by Karen Lynch
“Is something wrong?” Violet asked.
“I might be paranoid, but I think that Lincoln is following us.”
“What?” She turned to look before I could tell her not to. “How do you know?”
“I don’t know, but they’ve been behind us all the way home.” I looked at the SUV again. If they were following us, they didn’t have a clue how to tail someone. Or they didn’t care if they were seen. The second thought sent tendrils of fear through me.
She gasped. “Maybe it’s the paparazzi. What if they figured out who Prince Rhys’s mystery woman is?” She pulled down the passenger visor and started fixing her hair.
“What are you doing?”
“If it’s the paparazzi, I want to look good for the photos,” she said as she rooted in her purse for a tube of lipstick
I shook my head. “It’s not the paps, Vi.”
“How do you know?”
“You’ve spent a few weeks in Hollywood. How many paps drive around in Lincoln Navigators?”
“Shit.” She sank lower in her seat as if they were about to start shooting at us. If I wasn’t so worried about the possibility of being followed, I would have laughed.
“What are we going to do?” she hissed.
I looked around and spotted an intersection up ahead. “Hold on. I’m going to try something.”
“Um, do you mean to hold on figuratively or literally?”
“Both,” I said through gritted teeth as I pulled over into the right lane at the last possible second. The car I cut off blared their horn, but I barely heard it over Violet’s scream as I turned down a side street. I didn’t slow to see if the Lincoln had managed to follow me. Heart pounding, I kept going and prayed I had been wrong about our tail.
“Are they gone?” Violet asked in a shaky voice.
I checked the rearview mirror. “We lost them.”
She sat up straighter in her seat. “Can we have a normal day together for once?”
“I’m a bounty hunter, and you’re about to become a movie star. I think this is the new normal.”
“Well, when you put it like that,” she said with a giggle.
Her laughter did nothing to ease the coil of worry in my gut. I tried to tell myself I’d been mistaken about the SUV following us, but too much had happened in the last few months for me to believe it.
We spent the rest of the drive talking about Violet’s time in Los Angeles, and some of the actors she’d met at the functions she’d attended. Her agent was working overtime to milk her small role in this movie for everything it was worth.
“Are you going to come in?” she asked when we stopped in front of her brownstone.
“Can’t. I have a bunch of stuff to do before I get back to work tomorrow. You want to come over for dinner tomorrow and hang out?”
“Okay!” She reached for the door and stopped to look back at me. “No more boats for you.”
I made a face. “No more boats.”
I left her to drive the two blocks to my place, but I took a quick detour to the grocery store. As usual, once I got there, I thought of a dozen things I needed, and I left the store with my arms around a large paper bag of groceries.
I was almost to the Jeep when I noticed the white SUV parked on the other side of it. A white Lincoln Navigator.
I took a step back as a blonde faerie walked around the rear of the Jeep. One glimpse of the cold determination on his face was enough to make me turn around toward the store. I came up short and almost lost my grip on the bag of groceries. A second faerie blocked my retreat, and his eyes flashed me a warning that said don’t try to run.
Chapter 17
Fear clawed at my stomach when I got a good look at the second faerie. He was the one I’d seen at Davian’s party, which meant these were Queen Anwyn’s personal guard.
My mind raced to think of a way out of this. I glanced around and spotted several people loading groceries into their vehicles. Even if I yelled for help, they wouldn’t have a prayer against the Seelie royal guard. There were security cameras on the building, but a lot of good they would do if these guys decided to take me away from here. I’d be dead before anyone looked at the video.
“Jesse James,” said a hard voice from behind me.
I turned to face the faerie near the Jeep. My arms trembled around the bag of groceries I clutched as if it could shield me.
Ruthless blue eyes locked with mine. “We have a message for you from our queen.”
His hand disappeared inside his jacket, and my whole body tensed. When his hand reappeared holding not a weapon but what looked like a photo, I stared at it in confusion. He closed the distance between us and held the photo in front of my face.
I recognized it immediately. It was one of the pictures taken of Prince Rhys and me after our lunch. You couldn’t see my face, but apparently Violet wasn’t the only one who had recognized me.
“Queen Anwyn does not approve of your relationship with the prince,” the faerie said coldly. “She will not allow her son to form an attachment to a human, especially one of your ilk.”
I was so shocked by the turn of this conversation that I could barely manage to speak. “My…ilk?”
“A bounty hunter.” He spat the words as if they left a bad taste in his mouth. “You are not worthy of the prince. The queen demands you cease this relationship immediately.”
I shook my head to clear it. “I’m not in a relationship with Prince Rhys. I barely know him.”
The faerie produced a second photo. “Explain this.”
The photo was of me and Prince Rhys standing inches from each other at Va’sha. Someone had snapped the photo in the exact moment I had almost run into him, and the way the prince was smiling at me made it look like he and I were in a cozy conversation. It didn’t help that I was dressed like a party girl in a club where humans went to hook up with faeries.
“I spoke to the prince for all of two minutes that night.”
“That’s not what the picture says. Nor does this one.” He held up another photo, and in this one, the prince’s hand was touching my cheek in what looked like an intimate moment.
