by Amy Sumida
“Be careful with them, Cat!” I called after her.
Cat gave one more yip and abandoned me for her new friends.
“I guess she didn't want to look for Raza with me.” I chuckled. “Can't blame her.”
Raza wasn't in the throne room or the kitchens. I was just about to search through the library when an unseelie fairy approached me. He wasn't familiar to me, but that wasn't unusual. I was still getting to know the fairies of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, and both courts received visitors daily. This one must have been new to court because I'm sure I would have remembered him had we met; he was a stunning fairy. Ruby-red hair swept back from a rugged face, piercing green eyes tilted up at the outer corners, and lush lips smiled at me knowingly. He had a muscular physique, but it was sleek, almost like Tiernan's.
“Are you looking for King Raza?” The moonlight-skinned sidhe asked.
“Yes, have you seen him?”
“This way; I'll take you to him.” He led me through the hallways and then out of the castle entirely.
Craos-Teine was built within the shelter of an enormous cavern. There was space around the sides, offering areas for vegetable gardens, a small orchard, and stables in addition to the courtyard out front. But I had never ventured behind the castle, and I was surprised by what I found. A waterfall; there was a danu-damned waterfall behind the castle. How had I never seen it?
I would have wondered how I'd never heard it too, but the falls were nearly silent. Water emerged from a fissure high up on the back wall of the cavern and sluiced down the rock in a thin sheet. It rippled into a wide, stone pool below, barely causing any disturbance to the surface. Around the pool's rim was a wooden deck with a pulley system at one end. Buckets sat below the pulley, which were obviously used to gather water. Moss outlined a path that led to the deck, but other than that, there was very little greenery; there simply wasn't enough soil for it.
I walked forward, fascinated by my discovery, not even noticing that Raza wasn't there. It wasn't until I stood upon the wooden deck, staring down at the jewel-lined bottom of the pool, that I realized my mistake. I bent closer to the water to admire the smooth gems glowing beneath the still surface and felt the fairy come up beside me.
I frowned as he crouched next to me and gave me a sideways smile. I was about to push him into the water and run back to the castle—suspecting that it had all been a trap—when his scent hit me. Toasted marshmallows roasted over a campfire; sweet and smoky. I'd know that scent anywhere.
“I may have had ulterior motives,” he purred. “I've been watching you for awhile.”
“Have you?” I asked casually, trying my best to keep from smiling.
Did Raza really think I wouldn't recognize him? I took a deep breath; yep, there it was: Eau de dragon.
“You're a queen now; you can take as many consorts as you wish.”
“I hadn't thought of that,” I said with a note of interest.
His eyes widened but he controlled the movement quickly.
“Are you offering to fill the position?” I lowered my voice and leaned into him.
Raza's fake face fell completely, no amount of control could get his flirty smile back.
“I love your hair.” I slid my fingers through his hair, and he flinched.
Then I pounced, grabbing him as I pushed us both into the pool. We surfaced together, and I wrapped my body around his tightly. Before he could say anything, I kissed him. Despite his anger, Raza couldn't resist the kiss. He pulled me tighter and swept his tongue over mine viciously. When we finally eased apart, we were both breathing rapidly.
“Sorry; you don't make the cut,” I said callously as I pushed out of his arms.
“What?” He snarled, more of his natural voice coming through.
“You're just not as hot as my dragon,” I tossed over my shoulder.
“The fuck I'm not!”
“Your skin is pale instead of midnight”—I kept wading toward the deck—“your body isn't nearly big enough; nor is your”—I looked pointedly down—“and I don't like the way you kiss.”
Raza stood and sputtered in his glamour.
“Wasn't that what you wanted to hear?” I stopped and turned abruptly, lifting a brow at him. “Raza?”
His expression shifted immediately into one of rueful irritation. Then he shimmered and shifted back into his normal form.
“How did you know?” Raza asked as he waded over to me.
“First of all,” I purred as I slid into his arms, “no unseelie man would be foolish enough to approach me like that. At least not in Craos-Teine with you in attendance. Second; I smelled you, Dragon.”
“You scented me?” His eyes flashed fire. “I didn't realize that your senses were so keen.”
“I may not have your dragon sniffer,” I scoffed and then kissed him softly, “but I have a nose. And don't ever do that again. You know I don't want anyone else.”
“At first, it was just supposed to be a prank,” he admitted. “Then, I thought I'd test you a little.”
“Did I pass your test?” I asked him.
“Not in the way I'd hoped,” he grumbled. “But yes, you've passed.”
“Excellent,” I purred as I rubbed up against him. “Then maybe we can make use of this pool.”
“We drink this water, Seren!” Raza looked horrified.
“So, that's a no?”
“No.” Raza picked me up and carried me out of the pool. “It's a 'we need to change the location.' Besides, I don't want you to catch a chill.”
“Then we'd best get me out of these wet clothes,” I said with all seriousness.
