Read Finding Faerie Online

Authors: Laura Lee

Finding Faerie (8 page)

 

I
spent the better part of the day walking around the National Museum, looking at priceless artifacts. Afterwards, I ducked into a small pub to grab a late lunch. I looked over my shoulder to find Takk hot on my heels. “You wanna grab a table?”

“Nope.” He nodded towards the large cherry colored bar on the left. “I’ll just have a seat over there.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know, it’s awfully stupid that we’ve been going to the same places all day acting like we don’t know each other.”

He shrugged. “I can do my job better this way.”

“Whatever,” I huffed.

The pub was sectioned off into two areas: a raised platform with a large rectangular-shaped bar just ahead, and on the sunken floor to the right, booths lined the wall with stained glass windows centered over each table. I chose one of those since the atmosphere was a bit cozier down there. Erica called a few moments later as I was waiting for my fish and chips to arrive.

I swiped my finger across the screen to answer. “Hey, how are you doing?”

She sighed. “I’m okay…I’m just packing right now.”

“So Shanna’s is a done deal?”

“Yeah, I’m heading over tomorrow. She said I can stay as long as I need to.”

“Are you flying there?” 

“No, Vance insisted on driving with me so I’d have my car. I’ll take him to John Wayne Airport once I get settled and he’ll fly home from there.”

“That’s nice of him.”

“It is,” she agreed. “Hey, before I forget, Chad called looking for you. He wants to talk to you about the incident with Maria.”

“He did?”

“Yep, don’t worry…I didn’t tell him where you were. I told him I’d let you decide if you wanted to speak with him.” I had arranged a limited international calling plan on my cell and adjusted my settings so only my favorite contacts could ring through. My ex-boyfriend, Chad most definitely wasn’t on that list.

“How’s he doing?” He’d been hospitalized after being attacked a few days before I’d left town. To send me a message, Maria had drained him almost completely dry and left him on my couch. Being a human-demon halfling, he’d survived, but not without some serious blood transfusions.

“He’s okay, I guess. He actually seems to be the same ol’ Chad. He was only in the hospital for a day and a half, yet he walked away dating one of his nurses. Her name’s Betty or something like that.”

“We’ll see how long that lasts.” I scoffed. Chad and I were together for two and a half years, during most of which he had cheated on me repeatedly. Thankfully, his demon half made him immune to STDs.

“Anyway,” she continued, “I need to finish up here. I just wanted to relay the message. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”

“Okay, sweetie. Have a nice drive.”

“Thanks, Kar.”

I dialed Leo after ending my call with Eri, but it went straight to his voicemail. I had a feeling he was ignoring me, which was completely out of character for him. Irritated, I downed my beer in two gulps and signaled for another. Fuck it, if he didn’t want to talk to me, I’d keep myself entertained.

Two beers later, the mysterious Connor slid into my booth. I was momentarily startled because I never saw him coming. Either I was spacing out, or he was quite stealthy. I’d put my money on the latter. My eyes automatically roamed the room until I found Takk. It looked like he was taking a picture of us with his phone. He was probably sending it to Leo, trying to convince him that I was screwing this guy.
Asshole.

“This must be my lucky week, running into you three times now.” He looked around before raising his glass. “It appears as if you’re drinking alone. I’d like to help you remedy that, if you’d allow me to do so. That is, of course, if your date isn’t taking another call?”

I was intoxicated just enough to say, “Nope, no date. By all means, please join me.” I wasn’t drunk enough to forget that he was a vampire, but I wasn’t worried either. I could easily read his emotions, and all I got was curiosity with a side of desire. Maybe my mojo wasn’t working before.

He took a sip of Merlot. At least that’s what I think it was. “So, you never told me before. What part of America are you from?”

“Vegas.” I took a sip of beer. “Ever been?”

He shook his head. “No, never. I’ve spent some time in New York and California but only briefly. Perhaps I’ll have to visit one day. What brings you to Ireland?”

“I’ve always wanted to visit.”
Not technically a lie.
“My…friend had some business to conduct and offered to take me with him.”

“And this is the same
friend
that was with you the other night?” 

I nodded. “Yep.”

“And where is he now?”

I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

He smiled. “So he’s not your lover then.”

I choked on my beer a little. “Excuse me?”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Pardon me for being so forward. You see, I’m not a man to mince words. I was simply observing that this…friend of yours could not possibly be your lover.”

Okay, I was curious enough to bite. “And why do you say that?”

“Because,” he waved his hand towards me, “if I had you in my bed, I certainly wouldn’t take you halfway around the globe and leave you to wander by yourself. Any man in his right mind would never let you out of his sight.”

