by Leslie Chase
Fiona couldn't help laughing. It was true that Janet had made a habit of bringing home men, much to Fiona's embarrassment on occasion. At least it meant that she wasn't in any position to judge Fiona for doing the same. Taking the cup of coffee gratefully, she glanced in the direction of the spare room.
"Oh, don't worry about being overheard," Janet said. "Cole left at the crack of dawn, said his work needed him. Whatever work that is… you've got yourself a man of mystery there. Unless you know what he's up to in town?"
"No," Fiona admitted, blushing. "I hardly know any more about him than you do. He popped by the shop yesterday looking for a guidebook, and then he sort of rescued me."
"What do you mean, 'sort of' rescued you?" Janet leaned in, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "From the storm? You usually don't mind the weather."
"No, there were these guys hassling me when I left work and he, well." Fiona paused, feeling her blush deepen. She wasn't a fan of violence, not really, but the memory of Cole fighting woke something in her and she found herself biting her lip. "He drove them off."
"Oh my God, so he's not just a hunk of a man, he's a hero as well?" Janet laughed with delight, clapping her hands. "Damn. Good catch. But shouldn't you, I don't know, call the police?"
"Not much point in that," Fiona told her. "They didn't actually do anything. Cole's probably the one who'd get in trouble for picking a fight, even if the cops could track those guys down."
And that would be a trick. She knew where the security cameras around the mall were, and more importantly how few of them worked. It would be down to her description to track the attackers, and now that she thought about it she couldn't describe them. Not usefully. Words like beautiful, ethereal, perfect came to mind, but what color Meallan's hair was? That kind of detail was just gone. She frowned, trying to concentrate. This wasn't like her, she usually had a good memory for faces. This time, though, they'd all faded, almost like a dream.
Janet accepted her explanation easily enough, though. No one in Argent Falls thought much of the cops. "You're right," she said. "It wouldn't be right to get Cole in trouble for coming to your rescue. He really likes you, you know."
"I knew that as soon as we met," Fiona admitted. "But still, you know me."
"All too well, Fi, all too well. You're going to make this difficult for yourself until he leaves, and then you're going to be too busy pining over him to notice the next guy who pays attention to you as well. Come on, live a little."
That was easy for her to say, but it had never worked for Fiona. Not that there hadn't been interested guys, but there had always been something missing from her relationships. Something that felt off, empty, unfulfilling. And the men seemed to feel the same — nothing ever lasted long.
Not that Janet tended to have long term relationships either, but she didn't seem to miss anything about them. Fiona did: she wanted someone she could snuggle with in front of the TV as much as someone who made her want to tear his clothes off.
Like Cole did.
"Hello? Earth to Fi?" Janet waved a hand in front of her face, and Fiona blushed. "Thinking about him again, huh?"
She couldn't deny it. "Janet, I think I might really like him."
"I know you do, silly. Why do you think I'm trying to get you to do something about it?"
"But he's only here for a few days. What happens after that?"
Janet sighed, shaking her head and counting off possibilities on her fingers. "As I see it, one of three things. Either you mope about after him because you didn't do anything, and I have to deal with an insufferable roomie. Or you miss him terribly but have some fun memories because you did do something. You're slightly less insufferable in that one."
She held up a third finger and grinned. "Or maybe something happens and it works out and you end up actually happy. Stranger things have happened, you know. And you ought to aim for that one for my sake, if nothing else."
Fiona grinned back. She couldn't help it, Janet's good mood was infectious. It didn't hurt that her argument actually made sense.
"Do you really think it can work out?"
"Hey, what do I know? I've known him even less time than you have. But he rode in out of nowhere and beat up some guys who were hassling you — and then it turns out he's staying here, too? Hell of a coincidence, or maybe it's fate. Someone out there is telling you to take the hint, Fi."
Fiona sat back and thought about it. Maybe her friend was right. Maybe the mystery man was somehow meant for her. What could it hurt to find out?
