by Holley Trent
Simone put her slipper-covered feet up onto the desk and giggled. “Yeah, you are, but nah. If push comes to shove I’ll send them a sternly-worded email or something.” She indicated the computer. “What are you showing me?”
“The wave of the future, honey.”
“What?”
“I’m kidding. I just always wanted to say that.” Before Dasha could cue up her Hearth Motel slideshow, the door creaked open behind her and the bells mounted onto the hydraulic arm jingled.
Simone seemed to stiffen, then relax at the intrusion, and that made Dasha turn to look.
Siobhan was in the doorway, and there were a couple of other supernatural bodies waiting on the other side of the door, too. Male bodies, including a particular blond one.
Dasha fixed her gaze on her computer screen. She dug deep into her inner well of self-restraint so she wouldn’t stare, no matter how much she wanted to. She could accept on a theoretical level that the man was supposed to be hers, but she couldn’t yet accept the pairing on a practical one.
What the hell am I supposed to do with him?
She couldn’t keep running. At some point, she’d have to let him off hook. Put him out of his misery, as the saying went.
Not yet, though.
“You’re back in leather,” Simone said to Siobhan. “Is that a good sign?”
Siobhan cleared her throat and cut her gaze toward the corner, where Hestia had quietly popped in when they weren’t looking.
Hestia wiggled her fingers at them and then rolled her hand in a oh, don’t mind me—please continue as you were sort of way.
Siobhan scraped her black hair back from her face and sighed. “Going out for a while. Hopefully we’ll be back by dinner. Will you be okay here? We’re thinking of taking Matt, so you’ll be truly stuck.”
“So, who’s left?”
Siobhan furrowed her brow and counted off on her fingers. “Caryl went to talk to some contractors about cleaning up the gas station lot, so that leaves Daryn, Sully, Gareth, and Perry.”
“Oh. Daryn’s here. We’re okay, then.”
“Yeah, she knows the score. She’ll…keep an eye on the guests.”
“What score?” Dasha asked.
Siobhan’s gaze flitted toward the door. She hooked her thumbs into the pockets of her tight leather pants and cleared her throat again.
“You know, when you all don’t answer simple questions, I start wondering if maybe I should fly my risk-averse ass on home.”
“Everything’s fine,” Siobhan said. “Fairy stuff. Nothing to fret about. So…you have plenty to do today, aye?”
“I can find some ways to entertain myself, if that’s what you’re asking. Maybe I’ll go visit Fergus or something.”
“Hey, he’d like that,” Simone said. “And the thing about you visiting the realm is that no one would sense you there.”
“Heh heh,” came Hestia’s low titter from the corner.
“I don’t like that sound,” Dasha said. “It’s shady as hell, and makes me think you’re up to something.”
Hestia did that hand wave again. “Don’t mind me.”
Yeah, right.
“Listen,” Siobhan said. “We’ll call if we get held up, but I don’t anticipate that being a problem. This should be a fast run, given the collective skill set of the four of us.”
“Get moving, then,” Simone said. “There’s rain in the forecast. I know how much you hate riding in precipitation.”
“Ugh. Makes my hair frizz.”
“Just stop straightening. I know your hair is curly beneath all that serum.”
Siobhan gave her sister-in-law a slow blink. “You’re guessing.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m right. Heath’s is curly enough that I suspect your father’s is, too, and curly is almost always dominant over straight.”
“Not Dad. Mum. She’s got the curly hair. Straightened by her fairy hairdresser with magic.”
“That sounds handy,” Dasha muttered as she fondled the end of her hair scarf.
She didn’t do anything with her hair. She kept it short and covered because she simply didn’t have the patience to do anything more than that. The last time she’d had long enough hair to scrape into a ponytail, she’d been a sophomore in college. Her hair was so damned thick and the curl pattern was tight as pen springs. Not having much hair saved her a heap of primping time. If she grew her coils out an inch more, she wouldn’t even be able to fit on her favorite fedora.
