Mystic Realms: A Limited Edition Collection

by Nicole Morgan

  “There weren’t any.” She pointed to a red business card now lying on the stained and chipped beige countertop that he’d been certain had been bare minutes ago. “Someone just relocated that card here.”

  “Well if that doesn’t scream trap, I don’t know what does,” he said, stepping up behind her but resisting the urge to wrap an arm around her — giving more evidence that she was somehow charming him.

  “Unless this was why the thief was here in the first place. To get this card and find out the new meeting place to hand off the Seal.”

  “That’s one theory.”

  “And the other is that it’s a trap,” she said. “I’m not going to deny that it isn’t. The card showing up now is too convenient.”

  “Except we also can’t ignore the possibility that your first theory is correct and this is an opportunity to catch the thief’s employer.”

  “Exactly.” She eased to the edge of the counter and looked at the card.

  He drew up beside her and leaned over the counter, careful not to touch it. “The Gray Gargoyle Dance Club.”

  “That’s a few blocks from here near the river.” She pointed the tip of her dagger to the handwritten time in the top right corner of the card, still not touching it. “Ten p.m.”

  “Looks like we have less than two hours to figure out everything we can about this thief and then get to the Gray Gargoyle.”

  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Her gaze settled on his, drawing heat in his gut.

  “I can help with that,” he said, unable to stop himself. His control of his aura slipped. She inhaled, a smile pulling at her lips.

  Shit.

  He clamped down on his desire and sucked in a ragged breath. How was he going to work with her long enough to get the Seal? Yeah, he couldn’t force her to sleep with him, but it didn’t mean his desire for her wasn’t going to make him try.

  “It’s the only clue we’ve got,” she said.

  “That it is.” But he couldn’t help agreeing with her that it felt like a trap.

  Chapter Nine

  A shiver swept through Riley, Couper’s scent still wrapped around her.

  “I’ve got a friend who might be able to help. How do you feel about visiting the Shadow Court?” He stepped back from the counter and held out his hand to her.

  Yeah, she’d managed to resist his charm, but that didn’t mean she still didn’t crave him. She didn’t know if she could just hold his hand and not melt into him again like she had when he’d kissed her. It had taken her everything she had to resist his charm, and now she knew if she kept her guard up, he wouldn’t be able to manipulate her. Asking him to charm her had been one hell of a risk, but she had to know. What surprised her the most had been his reluctance to try, which only made her more attracted to him.

  It had to be a part of his game. Just because he couldn’t magically charm her, didn’t mean he wouldn’t try non-magical means. But that also meant, if she didn’t let herself get emotionally involved, she could indulge in her physical desires. Something he certainly seemed interested in, even if she was the half-human from the Golden Court. Perhaps he’d accept another proposition from her before their lives forced them back to their separate courts.

  She couldn’t believe she was seriously considering asking him… for what? A night of sex? He was a stranger. A shadow fae at that. And yet she didn’t sense he wanted to use her like her few previous relationships had — and boy had those been hard lessons to learn. He wasn’t a part of the Golden Court, so he wasn’t hoping to befriend Queen Orlaith, King Rian, or even the Warlord. His interest in her could be because of a bet. Seduce the half-human. She’d run into that before. But her instincts said it wasn’t. Even if it was, with his glorious scent and his smoking hot physique, she was more than willing to let him claim the conquest. She was certain she wouldn’t walk away unsatisfied.

  Wow. It sounded like she’d decided to proposition him. That wasn’t like her at all. Maybe she wasn’t as immune to his charm as she thought. And maybe she was lonely and wanted something for herself, even if it was just a fling.

  But first, they had to catch the thief. Her freedom wasn’t worth a fling. No matter how hot he was.

  “The Shadow Court won’t affect you,” he said, as if he thought her hesitation to take his hand was because she feared being changed by the shadow realm. “Your teeth and your aura won’t change. Not unless you spend years there.”

