“Holy shit. How often have you thought about this?”
Berry made a snorting sound. If I thought about it often enough, I would have a solid plan rather than a working theory. I have gotten this far in my thoughts because of how often she hurts you.
“She hurts me, and you hurt her?”
If I had the ability to, yes.
I mulled over his theory as I flipped through one of the local gossip newspapers. A lot of it was rumors about celebrities. I didn’t even recognize any of them, and yet they were talked about as if they were A-listers. “Well, we already know he’s trying to find a way to tear down the walls between the two realms. That would stretch her out. What we need an insight to is his next steps. How does he plan to kill Faerie? I think if we find that out, then we can find him.”
I do not see how staring at newspaper clippings will help find him.
“I’m hoping I can spot something suspicious. Maybe some kind of pattern. Are there weird sightings of any kind? Is there a specific group of people being preyed on? Anything that will point to a fae up to no good.”
The ones who will know if there is a fae making trouble are the fae themselves.
“While they are more than happy to help us settle here, meeting one is a different story. If we were out in the country, I’d believe they’d like to help us. But we are in a city full of metal and iron, disconnected from Nature. The fae here are not the ones I can walk up to and talk with.”
You forget you have me. They will not dare hurt you.
I smiled, enjoying the warm tingling sensation I got whenever Berry became protective.
“Very well. I know a place we can go. I had to practically torture Jahandi for the information.”
How dangerous is this place?
“Depends on who is there. We’ll have to scope it out to find out.”
I am feeling hungry.
I chuckled. “Then hopefully, you will find a meal tonight. But be sure they will not die, or they are someone who won’t be missed.”
The bad guys?
“Yes. The bad guys.”
I can do that.
Berry’s hunger wasn’t the everyday kind. Every few weeks, he feasted on magic. When he ate a fae, it wasn’t the bones and flesh that he devoured, but the magic that they held. By the time he was done with them, they were shells of who they used to be. If the fae were powerful enough, they could recover. If he feasted on the weak ones, they died. Another brutal Faerie circle of life.
~*~
Getting to the fae bar was tricky. We had to make sure no one was watching us as we slipped into an alley. The alley went around back to what looked like a dead end. We had to walk through a compulsion that tried to make us turn away. A human would have fallen to it, deciding nothing interesting was back there. Those who made it would have found a brick wall with nothing to it, but the glamour didn’t fool me.
I used my own magic to let the glamour know it was fae who stood before it. Once it had a taste of who I was, the glamour disappeared, showing a huge wooden door. It looked flimsy, easy to kick down, but it would be as sturdy as steel.
“What do ya want?” A deep voice came through a slit in the doorway with a heavy Brooklyn accent.
“A meal.” A true enough response. I would get a meal here. I doubted they’d appreciate me saying I was looking for someone to act as a snitch.
“What are ya?”
Berry growled at my side and only stopped after I rested my hand on his head. Apparently, that was all the voice needed to unlock the door and let us in. It swung open, the dark hallway empty of any guard. It was only the two of us.
Berry took lead, ears erect as he scanned for danger.
We walked down a long narrow hallway until we reached another door similar to the one we had gone through. No one manned that one and it swung open as we approached.
The moment we stepped through, magic fought to strip my glamour away. I held on to it until the magic knew it was a losing battle and receded. The bar was large, the air clear, the flooring rough. Light filtered from overhead, and I glanced up. It was like looking up into a jungle. Tree tops hung over us, their branches thick and plentiful. A sun shone through. Birds flew through the sky and creatures jumped around in the branches.
We had been transported to the middle of a jungle. If there had been a breeze, I would have been more inclined to believe that we had transported. But the air was still, a hint of something sweet filtering through.
This is almost too real.
“Agreed. The setup is nice. Makes one feel they are home.”
No one paid us any attention. We claimed a table lining the wall, the seats made of tree stumps, the tabletop more like a flat rock. I sat so that I could see the entire room and Berry lay at my feet, practically on top of them, pretending to relax.
His entire body was rigid, ready to pounce though, and his blue eyes were electric as they shone through his half-closed lids.
A female fae approached. Berry didn’t react.
“’ello, dear. What may I get for you?” She smiled, flashing two tiny pointy incisors. Her eyes were slitted, silver hair pulled back in a high ponytail, the straight strands going all the way down her lithe body to her butt.
I flashed her my brightest smile when I realized she didn’t know who I was. No one in the human realm would know unless they had come from Faerie in the last hundred years. Yeah, the rumors were there. A human taking the throne had never been done before. But it didn’t mean they knew who I was, and my charm helped hide the extent of my magic from them. Oh, this could be nice. Like a vacation. “Moontouched wine and your special to eat.”
“Very good.” She sashayed away.
Business in the bar was constant. Fae came and went. Everyone kept to themselves. My table slowly became a tower of glasses. The female fae had tried to take them away to make room, but I wouldn’t let her. I was slowly building a pyramid of glasses. I had always wanted one.
