by Amy Sumida
“Nonsense,” Drostan protested. “This is nothing. Tell the Council to keep its money. I'm simply doing my part to keep the city I love safe.”
“We appreciate it.” Williams nodded to him, then started discussing possible steps we could take next.
I was on my way into the living room, my husbands a few steps ahead of me, when Drostan walked by, on his way out.
“Could I speak with you?” Drostan whispered to me.
“Now?” I asked with a sigh. I had a feeling that I knew what he wanted to talk to me about.
“I don't think you'll miss much.” He glanced at the tired group of people lounging over his furniture.
I looked over at my husbands but they had already sat down and started to participate in the conversation. Raza must have sensed my attention on him; he turned toward me and lifted a brow. I held up a hand and pointed into the other room to let him know that I'd be right back. He nodded and settled back against the couch.
“Okay,” I said to Drostan.
“Just through here.” Drostan led me into the foyer but then continued through it and into the corridor across from the dining room. He opened the first door we reached and ushered me into a small library. “Shall we sit down?” He waved at the leather seats.
“Look, I know I shouldn't have watched you. I'm absolutely mortified,” I just launched into it. “I was just startled and couldn't seem to get my legs to move and—”
“Seren,” he cut me off and then smiled. “Please, sit down.”
“Okay,” I murmured and sat in an armchair.
Drostan took the couch beside me, close enough that our knees nearly touched. I looked up and met his bright, unwavering stare, then quickly looked away.
“I know this is a bad time to discuss this but—” Drostan paused and cocked his head at me. “Seren, could you look at me, please?”
“Sorry,” I mumbled and returned my gaze to his. “I'm just a little embarrassed.”
“I'm not embarrassed so why should you be?” he asked blandly.
“Because you weren't doing anything wrong; I was. I was a peeping Tom. I spied on you while you had sex with your girlfriend. Dear Danu, even saying it makes me sick.”
“Sick?” Drostan drawled in a suddenly low and very sexy tone. “You didn't look as if what I was doing disgusted you.”
“It didn't. That's the problem,” I muttered. “It was what I did, or didn't do, rather, that disgusts me.”
“If Verisande and I had wanted to be assured of privacy, we wouldn't have had sex in the gazebo,” he said with a wry twist of his lips. “You didn't come looking for us, you happened upon us. The sight shocked you and then aroused you—both perfectly normal reactions. You did nothing wrong. In fact, if the roles had been reversed and I had happened upon you and one of your husbands in the act, I would have stayed and watched as well.”
“You...”
“And I would have relished every second.”
My throat went dry. I swallowed roughly. “I don't like where this is going.”
“Where is it going?” Drostan leaned forward and set that shocking stare on me. “Please, tell me, Seren.”
“Nowhere,” I said firmly.
“Very well.” Drostan sat back. “If that's what you want.”
“Isn't it what you want? You have Verisande.”
“And yet it was your name upon my lips when pleasure took me,” he whispered, his stare locked with mine. “Why, I wonder?”
“You don't know?”
“I can hazard a guess.” Drostan grinned. “Perhaps it was the way the stars in your eyes brightened as you watched us. Perhaps it was how I couldn't look away from you or how your nipples pressed against your shirt. It could have been the fact that I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since the moment I first spoke with you in Seelie or that even though I left you there and went to another world, you somehow wound up standing in my home last night, watching me and wanting me as much as I want you.”
“Drostan—”
“But, no,” he cut me off, “I don't know for sure why it was your name that I called. Do you know why you ran when you heard it?”
“Yes, I do.” I sighed deeply and stood. “You are a very sexy, brilliant man and I like you. I think we could be great friends. But that's all we can be because I love my husbands. I never wanted to be with more than one man, but Danu called and I eventually gave in because it was what we all wanted. But this is different. This isn't the Call of Danu, it's just simple attraction.”
Drostan got to his feet and declared, “There is nothing simple about what's growing between us.”
“I'm sorry but it is simple. This is lust and a healthy dose of like but neither I nor my husbands would approve of me taking a consort based purely on lust and like.”
“You are a queen,” he argued. “You can have whomever you want.”
I gave him a sad look. “It's almost painful to hear you say that. If I did take you as my consort despite the dictates of my heart and my husbands, just because I could, I would become the type of queen that we both hate.”
“I could never hate you, Seren,” Drostan whispered.
“I'm glad to hear it. Because I really do like you, Drostan. I don't want to wreck the friendship growing between us by denying the attraction but I will if you force me to.”
Drostan searched my face and then nodded. “I understand. You're not ready yet. I pushed too soon.”
“I won't ever be ready.”
