Ridiculous and somehow gorgeous. Anger looked good on him. Was that why history remembered him as a lord who, out of anger, took on the entire establishment—and won (at least for a while)?
“They won’t be fine. You don’t know what you’re asking, Meg. The Fates need someone to go into Faerie. Sending these infants into Faerie would be like sending three mice into a pride of lions. You can’t do that. The Faeries would steal their magic within five minutes and maybe take their souls. And then what would their father do to you? You can’t. You just can’t.”
He was concerned for her. She could feel it. He would have spoken up if someone else had suggested the plan, but the emotion, the vehemence, was all because he worried about her.
She felt oddly flattered, and knew that she couldn’t let her own emotions rise too much to the surface. She would lose her ability to help the girls.
“I’m willing to go to this Faerie place,” Crystal said.
“Me, too,” Brittany said.
But Tiffany had grown pale. “The old Fates need something in Faerie? Why?”
Megan shrugged. “They say it’ll help them.”
“What’s wrong with Faerie?” Crystal asked Tiffany.
“I’ve heard it’s kinda wicked cool,” Brittany said.
“They’ve been at war with us for centuries,” Tiffany said. “Didn’t you guys pay attention in Mrs. Sawtooth’s History of the Magical Universe class?”
“Were we supposed to?” Crystal asked.
“Girls,” Megan said. She put just a little harshness into her voice. “We were talking about the plan.”
“Yeah, but Tiff’s worried about it.” Brittany spit out her gum and stuck it underneath her lawn chair.
The movement made Megan wince.
“The hottie’s right,” Tiffany said. “We’d go in there, and they’d win. The Faeries would take on Daddy and he’d have to come for us…”
Her voice trailed off. Megan read the expression almost as the thought crossed Tiffany’s mind. Their father might not come for them at all, and that would be even worse.
It would prove that he really didn’t care about them, that he had been using them all along.
Crystal and Brittany were staring at Tiffany, waiting for her to finish the thought.
Rob came up behind Megan and pulled her to her feet. “We’re going to leave now.”
“No,” she said. “I promised to help these girls.”
“We will.” His voice was tight and angry.
“We can’t go into Faerie,” Crystal said. “Not if Tiff’s afraid of it.”
“Tiff’s really our brains,” Brittany said. “We tease her because she, like, likes books even though she says she doesn’t but we need her because we’d be really dumb without her.”
Somehow, Megan managed not to wince at that.
“We’ll help you,” Rob said, and there was sincerity in his voice. His hand still clutched Megan’s arm, his fingers a bit too tight against her skin. “If we bring Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos back here, and they’ve already regained their magic, will you three step down?”
“Daddy won’t like that.” Tiffany’s entire body radiated fear.
Megan wanted to shake off Rob’s hand, but she didn’t. She didn’t want to do anything that would alarm the girls. Instead, she willed herself calm, and said:
“See, this is where you have to decide if you want to live your life or the life your father chose for you.”
The girls looked at each other. Crystal and Brittany seemed hopeful, but it was clear they were waiting for Tiffany to make the decision.
Poor girl. She had been in charge from the moment their father dragged them here.
“What you have to make certain of,” Megan said, as gently and nonjudgmentally as she could, “is that what you want and what your father wants is in your own best interest.”
“I can’t stand talking in order like this,” Crystal said.
“And we never get to leave this library,” Brittany said. “It sucks. That’s why Daddy brought the pool.”
“He brought the pool to insult us,” Tiffany said through clenched teeth. “He promised us a beach on the Mediterranean if we did everything right. This is no beach.”
He was manipulating them, using them, and insulting them. Megan felt anger rise inside her. She tamped it down. She had to remain neutral.
But Rob’s eyes had narrowed. The anger fairly sparked off him.
“You girls have to make a decision,” he said. Megan wanted to elbow him, but it was too late. He’d already butted in. She couldn’t stop him from doing more. “The thing is, you have to make it fast, because we’re leaving.”
“We can’t, like, think about it and summon you back?” Crystal asked.
“No,” Rob said.
Megan was actually glad he’d answered that question because she still had no idea how most of the magic rules worked. Her sympathy rose for the girls. They had no idea how most of the magic rules worked, either, and yet they were ostensibly in charge of it all.
“We can get you back if we want to,” Brittany said defiantly. “Right, Tiff?”
Tiffany didn’t answer her. She was watching Rob.
“If you girls won’t agree,” he said, “we’ll come up with a new plan. And you will probably end up as the Fates, if that’s truly what your father wants for you.”
Rob wasn’t shabby at manipulation, either.
“What if we tell Daddy about you?” Tiffany said, clutching her knees to her chest. She wasn’t wearing bikini bottoms.
Megan wanted to chastise her for that, but didn’t. Perhaps the girl had never learned modesty.
Rob shrugged. Apparently he didn’t notice Tiffany’s lack of attire. “If you tell your father, I’m sure he’ll have something to say to us. We’ll deal with it. I’ve handled worse.”
That was bravado. Megan heard it in his voice. She wondered if the girls did, too.
