Fairy, Neat (Fairy Files Book 6)

by Katharine Sadler

  Frost tensed, but he nodded. I knew he didn’t like this, getting wolfy for a human or revealing any of the secrets of his world.

  “I also, just this morning, had another idea. We should market this campaign in every venue we can, tease the people’s curiosity, if you will. So, we’ll also put the Frosts’ picture on tote bags and coffee mugs, bookmarks and t-shirts, and hint that not only are we welcoming the fae, but the fae are going to be entertaining us with their performances.”

  “Circus,” Mary said. Her cheeks were now fire engine red and she looked angry rather than embarrassed. She drew in a deep breath and sat up a bit straighter. “A sort of classy, mature circus, like cirque du soleil, but designed to showcase the variety of abilities of the fae. That was actually my idea—”

  “Yes,” Dwight said, his tone curt and snotty. “Just as I explained to you this morning, Mary. Thank you for reminding me. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own head and my own ideas, that I fail to express them well.” I didn’t like the way Dwight steam-rolled Mary. I didn’t know either of them, but Mary appeared to be upset and angry, and I believed her that the ideas Dwight was claiming were hers. Very good ideas, in my opinion. Also, Dwight seemed arrogant and rude. I didn’t like the way he looked only at Frost and the mayor when he spoke, like Mary and I weren’t even in the room.

  “We’d prefer to work directly with Mary,” I said. “I imagine Dwight would rather spend time alone in his office, so that he has nothing to distract him from his ideas.”

  “Typically, Dwight would take the lead on this,” Mayor Wood said, his frown severe.

  “And I would feel more comfortable working with Mary,” I said. “At least she looks me in the eye when she speaks to me.”

  Dwight huffed, but said nothing. I wasn’t trying to win any friends in this room and I hated bullies, so I had no regrets about what I’d just said.

  “With all due respect, Mrs. Frost,” Mayor Wood said. “Mary is new to her position and inexperienced. She is here to learn from Dwight.”

  “And yet, she seems to be the source of his good ideas,” I said. “I would prefer to work with her.”

  Mayor Wood looked to Frost and Smitty for help. “I agree,” Frost said. “Chloe and I are on a tight schedule and we would prefer to work directly with Mary.”

  Dwight’s face was so red I was concerned for his health. Mayor Wood looked thoroughly annoyed. It was a risk to piss him off and I could see Smitty shaking his head out of the corner of my eye. We needed the mayor on our side if we were going to make the city safe for the fae, but he needed us on his side, too. Ah, politics.

  “Perhaps it would be best for Mary to handle this,” Mayor Wood said. “I know you’ve been wishing you had more time to devote to the upcoming Bicentennial celebration, Dwight.”

  Dwight stood and left without another word.

  “Now,” Mayor Wood said. “We’d like to take some photographs for our campaign before you two leave our world. We’ve reviewed the contract Mr. Smith had couriered over yesterday and we agree to your terms.”

  That was hardly surprising. Our terms had been simple and straightforward. We wanted a guarantee that the mayor would protect us in the event our campaign led to our personal or professional endangerment. If we lost our jobs as a result of the campaign, the mayor’s office would be held financially responsible. We’d also limited the time we were willing to devote to the campaign. Supporting the cause was important, but Frost and I didn’t want it to consume our entire lives.

  “If you agree to the terms,” Smitty said, “why don’t you have a signed copy of the contract in front of you?” He was leaning back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, and his voice was calm, almost lazy. Only his eyes gave away his intelligence and his suspicion.

  Mayor Wood didn’t flinch or look nervous. It bothered me that nothing seemed to fluster the man. This was the same guy who’d sued me and my club after his wife left him for a member of my staff. I knew he could allow emotion to cloud his judgment, and yet he was smooth and calm, like he felt nothing. Confidence was good, but this guy seemed too at ease, too laid-back. His lackadaisical composure didn’t appear to be false or practiced like Smitty’s was. Either Mayor Wood was a very good actor, or he was certain he had the upper hand in this negotiation.