“Now, you don't understand, Seren,” Drostan said firmly. “You're wrong. This is the Call of Danu. It touched me in Fairy and I ran from it. But you followed me here and that's when I knew that our goddess cannot be denied, no matter how far you go to escape her.”
“No,” I said gently. “I know what the Call feels like and this isn't it. What you are experiencing is just a very strong attraction, Drostan. That's all.”
“What if you're wrong?”
“Then I'm sure Danu will tell me as soon as I return to Fairy.”
Drostan grinned. “Then I shall be patient and wait for you to speak to Danu.”
I laughed. “You really are cocky, you know that?”
“You're married to a Dragon-Djinn,” he shot back. “I think you can handle cocky.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” I drawled.
“Until you speak to our goddess.” Drostan grabbed my hand and pulled me forward before I could protest. He pressed our bodies together and brushed his lips over mine. “I will dream of the way you watched me.”
The sound of an aggressive knock made me jerk out of his embrace but the knock wasn't on our door.
“Baron Drostan Dealan,” someone shouted from the front door, “the Wild Hunt demands entrance!”
Chapter Forty
Drostan scowled and headed out of the room. I followed him to the front door where we converged with my husbands, my guards, Williams, and the extinguishers. Even Ana came out of the kitchen to see what the ruckus was about. In addition to all of us, six Sidhe men rushed out of the corridor behind me and went to Drostan.
“Sorry, Sir, they threatened to blow the gate,” one of the men said.
“Who are they?” I gaped at the Sidhe men.
“My security team,” Drostan said absently to me. To them, he said, “Stand down, it's the damn Hunt.”
Drostan opened the door and a group of four fairies—four hunters—swept into the room.
“Baron Drostan Dealan?” A hunter with chestnut hair pulled back into a shoulder-length ponytail demanded as he stepped forward.
“Yes,” Drostan said.
“Your Excellency, you're wanted for questioning.”
“What about?” Drostan scowled.
“Baron, if you would just come with us?” The man reached for Drostan.
I stepped between them. “I'm Ambassador Seren Sloane Firethorn and we've just returned from dealing with the same situation that you likely have, Hunter. We're tired and angry and none of us
have the patience for bullshit. So, explain yourself now.”
“I know who you are, Ambassador,” the hunter bowed. “I am Shawn Nightblade, Lord of the Wild Hunt, and you're correct—we've also been killing enchanted humans today. But my team was assigned to our mission—the same mission as yours—before these latest disturbances occurred.”
“Nightblade?” Killian asked wryly. “Is that like a lightsaber?”
“No,” the Lord Hunter said crisply.
Killian grimaced at me.
“If we're on the same mission, then you won't mind telling us what's this is about,” Williams said as he joined us.
“Who are you?” the Lord Hunter demanded.
“I'm Councilman Wayne Williams of the Kansas City Council House and you don't have the authority to take a fairy in for questioning. That's our jurisdiction. So, if he needs questioning, we will handle it.”
“We're not extinguishing him, we're questioning him, which we have every right to do. Your council waited too long before informing us of this situation and now, you've put us all in jeopardy,” Nightblade said. “My council is not pleased and is now disinclined to share information in return. We've conducted our own investigation and will present our findings to the High Council. Then the members of both councils can pass their judgment.”
“Oh, the hell you will,” I snarled. “This man is a Seelie noble and has assisted in our investigations, extended his hospitality to us, and has fought beside us against monstrosities created by a fairy. As my subject, he's also under my protection. So, I suggest you either leave now or question him here, in front of us and tell us why the fuck you are questioning him in the first place. If anyone on the Fairy Council has a problem with that, they can scry me themselves.”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I'm under orders. I—”
Raza roared.
Everyone went still as Raza stepped up to the Lord Hunter. “You are Unseelie.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, but—”
“Do not finish that sentence,” Raza warned him. “I have had a very trying day and I may react in a manner unbecoming of a king.”
Nightblade swallowed visibly.
“Drostan,” Raza said without removing his stare from the Lord Hunter, “we'll need a room.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Drostan said. “If you will follow me?”
“Attend us,” Raza snapped at Nightblade.
The other hunters tried to follow.
“Just your lord,” Raza snarled at them. Then he held a hand out to me and added, “And my queen.”
Raza escorted me down the corridor, after Drostan, who took us into the very room where we'd had our discussion just moments before. Once we were inside and Drostan had shut the door behind us, Raza turned to face Nightblade.
“Now, we are alone, only us fairies,” Raza said. “Explain yourself and I will determine if you will be allowed to question Baron Drostan.”
