She hugged Alicia, then hurried after her mother.
King Persenus said to Alicia, “I’m your father’s brother, and therefore your uncle. Do not be a stranger to our kingdom. You are always welcome.”
Prince Raglan chimed in, “And I’m your cousin, disappointedly.”
When the rest of the royal guests had taken their leave, Alicia met with her grandfather and mother in his solar.
“Are you happy about the arrangements with Prince Deveron?” the king said, taking a seat on a well-cushioned golden chair.
Alicia knelt before him. “Very. It will be all right with you if I visit with Princess Ritasia to help her to improve her archery skills? She is most awful at it.”
He smiled. “Yes, but she will never be as good at it as a female dragon fae archer.”
“No, but anything would be an improvement.” She took a deep breath, thinking about how she’d never return to her human world again. But she couldn’t leave things as they were without saying goodbye to Cassie. “One other thing, if it pleases you. Can I return to finish my vacation on South Padre Island with my friend, Cassie?”
“The human girl?” Her grandfather wrinkled his brow. “I don’t want you to see any more of the humans. For now you need to learn of our own kind. And make friends with those who are here.”
“But I left without saying goodbye. I want to tell her I’ll be moving away. And maybe, with your permission, I could see her from time to time.”
She could tell the way his frown lessened he was giving in to her wishes. Inwardly, she smiled. For whatever reason, he seemed to love her despite the fact she was the product of a fae he didn’t approve of. Though her father had become a king as well.
“All right, Alicia. You will have three days to spend on South Padre Island with your human friend. But then you must return here.”
She hugged him warmly. “I will...oh, thank you. I will.”
Her unbridled enthusiasm seemed to please him, and he smiled back. “Three days,” he warned, “or the dragon fae will descend on the human world with a vengeance.”
“I will return,” she promised.
For two hours, she tried to convince someone to take her to South Padre Island, but either the king ordered no one to agree, or they just didn’t want to. Her mother couldn’t because of the retaining collar she still wore. And even the countess refused her, three times.
Was it because they had lost her to the human world before and if something happened to her, her grandfather would have them killed?
For an hour, she concentrated on trying to transport herself. And then it happened. She nearly fainted. Blackness swirled around her, and she envisioned being home in her bedroom, on her bed. As soon as she arrived, she lay still, trying to orient herself to the spinning room. Once her stomach and gray matter settled, she bolted out of her house and dashed down the street to her friend’s.
When she reached Cassie’s home, she wiped the memories from Cassie’s parent’s minds that Viviana had returned Cassie home. Afterward, Alicia transported Cassie to their hotel in South Padre Island.
The hotel staff graciously accommodated them with a new room after Alicia used a minimum of fae mind magic. And Cassie never knew she’d ever left the island.
The day was more glorious than before. The strong sun beat down on the beach as Cassie lay out on her seal beach towel. Alicia jumped up from her lion towel. “Sodas, Cassie?”
“Yeah, sure would be nice.”
Alicia slipped a couple of dollars out of a money pouch. She stifled groans as she ran across the hot sand, burning her feet.
As soon as she reached the refreshment stand, she asked for two drinks.
The young man grinned at her. Tall, blond, beautiful tan, and the most gorgeous blue eyes studied her. “Looks like your friend just picked up a date. I’m working until two this afternoon. Want to go out for a burger then?”
Alicia turned to see who Cassie had reeled in this time.
Deveron, wearing only a pair of blue swimming trunks, his tanned skin glistening with water droplets, towered over Cassie. He spoke to her, his cheeks dimpled as he smiled broadly, seemingly oblivious to Alicia even being nearby.
“Some other time,” Alicia said quickly to the refreshment stand guy. She dropped the money on the counter. Not even waiting for her change, she grabbed the sodas and stormed across the beach to where Cassie flirted with Deveron.
He grinned at Alicia as he caught her eye. His gaze shifted to the sodas, then back to her eyes again. “Good to see you again, Alicia. But you may have been out in the sun a little too long. Your cheeks are positively rosy.”
She pursed her lips, wanting to sock him hard.
He cocked a brow. “You weren’t thinking of doing anything with those drinks other than drinking them, were you?” He grinned, the same old devilish dark fae smile.
“You know each other?” Cassie asked, sounding disappointed.
“Yeah,” Alicia said. “Maybe too well.”
Deveron arched a brow.
Then Alicia caught sight of Micala jogging up the beach. He winked at Alicia.
“My friend and cousin, Micala,” Deveron said to Cassie as Micala joined them. “Come swimming with me, Alicia, before you do something you regret and I have to get even.” He pulled the drinks out of her hands and passed them to Cassie and Micala.
Alicia couldn’t help smiling at him.
“There’s my faery princess.”
“Just you remember it, dark fae.” She grabbed his hand and dashed for the water. “Hot, hot, the sand is burning hot.”
He grabbed her up in his arms, and she squealed out in surprise. “I’ll protect you from the sand.”
“But who will protect you from me?” Alicia asked, grinning at him.
“I will beg for mercy.”
“Right.”
