,” he said, voice low and menacing, all pretense of friendliness gone.
The glint in his eye said he wanted me to run. It’d be more fun. For him, at least. My idea of fun didn’t include force and pain.
He took a step forward. I took a step back. The wooden door behind me stopped me from moving farther.
Heat radiated from his body. He pressed against me, pinning me to the door. I tried to knock again, alert the people inside, but he grabbed my wrists and held them above my head. His erection pressed against my stomach.
“I can take you right here, mo stoirin. No one will hear if you scream.” His free hand slipped under the slit in my dress and caressed my thigh. “In fact, I’d prefer if you do.”
Shit.
The longer I stayed in Sidh, the more I wanted to get the hell away from here. I hated to admit it, but Aidan had been right. This was no place for me.
The realization made my heart hurt, overshadowing my fear. Leaving meant giving up on my brother. He might have said it wouldn’t affect our time together, but I was realistic. He wouldn’t have time for me with a new wife and a new family.
Out of sight. Out of mind.
I steeled myself, reaching down to the power laying dormant inside. I wouldn’t go down without a fight, no matter how pitiful it ended up.
“Not interested, buddy. Why don’t you scurry along and bother someone else.”
He turned me around and shoved me against the door front first. “Your interest is not my concern.”
My power churned in my gut, reacting to the threat in front of us. The sensation felt familiar and I realized, albeit a bit late, that I had felt it before. More than once. Each time had ended with blood and broken bones.
“Your concern isn’t my concern,” I said. “Get the fuck away from me, or I’ll shove my magic so far up your ass, you’ll be spitting up shit.”
He let me go. I looked over my shoulder to see a look of pure confusion crossed his face, and he backed up several feet. Apparently, he hadn’t expected something so foul to come out of a princess’ mouth.
Good thing I wasn’t really the princess type.
A masculine laugh filled the air, startling us both. I looked toward it. Standing with arms crossed over his chest was the most attractive piece of flesh I’d ever laid eyes on.
I couldn’t really explain what it was about him that made my lady parts flutter and my heart pound. While I was always appreciative of eye candy, hotness wasn’t high on my list of qualities I found most attractive.
I’d rather have a man who knew his way around a kitchen and a broom, who could make me laugh hard enough that my laughter turned to sobs, and someone who could fix a shitty day with just his presence.
I ignored the voice in my head telling me exactly who I was describing.
The arrogant, sexy as fuck Adonis walking toward us didn’t fit the description. I didn’t need to know anything else about him to know he was a player.
The fire heating up the blood in my veins spoke to that. As did the energy wafting off him as he got closer.
Amorous magic. A date rape drug of a different kind.
Gavin backed up even more, a tinge of fear in his eyes. “This doesn’t concern you, Feoras.”
Feoras smiled viciously. “A mark on our families name concerns me greatly, brother. Our great and glorious king would not take too kindly with you playing with his sister.”
The sarcasm when he talked of my brother was so thick I almost choked on it.
Gavin looked from me to his brother and then back to me. I smiled, trying to appear unaffected by the threats and squabble. “He’s not wrong,” I said.
Gavin glowered and then turned and strode down the now normal length hallway. I watched him go, not sad in the least. Once he’d disappeared, I turned to face my would be rescuer. I had the feeling he was worse that what he’d saved me from.
He bowed deeply. I detected a bit of mocking in it. Or maybe I was just being sensitive.
“Thank you,” I said. Being polite was never a bad choice, especially in dangerous situations. “I appreciate the assist.”
He beamed, and my stomach did a little twist. Unlike his creepy brother, his smile was genuine and warm.
And really, really confusing.
“I wasn’t expecting gratitude, Princess. Nor is it necessary. I am only doing my duty.”
“Your duty is to make sure your brother doesn’t get all rapey with royalty?”
He laughed. It was also warm and genuine. Must have been the magic. “Something like that.” He made no move to come closer, keeping a comfortable distance. “I’m Feoras, youngest son of King Uaine of Ember. I’ve been wanting to meet you for some time now.”
“I only just got here,” I said.
His smile slipped, and for the seventh time that day, I was being kept in the dark about something. Maybe everyone knew something I didn’t. I wouldn’t be surprised.
My expression must have alarmed him, because he went into reassurance mode. “That came out creepier than I intended. I just mean, I’ve never met someone from the human realm. I’ve heard stories, but you know how third hand information is. I’m not going to hurt you.”
His words sounded genuine enough, but my skin felt hot and my heart still raced. I took a couple steps back, my eyes darting down the hall to the exit. Maybe I could make it before—
He frowned. “I’m not going to hurt you, Princess Morrigan. I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Then why are you blasting me with your sex magic?”
He smiled sheepishly, and the energy vanished. I needed to go change my underwear. That fact just made me irritated
“I apologize. I forgot I had that turned on.”
“You forgot. Right. Because it’s perfectly normal to send lust vibes at people you just met.”
He pressed his lips together, trying not to smile. “I like the way you talk. It’s funny.”
I raised my eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“It is. Really. The magic wasn’t for your sake, but my brother’s. It’s a… uh… dominance thing.”
“Kinky.” I started backing up toward the far door. “It was nice meeting you, but I really should go.”
“Already?” He looked disappointed. “I was hoping to hear more about humans.”
“Like what? They aren’t some collective. Individuality is important to them, as I assume it is here.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. His emotions changed more frequently than the
weather in Minnesota.
“You’d be surprised how little individuality is accepted here. It’s very much keep in line and keep your mouth shut of dissension around here.”
“Sounds like 1940’s Germany.”
Did that make my brother Hitler? I doubted he was so different here than with me. But then again, even Hitler loved dogs.
“I don’t know what that means,” he said.
“Sorry. A little Earth humor. I’m still not sure what you want to know, and it’s getting late.”
He nodded, his eyes on the ground. “You’re right. You probably need to rest for the wedding tomorrow. But perhaps we could meet again some other time to talk?”
I didn’t understand why he wanted to chat so badly. My intuition told me it wasn’t about humanity.
“Sure,” I replied noncommittally. “Sounds fun.”
“You’re being sarcastic.”
“Yeah, it’s a human thing.”
He chuckled. “Not really. I know you have little incentive to humor me, but I think I can offer something in return.”
“I’m not having sex with you.”
He looked taken aback. “I didn’t… no… you misunderstand. I don’t want that.”
“Ouch. That hurts my feelings,” I said dryly. I realized too late that the meaning of my words might give him the wrong idea.
“More sarcasm?” He smiled shyly. “It’s not you. I just don’t fancy enduring the ire of the high king. He was very specific about what would happen to any of us who… how do I say this… took liberties with your… ahem… body.”
“Too bad for you, then. What incentive?”
“How much do you know about the Fae and the Sidh? I assume not much, right?”
I said nothing. Admitting ignorance sounded like a good way to get taken advantage of.
“I can teach you our history, as well as how to deal with the complicated politics of court. Something I think you should very much like to learn.”
“I have my brother and Aidan for that. I appreciate the offer, though.”
His lips twisted into a half smile. “Is anything out of your mouth not sarcastic?”