Based on what I had seen of him, Zeph didn’t get involved with other people if he could avoid it—or unless his boss forced him. Otherwise, he might have taken that pretty girl up on her request for a date. He never had people over, which I knew because I had been basically stalking him before all this. Even Hank seemed to regard him with a sort of gruff, almost cautious friendliness.
So why was he meddling around in my business?
Unless … he was genuinely worried about me. The more I thought about it, the more it made me smile. I guess he did like me, after all.
Shutting the computer down again, I slipped it back under the side of my bed and leaned over to plant a kiss on the back of Zeph’s head. He didn’t stop wheezing, even when I slid out of the bed and ducked out into the hall.
I hurried through my morning routine, trying not to make too much noise. I fixed my hair with a little extra effort, and dabbed on some makeup. It was against school rules, but the risk was worth it for the boost of confidence. Funny how a single swipe of eyeliner can make you feel bolder.
I crept down the hallway to the kitchen, acutely aware that I had my work cut out for me in there. Trying to fix breakfast without making too much of a racket was a challenge. After whipping together some vegetarian-friendly biscuits, I cut up a few slices of watermelon and pineapple and tossed them into a bowl. I poured two big glasses of milk and spread everything out neatly on the table, setting two places with plates and utensils.
Just as I took the biscuits out of the oven, my bedroom door opened. Heavy footsteps echoed down the hall, and Zeph came staggering into the room with his hair rumpled up like he’d just walked through a hurricane. He looked at me, then at the table, and then at the big pan of golden-brown biscuits I was holding. His eyes squinted at them suspiciously.
“It’s five in the morning,” he complained in a hoarse voice. “What’s all this for?”
“You,” I said proudly. I brought a little dish of cinnamon butter I had prepared and the quart-sized jar of organic, raw honey I’d bought at a local farmer’s market. It still had a big slice of the comb inside. “To thank you for yesterday.”
“For lying?”
“No, for telling the truth. And for agreeing to stay with me.” I removed my cooking apron and sat down across from him.
He wasn’t listening anymore. The instant the jar of honey hit the table in front of him, his gaze was fixed on it like he’d just seen the Holy Grail. His eyes grew wide. He wasted no time on ceremony.
I watched in quiet horror as he plucked four biscuits from the pan, slathered them with honey until they were sopping, and ate them with his fingers. He did the same thing with the entire bowl of fruit, making sure each slice was covered completely in golden honey before he wolfed it down.
“Stop that!” I caught him right before he was about to stick his whole hand in the jar. “What’s wrong with you?”
He looked at me like he might bite me for getting between him and the honey jar. “It’s my favorite.”
“That doesn’t mean you go sticking your dirty hands in it.” I took the jar and put it on the opposite end of the table. “You probably scratched your dangly man parts or something. If you want more, use a spoon.”
He scowled at me before he snatched up a spoon again and went back to funneling the rest of the honey into his mouth. Without meaning to, I had stumbled across something that guaranteed his unfaltering cooperation. I pondered that as I plucked a biscuit out of the pan before he could go back for more.
Zeph gulped down his glass of milk and two more biscuits somewhere between bites of honey. He cleaned out the entire jar, then pried the comb out of it and began chewing on it like a dog with a rawhide bone. I didn’t fight with him over that. I had a feeling I might lose a finger if I tried to take it away.
Sipping on a glass of milk in between bites of my own breakfast, I thought about the email he’d sent to Ben, and wondered exactly what it had said. I doubted Zeph would want to tell me. Maybe that was for the best.
“Is Hank a faerie, too?” I asked as I poured us both a second glass of milk.
Zeph was busy licking his fingers. “No. He’s human, like you. Remember, I said some humans still remember the old ways. Usually, it’s people with a cultural heritage tied directly to us. Hank is a shaman. His family came here from Mongolia generations back, but they continued to honor their ancestral traditions. His culture is steeped in our laws and practices, and has been for as long as any of us can remember. So he’s able to see and sense us.”
