Chapter 1
MY BREATH PUFFED out in angry little
clouds as I shivered under the star-streaked sky that stretched above my patch
of frozen mountain. Jaw clenched, I shoved a key into the lock on my front door
with enough force to jerk the purse off my shoulder. It slid down, snagging at
my elbow, and the shift in weight jostled the dome-covered cake balanced in my
other hand.
I couldn’t believe James had stood me up again. After all his promises. Twenty minutes standing outside his
house. Then a quick call about unavoidable business at the gallery. Sure he’d
apologized, given me his usual line about making it up to me "another time.”
But another time never seemed to come for James and me.
I twisted the keys.
Those not in the lock dug into my palm.
Another time. If he said those words again, I was going
to run him over with my Jeep.
The door stuck,
swollen by moisture. I growled and pushed harder, hissing when my weight
settled onto the freshly re-knit muscles of my right leg. I gave the door
another shove, and it finally gave way, slamming into the adjoining wall with abang, my keys still dangling from the lock.
I froze in the
doorway. My living room was occupied.
I’d been looking
forward to curling up with my cake and my anger. Habits formed through years of
solitude were hard to break, and I still wasn’t used to having roommates.
Company was going to put a serious crimp in my plans.
Kai and Chase were
sitting across from each other on my faded furniture, cards and poker chips on
the coffee table between them. Neither seemed surprised by my dramatic
entrance.
"You’re home early.”
Kai glanced in my direction, and his eyes were swirling galaxies of color
rather than the deep brown of his glamour—the human disguise he wore less and
less these days. He was a fae knight from the Realm of Enchantment who’d been
living in my guest room for about a month, most of which was spent saving the
world from a murderer with a magic, world-eating box. He cradled a hand of
cards to his chest so his opponent couldn’t cheat. "Didn’t think we’d see you
till much later.”
"Or tomorrow,” added
Chase without looking up.
I’d let Chase into my
home when I thought he was just a cat, before I knew he was actually a fae who
could change form at will. I let him stay because he saved my life. Of course,
when I made that deal, the understanding was that he’d remain the gray tabby
I’d taken in last summer, but he’d been spending more time with fingers than
fur lately.
"Call.” He dumped a
handful of colorful plastic chips onto the pile already on the table.
"Yeah well...”
I pulled my key out of the door and kicked it closed behind me. "Plans change.”
Chase glanced up and
raised a silver eyebrow over one luminous green eye. "You’ve replaced James
with a cake?”
The plastic dome I
hugged gave a clear view of the decadent chocolate cake I’d picked up on my way
home.
"This is my
consolation prize.” I lifted my chin and carried the calorie-laden confection
to the high counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. "Don’t
judge me.”
"Let me guess.” Chase
tossed his long silver braid behind his shoulder, making his pointed, slightly
furry ears twitch. "Something came up.”
"Again,” Kai added.
He spread his cards on the table. "Two pair.”
"Full house,” Chase
said with a grin. He scooped up his winnings.
Kai looked over at
me. "It’s important to know when to fold.”
I’d been thinking the
same thing all the long drive home. I’d done my best with James. I’d really put
myself out there. But after all the excuses, and conflicting schedules, and
missed dates.... I’d been down this road enough to know where
it ended. I’d had my fill of waiting for men who never showed up. Still, I
wasn’t about to give Kai the satisfaction of an "I told you so.”
I crossed my arms and
dropped onto the couch next to Kai. "That little tip just lost you a piece of
cake.”
His smile went slack.
Kai had the biggest sweet tooth I’d ever seen. "You’ll get fat if you eat it
all on your own.”
I gestured to Chase,
who was stacking his winnings into neat little piles. "Chase can help me.”
Chase shook his head.
"Cats don’t eat chocolate.”
"They don’t normally
eat pizza either, but that’s never stopped you.” I "accidentally” nudged the
coffee table with my knee, sending Chase’s carefully stacked poker chips
cascading across the surface.
"Hey! Don’t get pissy
at me just because your old stiff couldn’t follow through.”
"James is notan old stiff,” I said. "He’s refined. Something you wouldn’t understand.”
He snorted. "Whatever
you say.”
I turned to Kai.
"Back me up here.”
"Will it earn me some
cake?”
"Ha,” roared Chase.
"Spineless elf.”
"Mangy stray,” Kai
shot back.
Chase took a bow and
began to melt, shrinking and shifting until a gray tabby sat on the faded beige
cushion of Chase’s chair.
Sighing, I lifted a
blue poker chip and rolled it over my knuckles. "What were you betting?”
Kai tipped his head
to one side and frowned. "Little bits of colored plastic, obviously.”
I rolled my eyes and
tossed the chip back on the pile. "The chips are usually backed by money, but I
guess you and Chase aren’t exactly rolling in human cash.”
"Actually, I received
my first paycheck last week.”
