CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
BETH
They stared at me with wide eyes, looked at each other, then back at me. Like scolded school boys, they nodded.
I forced my anger out with my breath until I was able to speak calmy. “Good. I’ll move into the palace tomorrow. Would you like to tell me what I need to know? I could do with some help.”
Even if I shouldn’t trust them, I couldn’t ignore the pull they had on me. And I would like to spend the day with them, learning about Fae manners, customs, and how not to embarrass myself at the court. At least, that was my hope.
But after the girls served lunch, I was hit with another wave of fatigue. Both Daeary and Bleddyn offered to help, but I waved them off. Their worried gazes followed me as I struggled up the stairs to my room. Once on my bed, I spent a few hours dozing.
Bleddyn and Daeary took turns to inquire about my health. I should have been happy they weren’t bashing each other’s brains in, but I was too damn tired.
Finally, as it turned dark outside my window, I threw my covers aside, pissed at myself for wasting the whole day. Daeary had left the tavern to take care of some business. Bleddyn’s mouth twisted at the word “business,” as if he’d swallowed something nasty. I would have called him out on it, but honestly, I couldn’t be bothered.
The girls were holed up in the kitchen, and Bleddyn brought a plate of bread and cheese with some kind of preserved fruit on the side. It was simple fare, but it hit the spot. I felt much better after the second slice.
He sat next to me, never taking his eyes off me, until I sighed and pushed the plate away.
“Finished?”
“Yeah. Thanks for saving me some grub.”
I burped gently, and he grinned. “Of course. It would not do to have the heir to the throne starve. Are you ready to leave here in the morrow?”
The cheese and bread turned into lead as his words sank in. Once again, I’d taken his concern personally. All he was interested in was following his master’s orders. To make sure I was in good enough condition to be delivered to the court tomorrow.
My head dropped, and I closed my eyes to fight the rising nausea. Daeary returned before I could excuse myself again, entering through the kitchen as he’d done before.
“Finally. I thought you would never surface.”
His good-natured banter, his obvious pleasure to see me, lifted my spirits a tiny bit. Whatever business he’d had to look after had done him a world of good. Maybe he’d spent the day at some faerie spa. His skin glowed, and his hair shone with health. His eyes sparkled, and his whole posture was relaxed, yet he was bursting with energy.
Bleddyn glowered at him, but Daeary took no notice. He sat on the other side of me and took my hand. When our skin touched, sparks seemed to jump from his body to mine. It didn’t hurt—quite the contrary.
Without any more than a touch and a glance, my face flushed and my breathing sped up. Looking into his eyes, I remembered the fire as he’d moved inside of me… I took a shaky breath and pulled my hand away.
“Typical. One demon touch, and you women melt.”
Bleddyn’s words were so full of contempt, my eyes narrowed in response. There was something else in his expression, though. I studied his gorgeous face as his gaze skittered away. And then I had it. He was jealous. The question was of who?
But there was something else.
“Why do you call Dairy a demon?”
Bleddyn glanced at the other man, but before he could answer, Daeary cut him off. “Please, human. Try to pronounce my name the correct way. It’s not Dairy. It’s Daeary.”
I didn’t hear the difference, but I was willing to try. “Daiery?”
“Goddess, you would try the patience of a craig.”
I didn’t know what craig meant, but I got the gist of it. “Hey, I’m doing my best. I’m not good at languages.”
“I am sure you are excellent at other things.” He looked at me from underneath his inky lashes, his fiery eyes smouldering.
Bleddyn cut in quickly, “You never told us why you are here in our realm.”
That doused the flame licking at my insides. I was here for several reasons, and none of them were pleasant. Swallowing a sigh, I sat up straight, and stared at my folded hands, preparing to the repeat the story. “I recently learned my mother was killed while I was a baby. A few weeks ago, I lost my father to a Fae assassin. An incubus, I was told.”
This time it was Daeary who looked away. I stared at him, sure I was missing something important.
Bleddyn said drily, “I do not believe this demon is cunning enough to be an assassin.”
What? I wasn’t sure he’d said what he’d said. I blurted out, “You’re an incubus?”
It certainly explained why I’d felt so wrecked after our night together. Didn’t they drain their victims through sex?
Bleddyn’s, “Now she understands,” was met with Daeary’s hissed, “Shut up, Fae. As if you could talk.”
