“All the lesser Fae can. But talking to a grushound is a waste of time.”
Anwynn spoke up. “I have the sudden urge to piss on your leg.”
I jerked her leash. “Shut up! We’re in public, for God’s sake.”
“She turned on Grian. She can turn on you,” Kailen said.
Now the implications of what I’d sworn hit me. I was the only one responsible for the grushound. If it suited Anwynn, she could drop me at a moment’s notice for a more powerful Fae family. For a larger one. And what was I, one Sidhe, going to do?
“I find this position suits me. For now,” said the hound. And then she grinned. When a person grins, it puts you at ease. It means they’re friendly, that they like you. When a dog grins, it shows each of their pointy teeth.
I would have preferred a wagging tail.
She jumped into my backseat, the leash slipping from my limp hands. “I would like fish for dinner tonight,” she said. “I grow tired of steak.”
I slammed the door shut behind her. I wasn’t going to let her walk all over me. If she thought I would, she was in for a surprise. I could butt heads with the best of them.
“Here,” Kailen handed me an envelope. “I didn’t come here to talk about the grushound. I wanted to give you this.”
It was plain, white, with no clue to its contents. “What…what is it?”
“I paid off the balance of your mortgage,” he said. “The house is yours. I thought it might help, now that you don’t have a job.”
Overwhelming would be putting it lightly. I had to put a hand on the car to steady myself. “I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”
“It’s done.” He reached out and curled my fingers around the envelope. “No take backs.”
“I don’t even know how to thank you for this.” I’d still have to worry about property taxes, and food, but this lifted an enormous burden from my shoulders.
“Let me take you out to dinner. Let me do things the right way.” He hadn’t let go of my hand.
I wanted to say yes. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t remember the night we’d spent together, the feeling of his skin against mine, his lips to my cheek, my ear, my chest. But I’d just finished putting the final nails into the coffin of my marriage. One court hearing later, and I would be officially single.
I met his gaze. “You said you have too much baggage. What about mine? I don’t want to jump from one relationship into the next. I need some time to myself.”
He tugged on my hand and brought me closer; I didn’t have the strength to resist. “Just one date.”
I laughed, my voice a little breathy. “It wouldn’t be just a date.”
“I like that suggestion even better.” His lips brushed the side of my face.
I inhaled desire and did my best to exhale it. No scent of honeysuckle—not even the faintest hint. It took a good deal of my resolve to step back. “I’m not suggesting anything. I have a lot of things to deal with right now that I don’t want to mess up.” I pulled my hand free and slipped around the car, putting the hood between us. “I have your number. I promise, I’ll call.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
And then I was in the car.
“I could smell the pheromones eking off the two of you in waves,” Anwynn said after I shut the door. “Even from in here. Perhaps you ought to control yourself.” She lay down in the backseat. “There’s a grocery store two blocks from here.”
I didn’t say anything. I started the car and turned on the radio. Well, whaddya know? Alanis Morissette. I didn’t even think they still played her.
“Turn that off,” Anwynn said as we pulled away from the curb. “It’s terrible.”
“What’s that?” I said, turning up the volume. “You love this music?” I belted out the lyrics as we headed down the street, taking perverse pleasure in the way the hound’s ears flattened against her skull.
I didn’t stop for the fish.
THE END
Enjoyed the book? Want to find out how Nicole and her new roommate get along? Validate your review and receive a free copy of the novella, Changeling on the Job, as soon as it comes out (expected July 2015).
Don't feel like leaving a review but still want to know when the next book is out? Sign up for the mailing list for news, freebies, deals, and more!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A.G. Stewart was born in Canada and raised in a number of places across the United States. She spent an inordinate amount of time during her childhood reading and remembers often being told to quit reading and pay attention! Her love of fantasy and science fiction began when she was in grade school. She grew up in a family where Star Trek marathons and questions such as “When are you building me that FTL drive?” were the norm. Weekly trips to the library led her to discover authors she still enjoys reading—Peter S. Beagle, Isaac Asimov, and J.R.R. Tolkien. She now lives in California with her husband and a veritable menagerie of animals on her suburban microfarm.
Visit www.changelingwars.com for updates on the series and to join our mailing list.
OTHER IGNEOUS BOOKS TITLES
GERMINATION by Jamie Thornton
A group of runaways. A horrifying virus.
Mary knows how to thrive on the street. She makes it her mission to keep other kids away from everyday monsters. But when she’s attacked by a crazed man clutching a bloody heart she realizes—there’s a new kind of monster in town.
A single drop of blood, and now Mary’s one of the infected. Unless she can stop the virus and save her friends, the new monster in town might just be her.
The opening novella to a post-apocalyptic Young Adult series where the runaways are the heroes, the zombies aren’t really zombies, and you can't trust your memories--even if they're all you have left.
THE WINDS OF PATWIN COUNTY by Richard Crawford
Murderers. Madmen. An ancient red-handed spirit named Molly. Patwin County is an unsettled place, full of shadows and secrets.
When Laura Livingstone’s mother vanishes, Laura and her husband must find her before evil engulfs the county. As they search the streets of San Augustin, they uncover a terrible secret and fall into a supernatural horror beyond their imagination.
www.igneousbooks.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Loose Changeling: A Changeling Wars Novel Page 29