Dancing Moonbeam (Midnight Falls #21)

Chapter One

Ra i dh Shadowlace convinced himself that he totally wasn’t running away from his problems, that he really wasn’t sneaking out of the Unseelie realm to escape his arrogant, traditional extremist family.

W hy would he want to leave when his own father called him a d isappointing half-wit, a useless and pathetic excuse for a son?

His adoring mother and sister completely agreed with his father, all because Raidh refused to embrace the dark magic he hadn’t wanted to learn in the first place.

He’d earned a short “vacation” in the human realm. He wasn’t totally running away and striking out on his own, and he didn’t feel the hurt at the way his mom and sister had treated him most of his life, either.

Nor was he the least bit worried his spectacularly loving and supportive father would track him down and force him home, covering up the fact that his lawbreaking son had left. His father, Galamir, wouldn’t care about the Shadowlace name suffering humiliation among the Unseelie because he couldn’t control his rebellious son.

The most amazing part of all? Their annual family gathering was a little over two weeks away, an event where all the Shadowlaces competed to see who could conjure the darkest spells and incantations. It was a braggart-filled gagfest Raidh wanted no part of, especially since he would be forced to participate.

And if he refused…

Well, that was why he was going on an extended vacation. He’d been to the human realm plenty of times, even though dark fairies were forbidden to leave their realm.

Even though Galamir accused him of being rebellious, he hadn’t the first clue about Raidh’s little trips. No one did, except his best friend, Elvine Sparklenest.

But not even Elvine knew Raidh was taking a vacation. The less she knew, the safer she would be.

Though Raidh did feel bad about leaving her behind. They’d been best friends since they were knee-high to an oversized toadstool. The two had practically been inseparable.

Until Raidh had revolted against using dark magic. As punishment, his mother, Farawyn, had forbidden Raidh from ever seeing Elvine again. Since that day, the two had to sneak around to spend time together.

What a great family he belonged to.

When Raidh reached the secret spot of the enchanted forest where the veil between worlds was thinnest, he whispered an incantation that would open a passageway leading to the heart of Brazil. He had been there a few times before and loved the rich culture, the warm and friendly people, and the delicious food.

The food always gave him heartburn but was well worth the discomfort.

A glimmer of light appeared in the grass and twisted upward like a serpent, forming a luminous golden line that stretched six feet into the air.

Raidh cast a cautious glance over his shoulder to make sure he hadn’t been followed before turning back around, watching as the swaying passageway opened up enough for him to slip through.

Before taking a step, he glided his fingers through his long wavy hair, changing its natural black color to the striking hues of a Tuscany sunset.

It really wasn’t much of a disguise, but Unseelie were known for their black hair. Besides, Raidh loved changing his hair color, because it made him feel like a different person. Which he sometimes wished he was.

The moment he stepped through the passageway, it disappeared. Only, where he emerged wasn’t the familiar streets of Brazil. He found himself in a quaint town, surrounded by a vibrant green forest. Majestic mountains loomed in the distance beyond the trees.

The air was crisp and clean, carrying the scent of fresh flowers and earth.

What the fizzle sticks? That should not have happened. Raidh had performed that spell many times in the past and had always come out where he’d intended to.

Confused, he walked around the side of the building, searching for anything that would tell him where in the crackers he was. Cars moved past him on the street, one or two honking, as pedestrians strolled by.

The aromas of brewing coffee and freshly baked bread wafted through the air, tempting Raidh’s nostrils with delicious smells.

He touched his hair to confirm it was covering his pointy ears, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

Duh. He could use his phone to find out where he was. He’d bought the handy-dandy device on his last visit but always kept it turned off and tucked away when he was in his realm.

Good luck explaining why he had the phone if he was forbidden to leave the realm.

Pulling the device from his back pocket, Raidh turned it on and waited for the prompt to enter his passcode. When nothing happened, he hit the power button and tapped the blank screen several times trying to make it turn on.

“Peanut brittle,” he murmured when he realized the device needed charging.

And he’d forgotten to grab the charger in his haste to start his “vacation.”

“You’re unbelievable!”

“Ack!” Jerking sideways then spinning, Raidh slammed his hand against his chest, his heart beating so hard it should have cracked a few ribs. “How did you follow me?”

