“Hello,” Mina called. “Is someone there?” No answer came forth, but she could hear the echo of boots on the cement floor. She couldn’t tell from what direction it came, though. The steam had become unnaturally thick, and the gilded haze was starting to leave trails of golden dew on her skin. She looked down, and goosebumps rose up on her arms. Mina flung open the nearest locker and reached in to grab the first object she could find to defend herself. It was a baseball bat. She’d take it.
There! She saw it. A slight movement to her left. She shifted her feet and kept the locker at her back, and tested her grip on the metal bat. Something was moving toward her out of the haze. Mina had just taken aim at the shadowy figure walking toward her when something flew from above and attacked her. Pain laced through Mina’s hand as the bat fell from her grip. She looked down and saw three bright red slashes along the top of her hand. The maniacal bird turned in the rafters and came back for another attack. Out of self-preservation and instinct, she dived and rolled out of the way.
She jumped to her feet without her weapon.
“Why, hello, dear, looking for this?” The haze had parted to reveal a man, smiling profusely while holding her baseball bat. He was good-looking, in his mid-thirties; his copper-colored hair was pulled into a ponytail. His pale skin did nothing but accentuate his haunting hazel eyes. Even in the heat of the sauna-like locker room, he wore a three-piece suit embellished with a cornucopia of golden trinkets, leather, and pockets that completed his odd ensemble, making him look a mixture of dashing and hodgepodge. But it was his hat that told her he was her midnight stalker. With the top hat and its gold feather, the silhouettes were identical.
“Who are you? And why are you following me?”
“Temple. My name is Temple, and I have a proposition for you.” He held up his gloved hand and tipped his top hat toward her. “Hear what I have to say first, and then I promise you, if you want to scream, then do so. But I think you will be extremely interested in what I have to offer.”
Mina hesitated when she saw that he held the bat and slowly took off a gloved hand and touched it, turning the aluminum bat into gold. She swallowed and then faced the stranger. So far he hadn’t made an attempt to harm her, and it wouldn’t hurt her to at least listen.
“Okay, what is it that you want?” she asked hesitantly.
“I want you to procure an item for me. That is all. Say you will get this item for me, and I will give you all of this,” he motioned to the golden bat, “and more.” He reached toward her shoulder; even his fingernails were long and golden.
Mina flinched, but he reached past her into the opened locker to withdraw a single expensive sandal that she recognized as belonging to Savannah. As soon as his hand touched the sandal, it immediately turned to gold. He smiled crookedly when he saw her eyes widen, and dropped the sandal into her hands. Mina immediately tossed the shoe back into the locker.
“The Midas touch?” she asked.
He frowned at her. “No, more like the family trait. So you see, you can be rich beyond your wildest dreams. Rich enough to impress your young human and maybe even steal him back from your best friend.”
“How do you know about that? How could you possibly—”
“I make it my business to know these things. So, what do you say? Procure the item for me, and I’ll make you rich.”
Mina looked at the gold sandal and bat, and back at the man. Every inch of her knew better than to make a deal with the Fae, no matter what the cost.
“No, there’s no amount of money in the world that would make me enter into a bargain with you.” She tried to step around him, but he held out his arm, blocking her.
“Wait! Everyone has their price, and no one says no to me.” He frowned at her.
“Well, I just did say no.”
“That’s only because you haven’t heard my other offer.” Temple took off his hat and brushed imaginary dust off it.
“It wouldn’t matter, because the answer is still no. You have nothing I want,” Mina said.
“Ah, and that’s where I beg to differ. I do have something you want. I make sure to always have something someone wants.” He placed the hat back on his head.
“Are you deaf? Because I just said no.” She placed her hands on her hips and raised her chin.
“What about your brother Charlie? Such a quiet boy, but charming all the same. He misses you, I can tell.”
Mina came alive with anger. “What do you mean, Charlie? He died in the fire!”
“Come now, you can’t really believe that!” He touched his hat and fingered the golden feather. “I sent my servant to retrieve the boy for me and destroy your home. Now he is mine. I will trade him to you for the item I want you to procure, and nothing more. His life for my item. It’s fair—what do you say?”
Mina stared at Temple in horror. “You did this? You planned this from the beginning, stealing my brother to make sure I couldn’t say no! What kind of monster are you? It’s been weeks. Why now? You could be lying. Why didn’t you come to me that night?”
“Because you’ve been surrounded by Fae. What’s a few weeks in the life of an eternal Fae? I’m patient. I’ve been waiting for hundreds of years—what’s a few mere weeks? But if you fail, Charlie is mine forever.”