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decently with Madog, despite the differences in their
styles, but if the massive bruiser laid one meaty hand on
Meagan, Ric was going to have to kill him.
Cindy Spencer Pape 63
 Are you certain that this girl is the one? You only
have two days left, bard. You had best not be wasting
your time and mine in pursuit of, how do they phrase it?
Oh yes, a nice piece of tail.
Ow! He hated it when Llyris resorted to human idiom.
It meant she was beyond pissed and that Madog s next
assignment might well be the assassination of an errant
bard.
 Well, Alaric? Are you convinced that she is the one?
He didn t have proof yet. But the instincts that had
guided him for over eight hundred years all pointed to
only one possible outcome. Besides, it was the only
answer she wanted to hear.  Yes, my liege. Meagan Kelly
is the daughter of Emery of Rose and his human wife.
 Then quit wasting time and bring her here.
 She has to be willing, Your Majesty. If we abduct her
against her will, she s likely to side with Owain. He s
already done a thorough job of planting doubts in her
mind. And whose fault is that?
 Fine. Seduce the chit and then bring her to me. But
get on with it, bard. Or prepare to spend the rest of your
miserably short life as a human.
Ric slumped in the seat, leaning his forehead on the
steering wheel. Two weeks ago, living out a meager
human lifespan with no access to Fae magic or resources
had seemed like the worst fate imaginable. Now he wasn t
so sure. At least if he was human, he might get to be with
Meagan, though he was pretty sure that when the truth
came out she wasn t going to want anything to do with
him, powers or no.
The real problem with failure was that the
consequences stretched far beyond the life and powers of
a single bard. If Owain s faction managed to remove
64 Motor City Fae
Llyris from the throne, all hell was going to break loose
here on the material plane. A thousand years ago, a treaty
of non-interference had been negotiated between Ric s
people and the newly civilized population of the mortal
realm. The Fae had, for the most part, retreated to their
own dimension, known as Elfhame, or Underhill, leaving
the mortal plane to the humans. The pact had been kept,
even during times when the humans had nearly destroyed
themselves and their planet with nuclear weapons. Owain,
however, was violently racist. In his mind, humans were
lesser creatures and should only exist as servants and
playthings. If he won the elven throne at the council
election he d managed to call, his first official move
would be to revoke the agreement, instigating full-scale
war between the worlds of human and Fae. Ric was a
selfish, hedonistic bastard, true, but even he couldn t
stand by and watch the destruction of either world. He
was too much a part of both.
Meagan stepped back from her easel and frowned. The
colors weren t coming together and it was all Ric s fault.
Instead of the dreamy, mystical landscape she d been
trying to paint, the scene on the canvas held a darker
enchantment, the trees reaching and grasping, the misty
darkness swirling ever closer to the viewer. Ugh!
She wiped her hands on a damp towel, stuck her brush
in the cleaning jar and turned toward the sliding glass
door she d had installed in one of her downstairs
bedrooms. With southern exposure and lots of big new
windows, the tiny room made a perfect studio. Normally
it was her favorite place to be, her refuge from reality.
Today it made her itchy. With Calc twining around her
ankles, she let herself out the back door and onto the
Cindy Spencer Pape 65
sunny patio, smiling as she registered the shabby
homeliness of it: cracked concrete, weedy edges and all.
Hard to believe that only a few hours ago she d been
lounging in the sun at a Grosse Pointe estate.
 Mmmrrowww. Calc seemed to agree that this was
where she belonged. As Meagan sat down on the wobbly
cement steps, Calc leapt into her lap, settling his bulk with
a regal disregard for her opinion on the subject.
Meagan s giggle sounded cracked, even to herself and
she buried her face in the cat s warm silky fur, blinking
her eyes against the threatening tears.
 Figured you d be painting.
 Oooh-owww! Meagan s startled jump dislodged
Calculus, who dug his claws into the skin of her thighs for
purchase. Her tiny cry of surprise crescendoed into a yowl
of pain.
 Hey, there. Jase reached out a hand to steady her and
lifted the cat off her lap. Meagan blinked up at her
neighbor and tenant while Calc stalked off to inspect the
nearby trees. One of the greatest joys of Meagan s life
was that renting out the tiny apartment above her garage
had gotten her a great neighbor and one of the best friends
she d ever had.
 If you thought I d be painting, why are you here?
One advantage of having another artist for a neighbor was
that they knew enough to leave you alone while you were
working. Usually.
Jase shrugged sheepishly, probably blushing beneath
his chocolate complexion.  Just wanted to make sure you
got home all right last night.
 Jase it s what four o clock in the afternoon? I know
you sleep late, but&  Her voice trailed off as she really
looked at him.  Oh, my. Those are the same clothes you
66 Motor City Fae
had on last night. Did you just get home?
 Umm-hmm. Now she knew he was blushing. And
grinning.
 Jase, you dog. They shared a wicked grin.  So how
was he?
 Incredible. Jase s dark eyes took on a dreamy
expression.  This could be the start of something serious.
I ve never talked so much on a date before in my life.
 Only talked? It was hard to keep her voice light and
teasing. Happy as she was for Jase, she couldn t suppress
a pang of jealousy.
 Well, maybe a bit more. But we talked for hours.
Jase settled himself on a nearby lawn chair, leaning his
elbows on his knees and his chin on his fists.  There s
something delicious about him, Meagan. Lots of lovely
layers and intricacies. Open, yet mysterious.
 I m glad. Just, Jase be careful, okay?
He traced an X across his chest.  Promise.
 When are you seeing him again?
 Tonight. He s playing at the club again, though this
time without your friend Ric fronting the band. Which
brings up the next subject. Judging by the gloomy
expression, I m assuming your date didn t go too well.
Are you okay?
 I m fine.
 Try pulling the other one, sweetheart. I know fine and
this isn t it. He didn t hurt you, did he? Jase s friendly
expression hardened and suddenly he looked every inch
of his six-foot muscular frame. When he wasn t working
with clay, he was usually working out on the equipment
he d set up in the lower part of the garage.
Her friend s big-brother protectiveness brought a
smile.  No, you don t need to go beat him up. He didn t
Cindy Spencer Pape 67
really do anything, it turned out he had ulterior motives.
 Explain.
She did. Collapsing back against the sun-warmed
aluminum screen door, she spilled it all, the attraction, the
house party and finding out he was some sort of
investigator looking for an adopted child. The only parts
she left out were Greg s veiled hints about  sides, and
 bad things going down.
 So he must have known you d be at the bar last
night.
It sounded crazy when he said it out loud.  I don t
know how he could have, she admitted.  Even I didn t
know I was going to be there till the last minute.
 You said he asked about your adoption?
 Not really. Greg did, actually, when he drove me
home.
 You had a fight at this party and he had his friend
drive you home. Then the friend asks if you were adopted.
Have I got that right?
 Right, she admitted. Somehow it sounded even
crazier when he said it out loud.
Jase continued.  But you blew him off? Why? I
thought you were trying to find your biological parents?
She had been, on and off. Since the death of her
adoptive mother a year earlier, she d felt so adrift and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]