“Now that, I agree with.” Raza smiled wickedly as he rushed back into the castle with me.
Chapter Ten
That evening, I received an urgent scry from High Councilman Murdock. Another fairy ring had sprouted in the same park as the last, but the Extinguishers on ring duty hadn't known about it until a second child went missing. This time, it was a seven-year-old boy. It turned my blood cold despite Raza's assurances that the child would be well cared for. Taking a kid away from their parents was abusive enough; to both the child and the parents.
I told Murdock that I'd send someone to check on Torquil and Conri, and see if there had been any movement in the Elven Enclave. But I was certain that one of my knights would have twilighted through the nearby rath to report to me if they had discovered anything. Which likely meant that the elves were off the hook. I wasn't at all surprised by that. Just because the fairy suspect had run into the elf village and disappeared, it didn't make him an elf. There were other types of magic that could hide someone, and I was betting that one of them even worked against barghests.
“You've thought of something.” Murdock's gaze intensified.
“The fairy we pursued went invisible,” I told him. “Not such an unusual thing. But then our barghests lost his scent entirely—and that is unusual. Enough so that I think I may be able to research magic with such an ability.”
“It's worth a shot,” Murdock agreed. “The human police have shut down the park as a crime scene; per our instruction, of course. Hopefully, that will help. Did you want to investigate the site again?”
“I know it's probably futile,” I admitted, “but I do. I don't think we can risk leaving any stone unturned.”
“Figuratively and literally.” Murdock grimaced. “Okay; I'll let the police know to expect you.”
“Thank you, Councilman,” I said. “I'll report back as soon as I finish with the park.”
“Thank you, Ambassador.” Murdock sighed deeply and added, “We're lucky to have you. Without you, we'd have no hope of recovering these people. I want you to know that we know that, Seren.”
“I'm glad to be of service,” I said softly.
Murdock nodded gruffly and wiped the crystal clear.
“We heading back to Salem?” Cleary asked.
My Guard—those who weren't King of Seelie or watching over an elf village—had j
oined me at Craos-Teine. I saw the rest of them standing behind Cleary in the hallway, crowding around the doorway to Raza's study. Everyone looked grim and ready for some action. I turned to look at Raza.
“I've had no word back from the search parties,” Raza said. “Go and do what you need to do, Ambassador, and I'll scry you when I do.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” I said sweetly as I got up to give him a goodbye kiss.
Cat yipped.
“Yes, we're going back to Salem,” I said to them all.
Chapter Eleven
We were already past the twilight hour in Unseelie, so we walked down to the nearby rath and used the In-Between to travel to the outskirts of the elf village. There, we found Torquil and Conri intently watching the elves from two different vantage points. They hadn't seen anyone coming into, or going out of, the village. They were both exhausted from their long watch, so I told them to use the rath to return to Twilight for a much-deserved nap. The rest of my Guard went with Cat and me through the rath to Liam's house.
The Rath Lord came out to greet us. “Back so soon?”
“There's been another abduction,” I informed him.
“No one but you and your Guard has walked my rath since yesterday,” Liam swore.
“Which means that the abductor has another way to get the humans into Fairy,” I noted. “We're going to investigate the latest ring. Keep your guard up, Liam, and thank you for your assistance.”
“My pleasure, Your Highness.” Liam bowed. “Can I give you a ride to the park? I think the rath will be okay for a few minutes.”
We all piled into Liam's truck—most of us in the bed—and he drove us to the latest crime scene. The police let us pass with a respectful nod. They'd been told that we were specialists working with the FBI. The FBI was the HC's (the Human Council's) go to cover for missions, so I wasn't surprised that we got the cover as their specialists. Hey, whatever worked.
Liam dropped us off at the scene and headed back home immediately. Being a rath guardian didn't require a twenty-four-seven presence at the location. Mainly, it was enough to have the rath protected from humans by being located on private property. But under these circumstances, the Rath Lord needed to stay put and look after things in a more hands-on manner.
Gradh watched him go with a longing look.
“Really?” I asked her. “What about Conri?”
“As if Conri won't go wandering,” Gradh huffed. “I have no illusions about our relationship.”
“Fair enough,” I said casually. “But, he doesn't seem to be wandering yet, and isn't that a bit of a record for Conri?”
“Perhaps.” She smiled softly.
“Then perhaps you shouldn't push him into it.” I nudged her shoulder with mine. “Unless his loyalty is making you nervous.”
“Maybe a little,” she whispered. “I know this isn't the time.” She looked around at the rest of the Guard, who were already searching for clues. “But since you brought it up; I thought Conri was going to be ...”
“A good time for a short time?” I asked with a grin.
“Yes, exactly.” She grimaced. “Then things began to feel different.”
“How so?”
“He started looking at me in a softer way.” She shrugged. “I don't know; it just feels more... real.”
“And you don't know if you want to get real with a barghest?” I asked carefully, putting no inflection into my words.
