by Karen Lynch
“I saw you were going through it faster, so I brought an extra bottle.” Lukas set the bag on the kitchen counter. “I also got more berries and yikkas.”
“That’s so thoughtful,” Mom said. She smiled, but it didn’t hide the strain around her mouth and eyes.
Lukas shot me a questioning look, and I moved into the kitchen where my parents couldn’t hear us. In whispers, I told him about what Dad and I had watched before his arrival.
“I’m so afraid this will cause a setback for her,” I confided as I put the food away. “She’s supposed to take it easy and avoid stress. What if she has a relapse and has to go back to the facility because of me?”
He put his hands on my shoulders and spoke in a low, firm voice. “None of this is your fault. I should have handled this better from the beginning.”
“You two are awfully quiet in there,” Dad called, a note of amusement in his voice.
Lukas’s fingers squeezed my shoulders. “I won’t let anything happen to your family. Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation, earning a smile from him.
“Good.” He released me, and we went to the living room. “I’ve been thinking that it’s unfair for you to have to stay cooped up here until the media craze dies down. I have several properties that would allow you more freedom and privacy, and they are available to you for as long as you need them. I can arrange private transportation as well so the media won’t know where you are going.”
Mom’s eyes widened. “That’s very generous of you.”
“Are they in the city?” Dad asked.
“Not New York.” Lukas sat in the armchair, looking completely at home. “There is a villa in the Italian countryside, an estate in the Scottish Highlands, and a small island in Brazil. They are all private, and the staff can be trusted not to reveal your whereabouts to anyone.”
I stared at him. I knew he must be rich as the crown prince of Unseelie, but he never showed off his wealth. This was the first time he’d ever mentioned owning properties other than his Williamsburg building. He was also a private person, for a Court faerie, and here he was offering up one of his personal properties to my family.
Mom and Dad shared a stunned look, and Dad said, “All of those sound perfect. I think we’ll need to talk it over first.”
“The offer is open whenever you’re ready,” Lukas said.
“An island?” was all I could think to ask.
He smiled. “Sometimes, I like to be alone.”
Mom rubbed her hands on her thighs, something she did now whenever she was feeling overwhelmed or disquieted. “How long do you think it will take for this to die down?”
Lukas’s eyes met mine briefly before he answered her. “If we do nothing, it could take months unless a bigger story comes along.”
My stomach fell. She couldn’t deal with this kind of stress for that long even if we did go to one of his private properties. Dad knew it, too.
I sent Lukas a pleading look. “There has to be something we can do.”
“We could do an interview,” he suggested.
Some of the pressure on my chest eased. “We?”
“It won’t be enough for them to hear from you. They’ll want to talk to the faerie who did the conversion. Once we tell them our story, there won’t be any exclusives for them to chase after. They won’t back off completely, but they’ll ease up. And it will kill all their stories about you and the Seelie prince.”
Dad nodded. “I think he’s right, Jesse, but it’s up to you. We will go along with whatever you decide.”
“They’ll want to know how she survived the conversion,” Mom said anxiously. “If people find out about her goddess stone, that will put her in more danger.”
Lukas shook his head. “We are not telling anyone about the goddess stone. The only people who know about it are those Jesse has told, and we are keeping it that way.”
I stared at him. “You didn’t tell the king?”
“The goddess stone is your secret to tell,” Lukas said, his tone softening. “You trusted me with it, and I will never break that trust.”
My heart sped up as I felt something pass between us. “We would do the interview together?”
“If that’s what you want.” One side of his mouth lifted. “They’ll give you whatever you ask for to secure this interview.”
I inhaled and slowly let out the breath. I did not want to go on camera and share details of my private life with the world. But there was nothing I wouldn’t do for my mother, and this was a small price to pay for her peace of mind.
“How do we do this?” I said at last.
“You decide who you want to do the interview with, and I’ll make the arrangements. They’ll want to do a sit-down interview and a photo shoot. We can work out the details.”
“No live interview,” I blurted. This was going to be bad enough without doing it in front of millions of people. “I want Tennin to do the photo shoot.”
Lukas’s eyes lit with amusement. “Anything else?”
I pursed my lips, starting to warm to the idea. If this was my only option, I was going to make the most of it. “Maybe. I’ll let you know.”
* * *
“Jesse, Jesse, over here!”
“Are you going back to work as a bounty hunter?”
“Don’t you think it’s wrong for a faerie to hunt other faeries?”
I tossed a friendly smile at the small group of paparazzi, let them snag a few photos, and jogged up the steps to the Plaza. I was used to them dogging me, and thanks to some advice from Tennin, I could handle them like a pro now.
It had been two weeks since Lukas and my exclusive two-hour interview aired. We’d spun a story of how we’d met and worked together during the search for the ke’tain, which the whole world had heard of by now. We kept the host on the edge of her seat with a thrilling tale of how I’d been kidnapped and shot by one of Davian Woods’s men while trying to bring the ke’tain to Lukas.
Since I had been unconscious during the conversion, the host directed her questions at Lukas. She’d dabbed her tears away when he told her how I’d nearly died. Out of gratitude for my heroism, a group of Fae royals had attempted a conversion, and by Aedhna’s blessing, it had worked.
