Relics and Runes Anthology

by Heather Marie Adkins

  “You are welcome, Grace. Don’t hesitate to call,” he said with a fake lawyer smile. He strode back to his black BMW and gave me a wave just before he got in the car.

  My father sent me a lawyer. How thoughtful. I still didn’t recognize Mr. Lysander, but of course, that didn’t mean anything. I didn’t remember very many people there anyway. My mother and father. I had many brothers, but Finley was my constant companion. If I missed anyone from the Otherworld, it was him. I was sure that after I left, my father took Finley on as his favorite child since I had disappointed him so badly.

  The Food Mart sat in the center of a small strip mall in town. It was the only grocery store in Shady Grove, but it had all the essentials.

  I pushed my buggy around the store picking up a few things for Winnie. I’d found that I enjoyed cooking. Most fairy royalty had their own cooks and lavish homes. It didn’t bother me, because they were tied down. I could leave at any moment.

  Turning the corner of an aisle, a woman in a rush smashed her cart into mine. Without a word, she rushed around me.

  “Excuse you,” I muttered.

  She spun around on me. Long black hair and pale skin combined in unnatural beauty. She had to be a fairy. I had no idea that there were other fairies in this town. Looking through my sight, I saw the bright green hue around her. My nose wrinkled when I caught a whiff of peaches and rain. Summer.

  “What did you say?” she growled. I wasn’t sure what it was about Summer fairies. They always seemed so self-consumed. Certainly nothing like the fresh and inviting land where they were born.

  “I said, excuse you. You ran into my cart and didn’t say excuse me. So, I did it for you,” I smirked.

  Her nostrils flared. “I know who you are,” she said.

  “I know who you are,” I said, even though I didn’t. Not exactly.

  “Stay out of my way, Gloriana,” she said.

  “How rude. I had such high hopes that we would be friends,” I said not knowing her from Sam Hill.

  She faltered for a moment before she picked up on my sarcasm. “You think you are cute. Go back to your trailer, Trash.”

  “Well, I see you’ve met Stephanie,” Mable, the cashier interrupted.

  “I wish I hadn’t,” I replied.

  “Stephanie, perhaps you could tone down your vile spew,” Mable scolded. “Grace is new in town. You should be friendlier to your neighbors.”

  “Fuck off,” Stephanie said.

  “You are so rude. One day someone will put you in your place,” I warned.

  “It won’t be you,” she grinned. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have pressing matters.”

  She disappeared around a corner, and I looked at Mable.

  “Don’t let what she said bother you. She’s always been rude,” Mable said.

  “They usually are,” I said. I hadn’t met a Summer fairy that I liked. Ever.

  “They?” Mable asked.

  “You know the type. Too pretty and she knows it,” I said.

  “She’s beautiful, but her heart is black,” Mable said. “I hope she didn’t upset you.”

  “Nah. I’m fine,” I said.

  “She’s got her eyes out for the new sheriff coming to town. The rumor is that he’s handsome. All she needs is another man in this town in her bed,” Mable said.

  “Oh?” I asked pretending to know nothing about the subject.

  “Have you heard about it?” she asked. I shook my head. “Well, I hear that he was brought in especially by the state because there was corruption in the sheriff's department which isn’t unheard of in these parts. It’s actually pretty common.”

  “Well, maybe he can turn things around,” I said nonchalantly.

  “Good to see you, Grace. I’ve got to get to work,” she said, then headed toward the front of the store.

  I grabbed the few things I needed and checked out in her lane. We chatted about things going on in the town. Mable knew everything. The town gossip. I believed she had a genuine heart. I grabbed my bags, shot her a smile, then ran out into the heat of the day. The humidity slapped me in the face. When I got in my truck, I pulled out to the main road.

  Then, I saw him.

  Dylan Riggs.

  Driving through town in a red Camaro, Shady Grove’s new sheriff was handsome. He surveyed the town as he drove by slowly. I saw him pulling around the corner to the front of the Hot Tin Roof Bar.

  I didn’t realize I was still staring at the bar until someone honked their horn behind me to keep moving.

  At least my plan to flirt with him to throw him off wouldn’t be terribly unenjoyable.

  20

  Grace

  Dylan Riggs had been in town a couple of days, and thankfully he hadn’t called on me to help him with anything. Perhaps this threat to have to help him was nothing more than an idle threat.

  Curiosity drove me to Hot Tin Roof that night. I wanted to get my eyes on this watcher. This man who was supposed to contain me. Jeremiah could say whatever he wanted. This man was here because of me. It was about time I looked him in the eye.

  I chose a sexy red dress and heels out of my closet. Standing before the bathroom mirror, I adjusted my glamour trying on different styles of eyeshadow and colors of lipstick. I went with dark smoky eyes and blood red lipstick.

  Rufus stood at my feet wagging his tail.

  “We are not going for a walk,” I said. He ran to the front door. He didn’t understand negatives. All he heard was walk.

  Just before I left, I patted him on the head. “I’ll let you out when I get home.” I actually liked the mutt. He was cute, except when he had an accident. He was a puppy. He was learning. Accidents were bound to happen.