“You know, that’s kinda mean, Tiff,” Crystal said.
“Yeah,” Brittany said. “They offered to help.”
“You think they’re doing it for us?” Tiffany turned her head so that her cheek rested on her knee. Megan could no longer see her face. “They’re doing it for those other Fates. They don’t care about us.”
“Those Fates helped kill the love of my life,” Rob said. “I have no desire to help them.”
“And I just met them,” Megan said.
“We only came here at the request of a friend, because she thought that things were out of control.” Rob let go of Megan’s elbow, and slipped his arm around her back, pulling her close. He was going to leave soon, whether those girls wanted it or not. She could just tell.
“Things are out of control,” Crystal mumbled.
“Daddy says they never were in control,” Brittany said.
“But those other women, they could stand up to Daddy.” Tiffany’s voice was muffled. She still wasn’t looking at anyone. “We sure can’t.”
“It takes practice,” Megan said.
Tiffany nodded but didn’t move.
“We’ll step down,” Crystal said. “I promise.”
Brittany looked at her, eyes wide. Tiffany raised her head.
“You didn’t ask Tiff,” Brittany said.
“Yeah, who put you in charge?” Tiffany sounded offended.
“You weren’t making any decisions,” Crystal said. “I know I can stand up to Daddy. Can you?”
Brittany’s eyes grew even wider. They looked like they were going to pop out of her head. Rob’s arm grew tight around Megan’s waist. She slipped her own arm around his.
The entire room was full of fear.
“I don’t know if I can,” Brittany whispered.
“None of us can.” Tiffany lowered her head.
“I can,” Crystal said, “and it takes three of us to be Fates, right, Mr. Hottie?”
“Right,” Rob said, and Megan suppressed a smile. She bet he’d never been called Mr. Hottie b
efore in his life.
“So you’re quitting?” Brittany asked.
Crystal nodded.
“Until Daddy shows up,” Tiffany said.
“Even then.” Crystal squared her shoulders and looked directly at Megan. “Can you guys hurry up about this getting those other Fates their magic stuff back? Because I don’t know how long these two can keep a secret.”
This time, Megan did smile. The girls did work as a team. They just didn’t recognize it yet.
“I think they’ll surprise you,” Megan said.
“But yes, we’ll hurry up,” Rob said. Then he snapped his fingers, and the library disappeared.
Twenty
Rob’s Las Vegas office had never looked so welcome. He appeared on the two-toned rug, his arm around Megan’s back and her arm around him. The trip had been so quick that she hadn’t even had time to grab on tighter like she had before.
She blinked in surprise. Apparently, she hadn’t expected to come here.
But he wanted the magical trail to end here, particularly if Zeus were pursuing them. The entire interaction with the Interim Fates had terrified Rob—and he couldn’t remember ever being terrified before.
“Is Kyle still here?” Megan was getting used to interdimensional travel, but it still clearly unnerved her.
“I told John to take him back to wherever the dog was. I recall there was dog emergency.” That conversation seemed like a long, long time ago.
So much had happened since then. So many dangerous things.
Megan had had no idea what she was playing with, advising the Interim Fates to defy their father. This was nothing like advising some rich Hollywood brat to defy the head of a major studio.
Zeus had real power, life-destroying power, and no qualms about using it.
And, apparently, no Fates to get in his way.
“Then what are we doing here?” Megan slipped her arm from him, pushed her hair away from her face, and sighed. She looked drained. Being calm for those children had taken something out of her.
“Laying a false trail.” Rob went to his desk. Since he was here, he might as well get his car keys. No sense in using magic when he didn’t have to.
“A false trail. From those children?”
“From their father.”
“Zeus.” Megan shook her head. “He sounds like quite a piece of work.”
“He is that, all right.” Rob wasn’t going to try to explain Zeus to her, at least no more than he already had. If she didn’t have an inkling about Zeus from her mythology and cultural history classes, then trying to teach her in a few hours wouldn’t work.
Besides, she’d had enough shocks for one day.
Rob’s keys were beneath a stack of papers that a secretary must have put on his desk. He glanced at them. Three more CEOs had pledged money to a fund they thought would bring in more oil from the Middle East. Instead, the money went to a corporation named for a major oil baron, a corporation that helped children eat.
“Do you think John took my car?” Megan asked. “Because if he didn’t, I’d like to go back to the hotel.”
Rob looked up. She was studying his face as if she wasn’t sure of him any longer.
He wasn’t sure of himself, either. He always went to an intellectual position when faced with danger. He would separate from his emotions, move to a tactical place, and then live there until the danger passed.
Only there was no way to know when this danger would pass.
“Are you all right?” she asked gently.
“Fine,” he said, and the word sounded curter than he wanted. He wanted to speak to her tenderly, to ease that emotional roller coaster she’d been on. But he felt very far away from his own emotions at the moment. He had no idea how to reach hers.
“The car?” she prompted.
“I’m sure he didn’t take the car,” Rob said.
“Good.” She headed toward the door, then stopped when she put her hand on the knob. “It’s been…unusual.”
