Filthy Rich Fae

Chapter Four

I didn’t have time to panic as a tapestry of colors wove around me, shimmering rainbow strands glinting with an edge of gold. I tried to scream, tried to move, tried to do anything, but I couldn’t. My stomach dropped like a trapdoor, my arms splaying to catch my fall while the whole world transformed around me, and when its threads knit together once more, I was no longer standing in front of Gage’s desk. I was standing in a garden.

It was not a well-kept garden, tended and orderly, or the polished halls of the Avalon. This was more like wandering into the Garden of Eden. Plants with large, fernlike leaves as tall as me grew in wild clumps around the bases of enormous willow trees. Their branches wept overhead, sunlight breaking through and falling in dappled patches over a plush blanket of grass. Vines covered with exotic crimson blooms as large as my hand snaked around the trunks of the trees. The air was humid but not suffocating, and the wind carried the herbal scent of flowers. Their perfume filled my lungs as I sucked in a deep breath—

Something jolted me out of my shocked state. This time, my legs moved, and I stumbled.

Or, rather, nearly fell on my ass.

A strong arm caught me, and I looked up to find Gage assessing me. I clutched him until the world felt solid beneath my feet again, until my head stopped spinning. But when it did, I opened my mouth to demand answers only to find myself once again shocked into silence as he transformed before me.

He was even more beautiful now, so beautiful that it almost physically hurt to look at him. New tattoos swirled into place, only to blink away again without settling onto his skin. His shoulders were broader, his cotton dress shirt barely containing them, and I swore he was a few inches taller. Except that would be impossible, right? His green eyes sparked with feral amusement as I gawked at him. And as I watched, his ears sloped into long, elegant points.

At that final transformation, I jerked out of his hold, needing to put as much distance between us as I could. “What are you?” I gasped, my eyes skittering around me but never quite letting him out of my sight. “Where am I?”

“You’re in the Otherworld.”

“The? Other? World?” I repeated haltingly, as if breaking the words apart might help it make sense. It didn’t.

“My world,” he clarified. “Although I suppose it’s your world now.”

His…world? No. I was hallucinating. Had to be. Because this wasn’t happening. Things like this did not happen.

I gulped down the fear that shot into my throat and scanned his muscular body, his pointed ears. What was he? I resisted the urge to reach out and touch those ears, even if it would prove I wasn’t hallucinating. Nothing good could come from touching him. I didn’t really care what he was or where we were. I only cared about one thing. I planted my hands on my hips and forced myself to sound more defiant than I felt. “Take me back.”

“I’m afraid that’s impossible.”

“Make it possible,” I demanded.

“You made a bargain, or did you already forget?”

Wicked delight danced in Gage’s jade-green eyes. He was a cat playing with a mouse. Any minute now, he would pounce.

The thought slashed a white-hot line through me. More magic or whatever trickery this was. I clamped down on the heat it produced, determined to channel it into something useful: anger. I could use it to keep moving forward, keep focusing on getting out of this situation. “I didn’t—”

“I asked you what you would give for your brother’s life,” he reminded me. “You agreed to give yours.”

Yes. I had. But I hadn’t known what, exactly, he meant—or who I was dealing with. I still didn’t know. “Okay, but I never agreed to this. Who goes around actually collecting souls as collateral?”

He waved that off. “I asked you three times,” he said as if this fact alone sealed my fate. “You exchanged your life for your brother’s.” He paused and regarded me with lethal quiet. “Do you regret your choice?”

Yes. But also no, because I’d saved Channing. I bit down to keep my lip from trembling, to hold back tears that might douse that flame fueling me. Something told me not to show this man—or whatever he was—weakness.

“I can see you do.” His shapely lips pressed into a line, but then he shrugged, his corded biceps straining against his shirtsleeves. “Unfortunately for you, it’s nearly impossible to break a fae bargain.”

My thoughts snagged on nearly. It took a minute to process the rest.

