The Faerie Guardian & The Faerie Prince

  Dad holds his hands up. “Look, you know I can’t tell you anything. Firstly, it’s against protocol to share the details of an assignment, and, secondly, it’s for your own safety.”

  “Dad, you abandoned me for the past four years. I think you owe me this much.” Yeah, I’m playing the guilt card. An underhanded move, but I don’t care right now.

  “V, I …”

  “Tell me! You can’t just show up in my life all of a sudden and not explain anything.”

  He sits on the edge of a small table. “Okay, look, it’s something to do with the Unseelie Queen’s son, but that’s all I can say. I’m dealing with some very dangerous people, V, and I can’t have you getting involved.”

  “The Unseelie Queen’s son?” I glance at Ryn, who’s sitting on a nearby chair. “You mean Zell?”

  Dad frowns. “Yes. Marzell. How do you know him?”

  I roll my eyes. “You’re afraid of me being involved, Dad? Well, it’s too late for that. I’m already involved. Big time. So there’s no need for you to keep any more secrets from me.”

  “What do you mean you’re involved?” Dad stands up quickly. “How? What happened?”

  “No, no, no,” I say. “You don’t get to demand details without sharing any of your own. You tell me your story, and I’ll tell you mine.”

  With disbelief written all over his face, Dad looks at Ryn as if for backup. “Sorry, but I’m with V on this one,” Ryn says.

  After another pause, Dad says, “Okay, but I don’t have time to tell you everything now. I’m already late for the meeting I was on my way to when you chased me down.”

  Panic tightens around my heart. We’re leaving first thing in the morning; when will I see him again? “So come home,” I say, standing quickly. “Come home and explain everything to me.”

  Dad reaches forward and touches my cheek. “I don’t want to let you out of my sight if you’re in danger.”

  I tilt my head sideways and smile. “I’m a guardian, Dad. I’ll always be in danger.”

  “Yes, but it’s different with the Unseelie Court. You don’t know what they’ll—”

  “I have a concealment charm on me. A proper one. There’s no way Zell can find me unless we accidentally bump into each other, and that’s not going to happen.”

  Dad nods. “Okay. Will you be home the night after tomorrow?” I nod. “Good. I’ll see you then.” He kisses my forehead. He’s about to walk away when his gaze falls on my neck. “Your mother’s tokehari,” he says in surprise. “I thought it was—” he looks at Ryn, then back at me “—lost,” he finishes.

  “Uh, I found it, sir,” Ryn says, “and returned it along with my sincerest apologies for … ‘losing’ it.”

  Dad smiles. “That’s good.” He kisses my forehead once more and whispers, “I love you, baby girl.”

  Twenty-Four

  I feel like I’m looking at my life through different eyes. Every time I think back to a major event, I wonder where my father was at the time and what he was doing. Has he been watching from the sidelines, keeping an eye on me? Or has he distanced himself completely ever since his supposed death, not even knowing what I looked like until that night at the Harts? So many questions. I should probably write them down in case I forget something.

  Ryn and I make the journey back to Creepy Hollow in silence. I tell myself he’s giving me space to come to terms with the monumental fact that Dad is still alive, but I know there’s also an undercurrent of weirdness between us. Neither one of us has mentioned The Kiss again. I’m hoping that if I ignore it, Ryn and I can go back to some kind of comfortable friendship. I’ll get over my feelings for him soon, right? Yes, I will. After all, it didn’t seem to take too long for my Nate-feelings to fade away.

  When I woke up at the palace this morning, I found a note slipped under my door. My heart squeezed painfully when I saw my name written in Dad’s handwriting on the front.

  I’m sure I don’t have to say this, but you CANNOT tell anyone about me.

  He didn’t need to remind me, but I treasure his note nonetheless. It’s evidence that he really does exist. I keep it in my pocket now that I’m back home where the Seelie Court and everything that happened there feels like a vivid dream. The note and his handwriting assure me that it was real. The silver-framed mirror above my desk and the black candle blazing continuously beside my bathing room pool also help.