Just headaches and heartbreak, the cynical voice in her head told her. Do I really need more of those in my life?
She couldn't help thinking that this time it might be worth it.
Cole drove around town in the early morning light, trying to keep his mind on his work. It wasn't easy, not when he was leaving Fiona behind. His body ached to find her again, but that would have to wait. There wasn't any point in pressuring her, he told himself again.
His bear didn't want to listen to that. As far as the animal part of him was concerned, it wasn't pressure. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, and they'd be happy together. What more did they need?
Humans don't work that way, he tried to tell his bear. Then humans are stupid, it replied with a deep grumble.
He sighed, and turned his attention back to the road out of town. If the fae court here did have connections to the silver mines, there might be a way to find them out here. Fae glamours would hide them from human senses easily enough, but he wasn't strictly human. Maybe his shifter senses could find them.
It wasn't a great lead, but it was the best place he had to start.
As it turned out, though, he didn't need to look far. Driving along the old mining road through the woods, he could feel the prickly sensation of being watched.
He pulled in and got out of the SUV, taking out the amulet that marked him as an Arcane Affairs agent, hanging it on the outside of his t-shirt.
"I'm Agent Cole North," he said, pitching his voice to carry and hoping he wasn't making a fool of himself. "Come out and let's speak."
For a moment, he thought he was just speaking to the deer and the rabbits. But just as he was about to give up and return to the car, figures stepped out from behind the trees around him. Tall and slender and beautiful, this time they weren't making an effort to appear human. Their faces were too perfect, too thin, too symmetrical. And the pointed ears were a dead giveaway to someone who knew to look for them.
The leader wore a silver band around his head, which sparkled with some magical power, and each of the half dozen fae had swords strapped to their belts. Cole suppressed a glower at those. He didn't know that they were silver, but he suspected it.
"Welcome, Agent North, to the lands of the Storm Court," the leader said. His eyes were dark, like a night sky with stars sparkling in it. That was something which would have to be covered up amongst humans. "I am Count Erion. What brings you to the King's land?"
Great. Another pompous asshole. Cole didn't let that show on his face either. Much of an Agent's job was being diplomatic. Suppressing a sigh, he tried to concentrate on the important part of what the Count had said. The local fae were a Storm Court? That made sense, and meant that they were likely to blame for the weird weather around here. Good, someone to blame.
"Pleased to meet you, Count. I'm here to investigate a risk of humans discovering your existence, or at least that of the supernatural in general. It seems like your Court is letting some things get out of hand around here."
The other fae laughed, a musical beautiful sound that just annoyed Cole. The Count's little smirking smile didn't help matters.
"We rule the sky and the wind, the rain and the snow," he said. "What do we care what you think of it?"
"You will care, Erion, because it's my job to make you," Cole snarled, giving up on keeping a pleasant face. He stepped forward, out onto the road and into the Count's face. "The Agency doesn't allow you to reveal yourselves to humans,
and you know that."
Others closed in around them, and the Count rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Be careful, Agent. You're out here all alone, and anything could happen to you. The Court of Storms respects the rules, but that doesn't mean that you can threaten me."
Cole grinned, a cold and angry expression, and stepped forward again. However dangerous the Count might be with that sword, Cole was now too close for him to draw it easily. Though the other fae around him might still be trouble, he could at least flatten that one arrogant bastard's nose.
Part of him thought he might not be giving the man a chance. This wasn't, after all, the fae who'd attacked Fiona. On the other hand, he didn't care very much. This court wasn't keeping itself very quiet, and that was all the reason he needed to get into their faces.
Pushing a finger against the Count's chest, Cole stared into his starry eyes. "Why is this happening now? There hasn't been any trouble here before. If there's a problem, let the Agency help. That's what we're here for."
He knew, with a bone-deep certainty, that Count Erion wouldn't listen to that. But there were five other, lesser fae here, and he could hope that one of them would take his words to their King. As much as he wanted to wade in and punch some people, his job was to resolve this without violence if he could.