“F-f-fae?” I tripped over the word. Wrapping my arms around my middle, I stroked my ring with my thumb. I couldn’t fall apart. Not now. Not here. “Like cute little garden pixies with wings? Is that what you are?”

His upper lip curled to reveal his sharp teeth, a guttural snarl rumbling from him. Fear flooded through me, and Gage’s nostrils flared. My arms tightened as if I could physically hold myself together.

“Some of us have wings. Some of us do not,” he said, the words tight and clipped. I didn’t dare ask him which category he fell into. I didn’t think I could handle it if he sprouted wings, too. “Few of us are cute…or little. And even those who are can be deadly. No one but humans would mistake us for little or cute, and the humans that do tend to die.”

I drank in his massive body again. Fae. He was fae. I turned the word over again and again, but I still couldn’t process it.

“It’s best to remember that here.”

My head bobbed again. “Here?” I blurted out. “You mean, the Otherworld?”

“It is always wise to remember that in the Otherworld, but especially wise to heed it at the Nether Court.”

“There’s a nether court? You’re making that up.”

Gage lifted a brow, looking like he was seriously considering strangling me. Then, he turned and walked away without another word. Perhaps because it was the last thing I’d expected him to do, I darted after him. Or tried to. I made it one step before my shoe caught in the mud and stuck. I cursed loudly enough that Gage paused, turning to watch as I pulled my foot out of the stuck sneaker. I didn’t bother to salvage it. I doubted I needed footwear in a prison cell. Instead, I reached down, ripped off the other one, and tossed it on the ground before stalking toward him.

“I could carry you if you’re having trouble,” he offered in a low voice that sent my traitorous body clenching. More of his fae magic, screwing with my fight-or-flight response by targeting my hormones.

“I can take care of myself,” I grumbled.

He looked down to my bare feet. “Noted.”

He continued walking, but this time, I kept pace with him. The grass was cool and damp against my skin, almost pleasant enough to soothe me, but I surveyed the world around me with suspicion. A low-hanging willow branch drooped in our path, and before I could duck, Gage lifted it with one tattooed hand and gave me my first real glimpse of where he’d taken me.

I’d been impressed by the Avalon, but it was nothing compared to what lay ahead of me. It was a palace, constructed of black stone that sprawled in every direction, especially up. A pointed spire rose from its center like a spear thrust toward the sky, as if to keep heaven out—as if the two couldn’t bear to touch.

Half walls and arcades extended to outbuilding after outbuilding. The compound spread as far as I could see like a never-ending labyrinth. Lancet windows glowed with green light, the colored glass a shimmering field of emeralds. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, and the sight of it hit me squarely in the gut. My eyes skirted to Gage, to those elegant, inhuman ears, to the power that shimmered around him like an aura. He belonged here in this strange world. He belonged to the same dark energy filling the air.

“This is the Nether Court,” he said as I continued to stare. “Your new home.”

I whipped toward him, his words snapping me from my daze. “I am not living here!”

“Is it not up to your standards?” He prowled a step toward me, the movement both graceful and lethal. “Is there a problem?”

“I can’t.” I forced the words out. “I can’t stay in the Otherworld. I have responsibilities. A job. People who depend on me.” The prickle at the back of my neck returned, digging deeper, until I reached up to rub it away.

“I believe you were on the verge of being fired and your brother was on his way to jail. It doesn’t sound like you have much going on at the moment,” Gage drawled, stalking closer. His tattoos swirled and moved distractingly on his skin. “Be honest, Cate. You’re here because of your foster brother. You’re an orphan. No family. You came alone to do something you knew was dangerous, so that tells me you have few friends, if you have any. No one knows you’re here. I can do whatever I please with you. You would do well to remember that.”

His words pressed in on me like a hand shoving me underwater, holding me there just to prove how vulnerable I was. He could save me, or he could drown me.

“And let’s not forget Channing.”

“Just leave him out of it.” The words tasted like defeat, bitter and foreign.

