Page 26 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter (Quirk of Fate #5)

The following week passed in a blur of activity. Tynan had completely moved into Malik’s space, his few cherished possessions now nestled among Malik’s belongings as if they’d always belonged there.

The workshop office had been transformed into a dual-purpose space - one side for Malik’s automotive paperwork, the other for Tynan’s investigation files.

Sparky had claimed a new perch near the window where he could observe both the workshop floor and the street outside. Malik had even put in a new door onto the street, next to the window, so that Tynan’s clients didn’t have to go through the workshop to speak to him.

“Can you pass me that folder?” Tynan asked Ian, who was helping him organize the last of his case files. The young man had thrown himself enthusiastically into setting up the new investigative headquarters, insisting that a proper detective’s office needed “ambiance.”

“Here you go.” Ian handed over the manila folder. “I still think we should get one of those corkboards for pinning up clues and connecting them with red string. All the best TV detectives have one.”

Tynan laughed, the sound coming easier these days. “Maybe next week. For now, I’m just happy to have everything in one place.”

Tynan’s computer - a sleek new model Malik had insisted on purchasing to replace his outdated machine - sat on the corner of the desk, already connected to the workshop’s Wi-Fi.

Sparky had spent hours watching YouTube tutorials on the new system, insisting he needed to “understand the equipment” despite never actually using it himself.

The bell on Tynan’s door chimed, and Tynan glanced up, expecting to see one of Malik’s regular clients using the wrong door.

It had happened a few times. Instead, a tall figure with pale-blond hair and pointed ears stepped inside, wearing an impeccable suit that seemed to shimmer slightly in the office’s fluorescent lighting.

Tynan froze, his heart stuttering in his chest. “Finley?”

The fae visitor smiled thinly, green eyes - several shades lighter than Tynan’s - swept dismissively over the office and to the workshop beyond. “Cousin. How quaint to find you in such a setting.”

Ian looked between them, confusion evident on his face. “Um, should I…?”

“It’s alright, Ian,” Tynan said quickly, keeping his voice steady despite the shock coursing through him. “This is my cousin, Finley. From overseas.”

Finley’s lip curled slightly at the human-friendly explanation. “Indeed. Quite far overseas. I require a private conversation with my relative, if you don’t mind.”

Ian hesitated, glancing at Tynan for direction.

“It’s okay,” Tynan assured him, though his stomach was twisting into knots. “Could you let Malik know we have a visitor and I’ll be busy for a few moments?”

Ian nodded and headed toward the work bays where Malik was finishing up an oil change. Tynan turned back to his unexpected guest, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

“What are you doing here, Finley? I haven’t seen anyone from the family in well over a year.”

“That’s precisely why I’ve come.” Finley adjusted his immaculate cuffs, a gesture so familiar it transported Tynan back to his days in the fae realm. “Your abrupt departure has caused quite the stir. The family council has questions.”

“I didn’t realize my whereabouts were of such interest,” Tynan replied, fighting to keep the bitterness from his voice. “Considering how little anyone seemed to care when I was actually there.”

Finley waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t be dramatic, cousin. You know how these things work. One can’t simply abandon their responsibilities without consequences.”

“Responsibilities?” Tynan laughed. “What responsibilities? Being the butt of everyone’s jokes? The cautionary tale parents tell their children about faulty magic?”

A flash of something - perhaps guilt? - crossed Finley’s perfect features before his mask of aristocratic indifference slipped back into place. “The council has sent me to formally request your return. Your extended vacation has gone on long enough.”

Before Tynan could respond, he felt a familiar presence at his back - solid, warm, and radiating protective energy. Malik had arrived, his large frame filling the doorway behind Tynan.

“Everything okay here?” Malik’s deep voice was deceptively calm, but Tynan could feel the tension in his mate through their bond.

Finley’s eyes widened slightly as he took in Malik’s imposing figure. His nostrils flared, and Tynan knew his cousin’s magic would’ve picked up Malik’s shifter nature.

“This must be the reason for your extended absence,” Finley said, his voice dripping with disdain. “Consorting with shifters now, are we? How very...progressive of you.”

Tynan felt Malik stiffen behind him. He straightened to his full height, which still fell short of both men. “Keep your voice down,” he said quietly. “This is a place of business, and there are humans around. Put simply, Malik is my mate, Finley. That’s all you need to know.”

The words hung in the air between them. Finley’s carefully cultivated composure cracked, genuine shock registering on his face.

“That’s impossible,” he finally managed. “The council would have been informed of a proper mating bond. There are protocols, ceremonies…”

“That’s utter crap. No one with a nature such as ours needs protocols or ceremonies to follow the Fates’ lead,” Tynan interrupted. “The bond formed naturally, as the Fates intended.”

Malik moved to stand beside Tynan, their shoulders touching in a silent show of unity. “I think you should explain exactly why you’re here and what you want with my mate,” he said, his voice carrying the subtle rumble of his inner rhino.

Finley’s gaze darted between them, reassessing the situation.

“I see. Well, this complicates matters somewhat.” He smoothed down his already immaculate suit.

“The family is experiencing... disruptions in the power structure. Your great-aunt Evaline has been making rather troublesome claims about succession rights.”

“And this concerns me how?” Tynan asked, genuinely confused. He had never been anywhere near the line of succession for family leadership.

“She’s using your departure as evidence of the current leadership’s failures,” Finley explained with obvious reluctance. “Claims they drove you away with their mistreatment.”