  “I know that. Just—” Come on, think up something to explain your pause. “I’m just wondering if there are better options to finding the thief or getting information about him.”

  “To get answers fast? Warren is the fae to talk to.”

  “What’s it going to cost?” There was always a cost with fae, and she didn’t doubt Couper would be smart enough to try and make Riley pay. He was, after all, high fae. Shadow or golden, they were all the same.

  “A few human delicacies.”

  “And what do you mean by that?”

  “Warren and I have a deal. You’re just tagging along.” He quirked a hint of a smile, revealing the tips of his canines. “At some point, you’re going to have to trust me.”

  “I do trust you. I let you try and charm me.”

  “Only because you didn’t think I could.”

  “And you can’t.”

  “I can’t and I didn’t want to. You said that yourself. Now trust that I’m not going to relocate us into danger or force you into a deal with another fae.”

  “You can’t force me into anything.” And she supposed if things turned ugly, she could always relocate herself to the Warlord’s dungeon. It wasn’t ideal, but it was an option if her life depended on it. And now she had no idea why she was hesitating. She’d already decided once they caught the thief she was propositioning him. If she trusted him enough to have sex, she had to trust him to relocate her safely to the Shadow Court. And really, even though she couldn’t explain it, she did trust him. She was arguing for the sake of arguing… and it was kind of fun. There wasn’t anyone in the Golden Court she could do that with.

  “Unless you’ve got a better idea?”

  “No.” She took his hand. The shock of attraction sizzled over her skin, and she swallowed back her reaction. “Let’s go talk to Warren.”

  Couper hissed the words of power for his relocation spell, and the world sucked inward on a wild kaleidoscope of color. The thief’s empty apartment melted, and she dissolved into the ether then through it.

  She sensed the shadow realm the moment she materialized and before she could see anything beyond the swirling colors. It wasn’t a darkness like she expected, it was a fullness, closer to the sensation of being in the human realm, except richer, more saturated with sensation and smell and sound. It was as if the Golden Court was sterilized, the human realm partially sterilized, and the shadow realm not sterilized at all. The air had weight, a thickness like a humid day, except it wasn’t humidity, it was wild magic that licked little flecks of electricity across her skin, as if no one had sealed the fissures in the realm or no one cared.

  “That’s what changes a fae,” she said as the world fully materialized around her revealing a clean, modest-sized modern kitchen, with a single light on over the stove, and healthy plants. “The wild magic seeping into the shadow realm.”

  “Not what you expected, hunh?” He pulled his phone from his pocket and started texting.

  “No. I thought it would be… well, more shadowy.”

  “That’s what those in charge want everyone else to believe.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket. “The Golden King doesn’t want to lose power so he convinces his subjects that the shadow realm is dangerous. The Shadow King doesn’t want to share any more of his wild magic so he advertises it as… shadowy.”

  “And how many fae would succumb to the wild magic and go crazy?” Most of the shadow fae she’d run into had been wild, sometimes manic. Even the Sibyl, the only Golden Court fae who embraced wild magic, was un
predictable and crazy.

  “That, too.” He pointed to a pine kitchen table with four matching chairs in a breakfast nook half taken over by a massive wisteria vine in full bloom. “Have a seat. We need to give Warren at least a few minutes to get searching for information on the thief and I need to grab his bribe.”

  “Sure.”

  He headed down a dark hall and rounded a corner, stepping out of sight. Riley glanced at the closest chair, but the portrait of a woman, peeking through the doorway of a room off the breakfast nook caught her attention. The painting hung in a study with dark wood shelves crammed with leather-bound books, a desk in matching wood, two dwarf trees in large pots, their branches brushing the ceiling, and two light colored leather easy chairs — in the dim light from the window and the kitchen it was hard to determine color.

