Her forehead wrinkled as her brows knitted. "If they want to open the gates then they would want to bring more ancients through. My maw-maw used to talk about the ancients a lot," she said. That was something I didn't know. "You know, the ones who ran the courts in the Otherworld. She said when they joined the Summer and Winter, there was only one prince, one princess, and the king and queen. That they were the most powerful and they controlled the knights—they controlled all the fae. I don't know if that part is true, but does it matter? What if the ancients here want to free them?"
A shiver coursed down my spine in spite of the bright sun. "That would be very bad."
I once asked Tink why the fae didn't stay in their world, why he didn't. He hadn't been all that happy to answer, but he'd explained how the fae had ruled over all the creatures of the Otherworld, enslaving them and nearly killing off entire species. He also said that those actions had severe consequences, but he never elaborated on them. To me, the reason why the fae were here was simple. They'd taken over their realm and now they wanted ours.
With the gateways to the Otherworld closed, they couldn't bring mortals over to their realm to feed on and entertain themselves with.
But no matter what they did, they wouldn't get those gates open.
"Tell me what you find out." Val reached over, slipping my sunglasses off and placing them on her face. I had to say they looked good on her. "I'll help you however I can."
Val and I left Lafayette, heading for the bookstore "Okay. More normal conversations," she said. "You ready for that?"
"Of course," I said, feeling a thousand times better after telling her. Truth kept the soul light.
"So what do you think about this new guy?" she asked as we stepped into the small shopping center across the street from the cemetery.
"Ren?" I looked away quickly because I could feel my cheeks start to heat. I thought about this morning and how his face had popped right into the forefront of my thoughts. "What do you mean? I told you I believe him."
"That's not what I mean. He's hot. Like really freaking hot. And he belongs to a secret organization within a secret organization, so that like tips the scales of hotness. When he was in the meeting Friday night, he smiled and my panties caught on fire." Across from the law offices, Val opened the door to the Garden District Book Shop. "You likie? Because I'd like to get me a piece of that, but only if you're not interested."
I opened my mouth to say no but nothing came out. Nothing. Not a no or a yes. Nothing.
Val spun on me, her eyes wide as she grasped my shoulders. "Oh my God, you're interested in him? You want him to set your panties on fire."
"I really don't want my undies to catch on fire." My God, why did everyone want to talk about sex right now? "At all."
She waved her hand dismissively. "You want him. You can have him. You need to break that epic dry spell of yours, and boy that would be one hell of a way to break it." Letting go, she rocked back on her heels and clapped her hands together. "My little girl is going to get laid!" Shimmying her hips, she squealed. "Finally!"
Um.
Looking to the right, I saw a woman behind the counter staring at us. To my left was a man with a small boy, maybe around the age of five or six.
"How do you get laid?" the boy asked the man.
I sighed.
Completely oblivious, Val spun around and headed straight for the romance section. I trailed after her, almost wishing we were still talking about the ancients. "You know," she said, twirling down a tight aisle, her skirt billowed out around her, "I wasn't joking when I offered to end the dry spell for you. I'm equal opportunity."
Laughing, I stopped in the middle of the row and scanned the shelf by authors' last name. "I know."
She danced over to me and draped an arm around my shoulders. "Girls are so much more fun than boys."
"I don't even need to try that out to know that's true. Wait." I bumped her with my hip. "What happened last night with your hot date? That was a guy, right?"
"Oh yeah." Slipping away, she hummed under her breath as she perused the shelves. "He . . . something else." She peeked at me through thick lashes. "I'm surprised I can walk today."
"Thought girls were more fun," I replied dryly, finally finding the last name Crownover.
"Usually." She picked up a book. "But then there are some guys. Like Ren. They are more fun. So when you going to let—"
"Don't even finish that statement." Spying the book I was looking for, I snatched it up and cradled it close to my chest as I turned to Val. "Look, I'm . . . yeah okay, I'm attracted to him. Who wouldn't be? But I've only known him a few days."
"Babe." She skipped over to me. "Babe."
"What?" I shot her a look before starting for the front of the store.
"You do not need to know him, know him, to get some. You just need to drop those panties." She paused and her eyes glazed over like she was remembering something pretty steamy. "Actually, you don't need to drop them. He could just tug them aside, and that is really hot."
"Oh my God," I murmured, and then louder, "Can we not talk about this anymore?"
"Whatever. Prude."
I smiled. "Ho."
After we paid for our books, I was sure the employees were happy to see us make our way to the exit. Walking out together, I knew I'd made the right choice by confiding in her. Val needed to know what was out there so she could protect herself. I didn't know what I'd do if I lost her.