Elvine stood there, glaring like she was a fierce warrior, but she was, in reality, a tiny-framed pacifist. Her twig arms were crossed over her chest, her dainty jaw clenched. “How do you think? I used an enchantment to find your location. I can’t believe you left me behind, Raidh. We always travel to the human realm together.”

The hurt in his friend’s meadow-green eyes made Raidh feel guilty, but this wasn’t just another one of their day trips to sneak out and have fun. “Because this is different,” he admitted. “I’m staying a bit longer this time.”

She looked at him with wide eyes and whispered, “Staying any longer than a day is dangerous, especially if your sister discovers you’re gone. Odette will go straight to your parents, Raidh.”

“Why are you whispering?” Raidh asked in an equally low voice. “It’s not like anyone from our realm can hear you right now.”

“Fine,” she said in a normal tone. “How long are we going to be gone?”

“There is no we .” Raidh started down the street, Elvine following. “I’m not letting you get punished when they discover I’m gone.”

He couldn’t live with that on his conscience. Unseelie punishments were harsh, and Elvine was too innocent and sweet to endure what their king would do to her when they were caught.

Okay, so it wasn’t an extended “vacation.” Raidh didn’t plan on returning, but he wasn’t mentioning that to Elvine. She would hound Raidh to return, and when she realized her relentless pestering wouldn’t work, she would insist on staying with him.

“There has been a we since we were running around in nappies,” Elvine argued. “I know you, Raidh. What are you up to?” She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. “Will you hold still for one second and tell me why you’re staying longer?”

“Ugh. My annual family gathering.”

“But that’s over two weeks away.” Her blue brows knitted.

“And what happens in those weeks prior to my relatives showing up?” Which, for Raidh, was the worst part about the gathering.

“Your family practices nonstop so they can win.” Elvine patted his arm sympathetically. “Oh, sweetie. Are you worried about losing for the eight hundred and twentieth time in a row?”

“Your confidence in me warms the cockles of my heart.” Raidh started walking again, hoping he could walk right out of his miserable life and into someone else’s.

His father would come after him for breaking the law and not attending the competition. Despite Raidh’s father considering him a failure at magic, Galamir still included him in the event to save face.

Galamir was a stone-cold arrogant jerk, looking down on those he saw as lower class. He even treated his own son with disdain for not bending to his will.

Honestly, Raidh enjoyed spending time with those his father considered unworthy.

“You’re not coming back, are you?” she asked softly.

Jeez. Raidh didn’t need this right now. He’d planned to stay with the family in Brazil he always visited, but since the enchantment decided to drop his runaway butt somewhere else, he had no idea what he was going to do now.

“Okay, breathe,” Elvine said. “We can work through this crisis. You’re just overwhelmed, Raidh. It’s not too late to go back.”

Raidh stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose. “ You need to go back, Elvine. I’m committed to staying.”

“You definitely need to be committed,” she said under her breath.

“What was that?” Raidh narrowed his eyes.

“Nothing.” She smiled sweetly at him.

“Just go back for now.” He decided to reason with her. “You can find my location, so if you’re worried, just come see me.”

Raidh planned on fixing the problem with his location. He was going to use a concealment spell to make him undetectable. He should have done that before he’d left.

One of the many things he should have thought of before he’d taken off. Like grabbing his charger.

Elvine glanced around. “This does seem like a cute little place.”

Cute? Raidh wouldn’t go that far, but it was laidback. He would have been better off in a bustling city, a place he could more easily hide.

He glanced at the building next to them. Bluebird Café. That explained the coffee and bread smell.

Maybe he could go inside and ask where he was, grabbing some bread and coffee while he was at it.

An idea struck him like a bolt of lightning. He turned to Elvine, hiding his smile. “I need you to go back, anyway. You have to keep tabs on my father and let me know if he decides to come after me.”

“You want me to spy?” Elvine’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I love snooping!”

That was the damn truth. It was how she knew Raidh had come to the human realm.

Though her love for prying into other people’s business had saved their butts over the centuries, and it had helped them find out a lot of juicy gossip about the fae in their realm.

Scandalous stuff that could make their jaws drop or have them snickering like maniacs.