  “The contract is still with my staff. They want to look over it again before I sign it. I’ve been assured, however, that everything is in place. There’s no reason to wait to begin photographing Mr. And Mrs. Frost.”

  Smitty was silent for so long Mayor Wood must have decided he had nothing to say. He stood and smiled at us, his teeth flashing pearly white. “If you’ll follow me,” he said. “We will begin.”

  “No,” Smitty said. “We’ll do nothing until that contract has been signed and I’ve reviewed it to make sure nothing has been altered.”

  “Altered?” Mayor Wood asked, his cool slipping for just a moment, his eyes flashing with very real anger. “What are you suggesting?”

  “Even in the mountains of West Virginia,” Smitty said. “We have the Internet, Mayor Wood. It seems there have been several cases in the past where people have accused you of breaking contract, but when the matter is taken up with the courts, you are found to be at no fault. At least one plaintiff accused you of changing a contract.”

  “He was crazy,” Mayor Wood said. “The contract we both signed was upheld by the court.”

  “Yes,” Smitty said. “It was. And maybe the man was crazy. Or maybe he was just an idiot for not looking through the contract again before he signed it. I’m not willing to take any such chances with my clients.”

  Mayor Wood stiffened, his anger now clearly visible in his eyes, but restrained in his lazy smile. “It could take all day for them to read through the contract to their satisfaction.”

  Smitty returned Mayor Wood’s lazy smile. “In that case, we will re-schedule this meeting for after Chloe and Aiden have returned from Rubalia.” Smitty stood. “I’ll call you and arrange a meeting after they’ve returned.”

  “We need to start the campaign sooner than that,” Mayor Wood said, his smile fading. “Humans are scared and demanding answers. There was another incident yesterday of humans attacking fae. We need to bring peace to the city.”

  I looked at Frost to see if he’d heard anything about an attack, but he shook his head. I’d spoken to Harvey, a police officer, the night before to find out if he’d heard anything that might affect our deal with the mayor and he’d said nothing about human versus fae violence. Either the mayor was exaggerating or he was straight up lying.

  “If humans are causing problems, Mayor, it is up to you to calm tensions. I am not willing to risk my clients’ safety, whether physical or financial, because of violence that has nothing to do with them.” Smitty gestured to the door. “Now, if there is nothing else, my clients and I are very busy people.”

  Mayor Wood slumped an infinitesimal bit and sighed. “Give me just a moment. I’ll check in and see how long it’s going to take them to approve the contract.”

  Mayor Wood didn’t pick up the phone on the conference room table. He picked up his cell phone and left the room. Mary watched the entire exchange wide-eyed, her mouth slightly agape.

  “Close your mouth, dear,” Smitty said. “You’re old enough to know that politicians are rarely trustworthy.”

  “But he’s always been so kind to me,” Mary said. “He gave me a bonus to help me buy a new house last month.”

  Smitty frowned. “Watch your step, child. My research suggests Mayor Wood never gives anyone anything without expecting something in return.”

  Mary clasped a hand to her chest. “I have a boyfriend. I would never…”

  “I doubt Mayor Wood needs to pay for sex, Mary. I imagine what he wants will compromise your values or ensure your loyalty for other reasons.”

  “Maybe this is a bad deal,” I said. “If we can’t trust him not to change the contract, how can we trust him with anything?”
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  “We probably can’t,” Frost said. “But it’s better to get our pictures out there, to make the fae known, so it makes it harder for him or anyone else to dispose of us and pretend we never existed.”

  Smitty nodded. “Yes, but I’d still be careful. Mayor Wood sees a benefit to supporting the fae at the moment, though his reasons aren’t clear, if that changes he could just as easily use those photographs against you.”

  “And we have no choice,” I said. “Because, if we walk away he could take his anger with us out on all the fae in the city.”

  Smitty stroked his beard. “Luckily, you have me on your side.”

  I wished we could walk out and forget the whole thing, but this was about more than us and conniving mayors. It was about the future of the fae in Sarsaparilla and maybe in the whole country.