When Kai made the
decision to stick around the mortal realm to instruct me in all things fae, he
also started working part-time at a convenience store owned by a registered
halfer who owed him a favor. The job was dull, but necessary to get a work visa
from the PTF—the Paranatural Task Force that policed interactions between
humans and fae—which was the only way a full-blooded fae could legally stay in
the human realm.
"Congratulations.”
"I’ve been thinking
about what to do with it, though I hadn’t considered rolling in it. I believe
humans have a custom of paying a portion of the expense of shared living space,
so I thought I might do that.”
"You mean rent?”
He thrust a finger at
me. "Exactly. What do I owe you?”
I lifted one
shoulder. "On the house.”
"Yes. What do I owe
on the house?”
I rolled my eyes. "It
means forget about it. I don’t need your money.”
"Are we not
roommates?”
"Sure, but it’s not
like this is a permanent arrangement. We haven’t even talked about what happens
after my trip to court.” My breath hitched, as it often did when anyone
mentioned my summons to the fae Court of Enchantment. Kai had convinced the
powers-that-be— namely my long-lost great-grandfather—that I wasn’t ready,
hence his new job as my personal tutor. But we had no idea how long the
arrangement would last. Maybe I’d never be ready for life among the fae.
He frowned. "I still
feel I should contribute.”
"How about groceries?
Between you and Chase, the fridge is almost always empty.”
"Deal.” He thrust out
his hand, and I shook it, trying not to laugh at his triumphant expression.
Chase, who’d been
watching our exchange, perked up at the word "groceries.” Once the deal was
struck, he sprang into my lap and nuzzled his head against my chin.
Without thinking, I
stroked his back and scratched around his ears.
"You know that’s
still Chase, right?” Kai watched us with a mixture of amusement and
frustration. "You shouldn’t treat him differently just because he looks like a
cat.”
I shrugged. "I can’t
help it.”
Kai made a disgusted
noise and scooped the cat out of my lap, dropping him unceremoniously to the
floor. Chase gave an indignant hiss and sauntered off.
"If you can’t even
deal with that riffraff, how do you expect to get by at court?”
I nibbled a piece of
loose cuticle and hunched deeper into the sagging couch cushion, wishing for
the millionth time that life could go back to the way it was before Kai showed
up at my door. Back when I thought I was human.
Most
halfers—fae-human hybrids—returned to their regular lives after registering
with the PTF, but that wasn’t an option for me. Unlike the vast majority of fae
offspring, I wasn’t allergic to metal. Hell, it was how I made my living. And
according to Kai, there was only one bloodline capable of producing fae that
could handle iron. That was why Kai was still there, why I had to take faerie
protocol lessons, and why Uncle Sol, the man who’d raised me since a car crash
killed my mom, was doing his best to keep my name off the PTF registry.
I rubbed the
intricate tattoo that wound its way up my right arm. Learning I was the by-blow
of a fae-human love affair untold generations ago had been a hard pill to
swallow. Finding out I was royal had been a kick in the head.
"I still don’t see
why I have to go. Your mission was a success, the killer was brought to
justice, and gramps got back his magic death-box. Why can’t we just leave it at
that and all go our merry ways?”
Kai pinched the
bridge of his nose. "We’ve gone over this. There is no going back. The gift my
lord gave you to boost your powers also marked you as his blood-kin. There’s no
hiding who you are now.”
"I could hide just
fine if I stayed here,” I argued. "But parading around a fae court with the
Lord of Enchantment is going to make me pretty damn conspicuous.”
There was a time I
would have been happy to have a long-lost relative come and claim me, as any
orphan would, but I held no delusion that he’d found me out of kinship or
caring. I was one of only three living imbuers—a rare gift. No fae would pass
up his claim to an imbuer, regardless of how tenuous the connection or how weak
the blood of the halfer.
Kai rolled his
eyes—an expression I was pretty sure he’d picked up from me. "You’re a member
of the court now, like it or not. If you don’t go to them they will eventually
come to you, and I guarantee you would not enjoy that experience. In either
case, learning our customs and traditions is the best way to protect yourself.
Besides, there’s no one in this world or any other who can instruct you in the
art of imbuing as well as my lord.”
I crossed my arms,
frowning. "My abilities are fine the way they are.”
Truth be told, there
was a lot I still had to learn about my powers, and magic in general, but that
was the one subject Kai had steadfastly refused to cover. Mostly our sessions
consisted of mind-numbing etiquette and history lessons, although he’d
recently begun teaching me how to fight with a sword.
"It’s important for
you to understand how the fae world works before you take your place in it. To
that end...” He picked up an old leather-bound book
from a pile on the floor and held it out. "A little light reading before bed.”
"Haven’t I suffered
enough tonight?”
"It’s the chronicle
of your family tree. I thought you might be interested to see where you came
from.”
"I know where I come
from,” I snapped, but I took the proffered tome just the same.
"You know less about
yourself than anyone I’ve ever met.”
"What’s that supposed
to mean?”
"Never mind.” He
waved his hand as if wiping the words away. "I’m turning in. I have an early
shift at the store tomorrow.”