Tynan laughed a second time. “Well, she’s not wrong there.”

“The point is,” Finley continued, ignoring the interruption, “your absence has become a political tool. Your return would nullify her arguments and restore stability.”

“So now I’m useful to the family?” Tynan shook his head in disbelief. “After a full century and a half of mockery and isolation, and close to eighteen months’ absence, suddenly I’m important enough to track down?”

“Politics makes for strange bedfellows,” Finley replied with a shrug. “Though not as strange as your choice, apparently.” He cast a pointed look at Malik.

Malik took a half-step forward, his patience clearly wearing thin. “You should watch how you speak about things you don’t understand.”

“I understand plenty,” Finley shot back. “I understand that my cousin has abandoned his heritage to live among humans and bond with a shifter. I understand that his actions have consequences for those he left behind.”

“And I understand that you came here to manipulate me,” Tynan said quietly. “To use me as a pawn in family politics, just as I’ve always been used.”

Finley at least had the grace to look slightly uncomfortable. “The council merely wishes for your return. A brief visit would suffice to quell the current unpleasantness.”

“No.” The word came out stronger than Tynan had expected, surprising even himself. “I’m not coming back, Finley. Not even for a visit.”

“You can’t simply refuse a family summons…”

“I can and I am.” Tynan squared his shoulders. “I have a life here. A mate. Work that matters to me. For the first time, I belong somewhere, with someone who values me for exactly who I am.”

“There are obligations that come with being fae…”

“Obligations that no one seemed concerned with when I was being ridiculed and ostracized,” Tynan interrupted. “Besides, I have new obligations now. My mating bond takes precedence over any council summons, and you know it.”

Finley’s eyes narrowed. “You can’t possibly have completed a formal bond. The family would have felt the magical resonance.”

In response, Tynan simply lowered the glamor around his neck, revealing the silvery mark where Malik had bitten him - the only scar that could or would remain on a fae. Beside him, Malik did the same, showing the purple-tinged mark Tynan’s magic had left on his skin.

Finley actually took a step back. “By the Fates,” he whispered. “You really did it. A true mate bond.”

“Yes,” Tynan said simply. “And you know as well as I do that interfering with such a bond is a paranormal offense recognized by all realms.”

For the first time, Finley seemed at a loss for words. He stared at the matching marks, his carefully constructed arguments crumbling visibly.

“I suggest you return to your family with this information,” Malik said, his voice steady and authoritative. “Tell them Tynan has found his fated mate and established a life here. Any attempt to force his return would constitute interference with a sacred bond.”

Finley’s jaw worked silently for a moment before he regained his composure. “They won’t be pleased.”

“Their pleasure has never been my priority,” Tynan replied. “Not after how they treated me.”

“You know they’ll send others,” Finley warned.

“And they’ll receive the same answer.” Tynan reached for Malik’s hand, drawing strength from his mate’s solid presence. “I’m not coming back, Finley. Not now, not ever.”

For a brief moment, something that might have been respect flickered in Finley’s eyes. Then his aristocratic mask slid back into place. “I’ll convey your position to the council.” He adjusted his tie. “I can’t promise they’ll accept it.”

“That’s their problem,” Tynan said with a confidence he would never have possessed before meeting Malik.

Finley nodded curtly. “Very well, cousin. I’ve fulfilled my obligation in delivering the message.” He hesitated, then added in a lower voice, “For what it’s worth, Evaline was right about how you were treated. It wasn’t acceptable.”

The closest thing to an apology Tynan would ever get from any of them. He inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment.

“Safe travels, Finley.”

With a final assessing look at Malik, Finley turned and strode back out onto the street, his exit as dramatic as his entrance.

Once the door closed behind him, Tynan let out a shaky breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Malik’s arm immediately wrapped around his shoulders, solid and reassuring.

“You okay?” Malik asked softly.

“I think so.” Tynan leaned into his mate’s warmth. “That was a blast from the past I never thought I’d see. I never expected any of them to come looking for me.”

“You handled him perfectly,” Malik said, pride evident in his voice. “I was ready to throw him out by his perfectly styled hair.”

That startled a laugh from Tynan. “I could feel you holding back. Thank you for letting me handle it.”

“It was your fight.” Malik pressed a kiss to Tynan’s temple. “Though I was right here if you needed me.”

“I always need you,” Tynan admitted. “But it felt good to stand up to him myself. To the family, through him.”

“You were magnificent.” Malik’s blue eyes shone with admiration. “The look on his face when you showed him our mating marks - priceless.”

From his perch by the window, Sparky finally broke his uncharacteristic silence. “I was calculating how many feathers I’d need to pluck from that pompous peacock if he tried anything. At least sixty, I figured.”

“You were awfully quiet,” Tynan observed.

“Strategic silence,” Sparky replied with dignity. “Let the enemy underestimate the avian element of our defense strategy.”

Malik chuckled, but his expression quickly sobered. “Do you think they’ll really send others?”

Tynan sighed. “Finlay talks a good talk, but I doubt it. The main fae council knows the laws well enough not to interfere, and while the family council might whine and grumble about it for the next two hundred years, they’ll know if they do anything to interfere with my life here, then the general fae council will interfere with them.

Our fated mate bond has to be respected above all else. ”

“Good.” Malik’s arm tightened around him. “Because you belong here now. With me.”

“With us,” Sparky corrected. “I’m an essential component of this arrangement.”