by Amy Sumida
“This is a work suit,” Raza said stiffly. “And of course, I brought jeans. I am as familiar with the human mode of dress as you are. I simply dress as befits my station—something you've never learned to do.”
“I can dress up,” Killian huffed. “But we're on a case and where we're going, an outfit like that is gonna make you stand out like a sore thumb.”
“Not if we visit Enchanted Addictions first,” I argued.
“Yeah, all right,” Killian conceded. “But he's going to draw attention if we have to go after the dealer.”
“Hopefully we won't,” Williams said. “We aren't limited by things like search warrants and this guy”—he nodded at Raza—“looks like he can give us some extra muscle to shove down their throats.”
“What am I shoving, and where?” Raza asked me.
Conri burst out laughing. Raza shot him a quelling look. Conri shut up because although he acts like an idiot sometimes, he's not one.
“Welcome to Kansas City, Your Majesty.” Felix bowed To Raza.
Raza absently nodded at Felix, then looked back at me for his answer.
“Kiss ass,” Conri hissed at Felix.
“You're welcome,” Felix hissed back.
“He means that you'll be able to help us intimidate the people we need to interview,” I explained to Raza. “He's Councilman Wayne Williams.”
Raza nodded to Williams and Williams nodded back. I went on to introduce the rest of the team.
“By the time you get to St. Louis, it will be late evening,” Dan noted as he peered at his watch. “Enchanted Addictions will likely be closed. You may need to start with the dealer and stay in the city for the night.”
“Or we can drive up there, check into a hotel, and visit Enchanted Additions in the morning,” Williams suggested. “This may take a few days.”
“Let's decide on the way.” I looked around the room, then up at Raza. “Where's your luggage?”
“I have no idea.” Raza shrugged. “Some stammering blond woman took it. She said something about putting it in her room.”
“In a guest room probably,” Dan said.
“No, I'm pretty certain she said her room.” Raza frowned. “Do you make your guests share bedrooms here? That's unexpected.”
Dan grimaced and looked at Extinguisher Lance Sloane. “Sloane, could you get His Majesty's luggage out of your sister's room?”
Sloane started to defend his sister, saw Dan's sardonic look, and gave in, “Yeah. All right.” He trudged out of the room.
Chapter Eighteen
The SUVs could hold up to eight so we could have squeezed into two of them but no one likes being crowded on a long drive. So, we took three SUVs to St. Louis. Dan booked us rooms at the Hyatt Regency—a hotel directly in front of St. Louis' famous Arch. Like right in front of it. It was probably the most valuable property in the city. On the way there, we decided to take the evening off. What with the drugs likely leaving the streets, Eddie might not even be out that night. Plus, the only reason to speak to the dealer would be to find his supplier and that was Alicia. Why go down the chain when we could go up?
So, we checked into the hotel and went our separate ways for the night. I gave my guards the night off and since I promised not to leave the hotel, they even accepted. Conri dragged Felix out on the town while my husbands and I went to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House, a restaurant in the hotel.
We got a table with a view of the Arch—prime seating according to our hostess, who salivated over my husbands while taking us to that table. Since she was leading us, this meant she spent most of her time looking over her shoulder—a situation that nearly resulted in a collision with a passing waiter. Honestly, I enjoyed the view of the river more than that of the arch. As close as we were, I had to strain my neck to see the full monument and frankly, it's just a steel curve. It wasn't all that interesting. It was pretty with the lights on it though.
“Why is that there?” Raza waved a hand at the Arch. “What purpose does it serve?”
“It's a monument,” Killian said. “It doesn't have to have a purpose. They call it the Gateway to the West.”
“Only a dragon would need a gate that large,” Raza noted. “And if it's a gate, where is the wall? You can't have a gate without a wall. That would be like building a giant, free-standing door.”
“There's probably one of those somewhere too; America has some weird monuments,” I said as Killian snickered.
“It's hollow.” Killian waved a hand at the Arch. “There's a tram in it that will take you to an observation deck at the top. Is that enough of a purpose for you?”
“I can get a better view without riding a tram, but I suppose humans must resort to such measures, and vantage points are important.” Raza opened his menu and started to grin. “Hmm meat or meat?”
“I'd recommend the meat,” said Killian, right on cue.
“I'd recommend the chateaubriand,” I countered.
“An excellent choice,” a familiar voice said.
I looked up and blinked. “Drostan?”
There stood Drostan Dealan, looking magnificent in a gray suit as impeccable as Raza's. He had his hair loose, hanging around his shoulders in shining waves, and a pair of expensive sunglasses hooked in his breast pocket.
“Hello, Your Majesty.” Drostan grinned. “What are you doing in my city?”
“Your city?” I asked in surprise.
