Fae

by Jennifer Bene

  That was the other part of her internal debate.

  Could she really hold him accountable for the things he’d done when he didn’t remember half of them, let alone been in control of himself? It didn’t seem right. And he was so unfailingly kind. Not just to her, but to strangers, to mortals like Elsie.

  For all his darkness, he wasn’t doing such a bad job of being human either, and if he could recognize that and respect that in her… she could do the same for him. She could give him a chance, Laochra or not, to be a friend. Hadn’t that been what Ebere had asked her to do? To open up and let someone in?

  “What sounds better to you – Jurassic Park or Indiana Jones?” Kiernan leaned on the doorframe of the kitchen holding two DVD cases.

  Fae laughed. “I have no idea what those are.”

  “Right, I know, but what sounds more interesting? Dinosaurs rampaging across an island or a guy searching for ancient artifacts and getting in all kinds of trouble?”

  “Um, dinosaurs?” She looked at him like he was ridiculous, but then he grinned broadly in his excitement.

  “Gods, you’re going to love this. It’s incredible! The things mortals can do with computers, I swear, they look real. You won’t believe it!” He walked back into the living room and called back towards her, “Hurry up with the dishes, Glowworm. We have pop culture to catch you up on.”

  “Shut up! I almost had you at the end, you got lucky.” She knew it was a lie, but it was fun to hear him burst into laughter in the other room. She couldn’t wipe her own grin off her face, and she decided to stop trying to fight it.

  Fae had promised she’d try to make a friend, and if her friend happened to be an immortal warrior from the wrong side of her pantheon? Well, so be it.

  She was going to watch dinosaurs fight things.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Seattle, Washington

  Three weeks.

  Three weeks of living with Fae.

  It had started out rough – no, it had started out miserably with the attempt to kill him – but it had gotten so much better. There had been a week of awkwardness, of getting her set up for a normal life. A week of showing her pieces of his life, and pieces of the mortal world she had never had the chance to experience.

  Since then, there had been nights where Elsie had surprised them with dinner, and when Fae was out of the room Elsie had grilled Kiernan on whether or not she was finally his ‘someone special’. No matter how many times he denied it Elsie kept smiling and saying she knew.

  There were days where they did nothing but lounge around and read without talking, except to insist that the other person read a particular paragraph. There had been long arguments about characters and plots and whether their choices had been wrong or right. Some nights had been intense conversation about life, the universe, and everything in between. Even when she raised her voice, arguing passionately for her opinion and driving him crazy in the process – he loved it. She kept up with him, and there were times she made points that stymied him into silence. The little victorious grin that would creep over her lips made him groan outwardly, but inside it was like he’d won something precious.

  His cleaning lady, Martha, had come twice and both times been shocked by Fae’s presence. Their first encounter had been interesting, and had required Kiernan dragging Fae out of the apartment for coffee while explaining clearly that Martha cleaned houses as a job and was not a slave of any kind. Fae had insisted on watching him pay her, and the sweet woman had repeated his own explanations in the kind of voice usually reserved for the mentally handicapped. Kiernan had just been grateful that Fae hadn’t drawn a weapon on him during that particular exchange.

  They had also tended the community garden, cooked meals, ate together, drank a lot together, and in one ill-conceived plan almost destroyed Kiernan’s beloved Land Rover when he thought he could teach Fae to drive in a single afternoon. That was going to take a lot more time, and it would be a while before he forgot the frightened little screech she’d let out just before she’d slammed on the brakes. The last time he’d brought it up she’d nailed him in the back with a coaster.

  Yeah, it had been three weeks, three amazing weeks where his life wasn’t empty. It felt like they were slowly settling into a routine, and that was what worried him. He didn’t know how Fae saw the situation, or what they should call each other – could he even claim the title of friend after all the years he’d left her suffering and alone?

  Maybe not.