Some fae eyed me, but when I didn’t step up to their barely concealed challenges, they left me alone. I wasn’t there to make trouble and while the environment was friendly enough, there was also an undercurrent of tension that went through the majority of the fae. They were the locals, the ones who knew all the rules.
That meant they knew to be on their best behavior. Someone in the bar kept them in line. I needed to know who that was. But it was hard to tell. No one person got extra glances. No one paid special attention to anyone else.
I was about to get up and start talking to random people when I finally noticed it. A man sitting at the end of the bar glanced at my server, and after a long moment glanced my way. It was brief enough to be dismissed if I hadn’t been paying attention. I had originally thought he was just another patron camping out in the bar. There were a few who had settled in for the day, drinking away the time. I bet they had stories to tell, and if I had the time, I would have asked for them.
The next two drinks I spent covertly watching the guy.
Are you watching him too? Berry asked.
“He’s more than he appears to be.”
Are we going to approach him? Want me to go? I can pretend to want to urinate on his leg. A dog did that yesterday to a human.
I chuckled. “Let’s try something a bit more straightforward and simpler.” I lifted my half-filled glass, staring the fae straight in the eyes with my challenge.
He had been pretending to not watch me, just like I had been doing. When I saluted him with my drink, his body went rigid, and I knew I had him.
The fae didn’t waste time. The moment he moved, the entire bar went quiet, wary glances sent his way as they tried to determine what move he was about to make. When they traced his gaze back to me, they relaxed only the smallest bit once they knew trouble wasn’t coming their way.
No, it was coming for me apparently. I had done so well not drawing attention, but now I was in the middle of a show. I had the right man, I knew I did. But how was I supposed to get ans
wers with so many eyes on us?
The fae was able to follow my train of thought because he glared around the room, gold eyes hard. “Mind your business or get out,” he snapped. His voice was dark and growly, screaming danger. Everyone went back to staring down at their drinks quickly.
Berry stood up, shaking out his fur, and resituated himself so that he was in a better position to attack.
The male didn’t care, walking over in a smooth stride, claiming the seat in front of me. He was so dismissive of everyone else in the bar that he didn’t care that he put his back to them. The sunlight shone through his dark hair, making me realize his hair wasn’t black like I’d originally thought, but blue. His pale skin was alabaster white, and I wondered if it’d be hard marble if I touched him.
“Ma’am,” he said.
I nodded in response, lifting my glass and taking a sip of the crisp wine. It tasted like a cool night with a bite of darkness to it. My favorite. It had a way of making me think I was walking on the dark side but without the danger.
“I hope you’re enjoying your meal?” He looked over my wine glass tower. There was a small trace of magic in the tower, enough to keep them from toppling over. That was a mess I didn’t want to deal with.
“It would be better if I had someone to talk to.”
The man’s smile was boyish, though his eyes remained ice cold. “By all means, talk with me.” He waved his hand and a barrier wrapped around us. “No one will hear. Or dare to bother us.”
“Hmm.” I reached out and touched it. His magic bit back at me, but not harshly. More of a nip to warn me off.
He was powerful.
“I know.”
“You know what?” the male asked.
I glanced at Berry.
“Oh. I see.” He didn’t spare a glance at my familiar. His mistake if he so easily dismissed him. “What is it that you search for?”
“Apparently, I’m looking for you.”
“Why?”
“Before we get into that, shouldn’t we introduce ourselves? My name is Josie.”
“Josie?” His eyebrows rose the smallest amount, almost unnoticeable. If his eyes hadn’t also widened a fraction, I wouldn’t have noticed. He looked me over slowly before clearing his throat.
“Right. My name is Judah Cowan.”
“Do you own this bar?”
He smirked. “One of them.”
“So you know things then?” I leaned forward. “At least enough to help me find another fae?”
“I know plenty of fae, but if I don’t know who you search for, I will at least know where to start. I also work as an investigator for a private firm.”
“A connection to the human realm.”
“Exactly. My bars keep me in touch with the fae world, and my job keeps me connected with the humans.”
“Oh, this is perfect then. I can’t tell you much, only that I search for a dangerous man who wishes to harm Faerie and potentially all the fae. If you have the connections you claim to have, you can be of use.”
“You are from Faerie?”
“I am.”
“And this man, what will you do?”
I smirked. “Make sure he does not hurt anyone ever again.”
I held my hand out, palm up. Gold magic ran along my arm in swirls before pooling in my palm. I raised my eyebrow in challenge.
Judah didn’t hesitate, resting his hand on top of mine. His own magic, silvery and warm, a complete contrast to my own, pooled in his palm. Our magic mingled together, sending sparks that would have been flashy if it had been dark in the room.
“I bind me to thee,” Judah began, voice steady. “I bind my words to the ether, to Faerie, to the truth. If broken, I break thy bind. I break thy connection and owe a boon of equal value.”
His magic waited for my reply. “I bind you to me. I accept your words. I accept the boon of equal value if you are to break your bind.” Our magic zapped through our body and settled deep into our skin.
It was a simple contract. One where he promised to help me with all his knowledge, and if he led me astray, then he’d pay the price. Basically, he was promising to help me out and to keep anything I said to him a secret. The magic would keep him from being able to let anyone know what we had discussed.