We ended up at the coffee shop next door and didn't make it any further than the chairs. She continued on about how I needed to be in a bed or against the wall or on a kitchen counter with Ren by the end of the week until she suddenly jerked straight up in her chair, startling me.
"Are you okay?" I asked, leaning toward her.
"Crap. The time." She jumped to her feet. "I've got to go."
I raised my brows. "Hot date number two?"
"Actually, yes." She grabbed her coffee. "How do I look? Delectable?"
"Hot as usual." I held my hand out. "But can I have my sunglasses back?"
"Oh." She laughed, reaching up and pulling them off her head. She handed them over and swooped down to kiss my cheek. "I'll text you later."
"I have a feeling you're going to be really busy later."
She giggled. "If I'm lucky."
Standing, I picked up my sweet tea and bag from the bookstore. "So do I get to meet hot guy who's going to make you walk funny by tomorrow sometime?"
Val stepped back, her skirt swaying around her legs as she smiled. "You'll get to meet him." Biting down on her lip, she winked. "Be careful, okay?"
I reached out, squeezing her hand. "You too."
Chapter Nine
On the way back to my apartment, I made a pit stop at Brighton and Merle's house, smack dab in the heart of the Garden District, not too far from my apartment. They lived in a true antebellum home, a gorgeous two-story with four large white pillars that supported the sprawling front porch and the balcony above. The shutters were painted a traditional black, but about a month ago, Merle got a wild hair up her rear and hired a contractor to paint the front door a pale blue. I'd thought the idea was odd, especially since the color was such a washed out shade; it was the exact color of fae eyes.
A wrought iron fence surrounded the property, and the gate squeaked like old bones rubbing together as I opened it. The sidewalk used to be cracked, resembling old plaster, but it had finally been repaired about a year ago. I stepped on the porch, wincing as the boards groaned.
Huge ferns swayed in the light breeze, hanging from the ceiling of the porch as I walked toward the wide, blue door. I hesitated for a second then knocked. Merle hated the doorbell, so I resisted the urge to push it. When there was no answer, I knocked again, and finally I had to hit the doorbell. Still, there was no answer.
Stepping back from the door, I looked around the porch. The beautiful wicker furniture was situated a bit haphazardly, and I knew that Merle sometimes moved it around, much to Brighton's dismay. Thinking that they might be in the backyard, I followed the porch around the side and walked down a set of three steps and into a glorious courtyard.
Fruit trees and flowers flourished, scenting the air. I was jealous of Merle's garden. It was absolutely stunning, like something straight off an HGTV show, and I knew both she and her daughter spent a great deal of time keeping it up.
But I didn't find Merle on her knees, yanking weeds or trimming the hummingbird bushes. Brighton wasn't sitting on any number of the thick cushioned lounge chairs or benches with a book in her lap. Flirty jazz music wasn't drifting out from the house. The garden was empty, too.
Geez, the one Sunday afternoon they weren't home was the one I stopped by.
I probably should've called Brighton, but she was terrible when it came to answering phone calls or even knowing where she left her phone. I didn't really have any other choice though. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and hit her number.
As expected, there was no answer. At the sound of the beep, I left a message. "Hey, Brighton. It's Ivy. Can you please give me a call when you get this? Thanks."
Disconnecting the call, I turned to walk back up the porch when, out of the corner of my eye, sudden movement caught my attention. I stilled, the bag from the bookstore dangling from my fingers.
Did I see . . . wings?
I swore I'd seen the flutter of wings by one of the bushes with the bright pink blossoms. Not butterfly wings, and they were too big, too transparent to belong to a bird. Pivoting around, I stared at the bush and quietly stepped toward it. I stood still, barely breathing for several seconds—there!
Through one of the bushes, I saw the movement again—the flutter of tan, transparent wings about the size of my hand. Was there a brownie in their garden? It was unlikely as hell, but I knew it wasn't impossible. After all, I'd found Tink in a cemetery. There could be more of him hanging around. Maybe even a female. Tink could have a girlfriend.
I wrinkled my nose. What in the hell was I thinking? Even if it was a girl brownie, it wasn't like I was going to capture her and take her home, serving her up to Tink like I was some kind of brownie trafficker.
"Hello?" I called out softly. "I won't hurt you."
A moment passed, and I was just standing in the courtyard, talking to a bush. Kneeling down, I reached out and carefully gripped the branches. I pulled the leafy stems aside and peered into the bush.
Nothing was there.