  After finding Bran at the Guild and interrogating him about the investigation into the Guild’s attacks—he tells me absolutely nothing useful—I send an amber message to Tora and invite her over for dessert. I wish with all my heart I could tell her about Dad, but instead she’ll have to tell me about the guy she’s been keeping secret.

  “Look, I didn’t intentionally keep anything from you,” she says when I greet her at my door with crossed arms and a glare. “I just hadn’t exactly got around to telling you about him yet.”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” It strikes me that that’s exactly what I would say if she found out about Nate, so I don’t really have any right to make her feel guilty. “Tell me everything now, and that’ll make up for it.”

  She heads across my sitting room to one of the couches. “Fine, but then you’re sharing the details of your love life.”

  “I don’t have a love life.” At least, not one I’m willing to talk about. The memory of Ryn’s hands caressing my skin sends butterflies soaring across my stomach. I turn away to hide my smile. I shouldn’t be smiling. I shouldn’t even be thinking about it. It’s not like it’s going to happen again.

  “Ooh, I haven’t had a fun dessert like this in ages,” Tora says as she eyes the low table between the couches. There’s a bowl of fruit on her side and another on mine. We also each have a bowl of melted chocolate and a thin stick. In the center of the table is a floating sphere of flickering blue and white light.

  “Yeah, I don’t think I’ve used this dessert spell in ages. It seemed appropriate for the warmer weather.” We sit on the floor on either side of the table. “So, anyway, this guy—”

  “Oliver.”

  “Oliver. You met him at the London Guild?”

  “Before then, actually.” Tora leans forward and spikes a strawberry on the end of her stick. After dipping it in melted chocolate, she holds it inside the flickering sphere for several seconds to freeze it. “Remember when you were suspended?”

  “I try not to.”

  “Right, well, there was this Council guy who visited from the London Guild. He had to meet with several of our Council members, and afterwards he gave a talk to some of our trainees.” She bites into her frozen chocolate strawberry and munches a few times before continuing. “I happened to be the mentor in charge that day, so, you know, we chatted.” Her pale skin flushes bright pink.

  “Aaand?” I prompt with a smile.

  “Well, he was very charming and everything, but I was just being friendly.”

  “That’s weird. I remember Honey telling me he was boring.”

  Tora makes a face at me. “He was not boring. I mean, he named the stray vine that always sneaks down the corridor Nigel, which was a little corny, but other than that he was, you know …”

  “Hot?”

  “Well, yes.”

  I laugh as I reach forward to freeze my own piece of fruit. “I knew it!”

  “Oh, rubbish, you knew nothing. Anyway, I said goodbye expecting I wouldn’t see him again, and the next thing I knew, Councilor Starkweather was saying he’d asked for me to visit the London Guild for a few days to give my input on a new training center they’d decided to build. I thought it was strange they didn’t ask for someone who actually designs training centers—”

  “And then you discovered when you got there that he didn’t want your input, he just wanted you.” I give her my sweetest smile, and she rolls her eyes.

  “Well, it’s not like he told me that, but I figured it out.”

  “So that’s why you ended up staying longer?”

  ??
?Yes, he managed to convince me to extend my visit.”

  “You know, Tora—” I lean forward, feigning a conspiratorial air “—there are these things called faerie paths that allow you to visit someone anywhere in the world in just a few seconds. You don’t actually have to stay in the same place.”

  Tora crosses her arms and narrows her eyes, but I can see she’s trying not to smile. Eventually she gives in with a chuckle. “Look, it was just easier to stay there.”

  “At his house?”

  She stabs another piece of fruit and freezes it. “You still haven’t told me why Ryn was in your bedroom so early yesterday morning.”

  I freeze a chocolate-covered blueberry and hand it to Filigree, currently mouse-shaped and lounging on the arm of the couch. “Since we’re changing subjects,” I say, “I saw Bran earlier and asked him about the attacks on the Guild. He used a lot of words, but he basically told me nothing.”