  Normally, I would walk, but with these heels, I decided to drive. Cars and trucks filled every spot in the parking lot at the bar. I drove my truck up on the curb in the grass. I’d seen other people do it when it was busy. If you had a truck, you might as well park it like one.

  One last look at myself in the reflection of the truck. I looked dang good. Taking a deep breath, I focused on my mission. I wanted to meet Dylan Riggs face to face on my terms. I would gain the upper hand because I didn’t know a human man that could resist me. Especially dressed like this.

  “Let’s do it,” I said giving myself one last pep talk.

  My mind toyed with my emotions. Suddenly, I was thinking about Remy and our old booth. The good times. The great sex.

  I noticed the bright red Camaro parked near the door. He was here. This was my chance to get ahead.

  “Where are you going?”

  My tattoo flared with power, and I spun around to find Jeremiah leaning against my truck.

  “I am going to have a drink,” I replied, shaking my hand to release the buildup.

  “Dressed like that?” He lifted an eyebrow.

  “Is there something wrong with how I am dressed?” I asked.

  “Looks like you are trying to catch a lay,” he suggested.

  “No. I’m here to have a drink,” I insisted.

  “You won’t seduce him.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Jerry. You don’t know everything,” I snarled.

  He laughed. “Grace, I’ve known you long enough to know all of your tricks.”

  “If you would excuse me, I need more alcohol now that you’ve ruined my night with your presence,” I said.

  “Grace,” he warned.

  “What?!”

  “No sex. No men. It’s your contract.”

  “I don’t need you to remind me, Jeremiah. I have no intentions of sleeping with anyone tonight. If you haven’t noticed, I haven’t quite gotten over the last screw-up. I’m here for my own purposes. So, go take a long walk off a short pier,” I fussed at him.

  He smirked, then faded away. I hated when he did that.

  I cursed him all the way to the door. When I stepped inside the bar, the murmur of the customers quietened. So many eyes on me. I swallowed hard. Scanning the room, I saw Dylan moving toward
the door with Stephanie

  She clung to him like shit on a shovel. She saw me before he did. The edge of her lip curled up in victory. I wanted to tell her that she could have him. Then his eyes met mine.

  Blue like the hottest burning coals in a fire.

  I forced myself to look him up and down. I liked what I saw. Sandy blonde hair. Muscular and lean. Strong hands. Big feet.

  Stephanie leaned into his ear, licking it after whispering to him. Like a dog marking her territory. Bitch.

  He continued to stare at me, and then I remembered Jeremiah’s words. Mr. Sandy Hair was here to monitor me. Not fuck me. More than likely, he had a few tricks up his own sleeve. If he forced me away from here, I’d miss Winnie, Betty, and Luther. I had made ties, and this man could take them away from me. I broke the eye-contact.

  He spoke softly to her as they made their way to the door. I looked over my shoulder as they walked out, and his eyes met mine again. He was leaving with her, but he wanted me. It was better this way.

  After my ordeal with Remy, the last thing I needed was a wild goose chase for Dylan Riggs.

  THE END

  Grace’s story continues in the series, Fairy Tales of a Trailer Park Queen. The first book, Bless Your Heart, is available online and in paperback.

  http://www.kimbraswain.com/trailer-park-series

  Whiskey in a Teacup is Dylan’s prequel. The free story is found in Kimbra Swain’s Facebook Group, Magic and Mason Jars.

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/KSwainMagicandMasonJars/

  About the Author

  From early in life Kimbra Swain was indoctrinated in the ways of geekdom. Raised on Star Wars, Tolkien, Superheroes and Voltron, she found herself immersed in a world of imagination. She started writing in high school, and completed her English degree from the University of Alabama in 2003.

  Her writing is influenced by a gamut of authors including Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, L.M. Montgomery, Timothy Zahn, Kathy Reichs, Kevin Hearne, and Jim Butcher.

  Born and raised in Alabama, Kimbra still lives there with her husband and 6-year-old daughter. When she isn't reading or writing, she plays PC games, makes jewelry, and builds cars.

  www.kimbraswain.com

  Fey Spy

  Tiffany Shand

  Untitled

  Fey Spy © 2018 Tiffany Shand

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  Untitled

  Fey Spy

  A fey, an ancient artifact and a mission to save her people.

  Serafina Valeon fights to save her people by working in the resistance as a spy, in a world where she could be killed because of who and what she is. Only a sacred artifact, the keystone, can help bring freedom to the fey. Sera must risk her life to recover the stone and venture into the mage city of Elmira.

  Once there she stumbles across her childhood sweetheart, Bastian, who now works for the very people that hunt her race. Sera must find a way to work with Bastian, despite their differences and the forbidden desire between them. Will she be able to recover the artifact without revealing who and what she really is? Will Bastian be able to accept her, or will their love be the doom of her?

  1

  Serafina Valeon crouched in the shadows watching as the swarm of villagers rushed past the houses. Now what? I don’t need this today. I’m supposed to be starting on my next mission. Her large wings glistened but she pulled them back inside her. No fey dared to show their wings anymore for fear of having them cut off.

