by E. Menozzi
“Is it supposed to be a faerie?” she asked.
I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her against me. “Supposed to be.”
“Why did you put it here and not downstairs with the others?”
I kissed her neck. “It makes me smile.” I moved my lips to the tender spot behind her earlobe, and she leaned against me.
“Where’s the other gargoyle?” she asked. Clearly, I needed to work on my seduction skills.
“By the window.”
She pulled free of my arms but held on to my hand and pulled me over to the alcove cut into the sloping roofline. I’d positioned the gargoyle on the window seat so it was looking out across the fields. She smiled when she saw it.
“Next best thing to putting it back out on the roof,” I said.
She dropped my hand and sat down next to the gargoyle on the window seat. “I loved sitting here, reading, and staring out at the rain,” she said. “You can see for miles from up here. I used to pretend I was a princess in a tower.”
I walked over and sat next to her. “I don’t know. I quite like the view from here.” I traced the curve of her long neck with my finger.
She turned toward me and smiled. “You’re sweet,” she whispered.
“You’re beautiful.” I leaned forward and captured her lips with mine. We kissed softly at first, her hands gripping the fabric of my shirt to pull me closer, mine slipping under the hem of her sweater to press against her warm, soft skin. Her lips parted in response, and she leaned into me, twisting to align her body against mine, but it wasn’t enough. I wrapped my hand around the back of her leg and hoisted her up until she was facing me with her knees wrapped around my hips.
“Hi,” she said, pausing from our kissing to take a breath. Our foreheads and noses were touching, and I could feel her breath on my lips when she exhaled.
“Hey,” I said. I smiled. I couldn’t help it.
She placed her palms on my cheeks and slid her fingers through my hair, pushing it back from my face. “What are we doing?” She looked lost, confused, concerned.
“Do you want to stop?” I froze, my breath caught in my chest, waiting for her response.
“No.” She shook her head, then frowned. “Do you?”
“Definitely not.” I could feel my heart hammering.
“What about…” Her voice trailed off, but I didn’t have a clue what she was trying to ask. She sighed. “Do you have any, you know, condoms?” she asked.
Of course. I’d forgotten about that very human concern. With a thought, I conjured a condom to the drawer of my bedside table. Then, reconsidering, I added a few more. Faeries didn’t catch human diseases, and as for reproduction, male Fae could only sire one child in their lifetime. So, we were very particular about when and how that occurred. Still, Evelyn thought I was human, and I’d need to behave like one.
“I believe I have a few around here somewhere,” I said.
She grinned, and I pulled her closer, then stood, lifting her along with me, careful not to hit her head on the low ceiling. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and her fingers worked to undo the buttons on my shirt as I carried her back into the main part of the room. Once I’d set her down on the bed, I shrugged out of my oxford and tugged my thin cotton undershirt over my head. Then I reached for her, but she’d beat me to it. Her hands grabbed my waistband and pulled me forward. I bent over her and inched the hem of her sweater up, running my hands along her sides as I guided it over her head, caressing her bare arms as I freed them from the confines of the cashmere.
My hand brushed against Godda’s bracelet, and when I pushed it back onto her wrist, I felt that gentle echo of magic call my power to the surface. I damped my magic back down, but not before the buzzing warmth that had rushed to my hands crackled against Evelyn’s skin. Her eyes fluttered and she wrapped her arms around my neck, but she otherwise didn’t seem to notice.
I breathed a sigh of relief and covered her mouth with mine. The spells I planned to use tomorrow were significantly more powerful than the simple ones I’d used tonight. They would light this house up with magic so that I might have a chance to end this war. But if I failed, and those spells brought the Hunt to Oscar’s manor, I’d have to join my kin to protect these humans as well as our own kind, and I might never get a chance to return. If I only had one more night masquerading as a human, I planned on enjoying every minute of it with this woman.
9
Sunlight streamed in through the windows, waking me from a sound sleep. I opened my eyes and stretched, only to find myself in an unfamiliar bed, alone.