I caught Takk out of the corner of my eye, reminding me that I could never technically be out of Leo’s sight with his errand boy over there. “I don’t know if I should be flattered or offended.”

He motioned for the waitress to bring us another round.  “I assure you, I mean no offense. I’m simply saying that a man who knows a woman intimately…
especially
a woman like you, would want her by his side at all times. He wouldn’t want to be without her presence.”

“Maybe he’s tied up with work.”

“No work is that important.”
Ouch!
I couldn’t help but feel a little pain in my chest when I thought about Leo’s reason for dismissing me earlier. “Tell me, Karli. Is he, or is he not, your lover?”

“Why do you want to know?” I countered.

“Because I’d like to know if I have a chance of filling that role.”

“Oh.” I was caught off guard by his reply and needed a moment to collect my thoughts. “No.”

“No, he’s not your lover?” he clarified. “Or no, I don’t have a shot?”

I smiled. He certainly was charming; I had to give him that. “Both.”

He laughed. “Pity for both of us. Would you still do me the honor of sharing some conversation?”

“Sure.”
Why the hell not
, I thought. Leo was ignoring me, Takk refused to sit with me. It was certainly less pathetic than drinking alone.

He raised his glass for a toast. “To conversation.”

“To conversation,” I echoed as our glasses clinked together.

I had learned that Connor was not only quite the charmer, but he was also an astute businessman. At one point, I had asked him why he was in the Temple Bar area so often, since that was where we kept meeting. He stated that he was in real estate and owned several buildings within a three block radius. He often came to the area to check on his tenants or perform maintenance inspections. My belly was warmed by the alcohol and I started to lose sight of why I was really in Dublin. I pretended that we were just two people in a bar getting to know one another; something I saw on any given night at work. A girl and a boy…nothing more complicated than that. I was so sick of all this doomsday shit that had been looming over my head. I wanted the escape, if only for a few hours. He was certainly an attractive man, making it much easier to do so.

Sometime later, Takk approached our table. “Fun’s over. It’s time to go.” 

Connor stood up, hackles raised. “Are you with this man?”

“No,” I replied.

“Yes,” Takk growled at the same time.

Connor raised an eyebrow in question. “Which is it? Yes or no?”

I sighed as I grabbed my purse and got up from the table. “Technically…yes.”

“I see.” He grabbed my hand and brushed his lips against my skin. “It’s been lovely talking with you, Karli. Perhaps we’ll run into each other again?”

“Don’t count on it,” Takk said gruffly.

Connor smirked as if Takk’s hostility amused him. “My, what an incredible perfume you have on; I didn’t notice it before. May I ask what fragrance you’re wearing?”

Huh? “I’m not wearing any. Maybe you smell my bodywash. It’s some floral scent.”

He considered that for a moment. “Yes…maybe that’s it.” He made sure to knock Takk’s shoulder with his own as he started walking away. What was it with guys and the shoulder clip?

“Watch it, asshole,” Takk warned.

Connor’s smile was full force this time. “My apologies,
wolf
.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “Have a good evening, my beautiful American.”

I blushed. “Um…yep. You too.”

I waited until he was out of the building before I asked, “How did he know you’re a werewolf?”

Leo once told me that he could sense other supes but he never explained how he did it. Was this yet another ability that all vampires had?

Takk grabbed my elbow and started pulling me towards the door. “Let’s go.”

I tried shrugging him off, but my strength was no match for his. Leo’s sedan pulled up as we stepped outside. Takk opened the back door and not so gently pushed me in. “Hey!” I whined.

Leo was watching our exchange through the rear view mirror. “Takk.”

One word was enough to make him heel. “I’m sorry,” he grumbled.

Once Takk was inside, Leo took a deep breath. I watched him and could see his nostrils flaring. I could also see that his fingers were clenching around the steering wheel. “Leo, you okay?”

He met my eyes in the mirror. “Buckle up.”

I glared at his reflection as I complied. He rolled down his window, which caused the rain to splatter in my face. “Hey, can you put that back up, please?”

He ignored me as he stepped on the gas.
Seriously?
We raced through the streets until we were back at the hotel a few minutes later. Leo pulled up to the valet and stepped out of the car. As Takk joined him he said, “Take her up. I’ll be there shortly.”

“What? Where are you going?” I asked.

He took another deep breath. “I need to take care of something. I’ll be up soon.”

Takk tried grabbing my elbow again, but I sidestepped him. “Don’t touch me.” Leo was obviously in a foul mood, and I wasn’t going to stand on the sidewalk trying to figure it out. I stepped around both men and made my way towards the lifts. Takk was two steps behind me the entire time. As we stepped into the suite, I said, “As you can see, I’m fine. You can leave now.”