Now that the whole country saw me as a hero and we’d killed the rumors of a love affair with the Seelie crown prince, the media was kinder to me. The story wouldn’t go away anytime soon, but the situation was bearable now. A national hero was a lot less exciting than a Fae crown prince’s secret lover. Some paparazzi still followed me and tried to provoke me into giving them fodder for a new story, but they weren’t nearly as aggressive.
I entered the Plaza lobby, relieved they couldn’t follow me inside. The first people I saw were brother and sister team, Kim and Ambrose, and I smiled at them. Ambrose had been in a perpetual bad mood since the day I’d met him, but Kim and I got along well. I expected the scowl he shot my way, but hers took me aback.
A few feet from them stood a group of four hunters that included Aaron and Adrian. The Mercer twins smiled, and Aaron gave a friendly wave, but the two other hunters, whom I knew by name only, glared at me. I looked to the other side of the lobby and was met by more cold stares.
I’d heard from Maurice how unhappy the other bounty hunters were about the media attention, but that hadn’t prepared me for this chilly reception. Though I didn’t blame them for being upset, I had hoped they would be a little more forgiving. It wasn’t as if I’d gotten shot on purpose and asked for the conversion or the publicity that came with it.
I crossed the lobby to the elevators. Before I reached them, a hunter named Sean Murphy stepped in front of me to block my way. Sean was in his late twenties, wiry with long, sandy blond hair in a ponytail. He was one of the hunters who had challenged my story when I’d brought in a goblin as my first capture, but I hadn’t spoken to him since that day.
He crossed his arms. “What are you doing here?”
I bristled at his tone. “Same as you, I would imagine.”
“You’re not the same as me,” he bit out. “You’re one of them now, and you don’t belong here.”
“Yeah,” one of his friends called. “The only faeries in this building should be the ones in iron.”
Their open hostility was like a slap to the face, but I refused to let them see how much it bothered me. I looked at the second man. “There’s no law against a faerie being a bounty hunter.”
Sean’s lip curled. “There should be. How do we know you won’t take their side against us?”
“Whose side?”
“Faeries,” Ambrose spat from the other side of the room. “They look out for their own, and we look out for ours.”
Anger sparked inside me. “Is that so? I must have missed all of you looking out for my parents when they went missing in December. You know, the two human bounty hunters who almost died at the hands of faeries.”
“That’s different,” Sean protested. “The Agency opened an investigation and –”
“And you did nothing.” I shot them all a scathing look. “You know who helped me look for my parents? Faeries. So, don’t talk to me about how you take care of your own.”
The lobby went quiet, and everyone averted their eyes. I thought we were done with the conversation until Sean spoke. “That doesn’t change the fact that you lied to us. You didn’t tell us about the conversion, and then we got mobbed by reporters while you hid out at home.”
“I’m sorry about the reporters, but you can’t blame me for their actions.” I looked around the room and met the eyes that were watching me. “If any of you were in my shoes, would you want the world to know?”
“I sure wouldn’t,” said a new voice.
I turned to face Trey, who had entered the lobby without my notice. He gave me a small smile of solidarity and came to stand beside me.
“Jesse jumped into the East River to save me from a kelpie. I wouldn’t be here if not for her. I’d take her as a partner any day.”
“She was still human then,” Sean argued like a dog with a bone.
Trey waved a hand at Aaron and Adrian. “She was a faerie when she saved all of our asses on a banshee job.” He turned back to Sean. “You know what? I found out about her conversion weeks ago, and it didn’t change a thing. I’d still choose her as a partner.”
I nudged his arm with mine. “Aw, shucks.”
“It’s one thing to bring in lower Fae,” Ambrose said. “What happens if you ever have to deal with a Court faerie?”
I let out an aggravated huff. “Do cops and agents refuse to arrest human criminals because they’re human? And when was the last time there was a bounty on a Court faerie?”
The other hunters looked among themselves, but not one could answer me.
I walked over to the elevator and pushed the button. “Listen; I didn’t ask for this, but I’m not going to apologize for being alive or for doing my job. If you don’t like that, that’s your issue, not mine.”
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside. I turned and faced the room impassively. Some still wore their angry expressions while others regarded me thoughtfully. I’d said all I was going to on the subject, and it was up to them to accept me or not. This wasn’t the first time they’d challenged my right to be here. Their opinions hadn’t stopped me then, and they wouldn’t stop me now.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, I left the building with three new jobs from Levi, who said he didn’t care what I was as long as I kept earning him money. The paparazzi were waiting for me at the bottom of the steps, and I gave them a friendly wave as I ignored their usual shouts and headed for the Jeep.
I got in and started it, keeping my eyes averted from the camera lens nearly pressed to my window. They’d get bored with me eventually. Until then, I would make sure they got nothing newsworthy from me.
My phone rang, and I answered without looking at the number. The Agency had gotten me one of the special unlisted numbers reserved for Fae royals, and only a handful of people outside of my family knew it.
“Hello,” I said as I pulled away, careful not to hit one of the paps who was slow to move out of the way.