  Frost’s lips were pinched tight in an annoyed frown, but he met my gaze and nodded. We had to stay even when every instinct told us to run. I hated this. I hated that we were wasting time sitting in an office on what might be our last day in the Non, the last day I got to spend time with him in human form. And I was antsy. I was ready to go to Rubalia, to fight, to do something.

  After almost an hour, an hour during which Smitty took phone calls and emails and continued to work while bitching about Mayor Wood wasting our time, Mayor Wood returned. He looked a bit pale, maybe green around the edges. He took a seat at the table and placed a stack of papers in front of himself. “My staff has made only two very minor changes and I think you will have no problem agreeing to them. If you’d—”

  Smitty reached across the table and pulled the contract to rest in front of him. “I’ll read it for myself, thank you, Mayor.”

  So, we all sat in silence for another fifty minutes as Smitty read through the contract. He slammed it shut and frowned at Mayor Wood. “Unacceptable,” he said. “You have changed the entire nature of the contract with your ‘small’ changes.”

  Mayor Wood blanched. “I assure you, I don’t have any idea what you mean.”

  “Your changes are quite small,” Smitty said. “A total of ten words, I believe. Those words are ‘in the event that such cause can be proved.’ And you use those words in two places, suggesting that if Chloe and Frost are endangered in any way and want your protection or financial recompense, they must first prove beyond all shadow of a doubt that the cause of their endangerment was the ad campaign.”

  “That hardly seems unreasonable,” Mayor Wood said. “What if their endangerment is caused by their own actions? I can’t be held responsible for every choice they make.”

  Smitty nodded. “Which is why we put in the section of the contract stating that Chloe and Frost will behave at all times in a manner appropriate to two people who are representing all the fae in the community. If you feel Chloe or Frost are violating that rule, you may fire them with no explanation given. But you must accept that they are making celebrities of themselves by participating in this campaign and will very likely become subject to threats from powerful individuals, like business leaders and government officials. They should not have to prove that the campaign brought such danger to their door. If you can’t agree to that, we can’t agree to participate in your campaign.”

  Mayor Wood’s smooth facade finally cracked. “This is a venture with completely unknown results, you can’t expect me to commit money and resources for an outcome I can’t foresee.”

  “We can and we do,” Smitty said. “If you can’t abide by those terms, then you are free to find someone else for your campaign, but you should know that Chloe has already retained my services for any of the fae in Sarsaparilla who need them.”

  Mayor Wood huffed. “That’s outrageous. She can’t in good faith make that sort of promise.”

  “She can and she did,” Smitty said. “Because Chloe is determined to look out for and protect any and all fae inhabitants of Sarsaparilla who need her. You’d be wise to take the same tack. You are mayor of a city that could easily become a dangerous place for humans to live.”

  “Is that a threat?” Mayor Wood asked. “Because I could have the National Guard here in a matter of hours.”

  My blood went cold at his words and at the nasty tone in his voice. He would do it. He would really bring an army against the fae for no more reason than a threat.

  “Would you?” Smitty said. “And, when they arrived, could you be sure they would only restrain or kill the dangerous fae? Or might they mistake you, members of your staff, even your own family members for fae? Might they mistake your lover for fae?”

  Mayor Wood went truly white. “I’d hoped we could work together amicably, but I can see that was a foolish idea.” He stood, grabbed the contract, and stormed out of the room.

  “I take it you know quite a bit about our fine mayor,” I said to Smitty.

  “You should ask your husband about that,” Smitty said with a wink.

  I looked at Frost, who grinned. “That man’s biggest weakness is his dick.”

  I ignored Mary, who was now not only looking at us with wide eyes and mouth agape, but was starting to turn a lovely shade of pink. “But is that enough incentive for him? A lover? How serious is he about this woman?”

  “How serious was he about his wife?”

  Huh. “This is the best news I’ve had all day. Let’s pray to the relationship gods that they never break up.”