She was going to leave. As quickly as she had appeared, she was going to leave. As if there were nothing between them.
Had he imagined that? Or was it all on his side?
“I’m coming with you,” he said.
“No,” she said. “That’s fine.”
In the past, he would have let a woman get away with that sentence. But this wasn’t the past, and she wasn’t just any woman. He didn’t want her to leave.
Besides, they had unfinished business.
“I told Zoe we’d meet her at your hotel, remember?” Rob said.
He wanted to tell Megan that he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight, that she was probably in danger from Zeus, that she had probably offended all of the Powers That Be, but he couldn’t. He would sound alarmist and somewhat crazy and more than a little overprotective.
At this point, he had no idea what she thought of him, but he hoped it was none of those things.
“You can just snap yourself there, right?” Megan asked. “Because I have to drive. I can’t afford to stay in that parking garage overnight.”
Snap himself there. What a way to describe it.
“I’d prefer not to use any more magic than I have to,” he said.
She looked skeptical.
“Besides, driving from here to the hotel wouldn’t leave a magical trail.”
“Oh.” Apparently, that convinced her. Not the pleasure of his company, not the warmth of his presence. “I guess you can come then. If you want to leave now.”
She looked pointedly at the papers in his hand. He set them down.
“Now’s fine,” he said.
They were being so oddly formal with each other, as if they didn’t know each other.
Of course, they really didn’t. They hadn’t met before last night—if that even counted in the realm of meeting anyone. After all, they hadn’t had much of a conversation last night, and today, mostly, they’d dealt with the Fates.
He’d only assumed she was as attracted to him as he was to her.
And that was probably a false assumption. Considering his lack of experience with modern women, and considering her ability to turn on the compassion when she needed it, he had probably misread every single signal she’d sent.
“Let’s go then,” she said, and led him out the door.
He followed her through the hallways of his own company. He tried to imagine what it looked like to her. Cubicles and neutral brown walls covered with tasteful prints picked by his interior designer fifty years ago.
Someone had recently told him that those prints were worth money—collector’s value, hard to come by—but he had ignored it. Everything half-a-second old in America was considered an antique. Even the office equipment here, except for the ugly cubicles, of course, and even those were ancient by American standards. He’d bought them at the insistence of his team, almost twenty-five years ago, when the Age of the Cubicle was just beginning.
But Megan didn’t seem to notice any of it—not the art, not the Eames chairs, not the gray, functional desks with the state-of-the-art computers. She didn’t even nod at the employees as she passed them. Instead, she kept her head slightly down and headed toward the stairs and, ultimately, the exit.
Those Interim Fates had called her an empath, and her abilities in that library had seemed uncanny. Now she was acting like an empath as well: in room after room, all filled with emotion, she was walling herself off.
Just like he had done when he had returned from the Interim Fates. He had walled himself off so that he could fight an important battle.
She walled herself off just to get through a crowd.
His heart went out to her again. Did she know that her discomfort around large groups of people came from her natural magic talent? Or did she assign something else the blame?
And how could he explain to her that the abilities she’d shown—the way she had talked to those girls, the profession she had chosen—were as much a part of her as that mind-reading abil
ity was a part of her nephew?
She hurried down the art deco staircase that he had installed against the advice of his first designer, a man he had hired when this building was being built. That man had had no idea that deco was going to be classic; if Rob had taken his advice, the place would be an outmoded curiosity, instead of one of Vegas’ hidden architectural wonders.
He had always gone his own way. Always. Even when he’d fallen in love with Marian.
He’d married her toward the end. But in an era when everyone married, remained chaste, or had mistresses in other towns to hide the bastard children, he had lived in sin with a noblewoman in the forest, no less.
For centuries, everyone had told him to date, and he’d tried on occasion, only to fail.
And now he was falling for an empath nearly eight hundred years his junior who had no idea what kind of windmills she was tilting at.
Was that why he was falling for her? Because she was tilting at windmills?
Hardly anyone did that. The true idealists were as rare as empaths, and just as fragile.
“Megan,” he said, “wait.”
She stopped at the main glass doors. The security guards watched him approach her as if they’d never seen him like this.
Maybe they hadn’t. He felt vulnerable again.
Sometime in that walk from his office to the front of the building, his emotional walls had crumbled.
She looked over her shoulder at him. “Wait for what?”
He didn’t know the answer to that. He just wanted to be beside her. Walking with her, instead of behind her. At her side.
For as long as she would have him.
He didn’t say any of that. He was afraid he would scare her.
“For me,” he said simply. “I just wanted you to wait for me.”
Twenty
Rob’s Las Vegas office had never looked so welcome. He appeared on the two-toned rug, his arm around Megan’s back and her arm around him. The trip had been so quick that she hadn’t even had time to grab on tighter like she had before.
She blinked in surprise. Apparently, she hadn’t expected to come here.
But he wanted the magical trail to end here, particularly if Zeus were pursuing them. The entire interaction with the Interim Fates had terrified Rob—and he couldn’t remember ever being terrified before.
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