“And you two just go around saving people from bogles in your free time?” Hank had called it a case—as though this was something they treated like a job.
“Only if it’s serious. And it’s not always bogles. There are some Unseelies who cross the line from mischief to … well, worse things. We’ve dealt with that a few times before,” he explained between sips of milk. “Sidhe are the ones you don’t want to mess with. Most of them stayed true to the old ways, with the Seelie Court, but there are some who don’t. They’re like first-class citizens in the faerie world. Their power is rich and ancient, and they’re usually the ones you see depicted in artwork. You know, looking all pretty’n crap. They’re easier on the eyes than most of us, I guess.”
I thought about that for a moment. “What about changelings?”
Zeph hesitated as he glanced at me from across the table. He may have been trying to give me a silent warning, but it was completely ruined by the milk mustache he had on his upper lip.
Suddenly, a chilled breeze swept through the room. My skin prickled and my breathing hitched. I knew that feeling.
“Changelings are regarded as common miscreants, instigators, deceivers, and thieves. Distinctly unintelligent, some might say,” a deep, eerily familiar voice growled.
I sat up straight in my chair, unable to hide the panic as I dropped my glass of milk. It shattered on the kitchen floor. I recognized that voice, even if I hadn’t heard it in a few days. It was unmistakable.
Eldrick stood in the kitchen doorway, watching us with eyes that shimmered like two silver moons. I’d never seen him in daylight before and never looking like a person. But he was no less menacing than when he looked like a big angry wolf.
He appeared much younger than I’d expected. The way Zeph had talked about Eldrick before, as though he were someone incredibly ancient, made me think he would be bent, wrinkled, and elderly. But the tall, leanly-built man before me couldn’t have been any older than Zeph.
Nothing about Eldrick looked friendly or inviting. Sure, he was beautiful, just like Zeph—albeit in a much different way. He had broad shoulders and a cold intensity to his sharp features. Deep set eyes the color of liquid platinum leered at me through his styled, pitch-black hair that fell around his ears and swept across his brow. His olive toned skin was a flawless, and there was an almost obsessive perfection about how his clothes were arranged. The charcoal colored knit sweater he wore was rolled neatly up to his elbows, and his dress slacks were tailored to fit his lean build with a sense of modern style. A silver band shimmered on his right thumb; it was a ring cut in the shape of a crown.
“Nice of you to join us, loser. Tired of hiding under the bed?” Zeph sneered without giving the puca a second glance.
I took a trembling step toward Zeph, broken glass crunching under my shoes.
Eldrick watched my every move with his creepy, pale eyes. “She’s afraid of me. How pathetic.”
“Probably because you’ve been acting like an asshole. What was all that? A desperate effort to get her to kick you out? Pretty damn pathetic, even by your standards.”
Eldrick’s lips drew back in a snarl. “I suppose you would know all about desperate efforts, wouldn’t you?”
“You wanna say that again?” Zeph slammed a fist down on the table, making all the dishes rattle. “Or should I just go ahead and beat your ass right now?”
“Guys, please, stop fighting. Ben j
ust had this place fixed up after last time.” I steeled my nerves and met Eldrick’s gaze. It seemed like this kind of strangeness was going to become commonplace in my life now, so I would have to grow a thick skin and learn to deal with it. “Do you want anything for breakfast?”
The dark spirit stared at me with oppressive, eerie eyes. For the briefest instant, he looked genuinely surprised. “Why would you do anything for me?”
“Yeah,” Zeph agreed. “Are you thick in the head? He’s been torturing you for years. Make him grovel a little. Make him rub your feet or something.”
“Shut up,” I snapped at both of them. “You said it was my fault, right? Because my dad was the one who caught him and forced a contract on him? I … I guess I can understand why he would hate me. Anyway, someone in this situation has to be the adult, and since neither of you two are stepping up to the plate, I guess that leaves me.”
Eldrick pressed his lips together uncomfortably, but his eyes never left me.
