Page 69

F ane watched as Marjani climbed into bed fully dressed except for her shoes. The switchblade went under her pillow. He’d bet she had a knife or two hidden on her body as well.

A corner of his mouth lifted in a self-mocking smile. Guess it was up to him to be a gentleman and leave the bed to her. “I’ll take the chair,” he said and went into the bathroom to wash up. He exchanged his button-up shirt for a T-shirt but left his pants on.

When he returned, she was on her side facing him, the comforter tucked around her so that all he saw was a nose and cat-shaped eyes. He took a quilt from the closet and padded to the easy chair.

“You don’t have to sleep in the chair.” A quiet voice came from the bed.

He sent her a look over his shoulder. Did she mean what he thought she did?

“It’s a big bed,” she said. “You stay on your side, and I’ll stay on mine.”

No, she didn’t . With a philosophical shrug, he sat down and settled the quilt around him. “I’m good.”

He flicked his fingers and the fae lights dimmed to a soft amber. Marjani’s breath slowed, and he thought she’d fallen asleep until she murmured, “Why are you being so nice?”

“I’m a bloody philanthropist. Now go to sleep already.”

“Okay.” A drowsy mumble. “But…thank you.”

He grunted. When he was sure she was asleep, he muttered, “Because I like you. Too much,” and then shut his eyes. As the king’s envoy, he’d learned to sleep wherever he could.

He was deep in an enjoyable dream involving him and his sexy guest when a whimper jolted him awake. Heart pounding, he scanned the room. Had Blaer found out he was hiding a fada?

Marjani gave another forlorn mewl.

Hell and damnation. She was having a nightmare.

He threw off the quilt and padded to the bed. Sensing motion, the fae lights brightened enough for him to see his guest curled in a tight ball, tears streaking her cheeks.

He stared down at her helplessly. “Hey.” He touched her shoulder. “Wake up. It’s just a bad dream.”

A guttural growl ripped from her throat. Claws sprouted from her fingertips.

He jerked his hand away. “Calm down. It’s me, Fane.”

Her breath shuddered in. She raised herself on an elbow. The eyes that met his were an unnerving turquoise, and he knew he was face-to-face with the cougar.

The center of her quartz glowed a similar aqua-blue. She touched it and blinked. Awareness dawned.

“I—sorry,” she said gruffly. Her claws detracted.

He sat on the mattress. “Want to tell me about it?”

She shook her head. “Excuse me,” she muttered and pushed past him into the bathroom. The water ran. He heard a couple of choked sobs that were immediately cut off.

He looked down at his hands and stayed where he was.

When she returned, her face was freshly scrubbed. He rose to his feet. Her eyes met his, red and swollen, the irises back to brown. Daring him to say something.

Lord, he didn’t want to care. For the past six decades, he’d done just fine not caring about much at all, and this woman was nothing to him. But his heart constricted at how tense she held herself—shoulders high, feet apart. Prepared to strike if he offered sympathy.

She spoke first. “You can have the bed now.”

“I changed my mind. If it’s still all right, I’ll share it with you.”

Relief flashed across her face, but her voice was cool. “It’s your bed.”

He reached out a hand. “Come here.”

She looked from the hand to his face. “Why?”

“I think you need to be held.”

Another challenging look. “And why would I want you to hold me?”

He set his jaw. “Because I’m the only one here. Now come.” He beckoned with his fingers.

She dragged a hand over her shaved head. “I suppose it’s the only way we’ll get any sleep.”

“That’s right. Now come here. You can have the outside.” He got under the comforter and scooted toward the wall.

She crept under the comforter and lay facing him, her expression neutral. But he’d seen that relief on her face. She wanted this.

Turning onto his back, he slid an arm under her shoulders. When she didn’t resist, he pulled her into the curve of his shoulder. She held herself stiff for a few moments and then her breasts heaved.

“You think I’m weak,” she muttered against his T-shirt.

He huffed a laugh. “Like hell. You’re probably the strongest woman I know.”

“Then you don’t know many fada.”

“Not true. In my work for the king, I’ve met my share.”

“Yeah? What do you do, anyway?”

“I’m one of his envoys. I’m part messenger, part negotiator. I’ve been to all the major fae courts—ice fae, sun fae, and night fae—and I’ve also visited a number of fae and fada clans.”

“Sounds interesting.” She settled more comfortably into the crook of his shoulder, probably not even realizing she’d relaxed. She had a sweet, earthy scent that reminded him of a baby animal’s.

He turned so that his cheek was against Marjani’s shaved head. Something about the short bristles against his skin was unbearably erotic. He pulled his head back, putting some space between them, and firmly tamped down his desire.

He was offering comfort, nothing more, even if his cock hadn’t gotten the message.

“It can be. But…” He trailed off, because what was the use of complaining? He was in for the duration.

But he was sick and tired of being at Sindre’s beck and call. He wanted his own life back. He’d spent six decades trotting about on king’s errands. Working his way up in the ice fae court—and for what? He was still on the outer fringes, tolerated, but not respected.

Hell, he’d had to hide at his own daughter’s mate ritual because no one at court knew he had a daughter—and that was how he wanted to keep it. Instead, he’d observed the ceremony from the back of the crowd, an odd pressure in his chest.

Evie was his only child, and he’d missed too much of her growing up. It was his biggest regret.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling happy that his Evie had found a mate.

And damn, she’d sparkled in a pretty dress with a star adorning her short blond hair, her face wreathed in smiles as she’d walked toward Jace.

He’d stayed for the first toast and then left.

Evie was in good hands with her earth fada mate, and Fane was supposed to be in Canada on a job for Sindre.

The king wouldn’t be happy to know he’d made an unscheduled visit to Baltimore, and he’d be furious to learn Fane had a daughter he didn’t know about.

But it was safer for Evie if the ice fae didn’t know she existed.

Besides, time passed differently in the fae world. A month could go by and he’d return to the States to find Evie another year older. And frankly, he wasn’t good at the commitment thing, even when it was his own daughter.

He inhaled Marjani’s fresh, wild scent. “Your dream. Was it about the cages?”

“No. Just something bad that happened to me once.”

He squeezed her shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged and turned the subject. “I’ll tell you one thing—I’d pay good money to know who sent that message to my brother. It was in my cousin’s handwriting.”

“I told you, he’s in no condition to send a message. Someone here helped him.”

“That’s what I figured. So that fae lady you told me about must’ve been trying to lure Adric to Iceland. Or maybe it was the king?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“No,” she agreed, “you didn’t. I’m just glad I came, not Ric.”

“Because you can win against a fae where he can’t?”

She shook her head. “He’s stronger than me. He wouldn’t be alpha if he wasn’t.”

“Then why?”

“I’m expendable,” she said in a flat voice. “He’s not. You don’t know what it was like before he took over as alpha. We can’t lose him.”

That’s when he realized that Marjani had known what she was getting into. This was a suicide mission.

Bloody hell. He tightened his grip on her. “I’ll help any way I can.” It was a fucking evasive promise, but it was the best he could do.

She should’ve called him on it. Instead she murmured a thank you.

“You should never have come here.” He sounded like a broken record, but he had the bad feeling it was already too late to sneak her back out of the castle—and the thought of this proud, beautiful woman at the mercy of Lady Blaer made him a little sick.

“I had to.”

He mentally shook his head. But he supposed to Marjani, there’d been no other choice. That was the kind of woman she was.

She patted his chest. “Don’t worry. I’ll be okay.”

His mouth twisted. Because all of a sudden, he wasn’t sure who was comforting whom.