by Chloe Hart
“The humans in our world, you mean.”
He nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. The Fae here have adapted to humanity—and adapted beautifully, I might add—but our culture developed without that influence. And in the last few hundred years we’ve come to know of Earth’s existence, we’ve rejected that influence. We find little to admire in humanity.”
“But now you need us.”
She’d used the word us deliberately, as a reminder that she herself had human blood in her veins.
Kel had no visible reaction, and she marveled again at how flawlessly cool his expression was. That emotionless demeanor was the Fae ideal—the court ideal, anyway—and one she’d always striven for. But looking at Kel now, she knew she’d never achieve it.
And then, in spite of herself, she thought about Hawk. How fierce and angry and riled up he’d been as he backed her into that tree. How hungry he’d looked as he’d touched her, his eyes following his hands.
It was impossible to imagine Kel ever looking at her like that. Of course she didn’t really know him, so it wasn’t fair to make any determinations about what he was like or wasn’t like. But his detachment was so perfect, so…
She noticed suddenly that his dancing had become more purposeful—that he was steering her towards the French doors that led to the back terrace. Two of her mother’s personal guards were there, at the doors. Kel nodded to them and they opened the doors, bowing as the two of them went through.
There were guards out here, too. The monarch’s personal guard was an ancient tradition, one followed by all Fae royalty. With the existence of other supernaturals—and the often antagonistic relationships between them—the guards served a practical as well as ceremonial function. Unlike the famed guards at Buckingham Palace, the Fae guards were occasionally called upon to protect their kings and queens, sometimes with their lives.
Still, because of the extensive magical protections that noble Fae placed around their own mansions and palaces, they usually felt safe when they were at home. Certainly Talia did. She almost never stationed guards outdoors at formal balls. They were usually circulating inside and at the doors, with a few at the front gates.
But now, there were four guards out here on the terrace. Jessica had no doubt this extra precaution was because of Hawk.
Did that mean she thought he might return?
Jessica closed her eyes, hating herself for the sudden rush of excitement that coursed through her body.
“Jessica.”
She opened her eyes again and looked at Kel. He’d led her to an alcove in the terrace, out of sight and earshot of the guards as well as the guests inside the ballroom.
“It is true that we need you. There are fewer and fewer children born to my people, and even with our long lives our race declines every year. The fear of extinction is a powerful thing, and it led us first to plan an invasion of your world—and then to plan for this marriage.”
She hadn’t expected him to speak so openly of the circumstances around their engagement. Why was he talking to her about this? They both knew why the marriage had been planned. What good could it do to bring it up?
“That’s why I came here tonight,” he went on. “Not just to meet you, but to make sure that…” He paused. There was no change in his expression, which remained impassive, but Jessica was sure that there was some feeling beneath the surface. “I want to be sure that this marriage our mothers have planned for us is acceptable to you. That you have agreed to it of your own free will.”
Jessica stared at him. She had no idea what to say. Did he expect her to rhapsodize about how delighted she was to be marrying him? Or was he sincere, and simply looking for reassurance that she hadn’t been coerced into this engagement?
She could at least provide that. “I can assure you that I have agreed to this engagement freely.” A thought occurred to her suddenly. “Have you?”
It was his turn to stare at her. She sensed that he was surprised, although his expression still showed nothing. “What do you mean?”
“I’m asking if you agreed to this marriage of your free will.”
“Of course I did,” he said.
But there had been the barest hesitation before he spoke. And that made Jessica wonder, for the first time, how this arrangement was affecting him.
“You weren’t expecting this any more than I was. Your life will change, too.”
He shook his head dismissively. “You’re the one leaving your home—your very world—to come and live in mine. You’re giving up far more than I am. Don’t waste your concern on me, Jessica.” He offered his arm to her again. “I’m glad to know that all of this is acceptable to you. I look forward to the day when I can welcome you to my world as my bride. And now, we should return to the ball.”
And that, apparently, was going to be that.
The rest of the night passed pleasantly enough, but it felt endless. The music, the dancing, the superficial conversations…there were times when Jessica thought she was going to fly to pieces. She was used to feeling restless at balls and formal occasions, but this was different. This felt almost…desperate.
She’d never felt at home with nobles. Only with the Green Fae, where she was respected for her skill and not her position.
Her one respite from meaningless chitchat was a brief conversation with Yana. Since her father had been killed in battle ten years ago, Yana was the only person at court she felt completely at ease with.
This year, Yana had been named Arbiter of North America—one of the few royal positions earned by merit and wisdom and not by the accident of birth. Tonight, she wore the simple black robes of her office. They went well with her stern expression and long silver hair.
“And how do you find Prince Kel?” she asked Jessica over a glass of champagne.
“I like him better than I thought I would,” she said honestly. It was hard to dissemble with Yana, who saw through people better than anyone Jessica knew.
Until she’d met Hawk.
