Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
Islammed on the brakes, and the tires screeched to a stop.
“Oof.” Cecil went flying, hit the dashboard head-first, and landed with a thump on the floor of the car. “Ouch.”
I stopped inches from the man’s knees. “Oh, wow,” I exhaled. “That was…”
Glancing up, I saw the man’s face, and all the breath left my lungs. He was huge—seven feet tall, but perfectly proportioned, with wide shoulders clad in matte-black armor, a sculpted chest, and long, long legs in tight reptilian leather, shielded with more armor.
His face matched the rest of him. He was older, in his early to mid-fifties, perhaps, but absolutely blisteringly handsome, with very thick black hair sprinkled with streaks of silver, a rugged square jaw, heavy black brows, and the most piercing aquamarine eyes I’d ever seen.
I should be worried. The man was so obviously fae, armed to the hilt, with a menacing, dangerous aura.
It was lucky it was still so early. The crowds hadn’t quite come out yet, but a couple of people on the street eyed him with interest. The fae man was alone, though.
He stood so rigid—shoulders tense, arms outstretched—scowling down at the Audi like it was about to attack him. I suppose it almost did.
“Ouch,” Cecil groaned from the floor. “What the hell, Chosen?”
“Stay here,” I ordered as I climbed out of the car.
The man watched me warily, those brilliant aquamarine eyes following my every movement as I closed the door. Good grief, he was handsome. I hoped he wasn’t one of Connor’s agents.
Instinctively, I knew he couldn’t be. I was an excellent judge of character. This man radiated honor; it wafted off him like expensive perfume.
No agent of Connor had this much of an aura. He might look dangerous, but only to those who sought to do evil.
Whoever he was, he needed to get off the streets before someone recruited him for a high fantasy TV show.
“Hello, good sir,” I called, breaking out my Renfaire patter. “Can I render aid to you?”
“I am not injured, my lady.” His scowl lifted a little. “But, if I may beg of some assistance, I am searching for someone.”
Of course. This was one of the Queen’s advisers, coming to make sure Donovan still lived. The fae man hadn’t opened a portal on the roof at all; he’d come down on ground-level.
I gave him a reassuring smile. “You’re here for Prince Donovan.”
The scowl vanished, his lush lips dropping open. “You know of him? He is… he is alive?”
“I do, and yes. You came to the right place.”
The gorgeous grizzled warrior suddenly looked like he’d been through absolute hell. He closed his eyes for a second and exhaled a long breath, his face betraying his relief. “Thank the gods.”
Oh, so Connor did try to hoodwink his mother after all. No wonder this fae hunk was so happy; he must have been worried that Connor was telling the truth, and Donovan was truly dead.
“He’s here, upstairs, in this building. I’ll take you to him if you like. Just… just wait there for one second.” I’d parked awkwardly; I needed to move the Audi first. I got back in the car and quickly reversed into my building.
Cecil, still moaning in the front seat, shook his head. “I think I have a concussion. Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?”
“You sure are,” I said. I backed up until I was sure I was on Violet’s roots. She could take it from here. I didn’t want to go any further and let this man out of my sight, in case he disappeared.
I nudged Cecil. “He’s one of the Queen’s men, isn’t he?” I only got good vibes from him, but it wouldn’t hurt to make sure.
“He’s wearing the armor of the Crystal Castle with the crest of the Queen on his breastplate, so it’s safe to say he’s on our side.
And boy, am I glad about that.” Cecil panted softly in the passenger seat beside me as I turned off the engine.
“That man looks like my daddy kink come to life. He looks like he’s supposed to be scowling at me from the cover of a romance novel.
That grizzled hunk of deliciousness looks like he should be wearing a headmaster’s robes, brandishing a cane, and bending me over?—”
I got out of the Audi, shut the door, and called out to the warrior, “This way, sir. I’ll take you through the front.”
He strode toward me on long legs until he stopped, towering over me.
“My lady, I cannot tell you how grateful I am to find a kind soul such as you so quickly. I understand that magic in this realm is hidden by law. I was concerned I might be hunted by packs of humans before I found what I was looking for.” He scowled deeply.
“I did not relish the thought of slaughtering dozens of misguided mortals. Nor do I have the time to spare.”
I nodded weakly. “That’s… uh. That’s good. My name is Susan.” I held out my hand. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
A tiny smile graced his lips, softening his hard expression.
“I sense from your mighty presence that you have deliberately omitted your various and many titles, Lady Susan.” He reached out, his enormous palm swallowing my hand completely.
“But I hear that this realm is not as formal as ours, so I will defer to your customs with the utmost respect.” He flipped my hand and bowed, pressing his lips to my knuckles before gazing up at me with those piercing eyes.
“I am most honored to meet you. I am Fionn.”
I waited a beat before pulling my hand away. I didn’t want to seem rude. “Welcome, Fionn.”
“Hello, handsome.” Cecil trotted up beside me, stretched out, and bowed in his doggy form. “I’m Cecil.”
Fionn glanced down. “Cecil.” He frowned. “I have heard of you. You are Her Majesty's spoil.”
Cecil paused and made a face. “I am. I mean, I was. I’m looking after Susan now.”
Fionn glanced back up at me, his expression warming again. Smoldering, almost. Instinctively, I took a step back. This was going in a direction that I wasn’t entirely comfortable with. Unlike Cecil, I didn’t have a thing for older men. And besides, my heart now firmly belonged to Donovan.
After a few seconds, Fionn’s gaze tore reluctantly from me, and he peered back down at Cecil. “I was unaware that you had been gifted.” The fae warrior examined Cecil for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly. “Are you not still supposed to be stored in her treasury?”