“Yes and no,” she said. “I don't care what race he is, but his nature will lead him astray eventually.”
“He's a hound dog,” I agreed, “but when a dog gives you his heart, he's loyal to the end. And I know Conri wants to be loyal. He's been looking for something that can last forever. If you want that too, don't let his nature dissuade you. Just go with it, and see where life takes you. Maybe you get to love each other for a year, maybe forever, but neither option is bad. Sometimes the best relationships are the shortest ones.”
“Thank you,” Gradh said sincerely, then gave me a quick hug.
“You're welcome.” I eased back. “Now, let's see what we can do about this situation.”
“Indeed.” Gradh headed out to look the site over.
“Hey, where's Cat?” I asked.
Everyone stopped and looked around.
“There she is!” Cleary pointed and then started running.
We all followed Cleary following Cat. They took us out to the road, then down it. When it looked as if Cat was going to keep running, I called her back.
“How far is it, Cat?” I asked her.
She whined.
“That far, huh?” I looked around, briefly considering asking one of the cops for a ride, but I had a feeling it was going to be a hell of a trip. “Hold, on.” I pulled out my cell phone. “I'm calling us a cab.”
“Oh, can we uber?” Ainsley asked.
I blinked, rolled my eyes, and then realized that we were close to a council house. I dialed extinguisher assistance. Yes, we have our own operator. I mean; they have their own operator since I wasn't really an—
“Extinguisher Assistance, how may I direct your call?”
“I need to be connected to the Salem, Oregon Council House,” I told her.
“One moment please.”
Muzak started playing as she put me on hold.
“The Council House?” Gradh asked.
“This is an extinguisher issue.” I shrugged. “We might as well let them cart us around.”
“Fair enough.” Gradh chuckled.
I spoke to a councilman and was assured that they'd be happy to send a couple of SUVs out to us. It took barely ten minutes for them to arrive, so they must have been nearby. After we climbed in, I was especially glad I hadn't called a cab. I took the passenger seat, and Cat sat between my legs with her front half in my lap. She was in her doggy glamour, so that wouldn't have startled a human driver, but a cabby might find it strange that my dog needed to hang her head out the window so she could tell us what direction to drive in. Our extinguisher driver had no problem with it; just another day for him.
Seriously; it was beginning to feel like Cat was doing a better job hunting our quarry than we were.
The other reason it turned out well that we hadn't taken a cab—or an uber—was that we had to drive over two hours to the coast. We ended up in a wildlife refuge, and Cat led us all the way to the beach. The trail ended at the shore. We stood staring at the water as a horrible possibility took hold. Even our extinguisher driver knew what a trail ending in ocean meant. The humans had either been transported somewhere by boat, or they'd been taken by sea fairies. There weren't any docks in the refuge, and as much as it was possible that a smaller boat had been used for transport, I knew that the most likely scenario was that the sea fey were involved. Which meant that all of my kingdom searches would prove unproductive.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
Cat whined.
“What Court is closest to Oregon?” One of our extinguisher drivers asked. “What Dragon Court, I mean.”
“Yeah, we know what you meant,” Cleary muttered.
“Neither are nearby,” Gradh answered for us. “But the closest would be the one that aligns with Alaska.”
“The Court of the Nine Sons,” I said grimly as I stared at the water.
Chapter Twelve
We drove back to the rath and walked the In-Between to the Hallow. We needed to rest, but I figured that we could borrow a few bunks from the Casters for the night. I needed to know that Killian was okay, and I also wanted to speak to the witches about their interaction with the Sons—the dragons who may or may not be involved with the missing persons case.
I'd been to the Hallow a few times before, so I directed our walk into Killian's bedroom. I thought it would be better than all of us showing up in the middle of a caster courtyard unannounced. It's never a good idea to startle witches; especially witches with blended magics.
But I didn't consider that Killian wasn't expecti
ng us either... and it was the middle of the night.
We reformed right at the foot of his bed. The lights were out, but moonlight poured in through the window, illuminating Killian's body... his naked body. Killian was half Flame witch, so he didn't need blankets, not even in Alaska; his body temperature ran hot. He also liked to sleep on his back with limbs spread out. As if his body wasn't big enough to begin with, Killian had to extend it... and give us all a nice eyeful.
“Sweet Mother,” Gradh whispered.
The poor thing; it was like the Goddess herself was testing Gradh's commitment to Conri.
“Oh, come on!” Ainsley whined as he held a hand up to block the view of Killian's magnificent physique.
Cat looked back and forth between the Guard and Killian, trying to figure what the big deal was.
“Everyone out,” I whispered as Killian stirred. “Hurry. Yes, you can stay, Cat. Everyone else; give us a few minutes, and then we'll come out and find all of you some rooms for the night.”
“That's all he takes?” Ainsley asked as he left the room. “A few minutes? I had higher hopes for Killian after seeing what he was working with.”
“Ainsley”—I pointed in his face—“you need to stop letting Conri influence your personality.”