Touched by a Sprite

by E. A. Reynolds

  “Baylee.”

  “Fuck,” he muttered at the sound of Alisa just outside in the living area of his suite. “Uh, give me a minute,” he said. “I’m up.” He sat up and found a note on the pillow next to his. There was an indentation as if someone had slept on it.

  Baylee gasped and started to leap to his feet when Alisa burst in.

  He glanced quickly around the room, half expecting to find a naked Kirkyn coming out of the bathroom to get rid of her.

  “Are you okay? I knocked.” She gestured to the door.

  He tucked his hair, which he’d let grow long, behind his ear as he struggled to make sense of things. The dream, hot as a fireplace poker, and god, he’d been so bad.

  Kirkyn always liked him that way.

  “Baylee? Did something happen last night? Something with the demon?” she asked with a frown. “I mean, Gram isn’t going to be happy if she finds out you bedded that demon, because he could be using you.”

  A self-derisive laugh issued from him as he rubbed his temple. “I guess last night just took a toll on me. Plus, I was already a little tired.”

  She frowned as she watched him carefully. “What’s that? Looks like he left a note.” She nodded with her chin to the pillow.

  “No. I was just reading that when I fell asleep last night,” he said. “I was thinking about taking some business classes.”

  “That would be good,” she commented. “You could do them online. Where did the flowers come from?”

  He turned slowly, the scent of the water lily floating on the air. The pink blooms lay on the table along with the delicate purple water hyacinth.

  “I-I don’t know,” he admitted. Kirkyn used to say he smelled like water lilies. “But you know, business classes would be good for me. I could be really useful here once things are settled.” He’d only taken hotel management in a trade school. He hadn’t been interested in going to college, to his father’s dismay.

  “You should get dressed. Gram just finished meeting with Kirkyn, and he’s refusing to work with Azure.”

  Baylee sighed, and last night came rushing back to him. The kiss, the press of Kirkyn’s hard body against his, and the argument.

  “I’ll be down in a minute,” he said. “But why do you need me?”

  “Gram wants to talk to you,” Alisa said.

  “When are you leaving?”

  “In an hour,” she replied. “Blade’s got family arriving to take us back. I want you to be safe and if you have to work with that demon, watch your back.”

  “Why?” She had no idea what Kirkyn could really be like.

  “I just get the feeling he’s dangerous,” she said. “He’s not willing to help us for no good reason.”

  “It’s his job,” Baylee said before he could censor his thoughts. He knew how dedicated Kirkyn had been, and last night didn’t seem any different even when he’d come up here.

  When he’d come up here—yeah.

  “I better get dressed,” he said. “I’ll be okay.” Baylee scampered into the bathroom, taking the note with him. Once inside, he closed the door and turned on the light.

  Baylee,

  I meant what I said last night. Don’t make me prove what a monster I can be—not to you. Not again. I don’t want to hurt anyone you care deeply about, especially not your family. So, don’t run, not when I can’t give proper chase.

  I’ve missed you, and being this close to you again makes me happy. Having that torn away will make the demon inside me very sad and cranky. Lying next to you only filled my head with you again.

  I wanted to wake up with you, but I do have a job to do.

  I intend to have you back where you belong. Don’t make me work so hard to get there.

  K

  Why did things—love—have to be so damned hard?

  Why did his body react to a man who’d kill him? Why did his heart crave another chance with Kirkyn when his head knew that could end in disaster?

  He sighed roughly and turned on the water to splash the coolness of it onto his face, but it didn’t cool the desire burning inside his soul for Kirkyn.

  When Baylee arrived downstairs, he found his grandmother talking to Kirkyn, and there was an attractive blond female at her side. Kirkyn appeared to be listening, his face a mask of blandness, which meant he was attempting to keep his temper under control.

  “Baylee is just not qualified for this,” Clarity said.

  “Who ever really is?” Kirkyn asked patiently. “He’ll never learn if he’s not put in position. Anyway, he strikes me as a sprite who could use a splash of supernatural reality.”