"How’s that going, by
the way?”
He shrugged. "I play
tricks on the customers to entertain myself when it’s slow.”
My jaw dropped. "If
someone reports you, your visa will be revoked. You’ll be deported back to the
reservation.”
"Don’t worry.” He
grinned. "Humans haven’t got a clue.”
I scowled. "Don’t say
I didn’t warn you.”
I WOKE FEELING sluggish
and heavy, as though my bones and muscles had turned to jelly in the night. The
dusty tome Kai had given me was a weight on my chest, pages crumpled from its
fall. I smoothed the bent corners and pressed the cover flat, running a hand
over an embossed coat of arms. A stylized flame sat at the center of an
eight-pointed star, crossed with a sword and hammer.
My eyelids sagged,
but a flash of silver in the pre-dawn light drew my attention. Shifting
slightly, I peeked over a mound of crumpled covers to a waterfall of silver
hair that stopped just shy of covering the naked butt of the man lying next to
me.
"Chase!” I lurched
away with a shriek, grabbing the sheets as I tumbled to the floor. Struggling
to my knees, I clutched the tangled fabric to my chest and glared over the side
of the bed.
With a yawn, Chase
rolled onto his back and stretched from fingertips to toes.
My face became a
furnace. "What the hell are you doing?”
"I wassleeping.” He scratched a hand over his chest, across his abdomen, and—
I jerked my eyes back
to his face. "Get out of my bed!”
"You seemed lonely. I
thought you could use a little company. Besides, you didn’t have any objections
last night.” He closed his eyes and seemed to doze off again.
Bunching my fists in
the sheet to stop from strangling him, I counted to ten. Then I grabbed the
pillow and yanked it out from under his head.
"What the—”
I swung the pillow.
"Get. Out. Of. My.
Room.” Each word was punctuated by a smack from the pillow as he struggled into
a sitting position.
"Stop that!” He
grabbed my wrist.
"Get out!”
"What’s going on in
here?” Kai stood in the doorway, rubbing sleep from his kaleidoscopic eyes.
I looked from Kai,
dressed in a pair of Buzz Lightyear pajama pants that hung low on his skinny
hips, to Chase, naked in my bed, and wondered, not for the first time, what had
happened to the quiet, solitary life I’d enjoyed only a month before.
Shaking my head, I
gritted my teeth and growled, "Everybody out.”
Chase tugged on my
wrist enough to plant a soft kiss on the inside of my arm, then let go with a
laugh. He sprang off the bed before I could react, melting and shifting as he
sailed through the air so it was the silent paws of a gray tabby that hit the
floor at Kai’s feet and bolted out of the room.
"None of my
business.” Kai smirked and pulled the door closed.
I let out an
inarticulate scream of frustration and threw my pillow at the closed door, then
I flopped onto the bed with a groan. Was it too late to revoke the offer to let
them stay?
Twenty minutes later,
I sipped steaming tea and watched snowflakes flit through the air from my
favorite chair by the front window. Morning had brought with it a flurry of
snow, filling the sky with white and blanketing the land in silence. Towering
pines and the bare branches of aspens stood sentry around my property, cloaked
in winter. The landscape did wonders to soothe my thoughts as the dim glow of
the sun rose above the treetops to brighten the overcast sky.
Kai strolled into the
living room in loose sweats and a Grateful Dead t-shirt. He headed straight for
the dining table, which was covered with books and papers, and clapped his
hands. "Ready to review your etiquette?”
"And I was having
such a nice morning.” I drained the last of my tea and took my cup to the sink.
"Weren’t we supposed to have sword practice today?”
Those lessons I
actually enjoyed, and unlike knowing the proper depth of a bow to make to a
member of the fae court depending on their rank in relation to my own, sword
skills might actually be useful in the real world.
"You need to focus
more on your weaker areas. You’re a terrible swordsman, but you can probably
manage not to die long enough for help to arrive. On the other hand, you will
almost certainly insult someone important within moments of your arrival at
court, and that can be just as deadly.”
"I’m not that bad at
the sword,” I pouted.
"Not for someone with
a week and a half of training,” he conceded. "But most fae have had hundreds of
years to practice. By our standards, you’re a toddler with a pointy stick and
no motor control.”
"Ouch.”
He shrugged. "You
know I can’t lie.”
"Doesn’t mean you
have to be so honest,” I grumbled.
"Look, we—” Kai cut
off mid-sentence. His head snapped around and he stared at the front door in
wide-eyed horror. "Oh no.”
"What is it?” I
sprang to my feet, adrenaline coursing through me. I hadn’t heard anything, and
there were no cars in sight through the large window that overlooked the front
of my property.
"Alex.” He grabbed me
by the shoulders, pulling me to face him. "You need to remember everything I’ve
taught you.”
"What are you—”
A sharp knock sounded
against the door, and Kai practically flew across the room to open it, leaving
me to stagger after him.