The Faerie Ring

by Kiki Hamilton

  Tiki nodded.

  “And do you remember the reason I kept returning to Charing Cross? Why I was following you?”

  Tiki gave another nod, smaller this time. A small bubble of hope rose in her chest.

  “Everything I told you was true.”

  “You don’t love Larkin?”

  “No.” Rieker shook his head. “There’s only one person I love, Tiki.” He made a noise that sounded like something between a laugh and a sob. “And I denied it as long as I could. But I don’t want to live without you.” His thumb caressed her cheek. “It’s you I love. No one else.”

  His lips found hers then with a warmth and passion that confirmed his words. Tiki’s arms slipped around his neck and pulled him close, her emotions burning through her. She’d been afraid to admit it to herself, but she had wanted him to love her so much.

  He crushed her tight to his chest, his lips against her hair. “I love you, Tiki,” he whispered. “Not Larkin. Never Larkin. Only you.”

  Tiki slid her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his bloodied white shirt, breathing in his scent. Rieker was here, with her. And they loved each other.

  Someone cleared his throat. “I hate to break up this charming moment, but I need some questions answered.”

  Tiki and Rieker turned to find Leo, standing in the entrance to the hallway, looking thoroughly shell-shocked.

  “Leo, yes, of course.” Rieker strode over to him. He slid an arm over the prince’s shoulders, motioning to Tiki with his head. “Let’s go back to my sitting room and talk.” He led Leo down the hallway, with Tiki following behind.

  * * *

  HALF an hour later, Tiki took a sip of her hot tea and wished again that Leo would stop staring at her.

  “So, old Mamie was right,” Leo repeated, setting his teacup down with a revealing clatter.

  “Faeries.” Rieker nodded his head in acknowledgment, looking over at Tiki with a gentle smile. He reached out and wrapped his warm fingers around hers. “We’ve been caught in the middle of a battle as old as time.”

  “Faeries,” Leo repeated, but he didn’t sound as though he disbelieved Rieker’s answer. “Around us all the time, you think?”

  Rieker nodded.

  “Go on, then, why don’t we see them?”

  “Part of the truce that’s held within the ring, Leo. They choose when we see them and when we don’t. And sometimes we do and don’t realize who we’re looking at.” Rieker leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Tonight was a bit of an exception. Just as we battle other countries for power, so do the fey. Their world is more ancient and complex than ours, as they straddle both worlds. But tonight the battle spilled over into London.”

  “And what was the battle for?” Leo asked.

  Rieker looked over at Tiki. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her fist. Like a flower unfolding under the warmth of the sun, she slowly unfurled her fingers to reveal the queen’s ring.

  “Mother’s ring,” Leo gasped. With shaking fingers, he reached out to pluck the band from her palm. He stared at the flames embedded in the heart of the stone, still burning brightly. His brow drew down in a frown as a thousand different possibilities rushed across his face. Finally he lifted his eyes to Tiki’s with an accusing stare. “You did steal this, didn’t you?”

  Rieker interrupted before Tiki could answer. “Now, Leo, don’t jump to conclusions. We’ve risked our lives to keep the ring safe from the likes of Larkin and Marcus and others.” He nodded at Tiki. “You should be thanking her for returning the ring safely to you.”

  “But if you didn’t steal it, how did you end up with it?”

  Rieker smiled at Tiki. “Probably best not to question everything. Leo, just be glad it’s safe again.”

  Leo looked from Rieker to Tiki, as if debating whether to push for more information or not. His gaze dropped to Tiki’s clothes. “And those clothes?” Before either of them could answer, Leo shook his head and raised his hand to stop their answers. “No, on second thought, don’t tell me. It’s probably better if I don’t know that part, either. What’s important is that we have the ring back. That’s all that matters, really.”

  He turned to look at Tiki. “You were the boy I met in the park that day, I can see that now.” His eyes dropped to her wrist. “I knew you and Elizabeth were the same person. You had to be with that mark.” He hesitated a moment before shaking his head. “But what is your real name?”

