by K. N. Banet
“What?” I frowned. It wasn’t my place to pry, but it sounded as if there was something other than unlucky coincidence here.
“My father always wanted a daughter,” he explained. “But his mother, Titania, told him he was destined to have sons. Sets of three, always three. The oldest would always be his most loyal. The middle would be his smartest. His third would be the most powerful, but it would always be its own curse.”
“Did he really think he could find a new wife and have something different?” Sorcha asked with a snort. “Titania doesn’t lie, and her words aren’t something that can be worked around. Once she makes a proclamation like that, it’s final.”
“When I was born, he wasn’t hunting for a daughter anymore,” Cassius replied, his eyes only for his wife. “He said he disabused himself of the notion once Titania spoke, really. At least, that was what my mother always said. I don’t think he went out looking for a way to have a daughter.” There was no hiding the momentary hurt that passed over his face. “He did run away and had a secret family, though.”
I wanted to tell him more. About how Brion kept him a secret from them. How not even Fiona knew his name.
“Fiona and Brion have told me—”
“I would rather hear it from my father,” he said softly. “But since he’s not here right now, I’ll talk to the boy and his mother about that further. Don’t concern yourself with the drama of this, please. You are sworn to protect her? I’ll help you. Sorcha and I will also uphold the bargain my father made with you. We won’t reveal your relationship with the werewolf. It’s not our business or our place.”
“I would think most fae would try to use that information for their own gain,” I said, eyeing him. “You won’t?”
“I don’t play the same games as other fae. I don’t need to. I get no joy in it. My wife loves a good bargain, an honest one where the cards are on the table. It’s a skill of one-upmanship to get the better deal. It’s about playing the long game and fooling the other person into thinking it’s an equal trade of usefulness.”
“And I know how to win,” Sorcha said, looking over her nails with a smile. “But Cassius doesn’t enjoy those games, and neither of us like to wrap up blackmail in it. Brion must have been desperate to do so.”
“Well, he wanted more than just a werecat. With the blackmail, he got Heath, who is also sworn to protect Fiona. With Heath comes his son, a strong werewolf and his second who will help as well, but he’s divided between supporting us and making sure our lives don’t fall apart in the meantime.”
“What about your family?” Cassius asked.
“They don’t know.”
That surprised both of them, and I sighed.
“Hasan is protective, especially over family. I’m his youngest, and I have a…knack for getting into trouble. Earlier this year, a werewolf Alpha schemed to have me killed. At the same time, I was dealing with human authorities figuring out what I am. Werecats are now public, and I’m the only one the United States knows about so far. I’m the working liaison. If he knew I was dragged into a fae battle over the throne, he would get involved. He’s a member of the Tribunal, and it’s for a seat on the Tribunal, so he can’t get involved.”
Cassius nodded, accepting my reasoning. “Well, you’re not what I thought you would be, Jacqueline.”
“Really?”
“No,” he murmured, a small smile forming. “I don’t think I can even put words to my initial impression before we met. Your true names told me much about you, but I’m glad to see you put all of them to use.”
It felt like a compliment.
“Right…” I ate the “midday meal” in silence. It was just lunch.
“I would tell you, but it’s dangerous knowledge. Many people are safer because they don’t know their true names.”
I saw a way in, something to exploit, and went for it.
“That you stole from me in your home when I could have given you the information you had requested.”
He started to laugh. “Yes,” he said between the fits of laughter. “Yes, I did. What would you like in return for it?”
“I…” Well, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“We’ll leave it as an unpaid debt then,” he said, shrugging. “A favor for the future. I am good for them. Before we part ways, I’ll give you the means to contact me in case you ever need to call in that favor.”
“Acceptable.”
“Good,” he murmured, his smile growing. He joined Sorcha and me, eating lunch quietly. For some reason, I had a strange sensation that I was with friends. These two were solitary and dangerous but good, noble people. I didn’t know if I could trust that feeling because if it had been caused by magic, it was cleverly hidden in the magic of the world. Everything smelled like magic, so why would a spell stand out?
After the meal was complete, Cassius escorted me back to my rooms, where Heath waited.
“You were so angry when I got here, but you’re not now,” I commented lightly. “I’m glad we haven’t upset you.”
“You were a surprise, and mentioning my father was a foolish, rash choice on your part.” He frowned as we stopped in front of the door. “I wasn’t truly angry with you. I could kill you, your werewolf, and them,”—he nodded to the door across the hall—“without even being in the same room as you. You’re in my house. It wouldn’t be hard.” He gave me a predatory smile, and anger filled the hall—white-hot anger with an undercurrent of pain. “My father, on the other hand…” He shrugged, and his expression softened, but the anger remained. “I’ll see you at dinner this evening. We’ll discuss how to leave this realm and return you home. Well, maybe not directly to your home, but we’ll aim for your territory and see what happens. If I’m going to help a werecat, I might as well get her to a place where she can best help herself.”
“You know a bit about my kind.”
