“I’m not really a warrior. I’m a thief by trade.” I didn’t mention that some in our world called me queen. That wasn’t a title I’d earned. It had come through marriage to Daniel.
“No,” Declan said thoughtfully. “You are truly a warrior. The woman knew this. She recognized one who would protect her.”
“Then she should have been looking at you,” I pointed out. “Didn’t you say you were a warrior of the sidhe?”
He nodded. “I am, but first I am a prince who will be a king. A king does not necessarily consider the needs of one person. A king protects a kingdom. It is a practical thing to be a king. It is more honorable to be a warrior.”
I smiled at him. “That’s nice, Declan. Does this mean you’re going to take me seriously and stop trying to see me naked?”
He grimaced as though trying to understand me. “I can take you seriously and still wish to see you naked.”
I rolled my eyes and prayed for patience. We reached the door of the shop. It appeared to be closed. There was a sign that stated the owner was out and would return at 4:00 pm. I checked my watch. We had about forty minutes. The shop was on a corner, and the side of the building curved into an alley. I glanced around and walked to the rear of the building. The back entrance was locked up tight. I cursed when I realized I hadn’t brought my lock-picking kit. I was really getting rusty if I’d forgotten something so basic.
“Let’s walk around a bit and see if she reopens when she says she will,” I said to Declan. He nodded his assent and followed me.
I was spared conversation by the sudden trill of my cell. I took a deep breath and considered not answering it because it could only be one of two people. Glancing down at the screen, I saw there was a nice picture of Dev. He was smiling and looking smoking hot in the picture. I also noticed that he’d called about ten times before. My phone had been at the bottom of my endless bag and I hadn’t noticed with all the noise going on around me.
I hit the green answer button and prepared for some screaming. “Hey, baby. How’s it going?”
“Where the fuck are you, Zoey?” he yelled into the phone. “I’m out on the farm trying to handle things when I get a call from Albert that both your bodyguards have been taken down and you’re missing. I had every single member of my staff searching for over an hour before we finally managed to get Lee up and on his feet. Zack is still asleep. I thought Lucas Halfer had you.”
Panic was plain in his voice. I know how I would have felt if I thought Dev was in trouble. “Halfer has nothing to do with this. I’m fine, Dev. I promise you I’m safe, and I’ll be home soon.”
“You’ll be home right fucking now, Zoey,” he snarled in my ear. “Tell me where you are. I noticed you turned off the locator service on your phone.”
Oh, I wasn’t stupid. I’d shut that off the minute I realized I was going on the run. If I told him where I was, I would likely find myself in not-fun bondage and being dragged back to the condo. “I wasn’t crazy or drunk last night. What happened was real, and I’m taking care of it.”
“Alone? You’re alone running around the city? Why not just make a date with Halfer? Just call him up and tell him you want to be murdered.”
“For your information, I am not alone,” I explained patiently. I hit the button to put it on speaker. “Say hello, Declan.”
Declan leaned toward the phone. “Hello, brother. I assure you I am taking care of your female. I will meet any needs she has. It will be my pleasure to ensure she is satisfied with my services.”
There was a long pause. “Declan? What the fuck are you doing here?”
I shrugged at the future king of Faery who was staring at the phone like it was a snake that might bite him. “You’ll have to excuse him. He gets a terrible potty mouth when he’s upset.”
“I have come to speak with you, Devinshea. It is time for you to return. I have decided to allow you to bring your female with you. She is extremely entertaining,” Declan offered. “And her body looks like it will be a joy to fornicate with.”
“I need this today,” Dev said and I could see him standing there with his head in his hands. He was quiet for a moment. “I will deal with you later, brother, after I have dealt with my mistress. I am going to ignore the fact that you have acted like a spoiled child today, Zoey. Give me your address, and I will pick you up myself.”
“Have you listened to anything I’ve said?” Frustration was starting to well. I wasn’t a child, but I’d let them treat me like one for far too long. “You were wrong about last night. Something really did try to kill me.”
