“Do not move,” the man said. He had an odd accent – not one Maggie recognized. Even though his words were for Christian, he kept his pale green eyes fixed on her. “I can snap her throat with a flick of my thumb. If you want her to remain breathing, you will keep that in mind.”
Christian clenched his teeth. Maggie watched as he grappled with what to do. And then, his nose twitched and his eyes went wide.
"What are you?" Christian demanded in a rough voice. Maggie had no idea how this stranger wasn't affected by the darkness in Christian's voice. The only other time she heard him speak like this was with his uncle, and even then Maggie wished to never hear the sound.
"You know what I am," he said in his musical voice. He still refused to look at Christian. Those peculiar eyes never left her face. "The question you should be asking is what is she."
"We already know what she is," Christian said. "Put her down."
"I cannot do that just yet," he said. "I need information." He finally looked at Christian though he glory his grip on Maggie's theist. She still swatted at his hands but he did not even flinch. "Why did you test her blood?"
"That's none of your fucking business," Christian snapped.
"Don't toy with me, vampire," the man said. "As ruler of shadows, it is my business. Tell me now. Why did you run her blood for the f gene?"
Christian clenched his teeth. Instead of responding, his eyes rolled over to Maggie. He wasn't exactly asking her for permission, per se, but it seemed as though he wanted to make sure it was all right that he say anything at all. Maggie had no idea what was going on. She didn't know ruler of shadows was a thing or why he even cared about what she was doing or why they ran her blood. She had no idea how to respond to his questioning gaze or why he felt the need to let her make that decision. Granted, she appreciated the fact that he considered her opinion before making a decision that directly involved her she had no idea what to do.
"She tasted unlike anything I was able to comprehend," Christian said. "I knew your kind existed. I just didn't realize I would be able to taste one, especially not one who wasn't aware of what she is."
Your kind.
This man was a fairy.
Maggie's eyes widened even when he turned his piercing stare back to her. No wonder he had a musical lilt to his voice. No wonder his hair was green and his eyes were captivating. This man wasn't human but he was supernatural. A fairy.
"You were able to taste her?" the man said slowly. "How is that..." He let his voice trail off, his mouth dropping slightly as he took Maggie in. "Have you bonded with him?"
"Um..." It was difficult for her to speak but the man did not release her or loosen his grip. "I, I don't know?"
The man clenched his teeth together and furrowed his brow so low his green eyebrows almost went over his eyes. "A vampire should not be able to feed on you at all," he said slowly, placing her feet back on the ground. "Unless you have bonded with him."
"Insignificant fool," he hissed at her, those piercing green eyes on her face. Despite his clear frustration with her, he did not tighten his grip on her. Regardless, Maggie didn't like the look and her heart beat increased in speed as he continued to stare up at her like he was debating whether or not to rip her throat out. "Why the fuck would you bond with a vampire? You risk everything."
"If you don't watch your fucking mouth, I will rip your throats out a dance in your blood," Christian snarled. "I do not care who you are or what significance you have in your realm. But here, you are nothing but a piece of shit and you are holding my partner in a way where she could suffocate. Put her down. Now."
The man - fairy, technically - blinked. The fairy, he threw his head back and started to howl with laughter. It was a cold, hollow sound, laced with lunacy. There was something crazy about this fairy. He seemed cool and calculated, like nothing affected him, but every now and then, he would twitch without warning. Like he was holding back and that tension was starting to get to him. His eyes were piercing and sharp, and his teeth were silver and fanged. He poked part human, part monster. And somehow, on top of everything else, he was astoundingly beautiful. Much stronger than he looked.
"I like you, leech," he said in his rich velvet voice. However, regardless if the power that thrummed through his body, he slowly put her down so her feet hit the floor. "You're not afraid of me."
"Why the fuck would I be afraid of you?" Christian sneered, wrinkling his nose.
The fairy shrugged and released his hold on Maggie. She inhaled a deep breath, trying not to be too loud about it because she didn't want to notify either one of them how afraid she was and how desperately she wanted to be able to take a full breath of air without any pressure on her throat to inhibit her from doing so. He turned to face Christian, giving Maggie the chance to take him in without being too obvious that she was staring.