“Just call me.” Raidh tugged lovingly on a tuft of her thick blue hair. “Don’t keep popping into this town, or you might get caught leaving our realm.” Which would, in turn, get Raidh caught. Elvine’s family was the complete opposite of Raidh’s. They didn’t care if she had a phone or the two were best friends. Honestly, Raidh was surprised he’d been allowed to be friends with Elvine considering the Sparklenests were “lower-class” fairies.

Something his father cared a great deal about.

Something Raidh didn’t give a rat’s butt about.

“I’ll go back,” she agreed reluctantly, giving him a stern look that was as fierce as a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. “But if you ignore my calls, I’ll be all over you like...like...” She twisted her lips like she was grasping for a comparison. “Like green on cheese!”

“What?” Raidh burst into laughter, the sound filling the air, blending with the chirping of birds and the low murmur of conversations from people passing by.

“No, no, more like grease on a pig!” she exclaimed with a serious expression. “Or honey on a hot biscuit!”

“I get it.” Raidh chuckled, holding up his hands in surrender. Leave it to Elvine to come up with such bizarre comparisons. “I promise I’ll answer my phone, Captain Spy Master.”

Great, now Raidh wanted some bacon and a warm biscuit with honey on it.

She hugged him. “Stay out of trouble. You’re my best friend, dewdrop. I would be devastated if anything happened to you.”

He felt the same way. That’s why he was sending her back. “Best friends forever, tulip,” he said. “And don’t get caught spying.”

“Have I ever?” She gave him a mischievous grin.

Raidh was doing this to keep her safe, so why did he feel so guilty sending her away?

When she slipped around the side of the building, Raidh felt truly alone. With a sigh, he walked into the café, surprised at how cozy it felt. He heard a spoon clinking on the side of a mug, and he glanced around. Customers were scattered around the tables and sitting on the couches. Not only could he smell coffee but an undertone of lemon.

The lemon cake under the dome on the counter would be his guess.

He walked across the dark wood floors, glancing at the chalkboard behind the counter where the day’s specials were listed in neat handwriting.

“Excuse me,” Raidh said to the barista as he heard the muted roar of motorcycles outside.

The guy behind the counter turned, piercing Raidh with his dark gray eyes. “What can I get for you?” he asked with a warm smile.

The scent of wolf reached Raidh. Okay, so this town had at least one shifter resident. “You wouldn’t happen to have a phone charger, would you?”

“Let me see your phone.” He held out his hand.

Raidh hesitated to give it over to a complete stranger. It was his only lifeline to Elvine.

“I’m Ajax, by the way, owner of this café. I charge phones behind my counter because the chargers keep growing legs and walking out of here,” he said.

“Oh.” He reluctantly handed over his phone. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Raidh.”

Maybe he should have given a false name in case his father searched this small town for him, but it was too late.

“Nice to meet you, Raidh.” Ajax plugged up his phone then set it on a cloth-lined shelf next to a fancy-looking coffee machine.

“Odd question, but what town is this?” Raidh quickly thought of a reason why he wouldn’t know. “Been traveling, and as you know, my phone died.”

“Midnight Falls,” Ajax said with a touch of pride.

That didn’t sound too bad, but the wolf shifter would think Raidh completely insane if he asked what country Midnight Falls was located in.

“Since I have to wait, could I have a cup of chai tea and a slice of lemon cake?” The smell of bread had lured Raidh in, but the cake looked too irresistible to pass up.

“Go have a seat,” Ajax said. “I’ll bring it to you.”

“Thanks.” What a nice guy. Would he be so nice if he knew Raidh was a dark fae? Most preternatural hated Unseelie because they thought the entire race was evil.

Raidh turned around to find three humongous men who could easily pass as bikers behind him. They were deep in conversation while occasionally glancing at the chalkboard. Two of them were identical—though one wore his beard longer—while the third bore enough resemblance to likely be related.

Galamir had called Raidh rebellious? These guys made him look like a saint in comparison.

There was no denying all three were handsome, but Raidh liked his men a little less mountainous and hairy.

While hauling his tiny, skinny butt to one of the couches, Raidh realized the scent of wolf had grown a lot stronger in the café.

Those ginormous men were werewolves. Raidh steered clear of bad boys. They spelled trouble with a capital T for terrifying.