  Moonlight streamed through a large bay window beside the desk and illuminated the painting, giving the woman a hint of a halo as if this image was somehow alive. She wore a simple pale dress in a timeless style, and her hair was captured in a pile of brown curls on the top of her head. The artist had painted her with a gentle smile and a sense of warmth in her dark eyes. She was pretty with a small nose and a heart-shaped face. Not high fae pretty, in fact—

  Riley drew closer. The woman’s one visible ear wasn’t pointed. She was human. What was Couper doing with the portrait of a human woman in his house… unless this wasn’t his house—

  “Her name was Elizabeth.” His rich voice slid like silk across her senses and drew a shiver of desire.

  “Who’s house are we in?”

  “Mine.” He held out his hand to her. “I’ve got what we need. Let’s go.”

  “But she’s human.”

  His gaze jumped to the portrait and sadness flashed over his expression. “She’s a reminder.”

  “Of what?”

  “Of what high fae are capable of.”

  Which were many horrible and cruel things. Sure, some fae were good and generous. Riley had met a few, but they all — with the exception of Queen Orlaith — kept their distance from the Golden King and his court. She couldn’t even imagine what the shadow fae, constantly in contact with so much wild magic, were like. “I’m sorry.”

  His attention jumped to her and the sadness hardened. “I’m sure you know this already, but you need to watch your back in the Golden Court.”

  “I’m half human. I need to watch my back everywhere.”

  “The Golden Court is particularly dangerous.”

  “If you think that, the rumors here in the Shadow Court about the Golden Court must be pretty bad.”

  “I don’t pay attention to rumors. I’m just certain it hasn’t changed much since I left.” He held his hand closer to her, a reminder that she hadn’t taken it yet.

  “You were part of the Golden Court?” That explained why she hadn’t first recognized him as shadow fae.

  “A long time ago.”

  “You left?” She’d never met anyone who’d changed allegiance before. She’d heard of fae trying, but they didn’t survive for long — and she was grateful the Warlord didn’t assign her any of those jobs. “The Golden King didn’t send bounty hunters after you?”

  “He did.” Couper sat on the arm of one of the easy chairs and wrapped his hands around the handle of the black cloth bag presumably holding Warren’s bribe. “I made a deal with the Shadow King.”

  “What did that cost you?” Perhaps she could make a similar deal. Protection from the Golden King for… she didn’t know and suspected she wouldn’t like the deal. But if King Rian didn’t keep his promise about freeing her, maybe changing her allegiance to the Shadow King was her only way out.

  And now she was considering becoming shadow fae. What the hell was wrong with her?

  Except she knew what was wrong with her. She’d had enough. She wanted the freedom to choose, but being the Shadow King’s servant wouldn’t change her circumstances.

  “The deal didn’t cost me anything. Kane and I escaped at the same time and I helped him take the shadow throne.”

  “Must be nice.”

  His gaze met hers with a hint of sadness. It was the same look Queen Orlaith gave Riley when someone in the Golden Court had tried to manipulate her, or refused to acknowledge her, or any other number of cruelties or slights.

  She was tired of that look. She just wanted to have control over her life. “We’re wasting time.”

  He stood and offered her his hand again. “I could talk to the Shadow King, if you’d like.”

  “And still be beholden to a king? I don’t think so.”

  “You shouldn’t be beholden to anyone. You’re high fae.”

  “Only half.” She took his hand, ignoring the snap of electric magic zinging up her arm. That in itself was becoming disconcerting. She’d never had this zinging connection with anyone before, and while she’d first thought it was her body’s desire reacting to touching him, now she wasn’t so sure. It was stronger and deeper, and that terrified her.

  “I can see it in your face. One of your parents was high fae.”

  “I’m guessing my mother.”

  “You don’t know?”

  She shrugged. “Never met them. Queen Orlaith and her servants who raised me claimed they didn’t know who my parents were.” This wasn’t what she wanted to talk about, and yet she couldn’t seem to help herself. Words just bubbled within her, stories, wishes, aches that had to be released.

  “And you believe them?”