“My full name is Joslyn Naevana.”
Judah’s eyes went huge, face paling as he leaned away from me. “The human queen. You are the human queen?”
My smile was bitter as I said, “Do I look human to you?”
He looked me over again, his eyes glowing as he scanned my body. “Faerie converted you.”
“She doesn’t do it often. I know. Trust me, I know.”
“She took a liking to you.”
“Too much of a liking.”
“I’m surprised she let you out of her realm, where she can no longer touch you.”
“We have an agreement.”
“Right.”
There was something in the way Judah looked at me. As if he knew something I didn’t. I didn’t like the feeling, as if there was a secret that involved me.
“What?” I asked.
“Only wishful thoughts,” he muttered.
I waited him out to see if he’d expand on what those thoughts entailed.
He blinked and looked down at his hand. On the palm was a small symbol. A circle with Faerie markings on it, proof of his promise to me. He traced it and something told me he regretted making the binding so quickly.
That was his fault.
“What can I help you with?”
“I’m looking for Laikynn. A traitor to Faerie and all fae. He escaped two years ago in human time. He’s making his move now, and I’m here to bring him back to answer for his crimes or to kill him.”
“Laikynn.” Judah’s eyes glazed over briefly before he shook his head. “Not someone I’ve heard of.”
“I’m not surprised. I doubt he appeared and announced himself to the fae community. He’s in hiding. I know he’s in this city, but I need to know where. I need to know what he’s up to.”
“And now I’m required to help you.”
I smirked, not bothering to respond. Judah didn’t seem to mind too much.
He rubbed at his jaw as he thought it through, a very human gesture and one I wasn’t used to seeing in Faerie. Fae there didn’t fidget. They didn’t do useless movement. It made him come off as antsy and restless.
“Two years ago. I imagine when he arrived, he’d need to find a way to survive here. Finances. And if he’s now doing something, he found enough of it to cause the trouble. He wouldn’t be able to get up to much if he was iron-broken.”
“Iron-broken?” I asked. That was a new term.
“It is what we call the fae who have gone insane from too much iron. Those of us who are born here or have been here for a long time have created a huge tolerance to iron. We don’t have a choice. But someone from Faerie wouldn’t have that. They are typically relocated to somewhere isolated, away from cities and iron. A small town, farmlands, mountains. There are fae communities that would take them in. But he’s here, in the city. I doubt his tolerance is good enough.” Judah’s eyes narrowed as he scanned my body. “How are you handling it?”
“Faerie helped me with that.”
When he realized I wasn’t going to expand, Judah moved on. “So we’re looking for someone who made waves around two years ago.”
“Laikynn loves control. It’s impossible for him to work under anyone.”
“His own boss. A position of power and connections. Capable of making him money. But also able to stay hidden. I’ll have to look into this. There is always someone grabbing media attention.”
“I’m also searching for rumors, or anything really, of weird things going on around the city. Things that can’t be explained away.”
“Like what?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Anything. Even the smallest weird anomalies. Is there a crazy guy running down the streets going on about aliens
?” Berry snorted his amusement, drawing our attention briefly. He was on his stomach, head resting on his paws, eyes closed. He didn’t care that we stared at him. I turned back to Judah, who still stared at my familiar with a frown. “Are there people disappearing? Weird lights in the sky at night. Anything at all. I am willing to look into all of it.”
“Well, I don’t know about aliens or people disappearing. This is New York City. People disappear all the time. It’s a very nomadic city. And it’s hard to see weird lights in the sky when the sky is always lit up by city lights. Crazies are on every block.”
“So you mean looking into it all would be impossible.”
“Not effective or productive.”
Of course this couldn’t be easy. “Then what would you do?”
He knocked at the table in thought. “There is one fae you can go to. He’s a bit weird.”
“You mean crazy.”
He grimaced. “He’s eccentric. But he knows everything in the fae world. Everything. When I need a starting point, I go to him. If he doesn’t know what’s going on in the city, then either it isn’t happening, or no one else knows either.”
“Where is he?”
“He hides out in a botanical garden. The Bronx River goes through it. There’s an old walking bridge that goes over the river and that’s where he’s usually hiding. Especially at night, after they close the gardens. There are a few fae in that area. I suggest being careful when you go to visit. Not all are nice there. They use the place to reconnect with Nature.”
Sounds like that is where my dinner is. Berry lifted his head and licked his lips, putting his long incisors on display.
I snickered. “I will be fine.”
Judah pulled out his wallet and handed me a card. “Contact me. I’ll look into things on the human side. I have some connections I can use.”
I grabbed the card and shoved it into my pocket. Maybe I really did need to invest in a cell phone. One thing I’d noticed walking around was the lack of payphones.
Chapter Five
The bridge was old, rickety, and ready to fall into the river at any moment. No one would dare to step out onto it in fear of falling through. I was able to breathe in the rot and wetness that had taken over the wood. It made sense that there were signs all over to stay off and also a barrier to keep people out.
Faerie Kissed Page 3