“Yes, I live here.”
“You live in St. Louis?”
“Yes. Not in downtown, but nearby. I had some business here tonight and decided to stop for a drink and maybe a bite to eat before I drove home. I was at the bar when you walked in.”
“Seren,” Raza growled in a warning way.
“Oh! Sorry. Uh, guys, this is Baron Drostan Dealan of Seelie. I just met him a few days ago when I was with Tiernan. Drostan, these are my husbands, King Raza of Unseelie and Prince Killian of Twilight.”
“Your Majesty,” Drostan nodded to Raza and then to Killian. “Your Highness.”
“You're a Seelie Baron but you live in Missouri?” Killian asked him. “Why?”
“I left the Seelie Court many years ago because I didn't wish to be under the thumb of the Seelie Queen. I came here, where there are no monarchs, and built my own kingdom. The city grew around me. I can remember when that was being built.” He nodded out the window at the Arch.
“He left right after Tiernan,” I said softly to my men.
Their aggression went down a few notches. Raza actually relaxed.
“Shall I bring another setting?” our waiter asked.
I looked at the men and they shrugged. “Would you care to have dinner with us, Drostan?”
“I would love to,” Drostan accepted.
I nodded to the waiter and he hurried off to grab another setting.
Drostan took the chair beside Killian. “Thank you so much. I was contemplating having a burger at the bar.”
“Dining alone in a nice restaurant?” I asked. “No one should do that.”
“Ah, yes, well I'm often alone.”
“No wife?” Raza asked.
“No, I'm not married. I have a girlfriend, but our work hours often conflict.”
Raza and I both relaxed at the mention of a girlfriend. I admit that I was freaking out just a little bit to run into Drostan. It felt a little like fate, and fate—AKA the Gods—liked to fuck with me. I thought I had escaped Drostan and then, boom, he's shoved in my face again. But if he had a girlfriend, it would explain why he hadn't made any advances toward me in Seelie and even confirmed my theory that he was just giving me an admiring look, nothing more. Besides, what could he do with two of my husbands there? Not to mention the fact that I was more than capable of rebuffing unwanted advances. I was perfectly safe.
“So, you didn't say why you're here,” Drostan prompted.
“We're doing some work for the Human Council,” Killian answered for us.
“In St. Louis?” Drostan asked in
surprise. Then he went wary. “Is there something I need to be concerned about?”
“I don't think so,” I said. “You said that you don't visit the Underground, right?”
“Right.” He frowned. “There's a problem with the Missouri Underground?”
The waiter walked up to take our orders but after he left, Raza answered Drostan.
“The Underground should be fine but there may be criminal fairies hiding in it. We don't know much at the moment.”
“Criminal fairies?” Drostan grinned. “That sounds exciting.”
I looked at Killian. “Do you think we can tell him? It's not as if it's a secret.”
“I don't think we should discuss the details but a general description is okay.” Killian shrugged. To Drostan, he said, “We're investigating a drug created by fairies that's killing humans.”
Drostan sobered and lowered his voice, “A fairy drug—as in a narcotic?”
“Yes,” Killian confirmed.
“I didn't know there were such things,” Drostan murmured. “And it's killing humans?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “We've been asked to find whoever is behind it and stop them.”
Drostan's jaw clenched before he said, “This is bad for all of us. If the humans start analyzing that drug, they could—”
“The Human Council is on it,” I cut him off. “Don't worry about that.”
“Oh. Yes, of course, they would be.” He let out a relieved breath. “But why would a fairy kill humans in such a manner? They risk exposure and extinguishment.”
“We don't believe it was done on purpose,” Killian said. “The substance used is normally harmless but it's been altered and whatever they did to it has made it deadly.”
“It could be the concentration and repeated use. We're not certain yet, but we don't believe the drug was meant to kill,” I added. “At this point, we're assuming that the fairies behind this were just trying to make some money.”
Drostan made a disgusted sound. “There are easier, less nefarious, ways to make money.”
“What do you do?” I took the opportunity to steer the conversation away from fairy drugs.
The waiter appeared with our drinks.
Drostan waited until the waiter was gone before answering, “I manufacture lightning rods.”
I laughed brightly. “Isn't that going against your nature?”
“Not at all,” Drostan protested. “My mór gives me an advantage in the industry. I understand lightning better than anyone and my products are the best that money can buy.”
“I don't get it.” Killian frowned.
“His mór, the Dealan, is lightning-based,” Raza explained.
“The same one as Bress' dad,” I added. “They're distantly related.”
“Oh, nice!” Killian nodded. “Lightning, that's cool. Or hot, rather.”
“Yes, it was impressive on the battlefield,” Raza said gravely.