And before I could ask any of the burning questions on my mind, the two large men were at each other again. They faced off, and images of them tearing into each other in a sexy way clouded my vision. But just for a moment.
“Can you stop behaving like fucking children?” I said, loud enough to cut through their bickering.
When they still stood chest to chest without either of them backing down, I shouted, “Somebody tried to kill me at the Academy. I think my parents’ murders and the attack on me are related. Plus, my friends Luke and Kenzy were abducted into Faerie, and I want them back. Those are the reasons why I’m here. Good enough for you?”
Daeary was the first to sit down. Thankfully, he didn’t try to touch me again. I was struggling to keep my composure after my outburst. The last thing I wanted was for them to think I was weak. I might look small, especially compared to them, but I had grit and determination. It would have to be enough to carry me through the next days and weeks.
We sat silently for some time while the two men chewed over what I’d revealed. It was a companionable silence without the aggression present earlier.
Bleddyn eventually said, “I am sorry to hear about your parents. That must have been hard for you. Do you know who ordered the killings?”
“No.” I brushed the bangs out of my eyes with shaking hands. My hair was getting too long. The layers of my pixie cut were brushing past my ears already. “But my father’s killer used a portal and then came after me in a supposedly secure facility. They had money and power, and we traced them back to here.”
Bleddyn said quietly, “There are not many Fae who can use portals. The right is reserved for the royal court and their servants.”
I didn’t respond. I didn’t have to. The atmosphere grew heavy, the cloud of fear and sadness becoming more dense as time passed.
The kitchen door opened, and the younger of the servant girls called to us, “Would you have another drink before we return for the night?”
Her words broke the silence. With a strong exhale, I expelled the tightness in my chest. Then I did it again until I felt easier. The men watched me, their posture relaxing slightly.
Daeary rapped his knuckles on the table, drawing our attention. He held my gaze, his lips pulled in an upward curve while his eyes sparkled with mischief. Despite only knowing him for a few days, I already dreaded what would come out of his mouth next. He didn’t disappoint.
“Beth, my little lamb. You mentioned your two”—apparently the Fae also used finger quotes—”friends. Will it cause trouble when they find out what you have been doing with us?”
Yep. He went there. But his question wasn’t unreasonable, even if he’d wrapped it up as a joke.
I held his gaze and answered, “Relationships between human mages tend to be open, as long as everyone agrees. But they were taken weeks ago. I don’t know if they’re even alive. If I manage to free them, they’ll be traumatized. I’ll play it by ear when we’re all together again.”
Daeary leaned forward, licking his lips. “Would you be open to having some fun with us until then?”
Bleddyn interrupted. “Do you know who took your friends? And who tried to kill you?”
Relieved I didn’t have to answer the incubus’s proposition right away, I considered the question. The initial HRH in the material we found at the Academy suggested a royal connection. So did the use of the portal, according to Bleddyn.
Watching his reaction carefully, I said, “There is an organization, run by our government, called the FBMA.”
“FBMA?” Daeary asked.
Bleddyn stayed silent, his lips pressed into thin lines.
“Federal Bureau for Magical Advancement,” I explained. “They were founded to police the magical community. But something strange is going on with them. I believe it was the FBMA who sold my friends to the Fae realm. They’re likely also behind trying to kill Amber and me.”
If I hadn’t watched Bleddyn so carefully, I would have missed the minute pursing of his lips. He knew something, I was sure of it.
Daeary no longer smiled. He glanced at Bleddyn, then back at me. Looking around to make sure nobody else was within earshot, he said, “Your enemies may be closer than you think.”
I waited for an explanation, but Daeary had apparently said enough. Bleddyn’s face, on the other hand, looked like thunder, with his brows pulled down and his nose flaring as he struggled for composure. His reaction to Daeary’s words was telling, but I needed to be sure.
“Bleddyn, have you ever killed anyone on the prince’s order?”
The Fae warrior looked like I’d shot him. He grunted, jumped to his feet, and disappeared into the kitchen.
What the hell? What did he know? Or, more importantly, what had he done for the prince?
Daeary took a sip from his tankard, listening as dishes broke in the neighboring room. When I looked at him with wide eyes, he shrugged. “I thought you knew. Bleddyn is the Royal Enforcer.”