City of Fae

“No, it’s not funny,” I agreed, straight-faced.

“It really isn’t.” He snorted and pursed his lips, holding back more laughter. “I’ve not slept, at all.” The brightness in his eyes dulled. “I can’t for the life of me stop thinking about you. That touch. We’ve touched before—I don’t know how many times. Too many. You took part of me, my draíocht. I can’t close my eyes without seeing you. I’m caught, Alina, whether you meant it or not.” The sound of laughter turned bitter beneath his words. “I saw this happen to my sister. I know exactly what it is. And I can’t stop it.”

His smile was a sad thing, and it broke my silent heart. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” He sighed. “You should be careful walking the streets. You don’t look fae, but people are nervous.”

I shuffled, contemplating just leaving. It would be the right thing to do. “Look, I’m not even really fae. Nobody knows what I am. The beginnings of bespellment will probably fizzle out.” The look on his face said he didn’t believe me. I didn’t believe me either. I was part queen, for heaven’s sake. “I guess I can’t stay for breakfast.”

“I don’t think it’d be a good idea.”

With a nod, I turned away.

“Alina, look. Besides the whole touching screwup, what you did back there at the dome, nobody really knows what happened, but I do. Thank you.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “I just did what I was made to do.” Hand on the door handle, I paused. If Andrews was falling under bespellment, then the best thing for me to do was walk away and never see him again. But I didn’t want to go. The observant detective had wormed his way into my heart. He was the only friend I had. He’d helped me as much as Reign, maybe more. He didn’t deserve for this to be happening. Neither of us did. “Danny, if you need me, I’ll be in Under.” I opened the door and stepped through. His final words sliced through my soul just as the door closed behind me.

“I won’t need you, Alina.”





Chapter Thirty-two


Under was empty. As I’d expected it to be. The London fae were gone. The Chancery Lane entrance was too risky for them to be seen coming and going. They had scurried into the dark and hidden themselves all over again. Knowing the fae as I was beginning to, they’d hate it in the shadows. It wouldn’t be long before they’d reemerge.

As I looked human, I could walk right in without being spotted as fae. I searched the queen’s reservoir and found no sign she’d ever had a larder full of victims. But I would search the miles of intertwining tunnels that made up the rest of Under. The containment cells were empty. No Shay. I lingered there, listening to the distant rumbling of the subway trains. I really was alone.

“Thought you’d gotten rid of me, did you?”

I yelped. Reign leaned in the doorway, looking every inch the infamous rock star fae with his ridiculous boots, new coat, and perfectly styled messy hair making him appear artfully disheveled. I threw my arms around him and buried my head against his shoulder as he reeled backward, attempting to keep us both upright. His chuckle resonated against my chest, warming me right through to my soul; if I had one. I gripped him so tight, afraid if I let him go he wouldn’t be there, and I’d be alone again.

He gathered me up in his arms, and crushed me against him, so close I could hear his heart racing. He rested his cheek against my head and breathed deeply. Tiny tremors rippled through him and he murmured words I didn’t understand. Fae words, laden with significance. From his lips, the smooth melodic words sounded like promises. I squeezed my eyes closed and listened to his liquescent voice ebb and flow.

When he fell quiet, I whispered, “I don’t want to be alone.”

“We’re all alone, Alina. But you and I can be alone together.” Wetness blurred my vision. I didn’t want to let him go. He smelled wonderful and felt wonderful, and it was all I could do not to crush him in my arms. “I definitely need to breathe though,” he added.

With more reluctance than I cared to acknowledge, I let him go and hastily wiped my eyes. Some nightmare I turned out to be.

Reign hooked a finger under my chin, urging me to face him. “You don’t ever need to hide the truth of you, not from me.”

If he kept that up, I was going to ugly-cry all over his expensive coat. A soft smile curled his lips, nothing like the smiles he gave away for free. A nervousness settled behind that smile. It hadn’t been there before. A flicker of doubt clouded his eyes. I ached to kiss away that hesitation, to burn the doubt from his mind with a passion that both excited and terrified me. I wanted Reign in ways I hadn’t yet come to terms with, and couldn’t acknowledge, for both our sakes.