  He did know that he felt happy, and whole, for the first time in his immortal life, and even if they never named this, he wanted it to go on forever. Kiernan shifted the pan in front of him, then bumped it sharply to flip the pancake. As he was setting it down he saw the faint glow appear on the floor under him just before his legs collapsed beneath him.

  “Ha! I got you!” Fae laughed, grabbed his wrist, and twisted his arm behind his back until his shoulder screamed and he groaned aloud. Ah yes, they’d also spent a lot of time sparring and Fae was enjoying it profusely. Kiernan was trapped on the floor and his narrow galley kitchen didn’t allow for much maneuvering, especially with his broad shoulders. Turning his head to see her grinning broadly above him, the red in her hair lighting up from the remnants of Eltera’s power, he couldn’t help but smile. Getting his head back into the moment he assessed her stance and her hold on him and quickly kicked one foot into her left ankle. Fae saw it coming and shifted her weight to her right foot, ensuring his strike didn’t do much more than bruise her.

  “You know, Fae, this is not usually how people say thank you for making breakfast.” Kiernan tried to maneuver, but the pressure on his arm and shoulder limited him. Fae had thought this one out. He tapped the cabinet with his other hand, acknowledging her win, and she let go of him and bounced on her feet. She was practically dancing in place with her glee at winning when he rolled over, and she extended a hand to help him up, which he took.

  “I had to get you back for ambushing me when I was reading. Not playing fair.” Fae raised her eyebrows up, daring him to argue that. He tried to hide his grin by turning back to the stove.

  “You said you wanted to practice with swords again.” Kiernan was struggling to keep his voice level, but the edge of his laughter was creeping in.

  “I don’t think I ever said I’d like to have a sword tossed at me seconds before you tried to take my head off with one.” Fae crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway to the kitchen as the glow of her skin faded.

  “Next time be more specific, Glowworm.” He couldn’t hide his grin anymore and she took the chance to deliver a sharp kick to the back of his right knee that would have sent him to the ground again if he hadn’t seen it coming. “You’re energetic this morning. I would have thought an eight mile run and all of that wine would have you a little slower today.”

  “Not a chance.” Fae winked at him and looked down at the plate Kiernan had already filled with pancakes. She snagged it and walked over to the table to set it down at the spot that had become hers over the last few weeks. With a roll of his eyes Kiernan made himself more, and in a few minutes they had glasses of juice, butter and syrup on the table. He watched Fae slather her pancakes in butter and dig in. Kiernan dumped syrup on his until the plate threatened to spill some over the sides, and then dove in.

  Sometimes he didn’t even notice how different things had become with Fae there, it was a slow transition to a new normal that felt right. No more sitting alone in his apartment trying to remember the past, or forget it, or – to be honest – watching Fae through the glass. Instead she was here, with him, smiling, laughing, and periodically attempting to kick his ass. He wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

  “So what’s the plan today?” Kiernan was watching Fae devour breakfast while using a ruler to keep the book she was reading open. At the rate she was moving through his library he’d have to go with her to a bookstore soon. She looked over at him, the tiny furrow between her eyebrows appearing as she started
thinking of an answer. For the thousandth time he had the urge to reach out and run his thumb over that little wrinkle, or tuck her hair behind her ear, or kiss her. He stopped himself from thinking about it and reminded himself he was happy with how things were, no need to ruin it by thinking with his cock.

  “Ummm.” Fae swallowed a mouthful of pancake and looked up from her book. “I don’t care really, but I do want a rematch on swords today. I still say yesterday wasn’t a fair go of it.”

  “Yes, you’re right. All people who want to kill you will politely ask if you have a moment for them to attack you first.” He grinned, and she kicked him under the table.

  “Jerk.”

  “Aww, still a sore loser, Glowworm? It’s okay, I’d be happy to help you brush the dust off your swordplay some more.” That earned him a glare, but she was stifling a smile. She liked the banter as much as he did, so when she lunged for him and he pushed back out of her reach, her frustrated scream just made him laugh.