Cecil chuckled awkwardly. “I just go where I’m told to go by the royal family, dadd—I mean, sir.”
“I see.”
Hastily, I changed the subject. “Let’s go find the prince, shall we? I believe he’s looking for you, too.”
Donovan wasn’t supposed to have given Cecil to me. I knew that the Queen would be pissed about losing such a valuable gift, and I didn’t want anyone getting into trouble. I waved my hand, gesturing around the corner. “Follow me, please.”
Fionn fell into step beside me. We walked around the corner to the building’s main entrance. I narrowed my eyes against the early morning sun. In the back of my mind, I cursed the interruption. Now I was only going to be an hour early for work.
Still, it was a good thing I’d found Fionn so quickly.
The city was beginning to stir, and a handful of early birds were milling around.
A young couple jogging past stared at Fionn with wide eyes.
A woman walking briskly around the corner almost gave herself whiplash staring back at him.
Two street cleaners nudged each other, gaping.
But this was San Francisco, and the sight of a seven-foot-tall, gorgeous man in battle leathers wasn’t going to ruffle too many feathers. Only two weeks ago, I saw a bearded man dressed as Jesus zoom by on a hoverboard covered with cloud-like pillow stuffing. Nobody even took his picture.
Fionn paused at the entrance, placed his huge hand on the front door, and let out another relieved breath. “A Domicile.” His warm gaze found me. “Is this your House, my lady?”
“Yes. This is Violet,” I said.
“She is magnificent.” Fionn looked up the side of the building. “Young, but so mighty. How is it that you forced her to grow so tall? Your Violet is almost as high as the Crystal Castle.”
“Oh, I didn’t force her,” I said, trying to indicate with my body language that he should move inside. “But I think Cecil had something to do with her design.”
“I grafted her bones to the top floor,” Cecil said proudly. “And asked her to send veins down, instead of growing her from the ground up.”
Fionn nodded thoughtfully. “An interesting concept.” His piercing eyes found me again. “Lady Susan, I confess I underestimated the glory and might of this realm. I was under the impression that this world was filled with savages, devoid of culture and magic.”
“Uh, nope.” I gestured towards the lobby again, trying to get him moving. “We’re pretty cultured.”
Suddenly, Fionn was close, his broad chest at eye level, so big and so hot.
“Please, I do not mean to offend you. This is an overwhelming relief for me.” His brows pinched together.
Suddenly, a gruff sadness emanated from him, so potent it took me by surprise.
“This journey has been harrowing, and my heart is so heavy. I expected many more hardships before I completed my quest. Instead, you found me, and you immediately extended to me kindness and aid.”
“I’m glad to help,” I said, a little breathless. This guy really was too much. I didn’t want to be rude, but I really wanted to get to work. Awkwardly, I shuffled back to give myself a little space. “Cecil, would you do the honors and take Fionn up to my apartment, and find Donovan for him?”
“Uhhh, nope.” Cecil tore his eyes away from Fionn reluctantly. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, sweetheart. I’m not leaving you. If you go to your office, then I go to your office.”
I suppressed my groan.
“You must find me a fool.” A soft smile pulled at Fionn’s hard expression. “I confess I have never had any desire to travel from the Upper World, since our foes in our own realm were many, and I did not consider the Lower Worlds to be much of a challenge.”
“Oh, you’re not a fool.” He wasn’t taking the hint; I needed to get him inside.
I was rapidly losing my time advantage and needed to get to work.
A car screeched to a halt just outside. I looked—an unfamiliar Subaru had pulled up at my door.
I patted Fionn’s leather-clad bicep, trying to push him in the door, but I would have had better luck trying to move a mountain. “Come on. I’ll take you to Donovan.”
Violet gently buzzed the flagstones beneath my feet, and I understood what she was saying. She’d told Donovan to come down. At least my House was cooperating with me.
“Amayda?” Cress’s voice called out from behind me. I turned; she was trying to get out of the Subaru at the curb, frantically attempting to untangle herself from the seatbelt, which she hadn’t unclipped. “Amayda, is that really you?”
I shot a look at Cecil. “What does Amayda mean?”
“It’s a paternal term of endearment,” he muttered back. “It means daddy.”
“Daddy?”
Cecil licked his lips. “Mmm. Yes. Daddy. An apt description, if you ask me. Fionn is a Daddy.”
“Wait.” My mouth dropped open. “Cress's father? This is Donovan’s dad?”
“Oops.” Cecil cringed back behind me. “The Queen will skin you alive if she catches anyone drooling over the King Consort.”
Oh, shit.
I should have known that this great mountain of a man wasn’t a mere royal adviser. This was Donovan’s father.
Cress let out an ear-splitting screech of delight and took off at a run, sprinting towards us. She jumped ten feet away, throwing herself like a bullet towards Fionn.
“Princess.” He caught her and hugged her tight. “My sweet daughter, I have missed you so much!”
“What are you doing here?” Cress cried, wrapping around him like he was a tree and she was a monkey. “You never leave the Upper World.”
“Only because your mother would not lower herself to leave it.” He buried his face in her hair, hugging her so tight it was a wonder she could breathe.
The elevator inside dinged, and the doors opened. Donovan strode out of the lift. He saw us and froze. “Father?”
Fionn untangled himself from Cress. “My prince.”
Donovan blinked. “But… if you are here…”
“Yes.” A shadow of pure grief passed over Fionn’s face. “I am sorry, Your Majesty.” He paused and swallowed. “The Queen is dead.”