Page 10 of Beyond the Veil (Endangered Fae #4)

Theo lowered the work with a little sigh, straightening it out so Finn could see.

It was far from finished, but Finn could see by the sketched outline on the cloth that it would be a dragon in flight over a mountain range.

One wing, head and shoulders were complete, picked out in astounding detail so that the thread appeared to be shining scales.

“Your color palette is quite beautiful,” Finn said as he ran a finger reverently along the dragon’s jaw.

Theo’s pale complexion gained a hint of pink, his normal stoic, unreadable gaze suddenly shy. “Are you an artist? I didn’t know the fae…”

“Some are. Different sorts.” Finn smiled for him, hoping to ease his discomfort. “I wasn’t until I started to live with Diego. I paint. Oils, most times.”

With a nod, Theo bent his head back to his work, though he seemed more relaxed. After a moment, Finn asked, “Is that what you wanted to be? Before the change? To make beautiful things with your hands?”

The flash up and down of Theo’s needle slowed then stopped again. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Why?”

“They don’t accept vampires at California Polytechnic.”

“I don’t unders—” Finn broke off on a sudden urge to sneeze. “Do you smell something odd?”

Theo lifted his head, nostrils flared. “Yes.” He put his needlework away in his pack and motioned for Finn to let him up.

“My heart, my own, there’s something here that should not be .” Finn sent the silent warning even as Diego rose from his seat by the window. A soft, muted hum of power gathered at Diego’s fingertips, the flows so well controlled Finn couldn’t help a surge of pride.

“It’s in the last overhead compartment,” Diego sent back. “ Keep everyone back, please.”

“Sir?” The trio of human security had spotted Diego’s movements and they were hurrying down the aisle. “Everything okay?”

“Stay there, Kurt, please,” Diego ordered softly. “We have a stowaway.”

Diego paced down the aisle to the last overhead compartment, the larger one with the blankets and medical boxes.

He moved slowly, calmly still, so Finn had no qualms about throwing his arm across the aisle to keep the security folks back.

Theo, slender and agile, simply ducked under his arm and slid around him.

Finn was about to call him back when he finally sifted the strange smell from the cleaning chemicals and scents of the plane.

“Oh, crud,” Diego muttered as he obviously came to the same conclusion. He pinched the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger, letting out a slow, exasperated breath. He called out to the compartment, “We know you’re in there. I’m opening the door now, so don’t be startled.”

Theo had reached his side, muttered a soft curse in Spanish and sneezed. Ah, our Nightwalker buck has puzzled it out as well. A bit of scuffling and a muffled squeak came from the compartment when Diego opened the door.

“Come out, Limpet. You can’t possibly be comfortable in there.” Diego turned to the security staff. “Did someone check all the overheads before we boarded?”

“Yes, sir.” Kurt’s face was as scarlet as the horns on Theo’s thread dragon. “Checked them myself. I’m s—”

Diego held up a hand to cut him off even as he helped Limpet down with the other. “You couldn’t have known. Selkies are good at not being seen, when they wish.”

“They can be invisible?” the wide-eyed young woman behind Kurt asked.

“Not precisely, no. They redirect your attention. It doesn’t work well in full sun, but it boils down to Limpet thinking you can’t see me very hard and your brain complying.”

“What are you doing here?” Theo asked when Limpet had both feet on the floor.

“Ah, well…” Limpet’s eyes were huge, obviously distressed as he took in all the people staring at him. “I fell asleep in there. Didn’t realize we were going somewhere.”

Finn snorted and leaned back against the nearest seat. “You are perhaps the worst liar in all of the universe. Except perhaps our Zachary, whose face turns interesting pinks and reds. Try another one?”

Limpet hung his head, his blue-gray-green hair obscuring his face a moment.

When he lifted his face again, he seized Diego’s sleeve and began prattling rapid-fire.

“I know you sent word back to my pod. They would come soon to take me home. But I don’t wish to go home.

I wish to see things. They would keep me by the home shore forever and always since I’m the youngest. But I’m not that young anymore.

I’m grown. And I wish to see the human world.

And I wanted to come with you rather than stay on the island with the Devourer.

He seems nice enough but he’s still what he is and I knew if I asked, you would say no.

So I crept into the back of the magic carriage with the bags when you left the island and crept into this odd bird-box while the humans brought the bags on.

And I hid.” He waggled his fingers at the young man at Diego’s elbow. “Hello, Theo.”

Theo heaved a small, aggrieved sigh. Diego appeared to be fighting a headache.

“It’s not as if we can put him back, is it?” Finn asked. This far into a flight, he surmised they weren’t able to turn around.

“No, we can’t.” Diego patted Limpet’s hand.

“This wasn’t a smart move, hon. We’re going somewhere dangerous and you’ll be an added distraction for my security.

” He called up the aisle, “Kurt, see if we can cobble together a uniform for him. Jess is probably about his size. I can hide his appearance to a certain extent, but anything to help him blend in.”

“Could we leave him with the plane?” Finn suggested.

Theo muttered something that could have been, “If you want baked selkie.”

“I’m afraid not. Do you remember sitting in the car for five minutes when I ran into the Sobeys?”

“Ah. Yes.” Finn shuddered. It hadn’t occurred to him that a plane would heat up like a car, and this would be for several days, in a place that apparently reached temperatures hot enough to bake a selkie outside of a vehicle.

His curiosity pricked up when Theo stepped closer to take Limpet’s chin in hand, forcing the selkie’s head around to meet his gaze. Finn had found that holding Theo’s gaze for more than a moment was unnerving, but Limpet held steady, actually concentrating.

“You’ll have to be very quiet around the humans here. No questions. No blurting out things,” Theo told him, his voice soft but stern.

“No whispering?” Limpet asked.

“No. Whispering.”

Finn gaped in astonishment as Limpet nodded mutely against Theo’s hand. A selkie, whose nature dictated that he talk, about everything, incessantly, had just agreed to be quiet.