"It's no part of your Agency's business, Mr. North," the Count said, just as Cole had expected. "We'll deal with our own problems. You can go home and forget all about Argent Falls."
"So there is a problem," Cole said. "I thought as much."
The fae lord's eyes tightened, and Cole smiled. Didn't mean to tell me that, did you?
"And does that problem explain why your court is harassing humans?" he asked, adding to the Count's visible discomfort.
"Our relations with the mortal world are our own affair."
"No." Cole prodded the fae in the chest firmly. "No, they are not. They are the business of the Arcane Affairs Agency as well, and we will keep you from messing things up for everyone else. I don't know what your friend was trying to do, but he's going to stay away from Fiona Riley or I will make your life very uncomfortable."
That was enough to provoke the fae, as Cole had half-hoped it would be. Leaping back to get space to draw his sword, Count Erion snarled something. Cole followed him, forcing him back and making the draw awkward and slow.
His own hand dipped into his pocket, pulling out the pair of handcuffs. Iron handcuffs.
Erion's blade gleamed silver in the morning light, slashing around at him. The fae was good, fast and skilled with his sword, and if there'd been space between them Cole knew he'd have been very dangerous. But this close, they weren't elegantly fencing. They were brawling, and there Cole had the advantage.
Rather than trying to dodge the cut, he punched the blade, the cuffs wrapped around his fist like improvised knuckle-dusters. Metal met metal with a painful scraping snap and the Count staggered backward, staring at the ruin of his silver blade. It snapped off a couple of inches above the hilt, the rest of the blade lying on the ground.
"Fae magic," Cole said, advancing with his fist raised. "Not very good around iron, right? And without magic, silver doesn't make for a very good sword."
Around him, he heard the whispery sound of the others drawing their swords, but none of them advanced on him. He kept his gaze focused on the Count, reaching out with his left hand to snag the man's shirt and shake him.
"So again. You will all stay away from Fiona, or you'll pay the price. Am I clear?"
"You won't get away with this," Erion blustered, his thin aristocratic face flushing red. "This isn't your business."
"Go tell your King about this, and we'll see what he thinks. Tell him I want to talk." Cole pulled out a card, one of his Agency ones, and held it out to the nearest of the waiting fae. She took it gingerly, as though afraid it might bite. "This is going to be sorted out, understand? You've got two days to contact me, and after that I'm going to be coming back looking for answers. You don't want to be the people in my way when I do."
He raised the iron cuffs again for emphasis and was rewarded by the Count's flinch. Petty, maybe, but they are threatening Fiona, he thought as he shoved the fae lord away and turned to stalk back to his SUV. The rest of the fae parted around him, keeping a careful and respectful distance. I guess it helped send a message, too.
He let himself smile as he started the engine. And that gives me a day or two to focus on Fiona. Perfect.
7
Fiona sat behind the counter at work, crowded by the heavy boxes of yesterday's delivery. To her utter lack of surprise, Mr. Jackson hadn't done more than open the boxes and take out the books that were needed on the shelves right away. The rest of the stock was just sitting there getting in her way.
Getting that in back is really not my job, she told herself for the hundredth time. The boxes were heavy and bulky and he'd promised her that he'd do all the heavy lifting when he hired her. Just another broken promise it seemed now.
The bell interrupted her dilemma, and she looked up to see Cole standing in the doorway grinning at her. She felt her cheeks heat as she sat back, smiling back at him.
"Hi," she said, feeling foolish as soon as she spoke. I sound so stupid.
"Hi," Cole replied, looking around as he stepped inside. He looked pleased with himself, and she wondered if that meant his business in town was going well. That led to a sharp pang of doubt. If it was, did that mean he'd be leaving sooner?
But he didn't give her time to worry. "I think perhaps things went a little too quickly for you yesterday," he said. "So today I am going to take you to lunch."