I met the faerie’s hostile gaze. “Whoever took these pictures made it look like it was something it’s not. I did see Prince Rhys at Va’sha, but the only reason he touched me was to annoy Prince Vaerik.”
The faerie’s eyes betrayed his surprise. “The Unseelie prince was there?”
“Yes. I was talking to him when Prince Rhys saw us and came over.”
“You were there with Prince Vaerik?”
I shook my head. “I was there on a job to catch a nymph, and I ran into him. I guess Prince Rhys thought I was with Prince Vaerik, and the two of them argued. It had nothing to do with me, so I left them to fight it out. You can ask Prince Rhys’s guard, and I’m sure they’ll tell you. Just like they will tell you there was nothing romantic about my lunch with the prince. He came to see me because he’s interested in bounty hunting, and that’s mostly what we talked about at lunch. He didn’t ask to see me again, and I have no intention of contacting him.”
Icy blue eyes regarded me. “We will check out your story. For your sake, I hope you are not lying. You do not want to make an enemy of Queen Anwyn.”
A shiver went through me at the threat. The Seelie queen was already my enemy, but I didn’t tell him I knew that.
“Stay away from Prince Rhys. If we hear you have seen him again, we will be back.” With those parting words, he spun and went to the Lincoln. The second faerie, who hadn’t spoken, stalked past me to join him. Neither of them spared another glance in my direction as the SUV pulled out of the parking spot, and they drove off.
I managed to get into the Jeep before I fell apart. Tremors shook my body as I white-knuckled the steering wheel and took deep breaths to curb what might be my first panic attack. I had no idea how much time passed before I was composed enough to drive.
At home, I practically ran from the Jeep to my apartment, lo
oking over my shoulder to make sure the Seelie guard hadn’t decided to show up here, too. I must have lost my breath as I ran up the stairs because I was a bit lightheaded when I opened the apartment door.
Finch whistled as I set the bag of groceries down in the kitchen with shaking hands. I looked over at the couch where he sat with Aisla, and he signed, What’s wrong?
“Nothing. I’m cold.” I pulled a large carton of blackberries from the bag. “Look what I got for you.”
His face lit up. If I could count on anything to distract my brother, it was his love of blackberries. They cost twice as much this time of year, but his happiness was worth every cent.
I put some of the berries in a bowl and set it on the coffee table for him and Aisla to share. She still didn’t say much, but her sweet smile was enough.
Leaving them to their treat, I went to my room and lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. It could have been a lot worse, I told myself as my heart finally slowed to a normal pace. It had nothing to do with Mom or Dad, and we were all safe. And as long as Prince Rhys kept his distance from me, I wouldn’t have to fear his mother’s wrath.
I just had to keep telling myself that until I believed it.
* * *
Faris smiled broadly as he opened the door to let me into the building two days later. “I was starting to think you had forgotten us.”
I laughed and walked past him into the foyer. “It hasn’t been that long.”
“I’ve gotten used to you coming every morning for training. It’s the highlight of my day.”
“Your life must be boring indeed if my visits are the highlight,” I said as I deposited my coat and keys on a barstool, and we went to sit on the couch.
He gave me a pained look. “You have no idea. I can’t wait to get back to training and my duties. A sedentary life does not suit me.”
“It won’t be much longer.” In the weeks I had been coming here, Faris’s health had improved at an incredible rate. No one who didn’t know the truth would ever suspect he had been on the brink of death two months ago. His strength hadn’t fully returned because of the iron in his body, but the levels dropped a little every day. The last time I’d been there, he’d told me it should be safe for him to return to Faerie in a month. A week at home and he’d be fully healed.
His mouth curved into a sheepish smile. “I sound like a pouting child when I have so much to be grateful for. I haven’t even asked how you’re doing. You look happier than normal.”
“That’s because I am.” My heart felt close to bursting. “I saw my parents today, and they told me my father might be ready to come home in two weeks. Their doctors said he is months ahead of what they predicted for his recovery.”
“That’s wonderful news. And your mother?”
“She has to stay there longer, but the doctors said she is recovering faster than expected, too.” I hated that she would be there alone when Dad was released, but she wouldn’t hear of him staying with her. She said Finch and I needed him more than she did, and it would do more for her recovery to know he was home with us. I couldn’t argue with her when she put it that way.
“I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks.” I picked up the coffee that had been waiting for me. “The doctors said everyone recovers from goren differently.”
He grimaced. “It’s the same with iron poisoning. Some recover faster than others. But the main thing is your parents are doing well and your family will be together soon. It makes me glad to see you happy.”
“We’ve all come a long way since that day.” I didn’t have to elaborate. It wasn’t something either of us would forget.
He seemed to think about his next words. “Things have changed between you and Lukas as well.”
“We talked.” I suddenly became interested in a frayed thread on my jeans. Lukas was close to his friends, but he wouldn’t tell them what had happened between us at my apartment. Would he?
Faris chuckled. “I don’t suppose your talk had anything to do with his current mood.”