  Tiki flushed and smiled at Leo. “My name is Tara Kathleen.” She leaned forward and whispered loud enough for Rieker to hear, “But just call me Tiki. I don’t need any fancy titles among friends.”

  The corner of Leo’s mouth turned up as she echoed the very words he had spoken to Elizabeth at the masked ball.

  “Tiki,” he repeated. “Tiki of the faerie ring.” He said the words softly, in an almost bemused voice. He reached forward and took her hand, looking deep into her eyes. “I suspect there is much more to your story that I’ve yet to hear.” He raised her hand to his lips, his eyes holding hers. “I look forward to learning all about you.”

  * * *

  TIKI twisted the edge of her coat in her hands as she waited for Rieker to return from escorting Leo out. Larkin was gone. The ring had been returned to Leo. Where was Clara? Her eyes burned as she fought to keep from crying again. She had failed the little girl. After all this, she had lost Clara. She dropped her head into her hands and sobbed as though her heart had broken.

  “Tiki…” Rieker came into the sitting room and slid his hand along her hunched back. “Tiki, don’t cry.” He took her into his arms, shushing her like a child, holding her close.

  “But I l-love her,” she sobbed. “I was supposed to take c-care of her.”

  “You did take care of her. You saved Clara’s life. More than once.” Rieker guided her over to the couch and sat next to her, an arm around her shoulders.

  “E-even Larkin said she was my responsibility that day in Mr. Potts’ bookstore.” Tiki’s breath came out in hiccuping gasps.

  “Shhh…” He pulled Tiki against him, his hand caressing her hair. “We’ve got to think of someplace obvious that Larkin would have hidden her tonight. Maybe she said something that was a clue.”

  “I can’t remember anything,” Tiki sniffed.

  “Think, Tiki. There’s got to be something.”

  They lapsed into silence. Tiki let her mind drift back over the events of the day: from Larkin finding her in the station to tell her Clara was sick, to the disturbing reality of the Otherworld, to watching those strange men in their silver tunics fight with Larkin and ultimately subdue her. She tried not to think of stabbing Marcus.

  Suddenly she sat upright in alarm.

  Where were Shamus and the others now? Were they still out in the cold at Buckingham Palace, looking for Rieker?

  “I’ve got to go check on—” Another thought struck her. Toots, Shamus, and Fiona had gone to Buckingham Palace to watch for Rieker. She had come to Grosvenor Square. Charing Cross had been left empty. Had Larkin known?

  “Rieker…” Tiki clutched at his arm, hope making her gasp for breath. “I think I might know where Clara is.” Her words were rushed as she explained what she was thinking.

  “There’s only one way to find out.”

  * * *

  THE snow was coming down hard and fast, coating everything in a sparkling blanket of purest white. The ruts that other carriages had cut into the covered roads were quickly filling in as the night wore on and the snow continued to fall.

  Had it been under any other circumstances, Tiki would have laughed at the utter disbelief on the driver’s face when he had been rousted from the bed he’d just crawled into and commanded to drive Rieker and some unknown street urchin to Charing Cross. But as it was, she had to press her lips together to keep from urging the man to hurry.

  The ride was agonizingly slow as the horses worked to pull the carriage along the slippery streets. Tiki picked nervous
ly at the blanket that covered her knees as she worried again where Shamus, Toots, and Fiona were. They were resourceful, she reminded herself. They had all learned to survive.

  “Tiki.” Rieker slid a hand over her nervous fingers. “We’ll find Clara. If she’s not here, she’s someplace else. It’s just a matter of elimination.”

  Tiki bit her lip, afraid that if she tried to talk, she would cry. If Clara wasn’t in Charing Cross, where else could they look?

  After what felt like forever, the carriage pulled up to the front of the station. Tiki jumped from the carriage step before the wheels came to a complete stop.

  “Hurry.” She grabbed Rieker’s hand and pulled him along behind her through the alley.

  “Please let her be here, please let her be here,” she mumbled as she ran. They slipped through the maintenance tunnels, and Tiki pushed their back door open. For a second, she just stared at the scene before her.

