Dria and Ralan barely reached the portal in time to greet the guards arriving from Moranaia, but at least there was a new sense of peace between her and her brother. She wasn’t sure if their past friendship would reform or if she could forgive him, but it was a start. Certainly more than she had thought possible before their argument.
The portal flickered, and then the warriors stepped through. There weren’t mages among them; based on their armor, this group was more scout than soldier. In the close confines of the cave, the troop’s composition was wise, something she might have suggested herself. But who had decided who would be stationed here? Ralan as prince and heir or Lyr as a general of the army? Either way, no one had bothered to consult her.
“How were these people chosen?” Dria whispered before the group descended the stairs.
Ralan gave her a knowing look. “Lyr decided before you were brought in to lead. Feel free to reassign anyone if you need to. But really, Lyr is an important ally in this. He’s willing to provide this troop and knows his warriors well enough to choose the best. I wouldn’t have debated him on the matter.”
“I feel superfluous,” she murmured.
“Don’t,” Ralan insisted. “Leaders delegate. Even Father would consult the nearest general for a mission like this. He’ll certainly speak with the Mage General at the Citadel to pick the best mages.”
Dria’s heart thumped. “You’ve…you’ve put me in charge of a troop from the Citadel? Are you insane? I have no rank there.”
Ralan grinned. “You have one now.”
If the warriors hadn’t neared, Dria would have cursed at her brother. Instead, she settled for a withering glare. Didn’t he care what mayhem this could cause? She wasn’t disliked at the Citadel, not in particular, but she hadn’t earned a position of power, either. And among the mages, rank was deserved, not granted. When dealing with powerful magic, it had to be.
But Dria would worry about that later. Now, she fixed a neutral smile on her face and greeted the leader of the warriors in front of her. One of three in the group with Dökkálfar heritage, the woman’s midnight skin blended well with the dim cave, as did the brown of her leather armor.
The woman tapped her chest and inclined her head. “Good evening, Feraien. I am Kera, Commander of this troop during the mission. Though I usually report to Lord Lyrnis as his third in command, I am to defer to you while I am here.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Kera,” Dria answered. “Since we will be working together closely, I invite you to call me Dria. I am leader first and princess last.”
Kera nodded. “Very well. I will endeavor to remember.”
Dria gestured toward the grand staircase curling up the cavern. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your quarters. Some of the rooms are still being prepared, but you should be able to choose according to preference.”
“Thank you,” Kera said.
Though the warrior’s expression held nothing but politeness, Dria sensed a measuring weight to her gaze. No surprise there. Everyone knew the ages of the royal children, at least generally, and the woman had to be wondering why a mage who hadn’t neared her fourth century would be giving the orders. But it could have been worse. Dria had half expected hostility, so a silent examination was nothing.
Stifling a sigh, she led the group toward the stairs. She’d get more than enough hostility when mages from the Citadel arrived.
So it began.
By the time Fen made it to The Magic Touch, the shop that Maddy was buying from Cora, it was almost lunch time. Though his stomach rumbled, he didn’t duck into one of the restaurants near the shop. He’d promised Vek that he would go straight there if he was allowed to go alone, and he suspected his uncle would somehow know if he deviated.
The guy was as bad as any father. Not that Fen could remember his.
But Fen’s promise meant Vek was able to return to the Unseelie realm right away. Fen had an uneasy feeling that whatever secret the king held would change everything. A germ of some sort was nothing next to that, not if Loki was concerned enough to interfere. Apparently, his uncle had agreed.
Fen peeked in the shop window before he approached the door. A couple of customers browsed inside, and a thin blond man rang up a purchase behind the back counter. No sign of Maddy. She had to be there, though. He’d texted her to ensure she was at work before driving to downtown Chattanooga.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, he almost wished she’d been busy. Maddy had a girlfriend—Anna. Fen would never in a million years be worthy of either of them, but knowing they could mate would make it much more difficult to resist flirting with her despite his shortcomings. But only a jerk would do that. She was in a committed, monogamous relationship. She might not even be bisexual like he was.
It would be just his luck to have a mating bond where the other people would never be interested.
“You okay, man?”
Fen turned at the seemingly concerned voice, but the human’s eyes were filled with more than a little suspicion. Damn, he probably looked like a creep lingering by the store window. He forced himself to relax and let out a short chuckle.
“Yeah,” Fen answered. “Trying to remember which of these display dresses my girlfriend was talking about. Don’t want to screw up her birthday present.”
The man laughed, most of the wariness fading. “Good luck.”
“I think I’ve got it figured out.”
Before the stranger could give him more grief, Fen strolled into the store and approached the counter without haste. A customer had just gathered his bag to leave, so it was only a short wait until the cashier was free.
Jase, his name tag read.
“Hey,” Fen said, keeping his voice low. “I’m here to see Maddy.”
“Yeah?” Jase’s eyebrows lifted. “Does she know that?”
Fen couldn’t blame the guy for being distrustful. Only a few weeks before, Maddy had been kidnapped by two of Kien’s men. And Fen’s former partners-in-crime, but Jase didn’t know that. Probably. Fen had no idea what Maddy might have told him.