“I’ve rubbed elbows with your kind over the centuries and make it a point to know about as many supernaturals as I can,” he said with a strange expression. “I’m a Tribunal Investigator. At any point, I could be looking into one of them and preparing to make an arrest, so I need to know who and what I’m dealing with. Werecat territory magic is not a secret.” He opened my door. “We’ll talk more at dinner.”
I stepped in, bowing my head in thanks, and he closed the door behind me. I stood there for a moment, listening closely, then heard a soft knock on another door.
“I have learned we might be more important to each other than I thought,” Cassius said softly to someone. “May I come in? I would like to talk to you about…our father.”
20
Chapter Twenty
“Jacky,” Heath said, coming closer to me as I turned away from the door.
I didn’t reply immediately, thinking about what I had heard. Cassius was going to talk to Fiona and Rian, a good thing. He seemed anxious but game for the situation. He had a family he hadn’t known about, thanks to Brion, and they were in danger.
I’m glad he’s taking it so well. Hopefully, Rian doesn’t go and piss him off. We need him and his wife.
“Jacky?” Heath touched my shoulder and pulled me from those thoughts.
“Sorry. It’s been an…exciting day,” I said, sighing heavily. “Cassius and Sorcha are going to help us get back to my territory tomorrow. We’re having dinner with them. They’re…not bad,” I said, frowning as I went to a table near the window to have a seat. “Definitely not what I expected.”
“How did they take it?”
“Better than expected,” I said before telling him how the entire meal had gone. Once I was done, I saw that he had no tray in the room. “Did you eat anything?”
“I’ll eat at dinner, but everything smells too much like magic, and I couldn’t bring myself to eat fae food alone,” he said, sitting across from me. “So, I respectfully declined the meal. I’ll be fine.”
“We’re moon cursed. We shouldn’t skip meals,” I pointed out.
“I can miss one…plus, I was too worried about you to even think eating would be a good idea.” He wrapped his arms around my shoulders from behind and looked out the same window. “Beautiful grounds. Do you think they’ll let me take you on a romantic walk in them?”
I chuckled at his change in topic. “Why?”
“I think about it every time I look out there. How it would be nice to light candles at a small table and feed you under the moonlight,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. “I never get to treat you like you’re mine in public. We don’t get to have dates, so if Cassius is going to keep us safe while we’re here, why wouldn’t I try to take advantage of that?”
“I like the idea,” I admitted softly, then thought of why we could never do something like that at home. The whole chain of thought led me to how Brion was blackmailing us. “He won’t be the only one,” I mumbled, narrowing my eyes on the pretty grounds.
“What?” Heath’s frown came through in his voice, and he released me, moving to sit down where we could look each other in the eye. “What are you thinking about?”
“Brion won’t be the only person who tries to blackmail us,” I repeated, adding the context he needed. “We need to figure out…what’s next. We need to figure out how we’re going to respond if this gets out before we can manage it or how we want to reveal it.”
Heath’s blue-grey eyes darkened. “Is there a specific way you want to do that?” he asked very softly. “Because there’s only one way we get out of this without getting hurt by those who would try.”
“Really? You mean by stopping?” I wouldn’t. I made a promise to myself I would never let anyone tell me how I could or couldn’t feel. I wanted to be with Heath until…until it felt natural to end it. Was he really bringing up that possibility now? My eyes filled with tears at even the possibility of him walking out of my life and taking his family with him. That wasn’t an option, not for me. “What would we say? We were temporarily insane, and it won’t happen again?”
“I’m not saying I’m going to leave you, or you should leave me,” he growled. “I’m saying if we don’t want trouble, it’s the only option.”
“Which means?” I blinked back the sudden tears, trying not to get any more emotional than I already was.
“We need to decide how much trouble we want,” he said softly. “Do you want to release this quietly? To your family first, then let it spread out? Do you think I should tell the NAWC? We need to work those things out. We’ve never really spent any time discussing it. We’re going to have trouble, no matter what, unless we give them what they want before they ask. They’re going to ask us to end our relationship.”
“We can minimize it if we do it right,” I said, closing my eyes. “Sorry. For a minute, I thought you were suggesting…”
“No one is allowed to use their hate to tell me what’s proper,” Heath snarled. “No one. They tried with Landon, they tried with my second wife, and they will try now with you, but I will not let them dictate that I live by their prejudices.” He reached out and grabbed my cheeks, forcing me to look at him. “So no, I wasn’t suggesting to end this. I was just bringing up that it would be the safest way. But safe isn’t always right.” His passion softened, and he brushed my cheek with a thumb. “I’m really happy to see this means as much to you as it does to me. Even for all the little problems we have.”
“Carey, Landon, and this are not little problems,” I countered.
“But they’re our problems,” he murmured, kissing me softly. “Because you love Carey, and Landon is wrapped up in Dirk, and you would have never been near these fae if not for me setting off the chain of events that led you to Brin.” He stood up, releasing my face but grabbing my hands. “Come on. Cassius said dinner, didn’t he? We have some time to get some sleep…” He pulled me out of the chair. “Tonight, after dinner or tomorrow, we can talk all about how we’ll reveal our relationship, so no one can use it against us like this again.”
“And right now?” I let him pull me to a large bed, then he grabbed my hips. “What if I can’t sleep?”