“Mood?”
A door slammed, and Lukas strode into the room. His jaw was hard, and I was taken aback when his angry eyes immediately honed in on me.
“We need to talk.” He pointed to the window overlooking the garden. “Out there.”
I didn’t move except to raise my eyebrows at him. He seemed to have forgotten his manners and the fact that I wasn’t one of his subjects to order about.
It didn’t take him long to realize his glare wasn’t going to work on me. He released an aggravated breath. “Please.”
I shot Faris a questioning look as I stood, but he appeared to be as puzzled as I was about Lukas’s behavior.
As usual, the garden was balmy compared to the crisp winter outside the wall, and the air carried the fragrance of exotic flowers. I crossed the patio and stepped onto the thick carpet of grass that I knew from experience was softer than anything grown in our world.
“What is going on between you and the Seelie prince?” Lukas demanded from behind me.
I grimaced at the trees. Was there anyone who didn’t recognize me in those damn photos? I turned to look at him. “You saw the pictures.”
Normally, I’d tell him it was none of his business whom I spent time with. But he had as good a reason as I to hate the Seelie Queen and her son by association. He had confided in me about the ke’tain and Queen Anwyn’s involvement, and the least I could do was be forthcoming with him.
His jaw flexed. “How long have you been seeing him?”
“I’m not seeing him. We just had lunch together.”
“One does not just have lunch with the Seelie crown prince,” he said brusquely.
“Why not? I’ve had lunch with the Unseelie crown prince,” I retorted. “Does it count that I had no idea you were a prince at the time? Or the crown prince for that matter?”
“Jesse.” He practically growled my name, and a tiny thrill went through me. It vanished when his scowl deepened.
I heaved a sigh. “Prince Rhys came to see me the day after the ferry accident. We went to lunch and talked mostly about bounty hunting. It was all very platonic, and if those paps hadn’t taken pictures of us, you and I wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“He came to your apartment?” Lukas’s nostrils flared.
“I ran into him in the lobby before he could come up to the apartment.”
Lukas bit out a Fae word. “And he went through the trouble to find you only to talk about bounty hunting?”
“We talked about other things too, but yes.”
“Like what?”
I crossed my arms. “Like what any two people would talk about over lunch. He didn’t spill any Seelie secrets if that’s what you’re asking. I would have told you if he had.”
Lukas began to pace. “I don’t like his interest in you or him knowing where you live.”
“You’re not the only one who wants him to stay away from me.”
He stopped walking. “What do you mean?”
I bit the inside of my cheek. It wasn’t like I had planned to hide this from him, but I had to mentally prepare myself for the explosion to come. “Queen Anwyn doesn’t approve of her son having any connection with a bounty hunter.”
Lukas went stock still, his eyes boring into me. “How do you know that?”
“Her guard came to see me and warned me to stay away from the prince. I told them I –”
“What?” Lukas’s shout scared the birds in the garden into silence. Behind him, Faris’s concerned face appeared in the window.
I held up my hands. “Look, it’s not as bad as you think. Let me tell you what happened before you blow a gasket or something.”
He nodded stiffly, and I told him about the queen’s guards stopping me outside the grocery store to deliver her message. Seeing the fury in his eyes, I was glad I’d decided to leave out the part about them tailing me from the airport.
“They had photos of you and Prince Rhys at V
a’sha?” he bit out.
“The photos were manipulated to make it look like something it wasn’t. You were there the whole time, remember?”
Lukas swore. “If they are willing to approach you in a public place, there is nothing to stop them from coming after you when you are alone.” He resumed pacing and stopped abruptly. “You will stay here. It’s the safest place for you.”
I nearly choked on my saliva. There was no way I was staying in his home after what had happened between us. I wasn’t cool enough to handle that level of awkward.
“Staying here is not an option. I have to work, and my father is coming home soon. Besides, the apartment is protected by your ward.”
“The ward won’t protect you when you’re not at home.” He stared at the brick wall around the garden. “One of my men will watch you when you leave the building.”
I shook my head vehemently. “No.”
Lukas strode over to me. “Jesse, the Seelie queen has you in her sights. There is no way I’m letting you walk around this city unprotected.”
“She only cares if I see her son, and I have no intention of doing that. I made that clear to him, too, after our lunch.”
“And if Rhys ignores her wishes and tries to see you again?” Lukas asked.
I didn’t have an answer for that because I’d wondered the same thing. I stared up at the sky and watched a bird fly over the fence into the garden. Strange. The ward kept the rain out but not a bird.
I dropped my eyes to meet Lukas’s. “Put the same ward on me that you did for my parents. That’ll keep the Seelie guard away from me.”
His expression turned to one of frustration as he let out a harsh breath. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
He dragged his fingers through his hair. “I’ve tried four times already to ward you, and it won’t hold. The ward collapses the moment I stop putting magic into it. Something is blocking it, but I have no idea what.”
Shock washed over me. “When did you try that?”
“At the hospital. The first week your parents were there, you used to fall asleep in the chair in their room. It was easy to slip past the nurses and the agent on duty.”