“Okay, so I won’t. You’re right. It’s not a dark fae quality.”
She laughed. “I didn’t think your mother would have allowed you to visit the human world again so soon after what happened the last time.”
“So what happened the last time?” He ran into the water, but still didn’t release her when the Gulf rose to his waist. “I found the perfect mate who released me from a marriage to Lorelei.”
“Well?”
“She said just this once.”
Alicia stared at him not believing a word he said.
He laughed. “I will never be able to get away with anything with you, will I?”
She shook her head.
“Okay, so she doesn’t know.”
“Oh, Deveron. If your mother finds you’ve disobeyed her again—”
“Not to worry.” He glanced at the beach where three Denkar fae trackers stood talking to Micala. “Or maybe just a little bit.” He kissed her lips. “A year will be a lifetime.”
“If you flirt with any more female humans or fae, it will go much more quickly for you.”
He chuckled. “Your dragon fae personality draws me to you like a parched fae is drawn to a source of water.”
The trackers looked in their direction, but instantly blackness swallowed Alicia and Deveron whole.
He was the worst sort of dark fae, all right, and every bit hers for all eternity—well, in another year.
And truthfully, it wouldn’t be soon enough.
The Deadly Fae
by
Terry Spear
The World of Fae
Book 2
PUBLISHED BY:
Terry Spear
The Deadly Fae
Copyright © 2011 by Terry Spear
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Discover more about Terry Spear at:
http://www.terryspear.com/
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Dedication
To the world of fae and the delightful imagination. May you only encounter the good kind of both!
Chapter 1
Wearing male fae clothes, breeches and a tunic, all black that would blend in with the dark alleys or the woods on a moonless night like a master thief on a mission, Lady Sessily stalked her target. Her dark curly brown hair was wound in braids and secured to the back of her head, then she’d covered it with a wide-brimmed ebony hat pulled low over her eyes that shadowed her face in the low light of the alley. The hat had been her father’s when he went on a mission like this, and now she proudly wore it, the black plumed feather waving like an invisible flag in the light breeze.
She peered out beyond the ancient stone building and watched the man she was hired to assassinate, swaggering with his arrogant pride as he headed toward the gaming house.
Lord Davenport loved collecting new brides and their dowries and eliminating them as soon as possible so that he could court another fae heiress. But only in another fae kingdom so that no one knew what he’d done in the last one.
Some fae wouldn’t have cared. One less fae of another kingdom, no problem. Not until they learned that it didn’t matter which kind he murdered. Any would do as long as she was available and wealthy.
But this time, he had married the wrong woman. As soon as Lord Davenport had targeted Lady Marguerite, her brother had tried to learn everything he could about the fae. By the time he had discovered Lord Davenport had a string of former wives, all dead due to mysterious causes, his sister had already married the fae and was too in love to see anything but good in her new husband. Her brother could think of only one way to get rid of the lord before he murdered his sister. He contacted the Denkar Fae assassin guild to end the lord’s life, not that the brother knew who he was really hiring.
Sessily was certain Lady Marguerite’s brother would have said no to the deal.
Sessily had watched Lord Davenport’s movements for a day and a half, learning his routine, but not wanting to delay his demise. She wished she had longer to observe him, as she was most methodical when her researching the behavior of her intended victims. Any mistake and she could be dead instead of her target. And if she died, the poor wife of the lord would be next.
Sessily stayed to the alleyways, watching his progress as he stalked along the dim-lighted street to the gambling house where he would spend another of his brides’ dowries. He was handsome, as men go, a blond fae, dressed in the finest of clothes, his bearing noble, and a real charmer with the ladies. But he was the worst of beasts, if one could discern the true man beneath the clothes and the bearing. He was the devil himself with only one thought in mind—which fae heiress would he claim next for his own?
Sessily almost wanted him to attempt to ply his charms on her. She was an heiress also. But in his case, she’d like to see how he tried to woo her before she put him out of his misery.
She’d never had a man show any interest in her. Not that she wasn’t attractive, or appealing, or smart, but making friends was an occupational hazard. How could she tell a guy she was truly interested in that she had to assassinate someone tonight? Could they get together later?
Fae women just didn’t serve as assassins, not in the assassin-guild sense. So keeping her secret was extremely important.
Normally, she would have just stalked the murderous lord, poisoned him, and collected her gold. She would have felt good that she’d saved his current bride from an early death and rid the world of one really bad fae.
But tonight, Sessily was feeling out of sorts. She was tired of hiding what she was, of never getting out and being with her kind, of living in seclusion at her castle. She glanced down at her dark clothes. She wasn’t dressed as a lady, either. She couldn’t garner any man’s attention in these clothes, except to suffer his ridicule. And maybe she’d even get herself arrested. She looked like she was ready to steal the silver and jewels from an estate, not like she was a fae heiress.
She was moving like a shadow, getting ready to blow a poisoned dart at Lord Davenport, not making a sound when she heard someone behind her. He moved almost as soundless as she did. But not quite. His footstep was heavy, and he shuffled just a bit. She whipped around to see a huge bear of a man swinging a cudgel at her head. She ducked, thanking the goddess for her agility.