“I think I can convince you,” he whispered as he leaned in. His kiss was passionate fire, but not a blazing inferno. There was a saying that the brightest flames often burn out quickly, but the low heat Heath gave me felt enduring, stoked by his actions and my building need. From a small fire that was easy for us to tend and maintain, it became a bonfire.
As I was blinded by his kiss, he started undressing me. His touch had been impersonal in the shower, but it wasn’t now. He knew how to touch and make me feel as though I belonged to him. His grip was hard, refusing to give, but it wasn’t painful. His fingers were calloused and rough, giving me goosebumps as they explored the skin he revealed.
I didn’t realize we had turned until he was pushing me down to the bed, his hard body over mine. Working slowly, kissing every inch of me, he nuzzled my inner thighs with his five o’clock shadow. It tickled a little, but I was more focused on his hot breath as he reached his destination.
I was limp and panting when he finally kissed back up my body and slid into me. I held on to him as he drove us both to release. Every stroke drove me higher, building the metaphorical flame until it seemed as if it would consume us both. Then it blew up as if someone had thrown dynamite into the flames. The noises I made echoed off the walls, but all I could do was cling to him.
He growled in satisfaction as I shook when we were both finished. Stretching out beside me, tucking us in the blankets, I couldn’t stop my eyes from closing with my cheek on his chest.
“Why would I ever give you up?” he asked softly, playing with my hair as I drifted to sleep.
We must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember was carefully extricating myself from his arms. I didn’t know how long I had slept, but I could see the sunset in the large windows, giving the bedroom a stunning orange glow.
He growled softly, his arm wrapping around my waist.
“It looks like it’s nearly dinner time,” I whispered, running my fingers through his hair to the back of his neck, then felt the stubble on his jaw. Cupping his face, I leaned down to kiss him. As I pulled away, he followed, coming up to kiss me again when I had nowhere to run.
“Let’s skip dinner,” he murmured, kissing my neck to my ear. “Let’s stay right here and forget about this entire thing.”
“You’re not serious, but I appreciate the sentiment,” I whispered.
He gave me a soulful look, his grey-blue eyes seeming unfathomable. “I could be serious.”
“Carey.” With one word, I had him. With a second word, I knew he would be out of the bed, getting ready. “Landon.”
While he had those two to worry about, I reminded myself of all the people who needed me to get back—Dirk and Oliver, my father, my mother, my siblings, and the BSA. They would start asking too many questions if I disappeared for too long. The last thing anyone needed was me leading them to the fae.
They’re going to see my house and realize something happened, though. They’ll go to Heath and realize he’s not around.
“We can’t stay,” I whispered as he pulled away.
He rolled until his legs dangled off the other side of the bed as he stared out the large windows at the sunset.
“I know,” he murmured.
“Are you okay?” I couldn’t smell any sadness in him, but he was thoughtful and forlorn. I understood the urge to run away and never look back.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “It’s a nice fantasy, though. Don’t ruin it for me.” I caught the humor in that last line. “I mean, consider it. We would never have to tell your family or anyone else what we’re doing if we just stay here.”
“That’s a very good point, but I know for a fact, you are not the type of man to run away,” I whispered teasingly, leaning out to kiss his shoulder. He smiled back at me.
“And you’re not that type of woman,” he said, turning to kiss me. “I’m taking a shower first.”
>
“You’re sharing,” I growled softly.
We ran for it, laughing as we fought to adjust the water temperature to our own preference. We both liked it steaming hot, so it wasn’t too much of a fight, but I was faster and got under the water before he had a chance. For just a moment, when we knew there was nothing we could do, we enjoyed ourselves, laughing as we got soap in each other’s eyes.
I had sex with him again, because why not? We were already in the shower.
He leaned over me, panting as the hot water ran down us.
“You know, I’m mad as hell we ended up in the fae realms, but this is nice,” he said, running his hands over my hips. “We should find a way to take overnight trips away from everyone more often. I could buy a little cabin in some mountains, and we can use it as a getaway. Not running away for eternity, sure, but weekends to ourselves. Completely to ourselves.”
There was something bright in his eyes, a level of happiness I hadn’t seen before.
I laughed. “Yes, but maybe next time, let’s do it without the fae assassins chasing us out of my house.” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and neck. “What’s got you in such a good mood?”
“The idea that one day, I’ll be able to tell the world you’re mine,” he admitted softly, kissing me. “Now, finish rinsing off.” He smacked my butt. “Who knows when we’ll be called to dinner.”
We got out at the same time, drying off and finding our clothing. We didn’t have anything to change into, but at least we were clean. It seemed like an hour later when someone knocked on our door, and we found a sidhe fae waiting for us. Rian and Fiona were standing in their doorway on the other side of the hall.
“Dinner is about to be served,” the sidhe said, his green eyes unnaturally bright, an eye color like a perfectly maintained yard in the bright sun. Eyes didn’t come in that color. They were so distracting, I only nodded. Heath stepped around me into the hall and offered his arm to me. I took it and waved for the sidhe with short ears and grass green eyes to lead us.