“Then Daniel will handle it,” Dev said and I imagined that perfectly shaped jaw grinding in frustration.
“I’m done playing these games, Dev.” Albert was right. I had to punch through this or it was going to break us. “I’m safe. I’ll be home later.”
Over his vigorous protests, I hung up and switched off the ringer. I was going to pay for that later, but I needed to deal with the creature now.
“My brother spoke to you cruelly,” Declan said with no small amount of surprise in his voice.
“I pissed him off. What did you expect?”
He considered this for a moment. “I expected him to sweetly ask for your return. He does not speak with his females the way he just spoke to you. He does not get angry with them.”
“Never?”
“I suppose if he got angry with one he would gently end the relationship,” Declan reasoned.
I laughed, but there was no humor behind it. Spending the day with his brother had made me think Devinshea would tire of me. Perhaps he already had. “Well, he gets angry with me a lot lately, so maybe I should start packing.”
I would have gone on but I was suddenly caught by an odd sound. It was a weird, rhythmic thudding, like the sound of a locomotive moving at enormous speed. Fear flared and for a moment I wondered if I’d made a terrible mistake and Halfer had found me.
I backed off and heard Declan curse as we looked down the alley. I caught sight of a man running so fast, he was almost a blur. He had a strange looking gait, as if he wasn’t exactly on his feet. He was moving on all fours, his limbs in perfect harmony, making what should be awkward a veritable dance of grace and power. It was the hat that gave him away. Only one person in my life wore a trucker hat. Unless Halfer had given up his perfect suits, there was no question who was coming for me.
I heard Declan notch an arrow and pull back his bow, and I quickly moved my hand to stop him.
“Don’t. He won’t hurt me,” I said with more certainty than I really felt. He was probably pretty pissed off.
He barely slowed down as he hit me. Even with the full force of our bodies slamming together, he held me carefully, pulling me into his arms. As we tumbled to the concrete, he made sure he took the brunt of our fall. When we stopped tumbling, he glared down at me and his eyes were all wolf.
“Hey there, Lee,” I said with what I hoped was an ingratiating smile.
“You shot me,” he snarled. I’d never seen Lee’s wolf. He’d never changed in front of me before, and I found myself utterly fascinated with the way he looked. His canines were long, his eyes large in his head as though he could find a halfway between his human and wolf forms.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “Sorry about that.”
Lee stared for a moment and then laughed. “No, you’re not, Zoey. Have you enjoyed yourself today?” He got off of me and gave me a hand getting up.
“It’s been a nice change,” I admitted.
The wolf crossed his arms over his chest, his face back to perfectly normal. “I was wondering when you were going to show up. Zack thinks you’re just some sweet piece of ass Donovan and Quinn pass between them, but I could see the crazy bitch hiding in there. You handled yourself well today. You certainly got the jump on my brother.”
“Hey, you went down, too,” I pointed out.
He shook his head. “Don’t try it again, Zoey. I wasn’t going to make the first move because I didn’t want to hurt you. I won’t make the same mistake again. I’ve decided you can probably handle a little pain. Now, have you found this thing you’re looking for?”
“You’re not here to haul me back to Ether?” I asked because I pretty much figured that was exactly what he was going to do.
Declan stepped forward, bow still in hand. “I will not allow him to take you.”
“Yeah? You’re going to stop me?” Lee was probably thinking that Declan was like his brother, and Lee wouldn’t consider Dev a threat. “You and what army?” He stopped and was suddenly still. Lee took a deep whiff of the air around him and his superior grin became a self-deprecating grimace. “Forgive me. That army, of course. How many are there? I think I count eight, but there are two I can’t identify.”
“There are ten,” Declan acknowledged. “Two are Unseelie, and I doubt you have ever come across any such as them. The wild hunt has been gone from this plane for many centuries, and they were a part of it. I am surprised you can sense them. Why did you not sense them before this?”