I quickly cleaned up the mess from my broken glass and got to work tidying up the rest of the kitchen. I was bent over the sink, rinsing the last few dishes, when I felt a cold puff of air on the back of my neck.
When I turned around, Eldrick was standing right over me, backing me up against the counter while he invaded my personal space.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
Even Zeph looked surprised as he stumbled to his feet, his fists balled up like he was ready to be the hammer of justice at the first sign of trouble. He might have looked intimidating if not for the giant ball of honeycomb that was still in his cheek.
“Your father was a fool to think I would serve such a pathetic human girl,” Eldrick hissed, venom and fury burning in every word.
“He was smarter than you, apparently. He must have been if he tricked you into a contract, right?” I countered. It was just a guess. All I had to go on was what Zeph had told me.
His expression tightened, like he was debating whether or not it would be worth whatever physical punishment Zeph might give him if he ripped my throat out.
“And now you have to do what I tell you, right? So shut up, sit down, and eat. Zeph, let him have that last biscuit,” I commanded. Eldrick didn’t have to like me, but for now, he had to obey me.
He sat down in my seat, eyeing the single biscuit that was left in the pan. He curled his lip in disgust. “Human food is vile.”
Great. Somehow, I’d become the only mature individual in the kitchen—which was pretty sad considering I was the youngest by probably a few centuries.
“Look, take one bite. If you still don’t like it, then you don’t have to finish it,” I bargained with him. “How do you know if you like something or not if you won’t even try it?”
If looks could kill, Eldrick’s glare would have burned me to cinders right where I stood. He muttered something that was probably profanity in an ancient language and took a tiny bite of the biscuit.
I turned my back, deciding not to watch in case he chose not to finish it purely to spite me. No point in putting more wind in his sails. I finished the dishes, setting them out to dry, and went back to finish clearing the table.
The biscuit was gone.
Across the table, Zeph sat with his arms crossed and a big, smug grin on his lips. The only evidence of what had happened were a few crumbs left on the plate and the sour look of rebellion still on Eldrick’s face.
“You should try it with the honey next time.” Zeph’s voice had a definite tone of sarcasm as he got up and rubbed his belly. “I’m going back to bed.”
“But what about school?” I grabbed the back of his shirt to stop him. “You said you would go with me.”
“Hey, I have grown-up stuff to do, you know. I do have a job.” He swatted my hands away and strolled back down the hallway to my bedroom as if he lived there.
“You said worse things would start targeting me now. And everyone at school will ask me about Joe!” I pleaded as I followed him.
“Take sourpuss in there. He has to do what you say, right? So tell him to go.” Zeph groaned as he flopped back down on my bed.
“He doesn’t look anything like Joe. Remember what happened with that ivy plant? What if he can’t stop those kinds of things from happening?”
“Of course he can. Relax. He might be a pain in the butt, but he’s old and powerful. It’ll be fine.” He twirled a finger in the air. A musical sound floated past my ears, like the faint chime of bells. It made me shiver a little, and I glanced back over my shoulder as a loud thud came from the kitchen.
This was not what I had in mind. Eldrick hated me. I didn’t want to have to spend all day being followed around by someone who was looking for any excuse to rip my head off. I chewed on my bottom lip, thinking it over while Zeph wrapped himself up in my blankets like a man-burrito.
“What have you done to me?” A roaring voice boomed from the doorway.
I squeaked in panic, whirling around to see Joe—a new Joe—standing there with a look of wrath smoldering in his eyes.
“See? Problem solved,” Zeph murmured from inside my bed. “Go forth and have school.”
“You insolent worm! Change me back immediately!” Eldrick bellowed.
“No! Please don’t fight!” I jumped in between them, planting my hands on his chest to stop him from going any further.
Eldrick jerked away from me violently and staggered back a few feet, his face blanched with fear and silver eyes were wide.
Was he … afraid of me? Why? What could I possibly do to someone like him?