  “You know he can’t tell you anything if you’re not part of the investigation. I’ve also asked him, and he won’t tell me a thing either. I only know the few details that have been made public, like the fact that the Unseelie Queen denies having any knowledge of the attacks.”

  Which is exactly what I told Councilor Starkweather. “Yes, he mentioned that. So, when did they fix the foyer and the ceiling? I walked through there earlier today and it looked like nothing ever happened.”

  “I think they finished last night.” Tora freezes a chocolate-dipped raspberry and pops the whole thing into her mouth.

  “Wow, three whole days just to repair the foyer?”

  “Mm hmm.” She finishes chewing. “Those are some serious protective enchantments in the domed ceiling. And apparently the floor has protection woven into it too.” She picks up her bowl of fruit and eats a few pieces unfrozen. “Now, don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re avoiding talking about Ryn. I know you’ve sort of despised him for a number of years, but you certainly seemed to be enjoying his company at the grad ball. Are the two of you more than friends now?”

  “Tora!” I do my best to look horrified. “No. Do you honestly think I’d date Ryn?”

  “Well, yes. He’s good-looking and charming, he’s an excellent guardian, and the two of you share a history that consists of a lot more than simply hating one another.”

  “That’s ridiculous. It would never work out in the long run.”

  Tora is silent a while before replying. “I didn’t want to have to be the one to say it, so I’m glad you did. I know how many times he’s hurt you in the past, and I would hate for you to wind up hurt again. But I guess you’ve always been a sensible person. I should have known you wouldn’t just fall for him like that.” She snaps her fingers.

  You see? the logical voice inside me says. Tora knows just as well as you do that it wouldn’t work out.

  “Okay, now tell me what you’re going to say when the Guild offers you a job.” She points her chocolaty stick at me. “Because we both know that’s exactly what they’re going to do.”

  By the time Tora and I have discussed my options for the future—which no longer include being a personal guardian to the Seelie Queen, since there’s a strong possibility she thinks I’m rude and obnoxious, and I also happen to find palace life utterly boring—we’ve finished all the dessert. I clear up while Tora reads a message on her amber and giggles. Giggles. Honestly, what is it about love that can make us act like complete morons at times? And by ‘us’ I don’t mean me. Because I would never act like a moron for a guy. Well, except for the time I tried to entice Nate with an alluring bat of my eyelashes.

  “I, uh, need to go now,” Tora says.

  “Got a date on the other side of the world?”

  “Something like that.” Her eyes sparkle.

  “Okay, well, I’ll see you around.”

  She leaves, and I try to tell myself I don’t feel lonely. I try to tell myself I don’t miss Ryn. I’m lying, of course. Part of me wishes he were here, just hanging out, being friends. But there’s a much bigger part of me that’s relieved he isn’t because then I’d have to talk about The Kiss.

  I head upstairs, change into a long T-shirt, and climb onto my bed with my amber. I need to practice some of the social networking spells Ryn taught me or I’ll never make full use of this thing. I pull my stylus out of my hair, which falls down around my neck in messy, unbrushed waves; Raven would not be impressed. After a minute or so of thought, I scribble the words of a spell across the amber’s glossy surface.

  Nothing happens.

  Great. I can remember complex spells required to heal my body from all kinds of injuries, but when it comes to something silly like a spell to improve my social life, the words escape me. Filigree shifts into the form of a white bunny with little white wings—who knows where he saw that one—and half-flaps, half-jumps onto the bed while I tap my stylus against my chin, thinking. I try another combination of words and, this time, tiny shapes swim to the surface of my amber.

  I lean back against my pillows and examine the shapes and words. There are symbols that represent different people—Ryn drew a key for me when he set this spell up—and short lines of text next to each one. A message in a bubble at the top of the amber informs me that Honey is ‘following’ me, and so is the guy I chatted with outside the Seelie Queen’s throne room when I was avoiding Ryn. That’s a little creepy. How did he even find me?