“Your Majesty, we have been investigating the drug called newt,” Nightblade started. “Humans are involved and have abducted Alp Luachras. Now, those humans are using fey magic to cause dangerous mischief. Under these circumstances, the Wild Hunt is within its rights to form its own investigation and conduct its own questioning.”
“Perhaps,” Raza conceded. “Continue.”
“While you've been investigating the city above, we've gone into the Missouri Underground and searched below.”
I grimaced at Raza and he pressed his lips into a thin line. We had talked about the Missouri Underground but never went into it. What with Alicia Waterhouse having humans in her employ and possibly a whole cartel of fairies backing her, she wasn't likely to be hiding there, but we still should have looked. It was sloppy of us not to.
“Alicia Waterhouse uses several aliases but only one glamour—a mistake many fairies make,” Nightblade went on. “They get used to an image and it becomes their go-to glamour—”
“We are Fey, Nightblade, we know about glamours,” Raza interrupted in a dry tone.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Nightblade inclined his head respectfully. “We showed pictures of Alicia Waterhouse's glamour around the Underground and found someone who recognized it.” He shifted his gaze to Drostan. “Her true identity is Verisande Osag.”
Drostan swayed as if he'd been struck.
“Are you certain?” Raza asked.
“Not absolutely,” Nightblade admitted. “Which is why we need to question Baron Drostan. We've looked into Verisande Osag but can find no records of her with the humans. She doesn't own or rent a residence, a car, or a bank account, and doesn't have an employer.”
“What are you talking about?” Drostan whispered. Then, in a stronger voice, he declared, “She's a financial adviser. She works for...” he trailed off.
“Yes?” Nightblade prompted.
“I... well, I've never asked her the name of her employer,” Drostan admitted. “But I've seen her go through files and papers and work on her... laptop. Oh, sweet Danu, it can't be her.”
“Your Excellency, where did you meet Verisande Osag?” Nightblade asked.
“At a human party.” Drostan shook his head as if freeing himself of crazy thoughts. “I was invited by a business associate.”
“Your business manufactures lightning rods, is that correct?”
“Yes. And Veri said she was there with a client of mine. Uh, his name is John Vanderwild.”
“Vanderwild.” Nightblade didn't write anything down, just nodded as if he'd committed the name to memory. “Did you ever mention Verisande to him after you started your relationship?”
“No.” Drostan frowned. “I never thought to... are you certain she has no employment records?”
“We're certain, Your Excellency,” Nightblade's tone softened a bit; it was clear that Drostan had no idea who he'd been dating. “Have you ever visited her home?”
“No, we always come here.” Drostan swallowed visibly and rubbed a hand over his face. “Oh, Veri,” he whispered.
“Did she ever speak about Alp Luachras to you, Your Excellency?” Nightblade asked.
“Well, we... oh, no. Oh, Goddess, no.” Drostan's expression crumpled.
“Baron Drostan?” Nightblade pressed.
“Give him a damn second!” I snapped. “Can't you see how hard this is for him?”
“My apologies, Your Majesty, but time is of the essence, as the humans say.”
“Yes, you're right.” Drostan straightened and cleared his throat. “I told Verisande that I liked to stroll around Forest Park. I mentioned how the Alp Luachras would sometimes come to the surface to see me.” He looked over at Raza and me to say, “I'm so sorry. It seems that it's my fault your people are in danger.”
“No, it's not,” I said firmly. “You mentioned something that made you happy to a woman you thought you could trust. How could you know that she would offer them money for their... well, how could you possibly know that?”
“It is a bit of a leap.” Drostan gave me a wan smile. “I just... I can't believe Verisande would do this. If she needed money, all she had to do was ask me and I would have given it to her. She knows that. But drugs? It makes no sense.”
“It was likely about more than money, Your Excellency,” Nightblade said. “Things like this, they're usually about power as well.”
“Now, that sounds more like Veri,” Drostan said in a grim tone.
“Would it be possible to search your home, Your Excellency?”
“That's going a bit too far,” Raza said before Drostan could answer.
“No, it's fine,” Drostan said. “Verisande stayed with me often and she keeps some things here. I can show them to you but I ask that you leave my guests and their rooms alone.”
“Since your guests are the monarchs of Fairy and an extinguisher team, I think we can safely exclude them from our search,” Nightblade agreed. “Thank you for cooperating so generously, Your Excellency.”
“Yes, of course.” Drostan waved him toward the door.
“It's right this way. Unless you have more questions?”
“Not at this time, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't leave the state until this was cleared up.”
“He's not under suspicion, is he?” I demanded.
“No, Your Majesty, but we believe Verisande might try to contact him and we'd...”