“Jesse James, you are not an easy person to reach,” said a man’s voice.
An ugly jolt of recognition hit me, and I nearly slammed on the brakes. He was the last person I’d ever expected to speak to again. My knuckles turned white, and I eased my grip on the wheel before I spoke.
“Davian,” I replied with a cool voice that belied the shock rippling through me. I scanned my surroundings, expecting to find him there. “How did you get my number?”
His laugh was the same charming one I’d heard the night we met at his party. “You must know by now that I have ways of getting the things I want.”
“Not all of them,” I retorted. The satisfaction it gave me was only a fraction of what I deserved after what he’d done to me.
“Not yet,” he said in a less amused tone. “But you don’t get where I am without being a patient man.”
“Where is that?” I couldn’t resist the gibe. “I hope you are well-stocked in your secret hideaway and planning on an extended stay.”
“I am quite comfortable, thank you, and this is only a temporary inconvenience until everything blows over.”
I shook my head. Did he honestly believe that? Aside from the fact that he’d conspired to obtain a stolen Fae artifact for his own gain, he’d also kidnapped and shot an Unseelie royal guard, who happened to be one of Lukas’s best friends. None of them would forget that, much less forgive Davian. And they would long outlive him.
Instead of pointing out the obvious to him, I said, “Is there a reason why you called, besides wanting to catch up?”
“I want to know how you did it?”
I didn’t have to ask what it was. “I didn’t do anything. I’m sure you’ve seen our interview, and you heard what Lukas said.”
“I heard the story you two gave the world, but we both know it was a fabrication. If all it took to convert an adult was a group of faeries, I would have done that already.” His voice took on a note of excitement. “It was the ke’tain, wasn’t it? They used it to amplify their magic so they could perform the conversion.”
“You know faeries can’t touch the ke’tain,” I reminded him.
“Then you held it and used its power while they did the conversion,” he persisted. “Tell me how it works.”
Angry heat spread through me. “I have no clue what happened during the conversion because I was nearly dead from a bullet, no thanks to you.”
“I’m sorry about that. I never meant to harm you. Things got out of hand.” He sounded contrite, but I knew the real Davian Woods. He was only sorry he hadn’t gotten what he wanted.
I gritted my teeth. “You hired mercenaries who murdered an innocent woman. Then you called the Seelie guard to come for Conlan and me. They would have done more than harm us.”
“I made some mistakes,” he replied casually. “I plan to make reparations to her family.”
I had no response. What did you say to someone who had no remorse and believed money was the answer to everything? Davian was so blinded by his wealth and his obsession that he’d lost touch with reality. Did he honestly believe a check could ease Angela Moore’s parents’ devastation over their daughter’s murder?
“Name your price, Jesse.”
I blinked, suddenly aware he had been speaking. “What?”
“How much will it take for you to share your secret with me?” he asked. “Five million, ten million? Your parents will never want for anything. Say the word.”
“I told you I don’t know what happened in the conversion. I can’t give you what you want.”
What I didn’t tell him was that my family had no need of his money, thanks to the three-million dollar deal I’d negotiated with the network for my exclusive interview. Mom and Dad could take all the time they needed to recover befo
re going back to work, and that was worth every second of the uncomfortable interview.
“Is that your final word?” Davian’s voice was tight as he tried to restrain his anger.
“Yes.”
“Then I guess there’s nothing else for us to say to each other. Goodbye, Jesse.” He hung up before I could respond.
I gripped the steering wheel hard, and it was only then that I realized my hands were trembling. Too shaken to drive, I looked around for a place to pull over. I needed to call Lukas. We’d thought Davian was no longer a threat after he’d fled the country and gone into hiding, but we’d underestimated his obsession with becoming Fae.
A block later, I pulled onto a quiet street lined with brick apartment buildings and found an empty parking spot. I was no longer trembling, but my whole body was as jittery as it had been the time Violet and I drank three espressos in a row. Oh, what I wouldn’t do for a coffee now. That was one more thing Davian Woods had taken from me.
I picked up my phone and called Lukas, letting out a frustrated breath when I got his voice mail. I didn’t want to tell him about Davian in a message, so I asked him to call me as soon as possible. He was occupied with Faerie business lately, but he always responded quickly to my calls.
I laid my head against the headrest. Since the night he and I had cleared the air, we seemed to have fallen back into our old friendship – the pre-kiss one. Lukas was attentive and supportive to my family and me, and he’d completely won over my mother, despite her earlier reservations about him. At times, I thought I saw a flicker of something more in his eyes when he looked at me, but it was gone before I could read it. I was starting to think I’d imagined there had ever been more between us.
A vehicle slowed to a stop beside me, and I glanced out the driver’s window at a blue van with tinted windows. My stomach gave a sickening lurch, and I held my breath as flashbacks filled my mind of another van and the day Conlan and I were abducted.
Relax, I told myself even as my hand moved to make sure the door was locked. I was going to feel pretty foolish in a few seconds when someone got out of the van and went into the apartment building. It wasn’t as if they had me boxed in. The space behind me was empty, so I could back out that way if I wanted to.