  Several candles were lit, giving the room a soft yellow glow. Shamus, Fiona, and Toots were sitting around a small form covered with blankets near the stove. For just a second, her heart dropped.

  “Is she…?”

  Shamus and Fiona looked up. It was the soft smile on Shamus’s face that told her everything was okay.

  “She’s home, Teek.” There was a note of wonder in Fiona’s voice. “She was here sleeping when we got back.” She reached down and smoothed the blond curls. “Just like she never left.”

  Tiki dashed into the room and fell to her knees next to Clara. She burst into tears when she looked at the little face surrounded by tousled blond curls.

  “Clara,” Tiki said softly. She rested the backs of her fingers on the little girl’s soft cheek.

  At the sound of Tiki’s voice, Clara opened sleepy eyes.

  “Tiki!” With a cry of happiness, Clara sat up and threw her arms around Tiki. She hugged her tight, burying her head in Tiki’s neck. Finally she gave a shuddering sigh and lifted her head. “I missed you, Tiki.”

  Tiki cupped Clara’s face in her hands and kissed her forehead. “I’ve missed you, too. But you’re safe now and we’ll never, ever be apart again.”

  Clara took turns hugging Fiona and Shamus and Toots. She looked shyly at Rieker, then buried her face in Tiki’s chest. With a smile, Tiki ran her hands over the blond curls and sat down cross-legged, pulling her into her lap. “How are you feeling? Are you still coughing?”

  “I’m a lot better now.” Clara smiled up, her blue eyes bright and healthy.

  “I’m so glad,” Tiki cried, hugging her tight. The joy bubbling inside was almost more than she could contain.

  “You’re smotherin’ me, Teek,” Clara cried, her voice muffled.

  Tiki released her grip and gave a giddy laugh as she smiled down at her. “Sorry about that.”

  “You practically squeezed all my stuffin’ out,” Clara said with wide eyes. “Better be careful or I’m going to look like Doggie.” For a minute, her little chin quivered. “But I lost Doggie. She ran away.”

  “No, she didn’t,” Fiona said. She jumped up and ran to one of the cupboards behind the stove. “Here she is.”

  Clara’s eyes lit up and she held her arms out eagerly for the little stuffed animal.

  “Doggie has missed you, too,” Fiona said as Clara hugged the dog close. “She’s been waiting for you to come home.”

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  AT Rieker’s insistence, they all piled into the carriage and rode back to Grosvenor Square. On the way there, Tiki told them of Larkin’s capture and returning the ring to Leo. Rather than saying exactly what had happened to Marcus, she just told them that Marcus wouldn’t be bothering them anymore.

  Shamus explained to Tiki how Prince Leo had stood on the steps, watching Rieker’s carriage pull away. There was no way they could have jumped on the boot without being seen. Unable to follow him, they had returned to Charing Cross to await Tiki’s return. It was there that they had found Clara, fast asleep.

  Once they arrived at Rieker’s town house, Rieker brought out plates of beef, ham, and fresh French bread for them to feast on. Toots’s head was nodding over his plate when Tiki said it was time for everyone to go to bed. Shamus carried Toots to a bedroom where each had his very own bed.

  Clara and Fiona went to sleep in one of the bedrooms down the hall from Rieker’s suite, where Tiki could easily hear and check on the child. Though she still had a small cough, the little girl seemed to be in surprisingly good shape, suffering no lasting damage from her time with Larkin. It appeared that Larkin had lied about Clara coughing up blood.

  It was a little while later when Tiki and Rieker sat down in his small living room. Rieker sat next to her on the sofa, swiveled around so he faced her. He reached for her hand, a soft smile on his face.

  “Tiki, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.” He cleared his throat, and for a second, Tiki got the impression that he was nervous. “I’d like you and your family to be my houseguests.” His voice dropped as if he were suddenly unsure of himself. “Until we can figure out something more permanent, of course.”

  Tiki looked at him in amazement, at a loss for words.

  “I’ve got my housekeeper, Mrs. Bosworth, living here,” Rieker added hastily, “along with her husband and my staff. It will all be perfectly appropriate.”

