Page 25

My stony stare and terse dismissal made him blink. I’d been practicing in the mirror in case Ethan returned. One thing I had to admit about this gig was that not a single day here was boring.

I tapped the wand on my palm, waved a hand at him. He slid back far enough on the porch for me to open the door and exit the house.

Once outside, I blocked the door with my body and crossed my arms. The wand sparked in my hand. It was the only warning I would give him.

“I have no vacancies tonight and clearly not enough room for you and your people to become my guests. So why are you here?”

“I have not come to stay, Innkeeper. I have come to rescue someone.”

While I stood there absorbing his threat, the army leader waved a hand, and twenty archers raised their bows. He waved at the archers and sneered at me. “See? This is me not jesting about why I’m here.”

I raised one eyebrow, pointed my wand, and their weapons disappeared from their hands. Soldiers turned to each other and exclaimed in shock.

I turned to glare at their leader. “And that was me showing you that you have no power here. Guests are protected by the inn. Your rudeness, Commander, makes me want to dig out my well. Now answer my questions before I get angry. Who are you, and why are you and your army here?”

He straightened to glare back at me. “I am Prince William of Locksley. I don’t know why you are holding my youngest brother hostage, but I demand you release him immediately.”

Oh, Good Goddess... I chuckled and uncrossed my arms. “Prince Robin of Locksley and Lord Alfred are here, but they are my guests. Their stay was arranged by Princess Peace and Harmony, who is also staying here. Who told you Prince Robin was here as a hostage?”

Prince William blinked at me in surprise. “Are you certain my brother is here as a guest?”

I pointed the wand at myself. “I’m an innkeeper, and this is an inn. The only person being held hostage in this place is me. Don’t ask why, though, it’s too long a story to tell. Just accept that your brother is here to seek a reprieve from his cursed life. I will allow no harm to come to him.”

Prince William looked back at his people. There were so many that they barely all fit in the yard. “Where is the informant? Bring him forward.”

Two soldiers made their way through the crowd, carrying a whining, resistant Ethan between them. Watching him getting dragged forward felt like some surreal scene in a fantasy movie. It was incredibly satisfying to see him being manhandled. I was beyond ready to sacrifice my ex and let the gods deal with him.

“Ethan. Ethan. What mischief are you up to now?”

The soldiers tossed him at the bottom of the stairs, where Prince William and I could stare down at him. Ethan bounced in the dirt, and then just as quickly bounced up to his feet. “I came here to right a wrong.”

“What did you hope to gain by lying to Prince William about his brother?” I asked.

Ethan glared for all he was worth. “I did not lie to him. His brother is here.”

“What were you hoping to achieve, Ethan? The inn’s guests are none of your concern.”

“And why I’m here is none of yours,” Ethan said snidely, throwing my words back at me with a grin.

I turned away to look at Prince William. “What did Ethan ask of you in exchange for his information about your brother’s whereabouts?”

“He asked us to kill you.” A frowning Prince William looked between me and Ethan. He raised a finger and pointed at Ethan. “How do you know him?”

“I’m ashamed to admit that Ethan is a former boyfriend. We broke up a long time ago, yet he’s been causing me problems ever since.”

The entire fairy army groaned and threw up their hands in disgust over having wasted their time. I deserved an acting award for not laughing at the look of shock on Ethan’s face.

“Nothing is amusing about this situation. She’s an evil witch,” Ethan yelled at them. When they smirked at him, he became angrier. “The woman is crazy too. She talks to a ghost and wields the power of this haunted house—more power than any fairy can ever hope to possess. Even your queen is not as powerful as she is. This place is a magical threat and should be burned to the ground.”

I blew out a breath and rolled my eyes so high they nearly touched the brim of my witch’s hat. “Yes, and don’t forget to tell them the part about me getting your mother put in prison for trying to steal the fairy queen’s crystal. That’s my favorite.”

I diplomatically omitted the seduction game Ethan had played with Peace. I feared one of the fairies would impale him to prevent him from bragging about their beloved princess.

To my utter delight, the entire fairy army groaned again and threw up their hands once more. It was a very Monty Python moment, and I grinned widely at Ethan for making it possible. “Whatever you’re doing, it’s not going to work. The truth will always remain the truth, no matter how many lies you tell.”

I felt Farley step out of the door behind me. His clothes smoothly changed from jeans and a t-shirt into a version of what I had dressed Robin in earlier. Being almost seven feet tall, the entire army gasped when Farley roared at them in welcome. Then they cheered and clapped at the magic that had transformed him. Some probably clapped at how amazing he looked in his new outfit because he looked just as princely as Prince Robin.

Forgetting that we had an audience, I stepped toward him and smiled up at him. “Nice outfit,” I whispered.