Page 24 of Through the Veil (Endangered Fae #2)

Chapter fifteen

Glamours and Agate

R ecovering fae proved finicky eaters. Tia Carmen made huge batches of scrambled eggs and bacon the next morning, which Finn devoured without complaint, but while Sionnach and Easóg consumed the eggs with evident relish, they wouldn’t touch the bacon.

“Burned meat,” Sionnach had sniffed in distaste.

Angus happily crunched the bacon, but paled at the sight of eggs. Lugh, who had returned from the Dreaming early that morning, turned his head away from both with a pained moan.

“I have had my breakfast, thank you, kind lady,” Nathair insisted when she offered him a plate. From the little tufts of fur at the oak’s base, Diego surmised ‘breakfast’ had consisted of small rodents, which made sense. Nathair was, after all, a garden snake.

He mentioned this back in the kitchen and Tia Carmen smacked her forehead. “ Por supuesto , I am growing old and slow. It is their animal natures. Poor Lugh. Un toro and I offer him dead pig.”

Nothing would do but she had to make a huge pot of oatmeal, with apples and raisins, which Lugh tolerated much more readily. Finn was more than pleased to help with the remainder since there was little he would not eat.

“Missed home cooking, did you?” Diego asked in amusement while Finn wolfed down his third helping of everything.

He received only a deep, satisfied growl in response, since Finn was too busy stuffing his face to talk.

“ Bien, mi amor , I won’t tease you.” Diego kissed the top of Finn’s head. “You obviously need it.”

Finn’s hand shot out to grab his wrist. He finished his mouthful before he looked up at Diego, eyes pleading. “Now?”

The wistful expression on that handsome face and the need in those black eyes almost made Diego relent.

They had slept on the back porch the night before, in case anyone might need them, sharing a sleeping bag for warmth.

Finn had begged quite persuasively for sex then, but Diego had been exhausted and falling asleep under Finn’s soft caresses.

Not to mention the fact that several people with exceptional hearing and night vision slept only a few feet away.

“I need to take Tia Carmen shopping, querido . I’m sorry. But she didn’t exactly bring luggage with her, and she says we’re out of everything.”

“Ah. Of course, of course. It will keep.”

Finn’s carefully painted-on smile didn’t fool Diego one bit, though. The hurt and disappointment rode behind his eyes.

“I’ll just tell Nathair I’m going.” Diego walked to the back door. “In case he… Dios ayudame , what the hell?”

A huge man stood in the back garden, easily seven feet tall, with shoulders so broad, he would have to turn sideways to fit through the door.

He loomed there, in nothing but a black kilt, arms crossed over his chiseled chest, looking like he owned the place.

Something about the stance, the defiant lift of chin, the serious scowl…

Diego went out and approached slowly. “Balor?”

The tusks were missing, but the snort couldn’t have been anyone else’s. “Yes, boy, it’s me. I thought this would be better in full daylight. In case humans were about.”

“But…I thought Fomorians didn’t shift?”

“We don’t. Open your eyes, dunderhead. It’s naught but a glamour.”

Diego reached out with more than sight and, yes, Balor was still the same under the illusion. “Oh. Um… majestad , if you’re trying not to draw attention to yourself, you may want to rethink the glamour and add clothes?”

Balor let out a speculative rumble. “Like yours?”

“Well, yes. You’re magnificent as a human, but your size is unusual enough. If one of the rangers comes by to check on us and sees you like that, they’re likely to faint.”

“Out of fear?”

“Perhaps partly.” Diego gave him a glance up and down. “One of them is female, single and very much looking. The male prefers other men and adores big ones.”

“Hmph.” Balor’s illusion flickered, the kilt replaced by jeans and a skin-tight T-shirt, both black. “Better?”

“Still jaw-dropping, but better. Majestad , I need to go out for a while for some supplies. Will you be here?”

“I will watch over them.”

Not really what I was asking, but oh, well. “Good, thank you. If any humans do show up, would you please let Finn deal with them? He’s been living in this century a little longer, and the locals all know him.”

Balor’s brows drew down. “They know him? So he was not telling tales and truly has been living among them?”

“In a limited sense, yes. They don’t think of him as anything but human. Most of them even like him.”

“Dangerous game,” Balor grumbled. “It will turn and bite him someday.”

Diego laughed. “I don’t think so, majestad . It took him quite some time to convince me he wasn’t human, and he honestly tried his best. If he told anyone out here that he’s a fairy, they would simply pat his arm and say, ‘Oh, it’s okay, we know you’re gay’.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

In the truck on the way into town, Tia Carmen sat silent and pensive, staring out of the window.