  “I’m grabbing a shower. Don’t watch the next episode without me, okay?” She stabbed her fork into her last bite, and then took her plate into the kitchen to set it in the sink. When she walked past him towards his room she smiled at him so he knew she wasn’t really mad. He had already showered that morning, so after he cleaned up the dishes he sat down at his desk and opened his laptop. Even though the nightmares were less frequent now, he still didn’t sleep easy and was always up before her.

  “Four hundred e-mails? By the gods…” Kiernan hadn’t even looked at his inbox since Fae had arrived and now he was regretting it. There were e-mail blasts from Eryn who had adopted the basics of technology in order to keep in touch with the Laochra that left the nest – mostly invites for raids in war torn parts of the world. Fifty of the e-mails were from Cole, mostly links to funny internet videos or articles, but a good chunk of them were requests to hang out again. He wouldn’t be able to ignore them forever, but a little while longer wouldn’t hurt. Between those two there were updates on his portfolios, his real estate holdings, his annual donations to charities, and a lot of spam mail. He was still going through it when Fae stepped out of his hallway, she had black yoga pants on that made her legs look incredibly long and a light green top that hung a little loose on her delicate shoulders. He wanted to jump to attention when she walked into a room, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted. Making sure he wasn’t staring he tried his best to smile casually. She had called him out for staring too many times.

  “On your computer?” Fae’s hair was still a little damp and she was using her hands to finger comb it. She hadn’t put on make-up or high heels or jewelry - and she was perfect.

  “Yeah, trying to check in on the real world and see what I’ve missed.” He clicked on another set of advertisement e-mails and hit the delete key. She walked over to him and leaned on the desk to see his screen. Kiernan studiously glued his eyes to the laptop and not the gentle curve of her back as she leaned forward.

  “Are they going to come looking for you again? The others?” Her question made him look at her.

  “Cole and Eryn?” Kiernan opened up the e-mail folder he used to keep all of the Laochra communications. “I don’t know, I’ll have to go see Cole eventually just to calm him down, and if I see him he’ll probably keep Eryn at bay.”

  “When would you need to do that?” Fae stood back up and the furrow between her brows was back as she scanned the titles of the e-mails.

  “In a week or so.” He slowly shut the lid of the laptop until it clicked. “I don’t really want to think about that today though.”

  “Okay, next episode then?” She gave him a small smile and he nodded. Turning on her heel she dashed into the living room with an agility and grace that would have made mortal ballet dancers green with envy, but Fae didn’t even seem aware.

  “I knew it was her!” The look of victory on Fae’s face was priceless, they had been discussing the series finale of the latest show they were binge-watching. For the last thirty minutes they had argued back and forth, and she still wouldn’t admit the twist in the last episode had surprised her.

  “Sure, you did.” Kiernan didn’t even care whether she had known or not, but it was fun to prod her. Like seeing if a pup was going to bite you if you ruffled its fur too much.

  “I did!” She insisted again which just made him laugh. They were each sitting at one end of the couch where they had taken up watching movies and television shows he thought she’d like. Fae reached behind her and dug around in the drawer of the end table, when she sat back up he saw a flash of silver and caught the throwing dagger on instinct. It would have been a very irritating hole in his shoulder had he missed. Apparently this pup was showing its teeth today.

  “Really, Fae?” He waggled the dagger back and forth, and she grinned wildly. “Alright, if that’s how you want to play. Let’s go with bigger blades, eh?”

  “Sounds great.” She pushed herself up and grabbed the sword that hung above the couch. Kiernan couldn’t help but smile as he got up and went to his room to grab another. Changing into athletic pants so he’d be able to respond quickly if she went hand to hand, he pulled off his socks for better traction. When he came back into the living room Fae had coiled her hair into a bun, and had already moved the TV stand over and pushed the kitchen table against the wall. Her smile was huge as she balanced on bare feet with the sword poised over her shoulder. Of everything about her, this was the hottest part. The warrior who didn’t show an ounce of fear looking at him. The one who had spit in his face the day he’d brought her here, even when he had her pinned to the floor. She looked him in the eye, and actually smirked at him.