“I can’t get a read on him,” Yana said with a frown. “He’s certainly polite, but…”
“I think he’s more than polite. I think he’s kind.”
Yana studied her in silence for a moment. “You know I spoke against this marriage to the council.”
Hers had been one of the few dissenting voices to Talia’s plan. Jessica was glad that Yana’s position among the Fae was too entrenched for her opposition to bring any negative consequences.
“I know.”
“You have a strong sense of duty, and I admire that. But if you have any doubts at all…”
“I don’t.”
Jessica forced herself to hold Yana’s gaze without faltering. It wasn’t really a lie. She was going through with this marriage, so what good would it do to entertain doubts?
After a minute, Yana nodded. “Very well, child.” She held up her glass. “To your happiness.”
The prince left them a few hours after midnight. Just before he disappeared he pulled Jessica aside again.
“It’s not the custom of my people to give engagement rings,” he told her. “But I have this to give to you.” He was holding something in his hand.
It was a small silver bag on a silver chain. An odd gift, but—“Thank you,” she said automatically, reaching out to take it.
His hand closed before she could touch it.
“Don’t touch the stone inside this bag until you’re ready to travel to my world. When your flesh comes into contact with it, a portal will open and you’ll pass through it. Which is what you’ll do one month from now, for our wedding.”
He opened his hand, and Jessica reached out again, a little more hesitantly this time. The bag was the size of a robin’s egg.
“Will you let me put it on you?” he asked.
She nodded. Wearing a reminder of her engagement, of her duty, could only be a good thing. She had to do everything possible to embrace her new life.
She turned her back to the
prince, and his fingers brushed the bare skin of her nape as he fastened the chain around her neck.
She felt nothing at his touch. No thrill of excitement, no goose bumps sweeping over her skin. And then, suddenly, she was engulfed by the memory of Hawk’s fingers on her throat.
“Are you cold?” Kel asked as she turned to face him again. “The Fae of my world suffer little from the cold, unless it is severe.”
She cleared her throat. “My guess is that we feel the cold more than your people, although much less than the humans of this world,” she said.
He nodded. “I will make sure there are warm fires in your rooms during the winter months,” he said.
That, more than anything that had happened tonight, made their coming marriage seem real. She was going to travel to the Prince’s world, and live in his palace, and sit in front of a fire as the snow fell outside.
Kel raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Until we meet again,” he said formally.
“Until we meet again.”
Then he went to her mother, who was dancing with the King of Australia on the other side of the room. Elegant bows were exchanged between the two men, and then Jessica watched Kel and her mother speak for a few moments. After that Kel jumped up onto the dais where the musicians played.
They fell silent.
When he spoke, his voice rang out over the crowd. “We share the same ancestry, and I speak for all my people when I tell you how happy we are to be meeting again in peace, after so many centuries of estrangement. I am honored beyond measure to receive the troth of Her Royal Highness, the Princess Jessica Greenwood. My world could receive no greater gift than her presence. I thank the Queen Talia for this marvelous ball, and I thank all of you for attending. And I pray that this occasion marks the beginning of many years of peace and communication between our worlds.”
He smiled as the crowd applauded, and then he disappeared.
There was a gasp of pleased excitement from the assembly, and Jessica smiled to herself and thought, good theater. She had no doubt her mother approved.
* * *
Jessica lay awake for a long time that night, but she must have eventually dropped off to sleep, because when Talia sat on the side of her bed she was startled awake.
“Mother! What is it?”
“Hush, child—I don’t want to wake your ladies-in-waiting.”
They were actually her mother’s ladies-in-waiting, attending to Jessica while she was at the mansion. They were sleeping in the room next to hers.
Jessica sat up in bed. “What’s going on, Mother? Is something wrong?”
“Very wrong, I’m afraid. I have a terrible favor to ask of you.”
Talia’s voice was grave, and her face, too. She was wearing a sapphire blue nightgown and matching robe, and her hair was braided down her back. Dressed like that, and illuminated by moonlight, she didn’t look much older than her daughter.
“What is it?”
Talia laid a hand over hers, on top of the coverlet. “I told you tonight about Hawk. That he came here because of a dispute over payment.”
“Yes.”
“What I didn’t tell you was that the payment he’s looking for is something I can’t deliver. I thought I could, but I can’t.”
Jessica shook her head, confused. “But you have access to an enormous fortune. How much did you promise to pay him?”
“His payment was not to be in money. It was to be in the form of…something I can’t provide.”
Jessica rubbed her free hand across her eyes. “I don’t understand. What did he want?”
“Something I can’t provide,” she said again. “But I don’t believe Hawk will accept that answer, or an alternative payment. And I think he’ll take his anger out on me…or our people. Unless he’s stopped.” Talia paused, and her hand tightened on Jessica’s. “Unless he’s killed.”
It took almost a minute for her mother’s words to sink in fully. “You want me to kill Hawk.”
“You’ve killed vampires before.”