“Liam?” I called out to the empty room as I sat up, clutching the blankets to my chest.
No one responded to my call. He’d left again. I felt my stomach twist. My mind instantly started making excuses. Maybe something had happened with his mother. Maybe he’d just gone to the bathroom. His clothes were gone from the floor, and mine were folded in a neat pile on a chair nearby. The bracelet my uncle had given me had been placed carefully on top of my clothes and, under it, a piece of paper. Gritting my teeth and bracing for the cold air, I dropped the blankets and set my feet on the rug.
I dressed quickly before reading the note.
E—
Didn’t want to wake you. Needed to get to work. Let me take you to dinner tonight.
—L
PS Your uncle’s paper on the temple ruins is next to the faerie if you want to borrow it.
The note was sweet, and he did owe me dinner. But I couldn’t shake my disappointment at waking up alone. I’d given in to my attraction to him. I’d convinced myself that he felt something for me. I wasn’t expecting a commitment. I wasn’t even expecting breakfast in bed. I’d just thought he’d at least be there when I woke up.
I padded down the stairs, carrying my boots and my uncle’s paper. Crossing my fingers that I wouldn’t run into my aunt or uncle on my way to my room, I crept down the hall. I had no idea how I would explain this to them. I hadn’t come home last night because I’d never left. And I’d spent the night with Uncle Oscar’s secretary. I shook my head. This was not part of my plan. My uncle had just agreed to let me help him, but now Liam was back, and I wasn’t sure where that left me. Not to mention, I wasn’t sure how I could possibly manage living in the same house as him for the rest of my visit without my aunt and uncle figuring out what was going on.
I reached my room and slipped inside, breathing a sigh of relief. Safe. Maybe we could find a way to work together. He’d said there was enough work for both of us. I set the research paper on my dresser and placed Godda’s bracelet next to it. Then I headed for the shower and turned on the water to warm.
As I undressed, my mind wandered to Liam’s hands removing my sweater, tugging off my boots, my jeans, stripping off my bra, toying with my underwear. I flushed, remembering my embarrassment that I’d not chosen a pair slightly more worthy of the occasion. Not that I’d brought any fancy lingerie. I’d assumed I wouldn’t need it.
Still, my boring cotton undies hadn’t appeared to phase Liam in the least. Just the thought of him running his finger under the waistband had my heart racing. My brain flooded with images and sensations from the numerous ways he’d showered my body with attention. By the time I’d had a steady stream of hot water running, I was warm enough to consider turning the dial back down to cold.
I needed to get him out of my head. We could be friends, maybe friends with benefits, but this could not be a thing. I stepped into the tub, tipped my head back, and closed my eyes, letting the water rain down on me. It was just one night. It meant nothing.
I forced myself to catalog his shortcomings. He needed a haircut. His clothes were out of style and too baggy. He hadn’t even gone to university. He worked for my uncle. And he’d gone all psycho alpha male with Nigel. What had that been about anyway? He’d found a very convenient way of making me forget all about that—at least tempora
rily.
I toweled off and wandered back into the bedroom. One thing hadn’t changed. I still wanted to find out more about Edric and Godda, and I still wanted to work with my uncle. I tugged on running tights and a sports bra, then pulled a cowl neck wool tunic over my head. The perfect outfit for snuggling in to do some reading. I grabbed the books Uncle Oscar had given me and the paper Liam had left for me. Then, hoping it would provide some luck and inspiration, I slipped Godda’s bracelet onto my wrist.
On the way down the front staircase, I stopped to admire the tapestry. Liam had mentioned something about a local Goddess of the Hunt. Uncle Oscar seemed convinced that the legends were true. Perhaps reading his paper and the books he’d given me would help me understand why. As much as I wanted to go straight to my uncle’s study and offer my help, I wasn’t ready to be working side by side with Liam right now. The books seemed like a much safer place to start.