“You’ll not be taking the money from him, you thief. He’s mine,” the man growled under his breath, his dark beard and hair long, and shaggy. His clothes were unwashed and if the breeze had been blowing in the right direction, she would have smelled his approach long before he had reached her.
She narrowed her eyes at him. This man intended to rob her target?
Maybe that could be a good thing. He could rob Lord Davenport, then she’d poison the lord, and the fae who investigated crimes in this kingdom would think the lord had been robbed and murdered by the same man.
But the thief swung the cudgel at her head again, the ring of gold around his pupils glowing brightly, revealing just how pissed off the fae was at her that she would target the man he intended to rob. And he didn’t plan to just knock her out with a feather-light touch either. His cudgel and hefty swing could kill a man. Or woman, in her case.
She dove out of the way, felt the cudgel sweeping the air past her head, just missing her. Her heart raced as she tried to come up with another plan, slipping further into the dark alleyway. If she used her poison dart on the thief, she wouldn’t have it to use on the lord. She slid it back into her pocket.
In exasperation, she let out her breath in a rush. Most cities were too dangerous to live in. She much preferred her country estate.
Conjuring up a spell, she summoned fae dust and tossed a handful at his eyes. The gold shimmering particles like fine sand pelted his eyes and face, forcing him to shut his eyes. He cursed out loud, swiping at his eyes with a meaty, filthy hand.
He would scare Lord Davenport off with all his shouting, she feared. She headed for the exit to the alley, but the thief managed to grab her arm with a bruising grip and raised his stick again to strike her.
She was in the process of pulling a pin out of her hat with her free hand when a stranger said, “Whoa.” He immediately poked a gun at the thief’s ribs. “Let the boy go.”
She jerked her head up to see a man covered in a hooded cloak, looking down at her, a faint curve to his lips. His blue eyes were dark and shadowed, and he was dangerously handsome, she thought. He looked to be around her age, or maybe he was a little older. It was hard to tell from the grim look on his face.
Then she recalled what he’d called her.
Boy? The stranger thought she was a boy? Certainly she was dressed as one, but still, she hadn’t thought she looked like a boy. A ruffian girl, yes.
She really had to do some serious thinking about her role in life. She wanted a boyfriend. It wasn’t that she minded ridding the world of people like Davenport. But there had to be more to life than earning a living and keeping her castle and people safe.
Again, she jerked her arm to free herself from the thief, but the smelly bear that held onto her tightened his hold and yanked her closer.
Nothing had gone as planned. She couldn’t kill Lord Davenport in front of the thief and now whoever this man was. Master assassins never had an audience. And she couldn’t use her fae magic to do serious bodily harm to the thief either because she was careful to keep her abilities secret from other fae. What they didn’t know could hurt them. In her business, that was the only way to live.
“Release the boy,” her rescuer said, his voice frigid and dangerous.
The thief let go of Sessily and swung the cudgel at the stranger. The man leapt back and fired one shot. Like a massive tree trunk, the thief fell backward and landed with a thud on the stone path. One bullet in the temple, and the man was dead.
Lord Davenport glanced back at the sound of the shooting in the alley, but continued on his way to the gambling house, his pace quickened. The stran
ger looked from the dead man to Sessily, a chilly smile on his face. “Come with me, boy. You’re safe now.”
She closed her gaping mouth. Great. One dead body, wrong man, and it wasn’t even her doing. And if he called her boy in that irksome manner one more time…
She steadied her breathing, tethering her emotions, and tried to relax.
What did the stranger intend to do with her? She was a witness to a murder, although he was defending her and himself also. Did he need her as a witness to the murder or it would be his word against a thief, probably well known in these parts?
But she didn’t trust the man. Something about him seemed ominously dangerous as his gaze swept over her figure as if he knew just what she was. She’d learned long ago to trust in her instincts.
Using her fae form of travel to get her out of this bind, Sessily waved her hand and vanished, leaving the stranger, the thief, and Lord Davenport far behind, but careful to shield against leaving a shimmering fae trail for anyone to follow.
Several minutes later, she reappeared in her bedchamber, two fae kingdoms away, and collapsed on the bed.
Now what was she to do? Lord Davenport’s sweet new bride, who so eagerly awaited his return, wouldn’t be alive after a few days. Not unless Lord Davenport changed his ways. After so many bride deaths? At least four that Marguerite’s brother had uncovered. Hardly good odds.
Sessily rose from her bed and pulled out one of her velvet gowns from her wardrobe closet. Could she be a seductress? That was a role she’d never tried to play before.
She shook her head and shoved the gown back in her closet.
If she couldn’t track Lord Davenport down on his nightly run to the gambling house, she’d have to find another way.
***
The next night, Sessily arrived too late in the sphinx fae kingdom to accomplish her mission, due to trouble at her own castle—a small kitchen fire that had put her whole staff in an uproar. By the time she arrived in the city, Lord Davenport had already reached the gambling house.