“I will so long as you remain here.” He nodded. “We can discuss the terms of the arrangement later.”

I scowled back at him, but he only laughed and strode toward the front entrance. He didn’t wait for me as he pushed open the arched door and went inside. I followed, stopping to stare at the twenty-foot-high doorframe and the massive oak door that he’d just opened like it was any normal entrance. Reaching for it, I tried to push it closed. It didn’t budge. I might as well have been trying to move a brick wall. Giving up, I pivoted to the foyer and gasped.

I’d walked into a fairy tale. The entry opened into a large foyer two stories tall. Gold veins split the black marble floors, and a sweeping staircase with brutal spindles spiraled to the second story. Hanging in the center was a golden chandelier with a thousand points, each ending in a tiny orb of light. To the left was a sitting room of some sort, its black leather couches spaced evenly before an unlit hearth so large I was sure I could walk inside it.

Before I could investigate further, Gage coughed impatiently.

I turned on him. “Is there a problem?”

“Tonight is the Equinox.”

I looked at him blankly. This was the second time he’d brought up this nonsense. “You might as well be speaking in Greek.”

He glowered at me. “It is the autumnal Equinox, and we are hosting, hence why I have the distinct pleasure of entertaining assholes like MacAlister. I’d rather not leave him to run amok in my city.”

“Don’t let me stop you. Just point me in the direction of home.”

He snorted. “I will show you where you can wait for me.”

I folded my arms. “I’m not following you anywhere.”

“I don’t have time for this,” he muttered. “If you want to stand around and wait—”

“I’ve never been kidnapped before,” I cut him off. “I’m sorry if I’m inconveniencing you.”

His mouth twitched. “Kidnapped? What an ugly word.”

“It fits,” I snapped back. “Where shall I wait, my lord? The dungeon?” But despite the fire in my voice, icy dread filtered into my veins.

This time, his lips lifted into a smile. “We don’t have a dungeon.” He paced toward me. “If I decide to keep you shackled, I have far more interesting ways to bind you.”

I blanched under the weight of his gaze, uncertain if that was a threat or a promise. Gathering up the remaining shreds of my courage, I lifted my chin. “If you expect me to sit around and wait for you like a dog, you’ll find yourself disappointed.”

I would remain until I could find a way out, but I wasn’t going to let him see my fear. Showing fear was more dangerous than showing weakness. Fear could be exploited. Another hard lesson learned.

“Such a sharp tongue”—his eyes studied my mouth, darkening slightly as wisps of shadows swirled around us—“for such a weak creature.”

“Oh, I forgot that I’m supposed to be cowering in fear.” I smiled at his blink of surprise. “Would you like me to fall on my knees and grovel for your mercy?”

“That won’t be necessary. Although, if you want to get on your knees…” He swept a hand toward the floor in invitation.

“You’re a pig!”

“I’ve been called worse, princess.” He shrugged. “Feel free to explore. I’ll find you when I get back.”

Was he actually going to leave me here in this strange place without any clue where I was or where I was going?

“What if I get lost?” I hated the tremble that splintered my words.

“You won’t.” A hint of that sinful, unnaturally beautiful smile.

“What if I escape?”

He didn’t even blink at the suggestion. “You won’t.”

“You can’t just—”

He snapped his fingers and vanished.

“Asshole!” I hurled the insult at the empty space where he’d stood a moment ago.

Couldn’t escape? We’d see about that. I started toward the door, making it two steps before it snicked shut with an ominous thud. I rushed to it, yanking on the knob but finding it as immovable as before. I smashed my fist into the oak as hard as I could. And nearly broke my hand.

Pain sliced through my arm as I cradled my throbbing hand to my chest. The door wasn’t an option, but there had to be another way out.

This was no time to panic. No, that was probably about fifteen minutes ago when he’d stolen me away to a fae underworld. All because I’d let my guard down for a moment, blinded by a heady combination of desperation, curiosity, and his stupid smirk. I wasn’t sure what was more dangerous: my circumstances or that smile.