Chapter 5 #2
I catalog what I can as they draw near. Tall but not unusually so for a fae.
A heavy, dark cloak hangs around their shoulders, obscuring much of their attire, but what I can see appears simple and in dark shades—a deep gray, maybe black.
No noticeable adornments. A hood covers much of their hair, but the little bit peeking out around their face is a rich brown, several shades darker than their lightly tanned skin.
“Stop,” I say, my voice stronger than I expected, given the way I quiver. “Don’t come any closer.”
I don’t see any weapons, but that means little with fae.
Magic can be stronger than any steel, not to mention the natural strength of fae bodies.
Unseelie in general are said to be physically strong, animalistic even.
Though the one before me doesn’t display any obvious animal traits such as horns or a tail.
To their credit, they stop.
“Who are you?” I snap then grimace. It’s not like I’m going to know their name anyway.
Their gaze rakes me from head to toe and then back up again. Slow, intrusive, as if they can see into my very soul. The tingling sensation that races over my skin is just as unsettling as that thought.
At first, I don’t think they’ve understood me, or they may just not respond.
But then their head tilts to the side in appraisal, showing off more of their strong jaw. “One who is curious about the presence of a human alone in these lands.”
His voice, as he’s most certainly male, is deep and rich. It resonates through me, almost like a deep gong, lingering in my senses like thick honey and just as sweet. Another shiver zips through me that has nothing to do with fear. No person, fae or human, has any business with a voice so sinful.
“I need help,” I say.
Maybe his voice is magical because I feel the tension in my shoulders ease, my hand loosening on the hilt of the dagger. I wouldn’t put it past a fae to have such skills, especially in this territory where the knowledge humans, and even Seelie fae, possess is outdated and incomplete at best.
One dark brow rises.
“And you search for it here?” He gestures around with both hands.
I wince at the skepticism in his tone. “My brother is dying.” Saying it aloud sends a stab of pain straight through my heart. “And there’s a potion that may be able to save him, and what I need for it is here, in the Unseelie lands.”
At that, he appraises me anew.
“Humans ally with the Seelie,” he says after a moment, lip curled in disgust. If there was any doubt he was Unseelie, I suppose that squashes it, but he certainly doesn’t look Unseelie.
Actually, he looks a whole lot like his fairer counterparts with his human-like features and objectively handsome appearance.
His ears are hidden underneath his hood, but I’d expect them to be elongated like many of the fae.
“They couldn’t help me.” No, that’s not entirely true.
“They wouldn’t help me,” I amend. Sending troops into a war zone looking for ingredients for a potion that may or may not exist?
Never. They weren’t going to sacrifice their battle plans or potentially the lives of their people for that.
Can’t say I blame them, even if it stings.
“So, you came on your own.” He crosses his arms over his chest, the act stretching his shirt and showing off a hint of the muscular form lurking below. “But how?”
A fair question. I’d be curious in his shoes.
I’m supposed to say that I came here on my own.
I changed the wards and opened the long-sealed door to their land.
But somehow, lying to him feels wrong. He can’t lie, no fae can, and I’m going to need his help.
Starting a working relationship with a falsehood doesn’t sit well, no matter that he scared me half to death.
“I got help changing the wards on an old door so that I could come through and search for what I need.”
The widening of his eyes, the hope there, blooms a pit of dread within me. “But my friends will have sealed them behind me.” Okay, not yet, but it’s just a little lie. “So don’t get any ideas about going through and stealing more humans.”
At that, his look darkens. “You think so little of us.”
“I—” Well, shit, that did sound bad. I pinch my eyes shut before opening them again.
“I’m sorry. It’s just, you snuck up on me.
Stalked me down like some kind of—” I barely snap my mouth shut before I say serial killer.
That’s not going to help my cause if he knows what that is. “You scared me, okay?”
“I see,” he says but doesn’t apologize. His crossed arms do loosen a bit though. “I wanted to get a sense of you before I approached.”
“How long were you watching me?”
The corner of his lips quirk up in an unmistakable smirk. “A little while.”
My cheeks flame. Dear God, he better not have been watching when I peed behind that bush.
“Well, then I guess you got the measure of me,” I say, crossing my own arms and staring him down. “So, will you help me?”
The answer is slow to come, but I nearly cry with joy when his head dips in a shallow nod. “I will.”