by Amy Sumida
“You are a fool,” Raza said to Killian in a chiding tone, then grabbed my face, turned it toward him, and kissed my chin, licking the sauce off in the process. “That's what you do when such a thing happens.”
I angled my face down and kissed Raza. “Only you could make licking sauce off my face sexy.”
Raza rumbled happily, deep in his chest.
“And only you could ruin a playful moment with my wife,” Killian grumbled. “Thanks a lot, Beast Bro.”
“Beast Bro?” Drostan asked us.
“Oh, it's because Killian's descended from Snake-Djinn and Raza's Dragon-Djinn so—”
“So, he mistakenly believes there's a kinship between us,” Raza finished for me.
“Snakes are just a pair of wings away from dragons,” Killian declared.
“No, they are not,” Raza said sternly.
“I'm afraid that I have to agree with His Majesty; dragons aren't just winged snakes. Those are called wyverns, I believe. But even wyverns have legs in addition to wings.”
“Precisely. Dragons don't slither. Slithering is for lesser creatures,” Raza said and shot Killian a smug look. “The only things our beasts have in common are scales and slit irises.”
“And the fact that they're Djinn,” Killian argued.
“I'll give you that,” Raza admitted. “But the branches of Djinn are distinctly different. It would be like saying a Bean-Sidhe and a Leanan-Sidhe are similar simply because they are both Unseelie and have Sidhe in their names.”
“Not even.” Killian picked up his beer and took a sip. He pointed the bottle at Raza when he continued, “Djinn are classified together, they're not just all Unseelie.”
“Just let it go,” I said to Raza. “You know he's not going to stop. He'll keep pestering you until you punch him and I'd prefer you not to do that in public.”
“Yes, he's annoyingly stubborn,” Raza noted. “Especially when he's wrong.”
“Thank goodness that's not a trait all Djinn share,” I said sarcastically.
“Indeed,” said Raza with all seriousness.
I rolled my eyes at Drostan and he pressed his lips together to hold back his laughter.
“I'm a little surprised that the Alp Luachras were so friendly with you,” Felix said to Drostan.
“Well, we only wave at each other and occasionally say hello,” Drostan said. “I see them when I go for walks here. I wave and they wave and that's usually all there is.”
“Even waving is surprising,” I noted. “I mean, things are changing now but you've been on Earth during our entire reign.”
“You're implying that because I'm Seelie and they are Unseelie, we should be more... hostile toward each other?”
“Yes.”
Drostan shrugged. “When you've been here for as long as we have, things like kingdom alliance start to fade away. We are simply Fey and in that, we share a kinship. I acknowledge them because we are both from Fairy and now live here.”
“A sort of brothers-in-arms situation?” I asked.
“And sisters.” Drostan grinned. “My girlfriend is Unseelie as well. She's the reason I knew how to summon the Alp Luachras. When I mentioned them to her, she told me how to call them.”
“Really?” I asked with delight.
“That pleases you?” Drostan frowned a little.
“I'm a Twilight fairy, how could it not?” I shot back. “Your perspective is what Danu wants for all of her children. And you came to it here, all on your own. She'd be proud of you.”
Drostan chuckled a little. “She would?”
“My wife has worked hard to banish the ill will between the kingdoms at the behest of our goddess,” Raza explained. “Grudges die hard but, as Seren said, things are slowly changing. Some Seelie even fought on my side when I battled Uisdean for the crown.”
“Those rumors are true?” Drostan asked with lifted brows.
“Danu herself appeared on the battlefield to aid King Raza,” Conri boasted.
“Yes, Raza was always meant to be king.” I slid a proud look at my husband.
“After your exchange with the Alp Luachras, I can see why, Your Majesty,” Drostan noted. “You obviously care about your people and that's as it should be. I left Fairy because our queen thought of us as chattel to be used as she saw fit. When I witnessed her attack on Duchess Sorcha, I knew that no one was safe from her cruelty. Sorcha was one of her favorites but Queen Iseabal would have tortured her over a triviality. And then to attack King Tiernan for being brave enough to defend his mother? And banish him when he survived?” Drostan shook his head. “That woman was no queen, she was a tyrant and she turned her court into a collection of scared sycophants. I couldn't stay there a moment—” Drostan broke off, suddenly looking worried. “Queen Seren? I'm so sorry if I've said something to upset you.”
“What do you mean?” I whispered. I lifted a hand to my face and realized that I was crying.
“Mo shíorghrá, don't cry,” Raza said gently as he slid an arm around my shoulders.
“I'm fine.” I laid a hand on Raza's thigh and kissed his cheek before I looked back at Drostan. “You didn't upset me. Quite the opposite. It's nice to finally hear another fairy express thoughts so similar to mine.”
“Finally? What are you talking about? We all think Iseabal was a supreme bitch to Tiernan and his mom,” Killian protested.