"It's only eleven o'clock," she protested automatically, and he grinned.
"Lunch can be whenever you like," he said. "If you can't go now, I can wait."
Her heart raced, and the sound of her pulse was distracting. Trying to focus, Fiona smiled. "I'd like that, I think. But I can't go until Mr. Jackson gets back, and that might not be today."
Cole frowned at that, and she could see a spark of anger in his deep blue eyes. "You don't get a lunch break?"
"Well, I do," she tried to explain. "It's just that I can't leave when he's not here and I'm not meant to eat in the shop."
"That's nonsense," Cole said firmly. "He owes you lunch, so we're going to get it today. The shop doesn't look so busy that half an hour will make that much difference."
Half an hour spent in Cole's company sounded like heaven. Fiona felt her cheeks heat, images of how they could spend that time flashing through her mind, and Cole's grin told her that he'd noticed. Damn it.
"Okay, fine," she said. "You're right, he does owe me that. But in exchange, you're going to have to help me tidy this place first."
Cole laughed and nodded. "Sure. What do you need done?"
The heavy boxes of books were no trouble for him to move, and between the two of them, Cole and Fiona got the shop squared away neatly in no time. Fiona took the opportunity to enjoy watching him work, giving him the heavy lifting to do while she stood back and got a good view. For his part, Cole seemed to like the chance to show off for her. Not that it was much work for him — the heaviest box, one that she could hardly move at all, he hefted with a casual ease.
Once the boxes of books were on the storeroom shelves, Fiona felt a lot more comfortable with the idea of taking a break. After all, that was work Mr. Jackson wanted done that she'd never have managed on her own. The least he could do was give her a chance to get something to eat. And no one seemed to want to buy books today. Fine. I know I'm just making excuses for doing what I want to do anyway, but screw it, I deserve some time off.
Writing a 'closed for lunch – back in an hour' sign only took a few moments, and then they were out of the shop. As she locked it behind them, Cole grinned down at her. "Where are we going? The food court? I can't go far."
Cole laughed. "I can do better than that," he said, hefting a bag. "I've packed some sandwiches, and there's a lovely spot in the woods. Les
s than five minutes from here, I promise."
Alone in the woods with him? Yes please! Fiona found herself grinning foolishly and smiling as she nodded. I just have to remember to keep an eye on the time, it's going to be awfully easy to get distracted.
Taking her hand, Cole led her out of the mall. His hand engulfed hers, so big and strong, and she felt safe following him. As long as he was there, she felt, nothing would be able to hurt her.
The woods started immediately behind the mall, and as soon as she stepped into them it felt like they were leaving civilization behind. The sounds of traffic were muted, quiet, and then gone entirely, and within minutes they seemed to be alone in a wilderness of wood and leaves.
Maybe she'd have been frightened with anyone else, but Cole was a safe anchor and Fiona walked close beside him. Leaning in, she felt his solidity and strength.
It didn't take long at all to find the small clearing he'd meant, and Fiona gasped as she saw it. She didn't know what she'd expected, but it wasn't this. There was a blanket spread on the floor, anchored with rocks to keep it from blowing away, and Cole had set out glasses and a bottle beside a hamper. Wildflowers were strewn across the blanket, and a sweet smell filled the air. She looked at the plastic bag he carried and shook her head.
"I thought you'd just bought some sandwiches," she said, thumping him on the arm. "Not set up something like this."
"It would hardly have been a romantic surprise if I'd told you what I had in mind, would it?" he said reasonably. "I wanted this to be perfect."
Leading her to the blanket, he knelt, guiding her down beside him. Fiona shook her head, looking at the work he'd gone to and smiling happily. There was something delightful about the earnestness with which he'd approached this, and it sent a tingle running through her.
Reluctantly, she let go of his hand and let him open the basket. The forest around them looked surprisingly deep given how close she knew they were to the road, but she wasn't going to question it. Not when it meant she could get a lovely lunch without missing too much work.