  I read a few of the messages.

  Honey: Vacationing with my bf and his fam. Like, all 12 of them!

  * * *

  Flint: The Guild is stronger than ever before. Suck it, Unseelie Court!

  * * *

  Ryn to Opal: I thought the food rocked, actually.

  Seriously? This is what people waste their spare time doing? I don’t get it. Couldn’t Flint get in trouble for telling the Unseelie Court to ‘suck it,’ or is that kind of thing allowed with social spells? And who is this Opal person Ryn’s talking to? Hmm. Wasn’t the dark-haired girl he was flirting with at the palace called Opal?

  I don’t want to be involved in this silly stuff. On the other hand, I don’t exactly want to be left out. Which is completely ridiculous. I never used to worry about being left out. I just got on with my assignments and ignored Ryn and everyone else.

  A knocking sound startles me, and I look up. Ryn is leaning in the doorway to my bedroom, rapping his knuckles against the door frame. The sight of him sends a thrill rocketing through my body.

  Stupid thrill.

  “You know you’re supposed to stand outside and knock, right?” I say to him.

  “Yes, but I figured you wouldn’t let me in if you knew it was me. So I let myself in instead.”

  I fake-laugh as I place my amber on the bedside table. “Why wouldn’t I let you in?”

  “Because you’ve been avoiding me since yesterday morning? If I hadn’t caught your father for you last night, you’d have hidden in your room all evening. And if we hadn’t been forced to travel back together this morning, you definitely would have stayed away from me all day.”

  “Well, you know, we don’t have to see each other every day.” Wow. Amazing contribution to the conversation, Violet.

  “I suppose not,” Ryn says, “but since there’s this awkwardness between us, we should probably talk about it.”

  Please, no.

  “Why do I get the feeling our relationship is backwards?” Ryn asks as he wanders into my room, shrugs his jacket off, and hangs it over the back of my desk chair. “Isn’t it usually the girl who always wants to talk about feelings and the guy who bottles everything up inside?”

  “I don’t bottle things up,” I shoot back. Well, there is an imaginary box I like to hide things in, but that’s different.

  “Right. Of course not.”

  I draw my knees up and wrap my arms around them. Filigree hops to the edge of the bed and flaps his wings until he achieves lift-off. He flies toward Ryn, who catches him easily.

  “So, um, how’s your mom going with tha
t murder investigation?” I ask.

  He sighs. “Okay, since you clearly aren’t going to be the one to bring it up, I’ll say it. We kissed. It was pretty damn hot. Now I want to talk about it, but I can’t because you’re being all weird. That isn’t normal for you. You’re not like other girls, remember? You don’t get silly and upset and moody. You’re cooler than that.”

  “Well, Ryn, I guess I can only be cool up to a certain point. There’s a line, and when you kissed me just to prove that you were right about something, you crossed it.” There, now he knows why I’m upset.

  “Just to prove I was right?” He places a wriggling Filigree on the floor. “What are you talking about?”

  “You’re going to tell me you don’t remember? Let me help you. We had the super-hot kiss, and then you ended it with, ‘I told you that you were missing out.’”

  “Yeah, so? You were missing out. I wasn’t trying to prove a point; I was simply stating a fact. And that wasn’t where I planned to end it. Trust me, I could have stayed in the dark with you a whole lot longer if we hadn’t hit the wrong wall and landed in the middle of a partially demolished sitting room. Speaking of which, you haven’t asked me what happened after you bolted.”

  I sigh. “What happened after I bolted?”

  “Well, it turns out Mr. Faerie Sneak had just as much right to be in there as we did. So we both agreed to pretend we’d never seen each other, and then he ran off while I was left to clean up all the mess you and I made before Princess Olivia got back.”

  “We made?”

  “Yes, V.” Ryn looks at me like I should have figured this out already. “Shattered vases, burning cushions, overturned furniture—that was us.” He grins. “It was one seriously hot kiss, remember?”