“Yes, but you aren't a fairy like he is,” I argued. “You weren't raised in Fairy and you're not of the Seelie Court. You're like me, babe. I know you feel as I do, and I love you for it, but they're different. I've always seen Tiernan's scar as a badge of honor, but most fairies don't feel the same. They see a traitor. I see a hero.” I looked back at Drostan. “It's nice to hear a Seelie baron support what Tiernan did.”
“And it's nice to hear the Queen of Seelie agree with me,” Drostan said softly.
“A crown is not an excuse to abuse people,” I said firmly. “It's a promise to protect them and do your very best for them.”
“A crown is a promise,” Drostan whispered pensively. “I like that. I like it very much.”
We stared at each other a moment and something passed between us—that unity you feel with someone when you realize that their ideals align with yours. It's profound and beautiful and makes you feel less alone.
“I'm sorry that I've never put it into words,” Raza said to me, “but, Seren, I hope you know that I don't see Tiernan as a traitor.”
I broke my stare with Drostan to turn back to my husband. “I know you don't, but you don't see Tiernan as a hero either. You've gone through too much to be able to see what he did as heroic. I suspect that you think Tiernan gave up too easily.”
Raza's jaw clenched as he looked away.
“And I understand.” I nudged Raza's shoulder with mine and leaned my face into his view. When he turned back to me, I added, “You were cast out as well, but you returned and you fought for a place among your people. You waged war to save the Unseelie. It's hard to see Tiernan as a hero when you have been even more heroic for far longer and have proven your bravery so often.”
Raza blinked, his eyes briefly flashing gold, and then yanked me out of my chair and onto his lap to kiss me soundly. His arms wrapped tightly around me and one hand slid up to hold my head still, his fingers clenching as if he could press his love into my skull. Things grew quiet around us and I suspected that we had the attention of not just our table but also the entire restaurant. I didn't care. It's hard to think about anything except Raza when he's kissing me. Especially when he's kissing me with his entire being.
When Raza finally eased back, it was only a few inches. His gaze traveled over my face as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing and his fingers slid down to trail over my cheek.
“You think I'm a hero?” Raza whispered in wonder.
“You are a hero. You saved Unseelie and helped to save all of Fairy. You've even saved Earth. How much more heroic can you get?”
Raza grinned brilli
antly and with that smile, the restaurant burst into applause. I chuckled as Raza lost his grin to an annoyed grimace.
I slid off his lap, then waved and smiled at the room. “Sorry about that, folks. My husband's a romantic.”
“And a hero evidently,” Killian muttered as I resumed my seat to more applause.
“Aw, Blair, are you feelin' left out?” I teased in a baby-voice. “You're my hero too.” I tickled his chin. “Yes, you are.”
Instead of being annoyed by this, Killian grinned broadly. “You're damn straight I am.”
“Someone kill me now,” Conri muttered.
“That can be arranged,” Felix said.
Chapter Twenty-Five
After lunch, we got Drostan's address, then went to collect our things and the rest of our team from the hotel. Before we checked out, we reconnoitered in one of the rooms. We needed to go over the security footage from Alicia's apartment building and discuss our next move. That's the footage from the front desk, not inside the apartment. Alicia hadn't returned to the apartment yet—no big surprise there—so there was no footage from our surveillance cameras.
While we'd been speaking with the Alp Luachras, the rest of our team had been doing research and searching the security footage. One of them went over what they had found while another continued to search the footage.
“We ran Alicia's picture again and found another ID under the name of River Langly,” Extinguisher Brad Murdock reported.
“River,” said Killian with a look my way. “Another reference to water.”
I nodded but kept silent.
“River Langly is another immigrant and has only paid taxes for the last year,” Murdock went on. “We're assuming it's another alias.”
“How many aliases does this woman have?” Williams muttered.
“Likely a few,” I said. “It's smart. Every time we find one, she can drop it and move on to another.”
“We've looked into the shell corporation as well,” Murdock went on. “Ubaig Incorporated is based out of Hong Kong but is managed by a firm here in St. Louis.”
“Ubaig?” Raza asked and then snorted.
“What?” I looked at him in question.
“It means 'to enchant' in Gaelic.”
“Cheeky,” I muttered. Then I looked back at Murdock to ask, “What firm manages Ubaig?”
“Byrne and Walsh,” Murdock said with a grimace.
Williams cursed.
“Who are Byrne and Walsh?” Killian asked.
“A law firm; the partners are both Baobhan-Sith,” Williams explained.
“White Women?” I asked in surprise, then I laughed. “I'm sorry,” I said to the dark looks I got for that. “But you have to admit that it's kind of funny that blood-drinking fairies are attorneys.”
“These women are no joke,” Williams said sternly. “And they won't give up their client.”
“Maybe not to you, but they will to their king,” Raza said smugly.