  Tiki slowly looked around the room, as if appraising its appeal as a possible home. The fire flickered warmly from the hearth. Bookshelves covered one wall, and windows looked out to the trees outside. Beautiful oil paintings of the English countryside hung on the walls. A plush rug covered the floor, adding to the warmth in the room. “Stay here? And leave Charing Cross?” Her lips curved up in a grin as her eyes landed on him. “We’d love to.”

  Rieker laughed as his shoulders slumped with relief. “Good, then it’s settled.”

  * * *

  IT was a short time later, after Tiki had gone and checked on Clara again, that she broached the subject uppermost on her mind.

  “What did you mean when you said you were descended from Eridanus?” Tiki stared at him. “Is that true?”

  Rieker nodded. “It was something that Kieran revealed to me. Of course, at first I thought he was a complete lunatic, and I didn’t really pay much attention to anything he said. But then I started noticing things. Faces I could see that others didn’t. Shadows that shimmered and moved and suddenly a person would be standing there.”

  He stood up and leaned an arm against the mantel, staring down into the fire. “After I had time to adjust to the idea that my family had been murdered, I started wondering why we would be targeted for elimination. Why us? Then some of the things my father had said started coming back to me. Hints of some new responsibility I would have when I turned sixteen.”

  He pushed off the mantel and turned to face Tiki, his back to the fire. “His insistence that I carry a knife with an iron blade at all times. The hushed conversations with my mum that would stop when I entered the room.”

  “Your parents knew, then?”

  “I’m sure of it now.” Rieker rolled his shoulders as if trying to ease knots of tension. “But there are still so many questions.” He stared at her with shadowed eyes, his voice soft. “They encouraged, almost insisted, that I become good chums with Leo as a child. Now I wonder if they didn’t have some plan in mind from the beginning for me to safeguard the ring or at least have access to it.” He paced from the fireplace to the other side of the room.

  Tiki shifted her position so she could follow his path. “You mean they knew this attack might be coming?”

  Rieker’s words were hesitant at first, his eyes focused on the far wall as he tried to remember. “I don’t think they knew specifically what would happen, only that eventually, something would occur. From what Kieran said, the Seelie court has been waiting for Donegal to make a move. I think my parents knew of the war between the faerie courts and knew that it could eventually put us at risk.”

  Tiki understood what Ri
eker was saying, about recognizing how some of the things she’d seen all of her life and not paid much attention to now took on a new meaning.

  “And do you think Donegal will continue to hunt you?” she asked softly.

  Rieker heaved a sigh. “I think he wants to eliminate me for the same reason he had Larkin murder the rest of my family. Because I carry the blood of Eridanus, I am a threat to him. A threat to his pursuit of the ring of the truce. I suspect he wants to finish what Larkin didn’t.”

  A thread of fear trickled down Tiki’s spine. “How will you protect yourself?”

  “As Kieran tried to do, there are others who stand guard over me. I’m not in this battle alone.” His hand moved so fast that it was nothing more than a blur. Before Tiki could blink, he held the iron dagger pointed at her. He chuckled with self-assurance. “Plus, there are some advantages to having the blood of a faerie king running in my veins. No matter how faint it might be.” He flipped the knife around and just as quickly made the blade disappear.

  “I find that I can move fast enough to disappear when I need to as well.” He sobered. “Though now that the ring is guarded again by the royals, I’m not sure how that will affect Donegal’s pursuit of me.” He returned to stand before the fire, his elbow resting on the wooden mantel. “Especially since I plan to convince Leo that the palace has been infiltrated and to allow me to guard the ring.”

  * * *

  THE dark night sky slowly shifted to the pink gray of dawn, yet neither of them wanted to rest, nor leave the company of the other and the truths they were sharing. There were too many things to discuss, too many unanswered questions.

  “How did you know the name of my birthmark? An fáinne sí?” It was the first time Tiki had uttered the words out loud. They felt strangely familiar on her tongue. “Was it Kieran?”

  Rieker stepped closer and slid onto the sofa next to her, their knees touching. “He told me it was only a rumor.”

  Tiki narrowed her eyes to shield her surprise. “A rumor of what?”