  “You know what?” Clarity said. “I’m very grateful for the warning that saved my granddaughter and future grandchild, but I’m going to call the Council and get you pulled. I think another agent would be better in dealing with this issue.”

  “Your choice,” Kirkyn retorted. “They might even go for it, since your kind has some way of affecting the Council. I’ll get my people out of here, and while I’m at it, I’ll get our protections stripped from the land and the gnomes will eat you alive by noon.” He turned and glanced to his right. “Get Snevil, we need to prepare to move out.”

  “Already on it,” the woman said, following on his heels.

  “I hate demons,” Clarity muttered. “We need a sprite handling this.”

  “Gram, you can’t do that,” Baylee said, rushing over. “If he strips his protections from the land—he still has some of those crystals. What if he puts them back? You didn’t see how powerful they are.”

  “What do you mean he still has some of them?” Clarity demanded, a hint of concern in her tone. She grabbed the phone and began to dial. “Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”

  “He said he wanted to play around with them. He thought he could corrupt them,” Baylee replied.

  “And you trusted that? Demons aren’t always helpful unless it’s in their best interest, Baylee,” she raged. “No matter how they look at you. He probably messed with your mind or possessed you. I’m getting him pulled and cited.”

  “What do you mean, cited?” Azure asked.

  “He’ll be sanctioned or fired.”

  “Gram,” Baylee wailed. The woman had no idea what kind of danger that’d put Alisa in. “Don’t do that. What if he gets away? He could come after you, after Alisa.”

  “Alisa will be fine,” Clarity assured him, the phone pressed to her ear, her hand covering the receiver.

  Baylee knew she wouldn’t stay that way, and his stomach turned with the memory of the dead who’d gotten between Kirkyn and him a year ago.

  “Just think about it, though, not getting him in trouble. Getting him fired is a little extreme,” Baylee protested.

  “You’re too sweet,” Clarity said and shook her head ruefully. “I know you’re grateful he saved Alisa, but—hello? … Shell, I need the agent on the case here in Pondstown removed. … He’s—what? He can’t be. … Call me back.”

  “What did she say?” Baylee asked.

  “He’s been tracking Bancoo for months, and he’s the best agent for the job because he knows them.”

  “I’ll talk to him,” Azure volunteered. “He might just have a problem with female authority or just working with me.”

  “No. I’ll do it,” Baylee insisted.

  “I think you are the problem,” Clarity said. “I think he has a crush on you and wants you for himself. That can’t happen. I’ll never accept a demon into this family.”

  Baylee shook his head. She wouldn’t have to worry about that if she went through with this.

  “I’ll deal with him,” he said and hurried to Kirkyn’s suite. He knew where it was, because Kirkyn had told him last night when they were looking for the crystals.

  * * * *

  Kirkyn answered his cell phone on the first ring. “Hello.”

  “How are things going?” His boss, Rene Bonsai, asked. She was a wood sprite with a strong sense of fairness and right and wrong.
/>
  She’d been even more nervous about the demon coming this way than anyone else, but he supposed that was because she had friends or family here.

  “Not as well as I’d hoped,” he admitted. “I thought Bancoo had his sights set on Bossier, but that was a diversion. Probably the future home of one of his buddies.”

  “Then, he’s in Pondstown?”

  “Yes, and we’re trying to deal with him. He’s already had people in place down here while he was giving me the runaround in Maine.” He told her about last night. “We’ve managed to locate the crystals, but I doubt the fight is over.”

  “He’ll move into town and begin whittling away at the water fey that live there,” she said in a tone rife with concern.

  “I’m not sure what he’ll do,” Kirkyn said, “but I’m rolling out in a few minutes to check things out. I wouldn’t put it past him to get the gnomes to work on poisoning the water to get humans to move out.”

  “That would bring in human news media and law enforcement. I don’t want that.”

  No one wanted it, but they just might get it.

  “He’s got ghost demons here too, and he might set them to possessing humans,” Kirkyn said. “He did that in Maine.”