Putting the men out of his mind, Raidh sat and began to think about his current problem—where he was going to stay for the night.

Returning home was not an option.

Every year, like clockwork, Raidh would evade the first few days of the two-week prep. Despite his father thinking he needed the most practice, no one seemed to care about his absence. It was like they were relieved to have a respite from his endless mistakes.

But Raidh didn’t make mistakes. He allowed his father to think that in hopes he would finally leave Raidh alone.

The constant criticism and belittling from his father left a bitter taste in Raidh’s mouth, making him feel resentful and worthless. It was those feelings that ultimately pushed him to leave in the first place.

This year, instead of spending those few days with Elvine like he usually did, Raidh was using them to try to figure out a plan.

“I would totally do all three,” a female voice said from a couch behind his, her words carrying both excitement and mischief.

“Seriously,” another woman chimed in with a higher-pitched tone. “Your dad would kill you if you brought a guy like that home.”

The first woman laughed. “Please, those kinds of guys are for a fun time, not to bring home for your parents to meet. Tell me you wouldn’t do at least one of them.”

“Yes.” The second woman giggled in agreement.

Raidh wasn’t sure how he felt about them objectifying the bikers, but they would be downright mortified if they knew all three men could hear them with their heightened senses.

One of the men, the not-twin with the longest beard, glanced in their direction from where he stood in line, before turning back around.

The women let out dreamy sighs.

Raidh rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to hear them swoon over the men. Not because they were females but because he didn’t understand the appeal of bad boys.

After what felt like an eternity, Ajax finally made his way to where Raidh’s was seated with a steaming mug of chai tea and a delectable slice of lemon cake. “Enjoy,” he said with a smile.

“Thanks.” Raidh took the mug, feeling the steam tickle his nose as he blew on it before taking a careful sip. Instantly, his taste buds were enveloped in warm, complex flavors, with just the right balance of spices and sweetness.

This was undoubtedly the best chai tea he had ever tasted.

Ajax was a chai tea god.

At least, if Raidh was stuck in this small town, there was good tea. He then took a bite of the lemon cake, relishing its moistness and tangy flavor.

“It just feels good to get back home,” a deep voice rumbled as it drew closer.

Raidh looked up and saw the three men heading toward him, each holding a to-go cup in his thick hand. His mouth closed mid-chew as they settled in the cushy chairs around him, one of the twins sitting at the opposite end of the couch from Raidh.

Great, now he would have to endure the sound of those women giggling and dreamily sighing again. All he wanted was to relax and plan his next move while his phone charged.

With a determined effort, Raidh focused solely on his delicious treats, pretending not to notice the men around him.

“After that grueling ride, all I want is to kick back and relax,” the twin on the couch said. His voice was warm, deep, and rich, like smooth whiskey poured over crushed ice.

For a brief moment, Raidh was drawn to it, but he made himself focus on his cake and tea.

“I just hate you made us stop instead of riding the remaining fifteen minutes home,” the one on the couch continued.

“Don’t complain, Jaytee.” The twin chuckled. “You know you love AJax’s coffee.”

“I’d love my bed even more now. That was a long-ass trip,” Jaytee said.

“I feel ya, Damon,” the not-twin replied to the twin in the chair. “But I’m with Jaytee. I’m gonna crash in my bed for the next twelve hours.”

Now Raidh knew the twins’ names. Damon and Jaytee. Not that he was interested in knowing them.

“I don’t know about sleeping that long.” Jaytee chuckled. “I’m thinking—” He stopped midsentence and sniffed the air, his nostrils flaring slightly.

Raidh couldn’t help but overhear their conversation since they were practically sitting right on top of him. Maybe his phone had charged enough so he could leave, because Raidh was getting an odd vibe from Jaytee. He couldn’t explain what it was but didn’t like how it made him all tingly inside.

Jaytee turned his blue eyes toward Raidh. He sniffed the air again before a wicked smile spread across his face. “Well, hello there, Moonbeam.”

What the hell? Raidh shot up when a rich, warm scent of leather and spice enveloped him and he felt a deep, overwhelming need to throw himself into Jaytee’s arms.

As his panic began to rise inside of him, Raidh bolted for the door, desperate to escape when he realized the wolf shifter was his mate.