I looked back and forth between Raza and Drostan, feeling the temperature drop a little. “Please, tell me that you two didn't fight each other.”
“Not each other, no,” Raza said. “But I watched the Dealan bring down one of my cousins.”
Everyone went still.
“Granted, you didn't kill him,” Raza went on with a smirk. “Lightning can't kill a dragon, after all. But I was impressed that you grounded him for a bit.”
Killian and I let out a sigh of relief.
Drostan, on the other hand, hadn't shown any unease. He had, in fact, kept a calm, interested expression throughout Raza's story. Then that expression shifted into a smirk to match Raza's. “Yes, I recall it. I bedded many women that night.”
Raza burst into laughter so booming that it caught the attention of the entire room. Did anyone say anything to Raza? Did a waiter hurry over to ask him to keep it down? Oh, hell no. In fact, most of the people who looked, ended up smiling in fascination. Raza wasn't just startling when he laughed, he was also mesmerizing. I was a little awestruck myself. I smiled up at my beautiful husband and thanked Danu again that he was mine. She wouldn't hear me while I was in HR but that was probably a good thing. She was already smug about how much I loved my husbands.
“I'm sure Jurik would have been pleased to know that his injury brought you such reward,” Raza noted.
“To the rewards of beautiful women.” Drostan lifted his glass to Raza.
“Indeed.” Raza glanced at me before he lifted his glass to click against Drostan's. “To the rewards Danu grants us.”
The men sipped as I shook my head good-naturedly. Drostan caught my eye and his stare turned sultry. I grabbed my glass and looked away, taking a sip as I pretended to be interested in the view.
“You know, I have many contacts in this town,” Drostan mused. “Perhaps I could help you find these fairies you're after.”
“We've got some good leads,” Killian said. “We should be okay. But you never know. We'll keep you in mind.”
“Here's my card.” Drostan pulled a silver case out of his jacket and extracted a business card that he handed to Killian.
“Thanks.” Killian looked it over. “Nice card.”
He flipped it for Raza and me to see. The card read “Dealan Designs, Inc.” and had all the usual information along with a lightning bolt zigzagging across the fine cardstock. I nodded politely in agreement.
“Is this your entire team?” Drostan waved a hand to include the three of us.
Our appetizers were set down and Raza immediately put some on a tiny plate for me while Killian answered Drostan.
“No, we've got a councilman and a team of extinguishers with us.”
“How many?”
We all paused and looked at him. It was an odd question—one that sounded suspicious.
“I only ask because I have a large home and I'd be happy to put you up during your stay,” Drostan explained.
We relaxed.
“Oh, that's okay.” I waved off the offer. “Thank you so much, but we don't expect to be here that long and we've got a nice suite upstairs.”
“Ah, that's why you're in this restaurant,” Drostan noted. “What an interesting coincidence.”
I blinked. It was interesting and it made me wonder. Danu was very forthright, but her brother could be more subtle. He'd made an appearance to ask me to return to service on Earth but since then, he'd been silent. Anu likes to be mysterious. At the most, he'll give hints and those hints are usually things that could be passed off as a coincidence. Was Drostan meant to help us? Were we supposed to take him up on his offer? I'd have my husbands and a whole team of extinguishers with me, and Drostan hadn't behaved inappropriately beyond those two looks he'd given me. Maybe I was overreacting in trying to avoid him.
“Mo shíorghrá?” Raza asked in concern.
“I think this may be a sign from Anu,” I said.
“Anu?” Drostan asked. “You think the human god has manipulated us?”
“Not manipulate so much as nudge,” I corrected. “Anu isn't as hands-on as Danu. He likes to be subtle.”
“It is his people who are dying,” Killian pointed out, then looked consideringly at Drostan. “Huh. Maybe you were meant to run into us tonight.”
Drostan blinked. “I don't know how I feel about the human god having that kind of control over me but I do live on his planet. I suppose I shouldn't complain.”
“It's far less aggressive than Danu would be with you in Fairy,” I pointed out with a grin.
“Yes, Danu is difficult to deny,” Drostan said with a pensive, slightly grim look. Then he added, “Well, you have my card. If you decide to take me up on my offer, it will stand.”
“Thank you. I have a feeling that we just might.” A shiver coasted down my spine.
Chapter Nineteen
“Anu does not get to call lovers to you,” Raza declared as soon as we were in our two-bedroom suite.
“Excuse me?” I crossed my arms over my chest and regarded my husband with irritation.
&
nbsp; Killian chuckled and headed toward one of the rooms. “I'm gonna leave you two to that discussion. I'll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight, honey,” I called after him.
“Night, babe,” he called back and shut the door.
“I saw the look he gave you,” Raza said firmly. “More importantly, I saw how you looked away from him.”