My lips felt bruised, and I could still taste her on my tongue, but right now I needed to focus. I had to find the artifact, and I’d decided to start by searching the cellar. Oscar had finally told me about it when I’d returned from salting the perimeter of the property in the early hours of the dawn. I’d lied and told him I’d been out chopping firewood. There hadn’t been any sign that Nigel had returned, or brought any friends, and I wanted to keep it that way, at least until I could figure out what that half-demon wanker was after—besides Evelyn.
If Edric had recruited the demons to his cause, then this battle could be as bad as the last one. Once I found the artifact and destroyed it, Edric’s spirit would be banished from walking the Earth. Maybe then, like his Hunters, any demons they’d convinced to join their cause would leave us alone. As far as I knew, the demons held no grudge against us, no reason to fight us except at Edric’s bidding.
I checked in on the professor, brought him another pot of tea, and let him know I’d be working on cataloging the items in the cellar. I needed to keep him and his wife out of the cellar long enough for me to use my magic and find the artifact. Satisfied that he’d be tucked in his study for a while, I hurried through the mudroom to the cellar door and descended the rotting wooden stairs into the dank subterranean room.
I tested each step with my foot before putting my weight on it fully. Each board bent and creaked under my weight, and I wondered if the professor had even noticed the danger when he’d been poking around down here yesterday. It would be like him to only remember the room full of artifacts and neglect to mention that I might want to mind the stairs because they looked like they could collapse at any moment.
When I reached the bottom, I glanced over my shoulder to check that I’d shut the door behind me. Then I conjured a ball of light in my hand and released it toward the ceiling to bathe the room in a warm glow. Barrels and bottles lined the stone walls, and sawdust covered the stone floor. A lone wooden door, partially hidden by a stack of crates, beckoned at the far side of the cellar. The crates appeared to have been recently moved aside. I’d already explored every inch of this house, from top to bottom. The last time I’d been down here, those crates had been stacked against the wall. They were empty, and I hadn’t thought to move them. Had the professor really just remembered this room in the cellar? Or had he been using these empty crates to hide that door from me on purpose?
I turned in a slow circle, scrutinizing every wall and crevice. Then I released a focused blast of power, rippling out from me in all directions, meant to reveal any other hidden chambers I may have missed. I turned again, feeling out along the ripples, examining the edges of the room. I paused and stared down a corridor lined with wooden racks of wine bottles covered in thick layers of dust. I couldn’t see anything, but a disturbance in the ripples alerted me that there might be another hidden room in that direction.
I cast my light down the corridor and followed behind, mentally reaching out along the ripples, feeling for the break. There. I stopped and turned to face one of the racks of wine. My fingers traced along the vertical supports until I found a hidden hinge. I pushed lightly against the rack and was rewarded with the scrape of stone against stone. When I met some resistance, I pushed harder, leaning my weight against the rack until my force overcame the resistance and a gap appeared in the stone wall behind the rack. I cast my light up to the edge of the crack and shoved against the rack again. The gap widened as the wall and the rack swung in to reveal an opening into what appeared to be a room or tunnel. Dirt and dust swirled in the musty air escaping from the gap.
I imagined the layout of the house above me and tried to determine where this passage might lead. As far as I could tell, this was the far wall of the house. Beyond this would be fields. I flashed back to standing at the attic window with Evelyn last night and tried to envision what lay in this direction. I remembered seeing the lights of town in the distance. The carriage house was on the opposite side of the house, and I couldn’t remember there being any buildings on this side of the property. The only way to find out where this passage led would be to explore.