  Full grown men had run from him on a battlefield, and this girl bared her teeth.

  “Ready?” Kiernan let his eyes wander over her curves, he wasn’t so much checking her out as identifying any weak points she may have today, or at least that’s what he told himself even as his cock twitched in his pants.

  “Ready.” She was excited at the idea of a fight. Eltera hadn’t been wrong when she’d chosen Fae for a warrior, it was in her blood to have a weapon in her hands. As he watched her he noticed her gaze didn’t stay at his either, and he almost called her out on her wandering eyes but decided to let the sparring session speak for itself. They stepped towards each other and immediately started circling to warm up their foot work.

  “Want to start with high or low blocks?” He asked while keeping his sword up and ready to react if she struck first.

  “High blocks, your reach is longer than mine and it’s good practice.” Her eyes were tracking his movements too, every muscle tick drew her eyes to it. She was as fast as he was, as strong as he was, as immortal as he was – and that meant they didn’t have to hold back. He shifted right but brought the sword down hard towards her left side. She didn’t fall for the feint and reacted by bringing her sword into the side of his and knocking it away. When she spun he kicked out to try and trip her, and she jumped his foot. He almost didn’t have his sword back in position when her blade came back at his chest. They were close together for a moment, both of their breathing still even, before they pushed off and stepped back.

  Circling again, like predators. This time Fae acted first stepping to the side and then going low for a thrust that would have gone through his stomach if he hadn’t jumped back, he brought his sword up to knock hers away and returned with a slash towards her shoulder.

  Blocked.

  Fae’s grin wasn’t fading, and Kiernan could feel his cheeks starting to ache with how hard he was smiling. This was fun.

  “Enjoying yourself?” He pushed his left hand through his hair to keep it off his forehead while he kept his eyes on Fae. The apartment was warm since the heat was on and he was already starting to sweat.

  “Absolutely.” Her voice made it clear she was enjoying herself. Next came a side slash that he knocked away before he returned a low strike, and then he shifted it into a high strike when she blocked it. The pace of the fight in
creased with no more circling and pauses between.

  High, low, low, side, high, leg sweep.

  Block, block, block, block, block, and she saw the sweep coming.

  The clanging of the swords and the swish of the metal coming apart was a sound he never thought he’d enjoy, but he was. He laughed when she moved in close and delivered a sharp elbow to his ribs on his right side, but he returned it with a hard body shot that sent her to the ground. They were both rubbing bruised areas and grinning. Kiernan held his hand up to signal that they would pause, and he rested his sword against his leg to pull his soaked shirt over his head, with a tiny section of dry cloth he wiped off his face.

  The apartment was way too hot for this.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Seattle, Washington

  Fae knew she should get up, but despite the fact that she had a very bruised tailbone from a rough landing, she really wasn’t minding the view. When Kiernan stretched to pull his shirt off, the muscles of his stomach rolled under his skin, the lines that marked them shifting and stretching with his movements. Then it was off and he rolled his broad shoulders to relieve the strain of the sparring session. The dark lines of the vines were a little over halfway up his bicep, and she knew he’d have to take care of those soon because they were much too close to the dark sword shape over his heart.

  The mark of Gormahn.

  It no longer surprised her that she cared about his safety. After all, he cared about hers. She didn’t want him to get hurt. Especially not because he was so busy keeping her safe that he wasn’t taking care of himself. Well, unless she was the one hurting him, then she didn’t mind at all.

  Snapping herself back she met his eyes again only to find his cocky grin. He knew where her eyes had been.

  Dammit.

  “Ready to keep going, or do you need a bandage for your ribs?” Fae taunted him, but he just laughed and pointed down at her.