The door behind the counter swung open, and the woman in question hustled out, a dress held high in her hand so it wouldn’t drag on the ground. She wore her long red hair pulled back with a loose clip, and she must have been in the sun lately since her freckles stood out sharply on her pale face.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
As soon as she caught sight of Fen, she smiled. Actually smiled as though she was pleased to see him. He couldn’t fathom it. They’d first met when he’d pretended to rejoin Kien’s group—at the same time she’d been held hostage. She knew he’d done terrible stuff. She had to. Why was she always so happy to see him? She’d even attempted to heal him after Kien’s poison had taken root in his heart.
“Jase, would you show my friend to the break room?” Maddy asked softly. “I’ll be in once I’ve finished helping this customer.”
“Sure,” the man answered, his earlier coldness gone.
Fen tried not to stare after Maddy as he followed Jase toward another door tucked into the wall. She practically glowed with light and life as she held the dress out for her customer to see. Had she always been this enchanting, or had the effect grown along with the magic available on Earth? Or perhaps he was seeing her differently now that he knew about their link.
Almost reluctantly, Fen trailed the other man into the small room. It held only a table and a small counter with a microwave on top. There was another door on that wall, probably leading to the stockroom. To all appearances, this was nothing more than a break room for the employees.
If you couldn’t feel the multiple layers of heavy shielding.
Fen dropped into a chair, slumping against the back. Jase studied him from the door, and a tendril of energy brushed across Fen’s magical protections. He smiled at the other man in acknowledgement and let him detect what he wanted him to know. He was no expert on the various fae races—yet another thing he needed to learn from his uncle—but he was fairly positive Jase had Ellyllon ancestry. The Welsh elves could be a persistent sort.
“Like what you see?” Fen asked, smirking.
He could already read the answer in the other man’s scowl.
“Maddy is not an energy source, blood elf,” Jase said. “Hurt her and I’ll finish whatever scraps of you she leaves behind.”
Ah, good. Jase was fully aware of Maddy’s power. “I doubt she would leave scraps.”
That teased out a reluctant grin from the other man. “That she wouldn’t.”
The door clicked open, and Maddy entered, sending Jase a pointed look. He nodded at Fen and left before she reached the table. Fen barely noticed. Maddy glimmered with power, her spirit so vibrant he was surprised it wasn’t visible. Then he frowned. It was almost too vivid. How could she contain so much energy?
“What’s up, Fen?” she asked.
Maddy took the seat beside him, and his thoughts fled as her scent washed over him. Honey and rain and plants newly budded. Fen clenched his fingers around the edge of the table to keep himself from reaching for her. It wouldn’t do either of them any good.
“Fen?”
He scrubbed his hand through his hair. “Sorry. Look, I won’t waste your time.” More like let’s get this over with before I jump you. “I need your help.”
Her forehead furrowed as she scanned him with her gaze. And her energy. He shivered as it caressed him. “You’re sick,” she whispered.
“You can tell?” Fen peered at her, noticing again how dark her freckles appeared. Maybe she hadn’t been in the sun. No, they only stood out because her already fair skin was so pale. “You are, too.”
“No.” Maddy’s shoulders slumped. “Not now. But I was.”
His heart squeezed. Hadn’t it only been a couple of weeks since he’d seen her? “What are you talking about? You can’t get sick. You’re half Seelie Sidhe.”
Maddy shrugged. “And you’re half Unseelie blood elf. Yet here you are.”
Silence landed like a bomb between them as they processed that truth. The fae didn’t worry about physical sickness since their bodies cleared viruses before symptoms could be felt. Hell, most germs never made it past the heightened energy surrounding them. Their healers didn’t even spend much time studying such things since illness was a non-issue.
If a virus had evolved to bypass their natural defenses…
“Did it clear on its own, or did you purge it with your gift?” Fen asked.
Maddy’s jaw clenched. “Mostly on its own. I didn’t have many symptoms, except for muscle aches and extreme exhaustion. My healing gift was unreliable as usual. But pulling in an uncomfortable amount of energy finally helped. That or my body cleared it like a human’s would.”
So that was why she glowed like an overcharged mage light. “I could—” His mouth snapped closed on the offer he’d almost made. Fuck. He couldn’t take her blood to drain away some of the energy, not if Vek was to be believed. “That is, I should see what my uncle thinks. Once he returns from the Unseelie realm.”
“Fen.” Maddy arched an eyebrow. “I know you must have come here for me to heal you. No use pretending otherwise.”
At least she hadn’t noticed his almost-offer. “I did. You said it didn’t work, though.”
“Increased energy did,” she pointed out. “Which I happen to have an excess of at the moment.”
Damn. Fen took a deep breath as he tried to think of a reasonable explanation for refusing. Something besides the truth. “Vek said not to take your blood.”
He winced as she shoved away from the table. Okay, that hadn’t been the best choice. “To hell with your racist uncle, Fen. Who cares if I’m Seelie? I’m not poison.”
“It’s not that.” Fen grabbed her wrist before she could march from the room. A mistake, he realized, as desire shot through him. “Some blood might affect me…differently. It’s nothing personal, I promise. Vek wouldn’t have asked you to heal me last time if he had anything against you.”
Maddy’s eyes narrowed. “I might be young for a Sidhe, but I’m a grown woman. Tell me what you’re hiding, Fen, or you can walk out that door and never come back. I mean it.”
She did, too. Resolve poured from her like the energy she barely managed to contain. Ah, he might as well reveal the truth. She would tell him to take a hike either way. “According to Vek, we could be mates. And taking your blood would seal the bond.”