“Personally, I think having all that magic directed at her head has softened her brain, but you didn’t hear that from me,” Siobhan said. “Anyway, you should be all right, but if you need anything—”
“We’ll be fine,” Simone said. “Besides, if necessary, I could always lock up and cast a portal to where Thom is. I can drop one into Norseton without missing, I think. I’m pretty sure he’d come dig us out of any trouble.”
“Aye, he would. Wouldn’t hurt to send him a text and let him know the score in case you have to, though.”
Simone gave her a lazy salute. “Doing it now.”
Siobhan nodded and took her leave.
Dasha waited until the door had closed to ask, “Are your going-away conversations generally so long and drawn-out?”
Simone chuckled and grabbed the piece of paper that was coming out of the laser printer. “Nah. I think she’s being more careful than normal because you’re here. If I were on my own, most fairies would think twice about harassing me. Apparently the bruises I give last long.” She slid the paper across the counter and rolled her eyes. “Check out that reservation. Exactly the kind of shit that would have me going gray if I aged like humans did.”
Dasha squinted at the info grid as Hestia moved in her periphery.
“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Simone asked the goddess.
Dasha read. The reservation was for a party of nine asking for two rooms. The booker had paid the deposit, but hadn’t checked the box that said that he or she were over the age of twenty-one. She cringed. If that’s not a group of college kids, I’ll eat my shoe.
Hestia folded her arms atop the counter and let out a melodic sigh. “I had an idea.”
Simone hung her head and shook it. “Oh, boy.”
“Well, I could certainly keep my good ideas to myself and leave you to settle your fairy problems on your own.”
“I’d say you’re to blame for probably twenty-five percent of my fairy problems.”
Hestia wagged a finger at her. “Unintentionally. You inheriting the curse was merely a happy coincidence. I’m here to talk about relocating the Sídhe. You know, there are some magic folk who are already integrated in this realm.”
“Human-passing ones?”
Hestia made a more-or-less waggle of her hand. “They don’t necessarily live and work among humans, but the ones who do tend to have magic that can obscure what they are.”
“Obviously not like the Sídhe, then. Takes a lot of energy to use glamour.”
“Not for certain elves.”
Dasha pushed up an eyebrow at the goddess. “Elves? Like, the little guys who used to make my favorite cookies that got discontinued?”
“That’s one kind of elf. Most don’t look like that. They’re very close evolutionary cousins to fairies.”
“I’m intrigued,” Simone said in a flat voice. “Tell me more.”
“No need to be tart.” Hestia straightened her golden headband.
Dasha wondered if the woman owned any modern clothes at all or if she just liked being a throwback to the olden days.
“My point is that perhaps you should get in touch with the former elf queen, Eldora.”
“Another scheming megalomaniac like my mother-in-law? No, thank you.”
Hestia sighed and looked to Dasha as if for support.
Dasha put up her hands. “Hey, I know nothing. I’m not the right person to convince Simone of anything regarding elves, fairies, or diabolical queens.”
“Eldora
isn’t diabolical, and technically, she isn’t an elf. She’s a nymph. She’s quite practical, but very empathetic. I’d tell you to give her a call, but reception is an issue where she is.”
“She’s in the magic realm?”
“No. The elves and their kin abandoned that months ago. They’re not bound by Rhiannon’s strictures. They relocated their holdings to a more stable position. Shall I set up a meeting?”
Simone shrugged. “Can’t hurt. Getting to know some of the groups related to the Sídhe probably wouldn’t be a bad thing. Would calling them allies be overstepping?”
“Yes.”
“So…are they hostile or neutral?”
Dasha whistled low. She couldn’t imagine the Simone she’d known in college to think in such nuances, and the fact that she’d learned to was a little scary. Scary, yet impressive as hell.
Hestia sucked in some air and cringed. “Hostile to Rhiannon and Brandan.”
“Oh, well. I see.” Eyes closed, Simone rubbed her temples.
“Is this lady safe to talk to?” Dasha asked Hestia.