  “I know I’d never get a straight answer, even from the Queen.” Another sore point that she didn’t want to get into, either. She couldn’t believe she was telling him all this, and yet, it felt good to tell someone. After this job was done — and after she’d convinced him for a night of mutual satisfaction — she’d never see him again. She wasn’t revealing anything he could use against her. She was the queen’s half-human pet and the king’s possession. If she earned her freedom, she was getting as far away from fae, golden and shadow, as she could. “It is what it is. I have to make do with what I’ve got.”

  “And that’s being a slave to the King of the Golden Court.”

  “Not if we catch this thief.”

  His grip on her hand tightened.

  Shit.

  “Did you make a deal?” he asked, his voice dark.

  “We’re wasting time. We should talk to this friend of yours.”

  “Did you make a deal with the Golden King?” He drew close, his pheromones wrapping around her.

  A shiver swept through her, desire and yearning. If she was free, she could be with him for more than just a night. But she wasn’t free. “I’m his servant. It’s never a deal.”

  “But he promised you something.”

  She wasn’t free. Yet. “The Seal for my freedom.”

  “It has to be a game.”

  “Of course it’s a game. He’s high fae.”

  “No, there’s something else going on.”

  “There always is. You’re awfully worried about me.”

  “I just—” His gaze jumped to the painting. “I’ve been here before with someone else I cared—” He cleared his throat. “Someone who got caught up in a fae’s game.”

  It had sounded like he was going to say cared for. But that would imply he cared for her, too, and they didn’t know each other.

  “I think we should talk to this friend of yours.” She fought the urge to pull her hand from his. They needed to be in contact for him to relocate them to wherever his friend was, but she needed distance from him. She couldn’t think straight this close to him. She couldn’t be thinking straight, not when she was craving more than just one night with him. Except she was certain he wasn’t trying to charm her, which meant her desires and hopes were all her. And that terrified her.

  Chapter Ten

  Couper took Riley’s hand, as a pit opened in his stomach. He shouldn’t have mentioned Elizabeth, and he shouldn’t have warned her about the Golden Court. Riley knew. She l
ived there. She was half human and probably received worse treatment than he ever had during his time there. He’d been a confidant to the Golden King’s brother and had held a position of esteem at court. Riley—

  God. He was not going to think about Riley.

  Except he couldn’t stop, and the feel of her hand in his and the snap of magical attraction between them, little jolts of electricity crackling up his arm, made him even more aware of her. And more aware that she was his greatest hope and — since Elizabeth — his greatest fear.

  She was his other half.

  It was the only explanation to how he irrationally wanted to protect her and tell her all of his secrets.

  Except she couldn’t be his other half. It was too dangerous for her. He might no longer have Golden Court bounty hunters after him, but he didn’t doubt that Rian was still furious at his departure. If Rian discovered the truth about Riley, he’d never release her from his service, and if he couldn’t find a fae to charm her, he’d use all means of torture to make her suffer.

  He had to go to Kane and beg him for help. Surely, his friend would understand. Except Kane was still high fae. There would be a price for that kind of help, and without a doubt, Riley wouldn’t be willing to pay it.

  No, for now, his best bet was to help Riley get the Seal and return it in time for the Transition and Binding Ceremony. He’d tell Kane about Rian’s deal with Riley, and when Rian reneged on the deal, Kane could use that to make Rian look weak.

  Yes. That was the best plan. Kane got to have the upper hand on his brother and Riley would be free of the Golden King’s service, and then—

  Then he had no idea. They were a complete soul—

  If she was actually his other half… which she had to be. It was the only explanation for barely knowing her and yet being terrified for her safety.

  This was a complication he didn’t need. Life had been fine. Empty, still sad and angry over Elizabeth, but fine. And now—

  “Are we going?” she asked.

  Maybe it was just loneliness. She was a half-human that excited his fae compulsion to charm who he couldn’t charm. That made her perfect.