Letting go of the bush, I sighed as I stood. Either I was seeing things, or whatever had been there, brownie or not, skedaddled on out of there. I puttered around for a couple more minutes, but I didn't catch sight of anything strange. I left their property, closing the gate behind me.
Under the heavy oak trees, it was actually a pleasant walk and I didn't hurry. Too many times I found myself rushing to get nowhere. I didn't have anything planned for the day except to call Jo Ann and maybe grab dinner with her.
About halfway to my apartment, a strange chill snaked down my spine, causing the hairs along the nape of my neck to rise. I stopped at the corner, shivering as the feeling of being watched increased. It was so intense it felt like a person was standing directly behind me. Heart pounding, I looked over my shoulder and found no one there.
The stake inside my boot reassured me as I stood on the street. While most fae preferred the evening and night hours, nothing stopped them from coming out during the day. And the feeling of being watched didn't necessarily mean it was a fae. They weren't the only dangerous things in the city.
Scanning up and down the street, I turned in a slow circle. People were out in their yards, and across the street there was a small group of tourists viewing the homes, but no one was paying attention to me.
The feeling of being watched hadn't faded though, not even when I started walking again, much more alert and at a much faster pace. The sensation remained until I was about a half a block from my apartment. It faded like smoke in the wind, but the wariness lingered.
~
Like Saturday, Ren was waiting for me outside of Mama Lousy, lounging against the wall like he had nothing better to do with his time. I was wary as I approached him and ran a nervous hand over my hair, smoothing the stray curls back into the twist I was trying to keep them in. The humidity was back with a vengeance, and all I really wanted to do was peel my jeans and shirt off and go half naked like everyone else did.
All day a weird knot of nervousness, excitement, and dread bounced around inside me like a rubber ball thrown against a wall. I didn't want to look too closely at the source, but the moment I saw Ren, I thought about what Val had said yesterday and what I'd done that morning.
Heat crawled across my cheeks, and I almost spun around. But where would I go? Hide in an overflowing garbage can? Running from Ren when I'd gladly fight a fae was just stupid. I had no reason to be weird or embarrassed or anything. I needed to chill out. Squaring my shoulders, I tipped my chin as I walked past the entrance of the gift shop.
Ren tipped his head in my direction and smiled. Two dimples appeared as he extended his arm toward me. Between his long fingers was a deep blue, almost violet rose on a single stem.
My gaze flipped from the rose to him then back to the rose. "I . . . I don't understand."
"For you," he said, pushing off the wall and coming to his full height.
I dragged my gaze back to his. "Me?"
His eyes glimmered. "Yes."
"Why?"
"Honey, if you don't want that rose from him, I'll take it," came from a woman, a random woman just strolling down the road. She eyed Ren with a saucy grin. "And I'll take him."
The heat in my cheeks increased, and the woman's laugh as she stumbled on down the street was eventually lost in the call of police sirens from somewhere nearby.
"I saw this on my way here, and I thought of you." Lifting the rose, he tapped it on the tip of my nose. The petals smelled fresh. "They almost match your eyes."
My lips parted as I stared at him.
Lowering the rose, he dipped his head as he leaned in. His nose grazed my cheek as he spoke in my ear. "This is the part where you take the rose from me."
A series of tight shivers danced over my skin as my pulse exploded from the slight, innocent touch. I watched him pull back, his green eyes searing. Mouth dry, I took the rose. "Thank you."
He cocked his head to the side. "I'm actually surprised."
"About what?"
"You said thank you. I didn't think you would." He shrugged one broad shoulder. "I figured there was a good chance you'd toss the rose in my face."
Holding the rose close to my chest, I wondered what he thought of me if he honestly expected that. "I must've made a great first impression."
"First couple of impressions," he corrected gamely. "Then again, I don't blame you considering how those instances were initiated."
Incredibly self-conscious, I nodded as I twisted to the side. Shrugging off one strap of my backpack, I unzipped the bag and carefully placed it in the front pocket.
"What do you carry around in that bag?" he asked. "Doesn't look too light."
"Textbooks. Notebooks." I zipped the bag back up. "It's not too heavy."
He shifted closer to me, stepping aside to let someone walk past. "Textbooks? You go—"
"Ivy!" shouted Jerome from inside the gift shop. His roar was so loud I thought it might've shaken the windows. "Get your ass in here!"
Ren stiffened as he turned, his eyes narrowing, but I sighed as I slipped the strap back up my shoulders. "Be right back," I said, turning and opening the door.
The door didn't swing shut. Ren caught it, two steps behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, but he was staring straight ahead at the crotchety old man behind the counter. The playful smile was nowhere to be seen, and his green eyes were cold.