I sent a blast of magic toward the cellar door, spelling it stuck in a way that would alert me if anyone tried to open it. I hoped that would give me enough time to return and seal this passage behind me if anyone came looking for me. I’d already used enough magic that the scent of it would alert the Hunt that one of the Fae had infiltrated the ancestral home of Lord Edric, and I hadn’t even started my search of the cellar room. I decided that a little more magic at this point was worth the cost. I trusted that the salt I’d scattered at the base of the iron fence surrounding the property would deter the spirits, even if the only thing keeping the demons out was an invitation. Only Nigel had the permission needed to slip past my defenses, and I could handle him. Just the thought of his hands on Evelyn had my blood boiling. I wouldn’t hesitate to rip his head off if he set foot on this property again.
I slid through the gap in the wall and stepped into the dusty, stale air of the stone passageway. I cast my light ahead and found only a long, low-ceilinged tunnel with a packed earth floor. I called up my magic and shifted to my animal form. I could cover more ground, faster, on four legs than on two, and I’d see better in this darkness using my night vision. I took off at a loping run and chased after the glowing light I’d sent ahead of me.
With the exception of a few slight curves, the passage appeared to run in a straight line, directly toward the town with no end in sight. I passed no doors or intersections or signs that this tunnel had been used recently. It appeared to be a lost passage. I’d just slowed my pace to save my energy when I spotted a wall straight ahead of me. Dead end. I shifted back into my human form so I could reach out with my magic and find an opening, if one existed. I couldn’t imagine anyone would put this much work into a passage that went nowhere.
The stone on either side of me was solid, as it had been throughout the length of the tunnel. But, when I laid my hands on the wooden wall blocking my path, I could sense there was something on the other side. The wide, wood planks were thick and solid, extending horizontally across the opening with no breaks or hinges that might give a hint of any opening or a way to pass through to the other side. I pressed against the wooden wall and sent a blast of magic into the wood. I stepped back and watched as the revealing spell worked. The wood planks became transparent and revealed vertical iron bars spanning the gap on the far side of the planks, and, beyond that, a passage that continued almost identical to the one I’d traveled. As the spell faded, I caught a glimpse of markings, wards from the looks of them, burned into the wood, invisible to a human eye, but obviously Fae.
One of my kind had closed this passage and warded it. The only faerie I knew who’d ever set foot in Lydbury, besides me and Arabella, was Godda herself. I wondered if she had been the one to seal this off. Perhaps she knew this passage left them vulnerable to attack, though it wasn’t clear if she was keeping something out or keeping something in. Either way, I didn’t have time to explore any further r
ight now. Finding the artifact was my priority. I would return after, when I had more time, and investigate aboveground as well. Perhaps that would give me a better idea as to where this tunnel ended.
I transformed back into my animal form and returned to the cellar. Along the way I checked again for any openings I might have missed and paid close attention to the distance and direction I’d traveled. When I reached the entrance to the cellar, I transformed back into my human form and slid through the gap in the wall. Then I pulled the entrance shut behind me and added a few wards of my own to alert me if anyone else passed this way.
I walked back to the storage room hidden behind the empty crates. I ran my hand over the door, checking for any wards or markings that might have been left there to protect the contents, but found none. Then I pulled on the door handle and hauled the heavy wooden door open. Inside, I found a jumble of half-open crates, hastily wrapped packages, and loose gear cluttering every flat surface. There was barely enough room to move around. I squeezed between crates and maneuvered to the middle of the room. I jostled a stack of hunting gear and the lot nearly came down on top of me. I shielded myself and, annoyed, shot a burst of magic out to all corners of the room, searching for anything with hidden properties.
To my surprise, a shield, wedged at the bottom of the stack of hunting gear, glowed in response to my spell. I pulled it from the stack and ran my hands over the notched wood. The Sauvage crest had been painted on the front, but years of wear and gouge marks had damaged the rearing lions and intricate scrollwork almost beyond recognition. The thick wood was battered and splintered on the face, and the handle was worn smooth from use. It didn’t have the sheen and polish of Godda’s bracelet, but an unmistakable signature of magic thrummed inside the ancient artifact. Unfortunately, it was only a Fae protection spell, likely put there by Godda to protect Edric from harm on his hunts, back when he’d been hunting game, not Fae.