Zeph just yawned. “Oh, relax. It’s not permanent. It’ll wear off after 3:00 pm.”
“It had better,” Eldrick threatened.
Awkward didn’t even begin to describe it.
Eldrick strode beside me, looking like the golden-haired Joe who was supposed to be my boyfriend. At first, he wouldn’t walk any closer than a few feet away. But as we ventured out of the apartment and approached the front of the school, his movements became rigid. Something wasn’t right. His face had that wild, pasty look of terror again as he slunk closer to my side. His silver eyes tracked the other students passing us on their way inside, cringing away if anyone strayed too close.
I leaned over to whisper. “Are you okay?”
He stopped. His jaw clenched and his brow locked into a frown. “Do not pretend to be concerned about my welfare. I don’t need the help of a human.”
“I’m not pretending anything.” Moving slowly, I held out a hand. “Stay near me, you’ll be fine.”
He twitched his mouth as he studied my open palm. At last, his large hand grasped mine, but his expression was one of absolute misery. He looked like he might actually be sick. He stared at the ground and followed me into the school, gripping my hand like a corpse with rigor mortis.
“I’m really sorry about this, Eld—I mean Joe,” I said quietly. “I’ll tell him not to change you again unless you say it’s okay.”
As much as I wanted to be angry with Eldrick, which he certainly deserved after everything he’d done to me, I understood his frustration. Why would anyone want to be bound to me? He’d probably been well respected amongst his kind. Now, he was basically my servant. Talk about being knocked off a pedestal. It wasn’t my fault, but someone had to take the blame. My dad was dead, so that meant I was the only one he could be angry with. Lucky me.
“Eldrick, I’m sorry my dad trapped you. I don’t know why he did it, or what kind of contract he made with you. For the record, I’m not exactly happy with you either, but can’t we just put all that aside for today?”
He flicked me a glance, remaining silent.
“Maybe you could tell me about the contract? I-I’m sort of new to this stuff. I don’t know how it works.”
His brows knitted and a vein stood out against the side of his neck. “It stipulates that I must reside in your dwelling and do your bidding until such time as you release me.”
�
��That’s it?”
He nodded once.
I frowned. What was the point of that? Why would my dad want this guy stuck around me all the time? So far, it had only made both of us miserable.
Eldrick didn’t say much of anything for the rest of the day. My classmates noticed “Joe’s” sudden change in demeanor right away. The guy they had all met the day before had been cheerful and charming. This Joe was anything but. He sat in the seat behind me, doing his work quietly. When we changed classes, he walked a few feet behind me, staring down at the floor with a somber expression.
That is—until a group of other students rushed up, clamoring to greet him and ask about his mother and how his family was doing.
By the look on Eldrick’s face, you’d think they were rushing him with pitchforks. He shied away, ducking behind me while the color drained from his face. Wild terror flashed in his eyes as he stared at them, his mouth set in a twitching frown. His chest heaved with frantic breaths, hands balled into fists.
His reaction made everyone pause—including me. The other students were glancing at one another, beginning to whisper.
“Sorry, guys.” I forced a smile. “It’s a bad day, you know, with his mom. He needs a little space.”
That did the trick. The crowd began to disperse, offering a few sympathetic smiles as they went. I let out a sigh of relief.
Crisis averted.
All of a sudden, I felt a warm, strong hand clasp mine.
Eldrick was standing next to me again, his face angled away so I couldn’t see his expression. He was holding onto my hand like someone gripping a life preserver. I wondered what scared him so badly about being around other people. He was supposed to be ancient and powerful, right? Why would a being like that be afraid of humans? What could they possibly to do someone like him?
“What’s up with Joe’s mom?” A group of popular girls cornered me outside the lunchroom. “He seems so sad today. Is his mom okay?”
I had almost forgotten about the story Zeph made up to explain my absence from school. “O-oh. Yeah. You know, it’s just hard on him right now. They’re still trying to figure out what’s wrong with her. It isn’t looking good.”
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