  She made sure her glamour remained in place, thankful it would disguise her true appearance. She rubbed the back of her neck, hating whenever she had to keep her wings concealed inside her body. In her vest and black leggings, she no longer appeared fey. Liana would be arriving soon, and she didn’t dare risk blowing her cover before her mission even began. Time to get to work.

  She moved through the crowd of fey, wincing at their tattered clothing and skinny bodies. Despite being a place where fey and mages lived freely with each other, her people were still mistreated.

  A shout rang out, two mage guards dressed in dark red uniforms dragged a bald man with sharp green eyes through the crowd by his arms. Sera winced. Yosef, the village leader of the resistance. Oh no! Her hand went to her pack where she kept her potions and other gear. She wished she could intervene but didn’t dare. You have a job to do, she reminded herself. By the ancestors, why does this have to be so hard?

  “No!” someone cried, and another man lunged at the guard.

  Here goes. She pulled a vial and hurtled it at the oncoming attacker. Smoke exploded as the vial shattered, making the man double over coughing.

  Another guard made a move towards Sera as more shouts rang out. The tension from the crowd grew and Sera feared they’d soon riot – the last thing she needed to happen was for the fey and mages to start having a go at each other again.

  “Stop!” yelled another voice.

  A man pushed through the crowd, dressed in a grey shirt and black trousers, he stood a head taller than the rest of the guards with a mop of brown curls and electric blue eyes.

  Sera’s heart skipped a beat. She’d known who she was supposed to come and meet but seeing him again stirred up a rush of long buried emotions. Get a grip! You’re nothing to him now. The mission will always come first.

  Why him? Why did it have to be him of all people? But she hadn’t protested when Alward had given her this task. They both knew only she was skilled enough to infiltrate the hunter’s guild.

  Bastian Novare, mage prince and renowned fey hunter, commanded respect with his presence. Even the fey fell silent as they stared at him.

  A redheaded woman with sharp emerald eyes and a burly man with long black hair came up behind Bastian. Both wore stunners and knives, marking them as hunters.

  To Sera’s surprise, Bastian pushed his way through the crowd until he reached her.

  She wished her glamour disguised her true appearance better as recognition flashed in his eyes. “Sera?” he gasped. “You’re the…”

  “I’m the potential hunter Liana told you about.” She met his gaze head-on. “But I don’t think this is the place to talk.”

  Liana waved to her, it eased some of Sera’s nerves.

  “How are you alive?” he hissed, still staring at her wide eyed.

  “Bas,” she snapped. “Not now!”

  He shook his head as if to clear it, then took her arm. “You were dead.”

  “Well, as you can see I’m alive.” She knew she should have expected this but part of her had hoped he wouldn’t make such a big deal about her arrival.

  “How?” Bas demanded. “You were…”

  Sera pulled her arm away, scowling at him. “It doesn’t matter. Now is not the time or place for this.”

  “Sir, what do you want us to do with the prisoner?” asked one of the guards.

  “Send him to…” Bas started to say.

  “Let him go.” She gave Bastian a pleading look. “Killing him will break the peace in this place. The last thing either side needs is more bloodshed.”

  Bastian’s eyes darkened. “You want me to spare a fey? They’re the ones who killed you – or at least took you from me.”

  Sera snorted, shaking her head. “I didn’t die now, did I? Now, if I ever meant anything to you, release him.”

  Bastian’s jaw tightened. “Fine, but you owe me an explanation after this.”

  Oh, she knew that well enough. She�
�d have to have with a damn good excuse too. She’d spent weeks wracking her brains trying to come up with a good excuse. None of them had sounded very plausible.

  “Release him,” Bastian barked to the guards. “But see to it he spends a month down in the mines.”

  Sera breathed a sigh of relief. She hated seeing any of her people suffer but at least Yosef would still be alive. Bastian took her arm and led her away from the crowd.

  Liana grinned when they locked eyes, Sera returned her smile, happy to see her best friend again. “Bastian, this is Sera, the one I’ve been telling you about,” Liana said. “She’d make a great asset to the guild.”

  Sera tried not to wince. She’d never expected to join the hunters, or the guild as they were called, but her mission in working for the resistance now demanded it.

  Bastian’s eyes narrowed as he let go of her arm. “Oh, we’ve met. Although your little stunt back there was impressive, why should I trust you?”

  Because I was your wife and you loved me once, she thought, but doubted that would make a very good excuse. She tried not to sigh. Convincing Bastian to let her into his inner circle would be harder than she’d imagined.

  “I proved I can be helpful,” she pointed out, not avoiding his gaze. “I don’t expect you to trust me – yet. Trust has to be earned. So give me a chance.”

  Bas frowned. “Being a hunter isn’t an easy job. Why do you want to be one?”

  Because I need a good excuse to get into the citadel. I’d never want hunt anyone, especially not my own kind, she thought. “I’m good at adapting to situations and with different magics. I know I can help your team,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “Let me prove myself.”