  “And killed a generation of sprites,” Bonsai murmured.

  “From what I could tell, most of the sprites in this area are centered around this hotel,” Kirkyn told her. “They appear to be connected to the Kayson crone.”

  “They are,” she said. “They’re not that fond of demons, which can make this situation even more difficult.”

  “What do you want me to do?” he asked carefully.

  She was like most sprites who held office in the Council and demons, too, for that matter. They gave orders, but they weren’t down in the trenches fighting and trying to save lives.

  They had no idea what it took to eradicate threats before they were exposed to human society.

  “I’m going to send a sprite down to deal with this. When she gets there, I want you to turn over all information and any crystals you might not have destroyed. Those things are dangerous.”

  “I know how dangerous they are to sprites,” he told her coolly. “So, you want me to do what?”

  “I want you to let Payten take charge of things while you and your team back her up.”

  “ETA?”

  “She’ll be there within two hours. She’s not far away,” Bonsai said. “You can brief her at the hotel.”

  “Will do, ma’am,” he replied.

  “Kirkyn?”

  “Ma’am?”

  “Turn over all evidence,” she said firmly. “And allow her to do her job, which means taking orders from her.”

  “She doesn’t have the experience for this,” Kirkyn protested. “Besides, I’m the one capable of going head to head with them. I’m the one with the knowledge of science that could help these people.”

  “Use it to do your job,” Bonasi snapped. “I’ve heard how difficult you are for women to work with.”

  “Astarte never complains,” he muttered.

  “She’s not your boss, either,” she said.

  “Neither is Payten,” he retorted. “I outrank her in years, knowledge, and experience. We both know why you’re sending her here, but I’m not going to allow her to get this area turned into a shithole because sprites fear demons.”

  “Watch it, mister,” she said in a warning tone.

  “I’ll talk to you later. We have a lead to check out. I’ll talk to her when I get back.” He ended the call, and Astarte gave him a questioning look.

  “Clarity?” she asked. “I guess the old sprite has friends in high places.”

  “She’s as stupid as the others,” he retorted.

  “Payten has never handled anything like this before,” Astarte muttered. “She’s going to get this town infected.”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” he said grimly. “Go let Snevil know I want him on guard until we return.”

  He didn’t really care what the old sprite did, but Baylee was still his, and there was nothing she could do to separate them unless she wanted that to happen over her dead body.

  Chapter Eight

  When the elevator stopped on the fourth floor, Baylee climbed out and trudged down the corridor, not sure of what to say.

  The door of Kirkyn’s room opened and the woman came out. She gave him a cool stare as she moved past him.

  Baylee knocked on the door, and it opened. Kirkyn stood there, his face enigmatic.

  “I can’t talk to you now,” Kirkyn said.

  “What did you do to me last night?” Baylee demanded, moving into Kirkyn’s suite. “I can’t remember getting into bed or even going to sleep. And those flowers? Where did they come from?”

  “I did what was necessary,” he replied. “As I said, I don’t have time to chase you, but I suspect the old woman knows. Tell her what you did to me.”

  “I-I didn’t do anything,” Baylee insisted indignantly.

  Kirkyn chuckled. “This wouldn’t have happened if you had kept walking that night, because I wasn’t going to press the issue.”

  “What night?” His mouth went dry.

  “The night after the first time you dumped me, remember?” Kirkyn asked, and his gaze slid down Baylee’s body, making his cheeks heat. “Yeah, that night. You were so fantastic, but when were you not? You could make me cum my fucking pants just looking at you.”

  “That was a mistake,” he snapped. “I was stupid and confused. Can’t you just let it go?”

  “No. It’s not in my nature.” He cupped Baylee’s cheek. “Not when it comes to this.”

  Baylee pushed Kirkyn’s hand away. “Please,” he begged. “I can’t do this. You damn near drove me insane leaving those flowers, the notes, invading my mind.”

  He remembered the night Kirkyn had invaded his mind and made Baylee come to him.