With the little main street in sight, Diego finally asked the question he’d held onto the entire drive, “Do you know what’s wrong with Finn?”

She startled out of her thoughts to blink at him. “Besides being underfed?”

“Yes, underfed, overtired and recently shot, besides that.” Diego shook his head. “He’s been so…moody. So tense.”

“He doubts, Santiago. It eats at him.”

“Doubts? Doubts what? That I love him?”

“No, mijo , I think he knows that. But somewhere he has picked up a thought. Whether it was something said to him or something that happened, I don’t know. But I have seen him watching you, too serious and worried. He wonders if he is what you need, I think. Wonders if he is good enough for you.”

“He…what? Where the hell would he get such an idea? He’s the best thing that ever happened to me, the most wonderful thing.” Diego parked in front of the Dry Goods and yanked up the hand brake in frustration. “Damn it.”

“Maybe he needs to hear these things from you.”

“I’ve told him. It has to be more than that.” Diego scrubbed a hand back through his hair. Then a thought hit him. “Maybe I need to make sure he understands there’s no one else for me. Maybe saying it isn’t enough with all he’s been through.”

“ Quizás , it’s possible. Just don’t forget him in the confusion of everything else you are busy with.”

The girl behind the counter in the Dry Goods glanced up from her magazine when they walked in, her face breaking into a brilliant smile. “Hey, Mr. Sandoval! What can we do for you?”

“Hi, Molly.” Diego waved to her. “This is my Aunt Carmen from New York. Could you help her find some clothes?”

“Oh, sure. Stupid airline lost your luggage, huh?”

Tia Carmen shrugged with a little smile. “Eh, it happens.”

“So where’s Finn?” Molly asked as she came around the counter.

“Back at the house entertaining. Some of his friends from back home are visiting.”

“Oh, how cool! More hot guys from Ireland? Wow, you gotta bring them into town, Mr. Sandoval. I mean, I know they’re probably all, you know, but it’s just such a hoot to hear Finn’s cute accent. And a whole group of them?” Molly fanned herself.

“We’ll see.” Diego laughed. “They’re kind of a rowdy bunch.”

“Even better.” Molly grinned. “You need anything for Finn?”

“If you have any jeans his size, add it to the pile, please. He’s managed to lose a pair somewhere.”

Tia Carmen flapped a hand at Diego. “Go do your other shopping, mijo . I don’t think you want to be here to watch us look at old lady underpants.”

Diego laughed and wandered down the street to the little grocery to fill Tia Carmen’s requests and procure what he had promised for Finn.

Two coolers full of meat, eggs, butter and ice cream later, he had only one other stop in mind.

At the end of the little row of shops sat a dusty antique store.

He had often wondered how the crotchety old man stayed in business.

His only customers seemed to be the summer tourists, and the displays never changed.

He took a deep breath of clean air and stepped into the musty interior, the bell over the door jangling loud enough to wake the most peaceful dead. The glass eyes of a fox stole glared at him from an ancient hat rack. Not a good place to bring Sionnach.

“Good morning, Mr. Peters.” Diego nodded politely to the stout, elderly gentleman on his high stool, hunched over his paper.

Mr. Peters glanced up with a sour expression and returned to his reading.

Fine. Old coot . Unlike the majority of this friendly little town, Mr. Peters had never given him the time of day.

Diego hadn’t been able to figure out if it was because he was gay or because he was Latino or from New York or just not someone with a ‘real’ job.

Hands clasped behind his back in a non-threatening, perusing-without-touching sort of way, Diego meandered over to the jewelry case.

As he had hoped, this case hadn’t changed any more than the rest of the shop.

In the left-hand corner on the top shelf, the ring had a fine film of dust on it, as if it hadn’t been handled in years. Set in a band of gold filigree, the yellow agate had the most beautiful tree-shaped intrusions, as if nature had been painting a miniature landscape.

“Excuse me, Mr. Peters? How much for the dendritic agate ring?”

Mr. Peters peered over his spectacles. “You can’t afford it.”

“Please—it’s perfect. Name a price. I’ll manage.”

“It’s not for sale.”

“Then why is it in the case?”

“Because it’s for sale, just not to you.”

“Oh.” Unhappy in any confrontation, under other circumstances he might have walked out. This, however, was too important. “Mr. Peters, what in the world do you have against me? Have I ever been rude to you?”