The goddess shrugged. “Absolutely, if she’s unaccompanied. She’s not one to overreact, and she’s not much of a fighter, anyway. She rarely leaves the palace, and doesn’t have a dedicated team of guards around her. I could make arrangements for Simone to throw a portal directly to the palace grounds.”
Eyes narrowed, Simone drummed her fingertips on the desktop and gnawed on her bottom lip.
“If you’re worried about the portal telemetry,” Hestia said sweetly, “I’m certain your mother could give you clear instructions.”
“Nah, I’m not worried about that. I’d already suspected that I’d have to get her to help. I’m just wondering if we should go now before Heath and the fairy bandits come back. He’d probably want to accompany me.”
“And I would caution against that. Eldora is rather skittish, and you would do well not to put her in the company of a group of men who’d loom over her.”
“Sounds like someone I know,” Dasha said quietly.
Judging by the lift of Hestia’s perfectly sculpted eyebrow, she caught the words. Fortunately, she didn’t call Dasha out on them. “The meeting would take you an hour,” the goddess said. “Perhaps two. Your biggest concern would be finding someone to mind your office.”
“I’m qualified,” Dasha said.
“No, you have to come with me,” Simone said.
“Why?”
“Because.”
“Because what?”
“Well, for one thing, I need a family member here for me to be able to leave. You’re not family. Also, just because.”
“You’ve got to give me something a little better than that. Don’t you trust me?” Dasha couldn’t help there being a bit of stink to her voice. Nobody liked feeling like they weren’t good enough for a task.
“Of course I do,” Simone said, just as indignantly. “I trust you better than almost anyone. It’s other people who I don’t trust. No one is going to be more concerned for your safety than me since…”
Whatever Simone was going to say, she let trail off and pushed her rolling chair over to the printer.
“What?” Dasha nudged. “Since Ethan isn’t here? Is that what you were going to say?”
“I figured I shouldn’t bother, but you told the truth. I love you like a sister, but he’s programmed to see to your wellbeing.”
“Okay, then.” Dasha pushed away from the counter and rolled her eyes. “The last guy who said he’d take care of me had a funny way of showing it.”
“No one’s trying to rush you into anything, Dash. You’ve got a very long time to smooth out the rough spots and forge something good. All I’m asking is that you try to understand his perspective, too. I know how he feels, and trust me—I resisted Heath plenty when he made that claim that I was his mate. But after my magic unfurled, I knew without reservation that he was right, and that he belonged to me. Being away from him for more than a day or two is absolutely gutting. I don’t know what better way to explain the binding. I always feel out of balance when we’re not together. I imagine he feels the same way. And that’s what Ethan’s feeling—gutted and off-center.”
Dasha twined the end of her scarf around her index finger and stared at her sandaled feet. She’d never felt like that with any man. She’d never felt anything even close, and Simone was talking about dreamy, romantic stuff—about actually fitting so well with someone that distance made both hearts hurt.
And apparently Dasha was supposed to have that with Ethan. She didn’t know how to let herself have that sort of connection. She was afraid to.
Humming softly, Hestia straightened Dasha’s scarf, then pressed her hands to Dasha’s cheeks. She tilted Dasha’s face toward hers. Made her look. Hestia’s touch was warm, as if she’d been holding her hands close to a fire, and her eyes were sad.
“I didn’t make the match,” Hestia said. “But I think the pairing is a sound one. It’ll work.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because Mielikki said so, and she’s never wrong about these things. Inscrutable though she may be at times, she’s very pragmatic. Very careful. Move things slowly if that brings you peace, but do move them. You’ll both be better off that way.”
Dasha wanted to believe her. She didn’t have a good reason not to, but skepticism was a hard monster to defeat.
Hestia dropped her hands from Dasha’s cheeks and turned to Simone. “Would half an hour be enough time for you to prepare?”
Simone stood and grabbed her big key ring from its hook. “All I need is fifteen minutes. I just need to fill Daryn in so she can help my mother watch the desk, and I need to run a comb through my hair.”