“Hey! Here she is,” the extinguisher looking over the video exclaimed. “And she's got someone with her.”
We gathered around the laptop as Extinguisher Chris Teagan paused the video, clicked it back a bit, and restarted it. Alicia entered the lobby with a tall, muscular man dressed in what I call a T-shirt suit. He had on a black T-shirt but with it, he wore slacks and a suit jacket. Bouncer-wear or, in this case, bodyguard-wear. They stepped up to the elevator—Alicia at ease while the man scanned the surroundings. When he looked around, we got a good look at his face.
“Gotcha!” Teagan declared as he paused the video.
“Get us a name, Teagan,” Sloane ordered.
“Already on it,” Teagan said as he typed furiously. “But it could take awhile.”
“No problem”—I looked at Raza—“we've got some white women to see.”
“That sounded bad,” Williams noted with a grimace.
“Would you have preferred me to call them vampire fairies?” I asked sweetly.
“Nope.” Williams made a face. “White women will do just fine.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The words Byrne & Walsh LLP shone at us from behind the receptionist desk in large, glass letters that stuck out from the wall on short silver posts. The receptionist desk curved gently in polished oak glory, subtly guiding visitors toward the doors to either side. Tasteful chairs sat amid potted plants and soft music piped in from overhead speakers. It smelled like apples.
The receptionist glanced up from her computer as we walked in. She'd been typing. She stopped. She gaped at us. She got abruptly to her feet and curtsied deeply.
“Your Majesties,” she stammered as she hurried around her desk—a thin woman with sharp features and chestnut hair slicked back in a bun. “What are you... I mean, um, how may I help you?”
“We wish to speak with your employers,” Raza said.
“The partners,” I clarified.
“Um, Ms. Byrne isn't here but Ms. Walsh is.” She clicked her long nails together nervously—long and sharp, a dead giveaway. Baobhan-Sith use their talons to pierce their victims' necks and drink their blood. “Will you allow me to announce Your Majesties? It's just that Ms. Walsh is in the middle of a call.”
“Of course.” Raza waved her off imperiously.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” She bobbed and hurried through the doorway on the right.
A few minutes passed and the receptionist returned looking even more nervous than she had before. “Ms. Walsh will see you now.”
We all started forward.
“Oh! Um, would you mind leaving your humans out here?” she asked.
“We are not their humans,” Williams growled as Conri snickered. “I'm a councilman with the Human Council and these are extinguishers!”
“Oh! I'm terribly sorry.” She looked back at Raza. “Would you mind leaving your councilman and extinguishers out here, Your Majesty?”
Killian added his chortles to Conri's, the receptionist frowned in confusion, and I bit my lip.
“Yes, they can wait here,” Raza said as he swept ahead.
“I'm so sorry,” I said to Williams and the extinguishers as Killian, Conri, Felix, and I followed Raza and the receptionist. “We'll be right back.”
Williams grimaced at me.
The receptionist took us down a long, straight corridor to the office at the end. Every door along the corridor was shut, but the walls and doors were glass. Through them we saw women at work in fancy suits, sitting at expensive computers, some with clients seated in front of them. And yes, they were all women and, from the look of them, all Baobhan-Sith. The Baobhan-Sith are one of the few races composed entirely of one sex. They mate with men from other races but their children are always born female and completely Baobhan-Sith. They have very strong genes. These particular Baobhan-Sith glanced up at us as we passed, then did a double-take and just stared.
The door at the end of the hallway wasn't glass, nor were the walls to either side of it. It boasted a brass nameplate that read: Margaret Walsh LL.M. and was shiny enough to reflect Raza's face. The vampire receptionist opened the door and preceded us into the room to serve as a herald.
“Their Majesties, King Raza and Queen Seren of Unseelie, His Royal Highness, Prince Killian of Twilight, and uh...” the receptionist glanced at Conri and Felix “their escorts.”
“Sir Conri and Sir Felix of Twilight,” Conri whispered to her.
“Sir Conri and Sir Felix of Twilight,” the receptionist added in a formal tone.
I was impressed. Not at her perfect delivery but at Killian's ability to hold back his laughter.
“Your Majesties. Your Highness.” Margaret Walsh had been standing in front of her desk, waiting for us. She had the sleek build and pale skin common to her race with full, greedy, red lips and hair as black as Raza's, pulled back in a glossy ponytail. She curtsied as gracefully as any courtier, despite her tailored skirt suit. “I'm Margaret Walsh. It's a great honor to meet you. Please, sit down.” She waved at a
pair of leather chairs before her desk and then at a couch to the side. “May I offer you a beverage? Coffee or tea?”
“No, thank you.” Raza led me to a chair and waited for me to sit before he took the other chair.
Killian took the couch but Conri, and Felix remained standing behind us.
Ms. Walsh nodded at the receptionist and the woman scurried away. Then she returned to her chair behind the desk. “How may I be of service?”