  The door swung open and Mayor Wood dropped a contract onto Smitty’s lap. Once again, we all waited in silence while Smitty read. I seemed to be the only one getting ever more frustrated with being stuck in that small room, wasting time. At least, I thought I was until Frost pulled me into his lap and pressed his face to my neck, breathing me in. I sighed and didn’t care for even one moment that we were behaving in a less than professional manner.

  Finally, Smitty dropped the contract onto the table. “It’s good. Sign away, friends.”

  We signed and then we rode across town to a photo shoot in a somewhat sketchy warehouse. I was glad we didn’t have to be photographed in a park, amongst gawkers, but I wasn’t sure exactly what look the mayor was going for when he chose to have us photographed against the backdrop of cinder block and steel.

  Smitty had come with us, I suspect more for his own amusement than for our protection, and Mary had also joined us. The photographer, a stylishly dressed man who looked like he should be in high school, met us at the warehouse and led us to a well-lit part of the building. The walls had been painted in light, neutral colors and the man’s equipment appeared to be…well, I didn’t know what any of it was, but it was shiny and pretty, two of my favorite things.

  “Interesting choice of location for your studio,” Frost said, beating me to the punch with the inappropriate question.

  The man, who’d introduced himself as Mark B, grinned. “Not for me. Portraits are my side gig. My art is photographing street people.” He looked at me. “Fae and human. Interesting side note, not all humans can see fae traits, but all fae traits are visible to all people, human and non-human, in the freeze-frame of the time-less photograph.”

  This guy was too much. A cross between Dr. Seuss and…Some self-involved artist type. Okay, so maybe Mark B was an original. “I’d love to see your pictures some time,” I said. And Jared might like to auction Mark B’s photos at his gala.

  “You can see them any time,” the artist said. He handed me a card and I stuck it in my back pocket. “Now, the mayor wants this to be attention-catching and shocking, but I don’t want to cause any offense. How would you feel about being photographed in your wolf and fairy forms?”

  And that’s how I ended up spending two hours in the Non with Frost in wolf form. It felt good to let my wings fly free and Mark B really seemed to know what he was doing. He focused on showcasing our beauty and uniqueness, rather than treating us like non-human freaks. In what was my favorite picture, Frost was only partially shifted, his teeth and jaw beginning to transition, his chain scars visible on his bare chest, his face slightly fur
ry. He looked fierce and magnificent.

  I don’t know what picture the mayor and Mary would decide to use, but Mark B agreed to send me copies of everything. Whatever they used, I hoped it worked. I hoped the photos brought tourism to the city, but more than that I hoped the photos helped to normalize and bring equality and acceptance to the fae.

  ***

  The air was humid and warm, even in December, as we walked up the steps to Winifred’s luxury town home. Frost must have been feeling the same need for me that I felt for him, because he had one arm wrapped tight around my hips and one hand on the bare skin of my back beneath my shirt. He rubbed his thumb gently over the scar on my back, the scar given to me by the nightmare empress Ludwiggia the same day I lost my mother.

  I remembered her loss every time I looked at the scar. I remembered why we had to go to Rubalia and make sure the nightmares didn’t hurt anyone else. I pressed a quick kiss to Frost’s cheek and rang Winifred’s doorbell.

  We listened to the patter of Winifred’s feet as she approached the door. She swung it open and smiled. She was wearing no make-up, loose-fitting pants and a blousey shirt, her feet bare. She was as beautiful as always, and yet more approachable, more human. Her magic, a magic I understood very little about, seemed to make her glow from the inside out and, when she wore full make-up and her most stylish clothes, she could easily pass for a super-model or a goddess.

  “Hi,” I said. “I’m sorry we’re late, the photo shoot ran longer than we’d expected.”

  “I had no plans for today, so it’s not a problem.” She stepped aside and gestured for us to enter. “It’s good to see you both.” She led us to the formal living room. After sweating through the hot lights of the photo shoot, I hesitated to sit on her pristine couch. I sat on a wooden rocking chair at the far side of the room. Frost gave me a strange look and sat on the couch.