“And you also need to ask your mother about the portal.”
“I’ll pop in and do that now. She’s going to have to be on the premises, anyway, in order for me to leave. There’s no one left here who can be my pinch hitter for the curse.” Simone stepped into the back room where the fairies kept one of their gun safes. Anyone standing on the other side of the glass office door wouldn’t be able to see her disappear, and Dasha knew that was what Simone was doing without having to peek inside.
She’d likely pressed her hands to the back wall and opened a portal to her mother’s location in the Serengeti. Katie’s specific location didn’t matter, Simone had explained. Like magic was attracted to like. Even if her portal’s trajectory was imprecise, the angle would self-correct on the other end. She’d always be able to find her mother and Fergus, too, although she might occasionally mix up the two.
“You look inspired,” Hestia said, grinning coyly.
“Do I?”
“Are you thinking about motel improvement schemes or are you struck by magic?”
“The magic, I guess. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around all this. It’s…a lot. I doubt my family would understand any of this stuff. I might never be able to tell them.”
Hestia’s smile fell away. “Perhaps not. Not all secrets are meant to be shared, and maybe that’s for the best. There’s no reason you can’t love them from afar.”
“You’re operating on the assumption that I’m going to concede to this…this life. You make my acquiescence sound like a sure thing.”
“I don’t intend to. I simply have the benefit of thousands of years of wisdom to draw on. I know which things are likely to be certainties, and which won’t unfold so neatly. You’re already enmeshed in this…” Hestia swept a hand toward the office in general. “…this world, and you’re inextricable. The decision of how gently you’ll knit yourself into it, or how tightly, is in your hands. You set the standards and establish the expectations. Do you understand?”
Dasha thought she did, so she nodded. Hestia may have been giving her the old, trite, the world is your oyster speech, but Dasha had forgotten that she had some control. She needed to stop sheltering herself and start taking some risks again. Maybe subconsciously, she’d known that when she
’d stepped onto that plane for her unannounced visit. She’d needed more out of life and went off looking for a spark in the safest way she knew how to.
Simone had said she’d look after her, and Dasha was going to count on that. She’d need her trusted friend to give her the reality checks she deserved…and also to give Dasha those hard shoves when she was being too cowardly to look at scenarios with fresh eyes.
She needed to start being gentle with herself with some things. And she needed to be fair to Ethan. She owed him at least that much.
CHAPTER NINE
Ethan dragged his fingers through his knotted hair and let out a ragged exhalation. Then he pulled in a deep breath slowly, and let that one out, too.
Prince Heath, with arms crossed over his chest and a scowl tugging at his lips, stared down at the unconscious mer-fairy on the ground and gave the slumbering man’s side a nudge with his boot. “Weak as water,” he muttered. “Barely had any magic for me to pull off.”
“I’m sure Quinton would be more of a threat underwater.” Princess Siobhan looked equally as peeved as her brother with her hands on her hips and one booted foot tapping impatiently.
The man on the ground had given them a bit of a runaround, and then had the audacity to cackle when they caught up to him. Prince Heath wasn’t fond of having his time wasted, so he’d laid the guy out no-questions-asked. One touch, and Quinton had crumbled. He’d remain in the coma of sorts until they got back to the motel or until the prince decided to give him some energy back.
“What would he have to gain from being here?” Matt asked. “I just can’t believe he’d take his sister’s word without proof about Ethan being her mate.”
“That’s the human part of you talking, dear cousin,” Princess Siobhan said. “Chances are very good that he’d believe his sister in absence of compelling evidence not to. I’d believe pretty much anything Heath told me.”
“But Heath isn’t insane.”
“My wife might disagree with that statement at times,” the prince said, “but Siobhan’s right. If you can’t trust your kin, who can you trust? Believe me, Siobhan and I didn’t come around to recognizing that Mum wasn’t quite…” He made a moue of disgust. “Decent for a very long time.”