A cold weight settled in the pit of her stomach. “Yes, but only in a fight. In self-defense, or to save a life. Not in cold blood.”
“You will be saving lives, Jessica. He’s the lowest kind of animal. A demon, and a killer. And when he finds out I can’t give him his payment, he’ll come after me. You’ll be saving my life.”
“He could never get to you.”
“He got to me here, Jessica. Think about that. After what happened tonight, do you really think any of us are safe from him?”
Jessica couldn’t answer.
Talia frowned. “Why are you hesitating? He’s a demon, and you’re a demon hunter. A warrior. This is like any other mission. I need you to take out this animal, Jessica. A last service to this world and to your people before your new life begins.”
Everything inside her felt twisted, like she was being put through a wringer.
“How would I get to him?” she whispered, finally.
“He’s going to contact me in forty-eight hours. When he does, I’ll set up a meeting. I’ll tell him that I don’t have his payment yet but that I have information for him. And I’ll tell him that you’ll be the one meeting him, not me. That will put him off his guard.”
“It will?”
“He obviously doesn’t regard you as a threat. More fool him,” Talia added with satisfaction. “It will actually work to our advantage that he got the upper hand on you tonight. He’ll be inclined to underestimate you.”
Not anymore. Not after their confrontation.
What would her mother think if she told her about that? If she told her she’d had Hawk at knife point, completely at her mercy? That she could have taken him out then and there?
She remembered her parting threat. If you ever hurt my mother, or anyone I care about, I’ll hunt you down like a dog.
But he hadn’t hurt anyone yet. He hadn’t even fought back when she’d started punching him.
“You don’t know for sure how he’ll react,” she said now. “Maybe he would accept an alternate payment. Maybe you should wait and see what he—”
“Do you really want to play Russian roulette with an assassin? On the off chance he won’t try to kill anyone?” Talia’s eyes narrowed. “Is this the influence of Liz and Celia? Are you going soft on vampires now, because of the choices they’ve made? They’d be the first to tell you that most vampires are vicious, evil killers. Jack Morgan would tell you that himself. Don’t forget this creature held a knife to your throat, Jessica. And he wouldn’t have hesitated to use it.”
Except that he hadn’t used it. And when she’d fought him, he hadn’t fought back.
“Jessica.” Her mother put both hands on her shoulders and leaned close. “There’s a better than even chance that if you don’t take him out, I’ll be dead in three days. Is that a chance you want to take?
Jessica bit her lip. “Set up the meeting,” she said finally. “I’m going back to Boston in the morning, so set it up there.”
She could feel the tension leave her mother’s body. “Thank you,” Talia said softly. She hesitated a moment, and then went on, “I’m sure it goes without saying that this is a secret mission. Don’t speak of it to anyone. It’s a family matter. That’s why I came to you with this. And because I knew I could count on you, my brave and loyal daughter.”
Talia gave her hand a final squeeze and left the room, her bare feet making no noise on the tile floor.
Jessica leaned back against the headboard and closed her eyes.
Praise from her mother was rare indeed. If she was younger, she’d be glowing.
But when she was younger, she never doubted herself as she doubted herself now. She’d never had any question about what was right and what was wrong. What was good and what was evil. All she’d asked was that someone point her towards the enemy, as if she were a loaded weapon.
Well, now her mother had pointed her at Hawk.
She wouldn’t think about it tonight.
She’d put it out of her mind and go to sleep.
And pray that she wouldn’t dream of anything…or anyone.
Chapter Six
“Nice hit!”
Jessica had called Liz from the road that morning, as she was driving from Newport to Boston. She needed someone to train with, and Liz had agreed to meet her at the gym they both used. Now they were sparring together.
Jessica had spotted Jack Morgan coming in before Liz did, but at the sound of her mate’s voice the dark-haired warrior turned her head, giving Jessica the opening she needed to use a leg sweep.
“Oof.”
Jessica smiled down at her fallen opponent and offered a hand to help her up. “I told you love is a distraction,” she said, pulling Liz to her feet.
“Yeah, yeah,” Liz said with a grin, before launching herself over the ropes and into Jack’s arms.
He caught her easily. “I’m a distraction, huh?” the vampire murmured as he tightened his hold. Then he kissed her.
Normally, Jessica turned away from public displays of affection, finding them almost unbearably embarrassing.
But now, she found herself staring. There was something so raw and intimate in the way they kissed. It was obvious that they had no secrets from each other, nothing held back. They were completely open to one other. Completely vulnerable.
Jessica couldn’t watch any more. She went under the ropes and over to her gym bag, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from her face.
“What are you doing here, anyway?” she heard Liz ask Jack. “I thought you were sleeping.”
“You left your phone at home, and Celia called. She’s trying to reach Jessica.”
Jessica looked up in surprise. “Trying to reach me?” She fished in her bag for her own phone, and when she pulled it out she saw several missed calls. As she was looking at the screen the phone vibrated in her hand, and she flipped it open.