The fairy was lean and somewhat short, at least compared to Christian. He was probably five foot nine tops, if Maggie had to guess, which meant he was a couple of inches taller than he was. He was compact though and clearly strong so even though he didn't have Christian's size, he had comparable strength. He wore all black from head to toe. It appeared as though he was wearing some kind of suit with a blazer and then he had on shiny black loafers. Interestingly enough, no wings protruded from his back but she wasn't sure if that concept of the fairy myth was true or made up.
Christian tensed, waiting for... what, Maggie had no idea. Did he think this fairy was going to attack? Maggie kept her eyes firmly on the fairy, just in case. She didn't know what she could do to protect Christian should he need it, but the least she could do was be prepared.
"Tell me, leech, have you ever fed on a fairy before?" he asked. "Even if it's a half."
"A half?" Maggie asked before she could stop herself. "Does that mean my father is a full fairy?"
She knew she was half from the blood results which would logically mean her father was full-fairy. However, she hoped to gain more information about this mystery fairy who helped conceive her.
"Yes," the fairy said, dragging out the S like he was hissing like a snake. He tilted his head at an odd angle and continued to stare at her. "You smell like earth. Like dirt and life and wildness. It wouldn't surprise me if you came from the earth kingdom."
"Earth kingdom?" Maggie asked. "You mean fairies have different kingdoms?"
The fairy pressed his lips together, debating on whether or not he should say anything. Finally, he growled and looked away. "The less you know, the better," he told her. "Your father went against the fey law and bred with a human. We like to keep our lines pure. We want nothing tainting it. And you, you halfsie, went and bonded with a goddamn vampire. If you grew up within our courts, you would be executed."
"Watch your fucking mouth," Christian snapped. "Bonding can't be helped. Clearly fairies are susceptible to it, just like vampires. Just like wolves. So you have some kind of bonding. Maybe her father bonded to her mother."
The fairy shook his head. "If the fey was truly bonded, he would not be able to leave her side," he said. "Especially know he left his seed in her. A fey bond is agony when we are not around our loved one."
"I take it you haven't been bonded then?" Maggie said, not unkindly.
"Beasts cannot bond," he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. There was a sneer on his face but it did not take away from his beauty. "We aren't here to talk about me, halfsie. We're here to talk about you. We have been doing everything we can to keep our kind secret. It's what's helped keep us alive for so long. We didn't even know about you until that first blood test. It took me only a moment to track you down but after your results were destroyed without anyone knowing the results, I thought I didn't have to worry. But you stubborn fool, you wanted to test again and put us all at risk. You know."
Christian began to shake his head but Maggie said, "I do. I know what I am."
"Earth kingdom would pay a pretty penny for you," he continued. "They'd keep you locked in a
cell for the rest of your life. They wouldn't kill you but they wouldn't be hospitable, either. I have no problem killing my own kind, however, if it means our secret is safe."
"You kill her, I will rip you to shreds," Christian said with a snarl.
"You can't bite me," the fairy said with a sneer.
"I won't have to," Christian replied.
"Please," Maggie said, trying to get between them. "Your secret is safe with us. You said it yourself - a fairy and a vampire would never bond. Please. No one will know."
"I'll give you money," Christian added. "However much you need, you'll have it."
The fairy sneered. "I don't need money," he snapped. His eyes took in Christian before he finally said, "A favor. I don't know how or when or what but when I call in my favor, leech, you will provide me what I require or I will kill her in her sleep and you won't be able to stop me."
Christian nodded once. "Fine," he said.
The two men shook on it and in then, in a blink of an eye, the fairy disappeared, leaving Christian and Maggie alone.
"Not what?" Christian asked, looking at her.
"We have our whole lives, Christian," she told him, interlocking her fingers with his. "We can do whatever it is we want."
Chapter 26
An Education in Punishment
An Education in Punishment: A Somerset Novel will be released January, 2018.
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Acknowledgments
To my husband Frank, my daughter Kylee, and my stepsons Jacob and Joshua – thank you for your undying love and support. I couldn’t do this without you
To my mom and my brother – for always believing me
To Suzanna Lynn of Funky Book Designs – amazing, beautiful cover, as usual
To my amazing betas – Cindy F., and Diana S.
As usual, your sharp eyes catch everything I didn’t. You take my writing and make it top-notch. Thank you for your amazing dedication and hard work.
To all my readers for their enthusiasm, loyalty, and feedback. I would be nowhere without you. Thank YOU!
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An Education in Scandal: A Somerset Novel (Somerset Series Book 5) Page 16