  “And that night you made me meet you in the zoo and locked me in the lion’s cage,” Baylee said angrily. “That thing tried to bite me.”

  “I never would have let it harm you,” Kirkyn scoffed.

  “But I was terrified! Just like that night I woke up to find you watching me,” Baylee gritted out.” So, Kirkyn, if you care about me and my peace of mind, stop and let me go.”

  Kirkyn leaned into his personal space, giving off that woodsy scent—a mixture of cedar and patchouli. “What about my peace of mind, baby? Does it mean nothing?”

  Baylee whimpered. “I can’t do this,” he whispered.

  Kirkyn rested a hand on the doorframe. “Do you think this is easy for me? You’re my mate, and you’re rejecting me. Don’t you think that does something to a demon?”

  “No! Hell, no. You don’t even have a heart, or you wouldn’t have killed people who tried to help me.”

  “Are you going to come back to me?”

  Baylee’s eyes widened in horror. “No!”

  Kirkyn’s eyes flashed gray, the rage in them icy as it washed over him, and Baylee catched his breath. “Are you certain I can’t change your mind?”

  “I’m not getting back with you,” Baylee told him as he rubbed the bracelet. The gris-gris bag was inside, and he prayed it was still potent enough to protect his mind from Kirkyn’s telepathic invasion.

  Kirkyn’s eyes flashed with electricity, and Baylee felt the energy of the power behind it. He also felt a push at his mind.

  “I’m going to tell my grandmother and see what she can do to help me.”

  Kirkyn backed away, and the stillness in his stare made Baylee shiver. Kirkyn nodded, resolution in his eyes. “I need to do my job,” he said.

  “What are you going to do with the crystals?”

  “The same thing I planned to before,” he said. “But that’s none of your concern. Please leave.”

  Baylee blinked. No threats?

  Kirkyn left him standing there and returned a moment later with a pack. He didn’t say anything, and the look in his eyes was bland as
paste.

  He reached around him for the doorknob, and Baylee stopped him with a hand on Kirkyn’s arm.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Get to work. Excuse me.”

  Baylee started to go out ahead of him and came up short at the sight of a man he’d never seen before, hand raised as if to knock.

  “Trinity. Thanks for coming,” Kirkyn said. “Shall we?”

  Trinity studied him, his stare assessing before flicking to Kirkyn. “Yeah. Ennis thought it was best we got started after last night.”

  “What happened last night?” Baylee asked before he could stop himself.

  “A—”

  “It’s not his concern,” Kirkyn said and strode across the hall. “Astarte, let’s roll, dawg.”

  The door opened, and she came out and followed quickly in his wake, leaving Baylee in the corridor alone with Trinity.

  The other man’s stare was one of concern and sympathy.

  “Do you have family?” Trinity asked him.

  “Yes, why?”

  “Trinity, are you rooted to the spot?” Kirkyn called. “We’re taking the stairs, hurry up.”

  “How long have you been lovers?” Trinity asked, ignoring Kirkyn.

  “We broke up almost four years ago,” he said quietly.

  “You left him?”

  “Yes,” Baylee said with a frown. “Why?”

  “Does he have family?”

  “I think so,” Baylee replied.

  “If they ever liked you, you better call them, because they’re your only hope,” he said. “And whatever you do, don’t run. He’ll slaughter your family before he comes for you.” He strode away, and Baylee stared after him, mouth open.

  * * * *

  “He’s cute,” Trinity commented when he climbed into the truck behind Kirkyn.

  “What happened last night?”

  “Demons took out Bossier’s leader,” he said. “Ennis wants to know what you think their next move will be.”

  “I doubt the guy’s dead. More like in hiding. Wayfaire’s best bet is to find him and forge an alliance before they start acting. Also, find out what power the demon has.”

  “Power?”

  “Each guy has one main power they use to exert their control. Bancoo’s is pestilence with a side of war. There’s the telekinetic, a telepath, an air demon, and the fire demon. The two elementals will be a nuisance, but they won’t be as hard to take out as the telekinetic or the telepath.”