He shook his head. “Nope. I’m apparently on babysitting duty again.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m going to bed.” I briskly walked into my room and locked the door.

 

I
walked into the common room the next morning and found Takk sitting at the table, looking at something on his tablet. It was chilly, so I flipped on the switch to the gas fireplace.

“What are you doing here?”

He took a sip of coffee. “Apparently the only thing I’m good for nowadays.”

The drapes were wide open, with sun shining into the room through a break in the clouds. “Where’s Leo? It’s not like he can exactly be out taking a stroll right now.”

“Belfast.”

Belfast was a city in Northern Ireland, at least a two-hour drive from Dublin. “What? Why is he in Belfast? And when did he leave?”

“He left about thirty minutes after you went to bed last night. As for why he’s there, I don’t know. He just said that he had something to take care of.”

What was going on with that man?
He was behaving so strangely. It wasn’t like him to leave me in the middle of the night without a word. “When’s he coming back?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know.”

I rolled my eyes. “Do you know anything?”

He smirked. “Enough to know that he’s pissed at you.”

“What? Why would he be mad at me?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to make a list?”

“Cut the shit, smartass,” I snapped. “What
exactly
did he say to you when he left?”

He took another leisurely gulp from his mug, seemingly in no hurry to answer. “I don’t answer to you.”

My vision blurred until I saw nothing but red. I charged him, taking a fist full of his shirt in my hand, ready to knock some sense into him. He stood up from his chair, eyes glowing like a dog’s when you catch one in your headlights.

With a growl, he warned, “Little girl, if you would like to keep that hand, you best remove it from my body
right
the fuck
now.”

I didn’t know why I was being so ballsy right then, but I wasn’t about to back down. “Oh yeah?” I sneered. “You and I both know that you wouldn’t risk Leo’s wrath by laying a finger on me.”

He scoffed. “I know how to make it look like an accident. Last warning, sweetheart. It’s getting really hard keeping the beast at bay here. Remove. Your. Fucking. Hand.”

I was seething so hard it felt like my body was burning up. I swear I could feel every cell in my body coming to life, as the air around us began to stir. The hand that was clenching his shirt warmed, and before I knew it, he had backed away from me, whimpering like a puppy. The pungent smell of burnt hair circulated throughout the room as the wind began to die down. I looked down at his balled up form and cocked my head to the side. “What’s the matter, wolf? Did this
little girl
beat you at your own game?” My voice sounded guttural. Like it was layered with a thousand other souls.

His head snapped up. “What the fuck
are
you? How the hell did you do that?” He glared at me as he rubbed the burn mark on his shirt.

I pointed towards the door. “Get. The. Fuck. Out. Don’t you
ever
try threatening me again!”

He brushed himself off. “I can’t leave here. Leo will kick my ass.”

The wind started whipping again, which was quite strange considering the balcony door was closed. I clenched my fists, trying to calm the inferno that was raging inside of me. “Leo is the
last
thing you need to worry about right now. Unless you feel like getting neutered today, get the hell out of my sight.”

I could tell the moment he felt my threat was valid. “Goddammit!” he yelled as he slammed the front door.

The second he was out of my sight, my vision cleared. Looking around, I could see that the room was in complete disarray. The maps that Leo had spread out were scattered across the floor, coffee bled onto the beige carpeting, crooked pictures hung from the wall, and a broken lamp lay on its side. I stood there in awe as I thought about Takk’s question.
What the fuck was I?

I couldn’t stop thinking about the incident with Takk. Was I the one who’d made such a mess of the suite?  And what about his burn? I’d summoned a defense ball before, which had the same effect, but this was different. I didn’t conjure any dust that a fairy required to perform magic. Not a single speck. How was that even possible? I tried calling Leo, but it kept going to his voicemail. I wondered again why he was in Belfast. Would he be back in time for our meeting with the guardians tomorrow night? I had no idea when and where we were supposed to meet. I hadn’t bothered asking because I assumed Leo would be with me. I felt myself growing more frustrated by the minute. We’d been in Ireland for almost two weeks now and I didn’t feel like we were any further along than where we’d started. Not by much, anyway.  I stopped my compulsive pacing and thought,
fuck it
. I wasn’t going to sit in this room and wait for things to happen. One way or another, I was going to
make
them happen.

I made my way across one of the bridges and did some people-watching while I came up with a plan.  As I walked around, I was amazed at how different things were on this side of the River Liffey. Although most of the buildings were older, this had a much more commercial feel and was not nearly as welcoming.  Garbage littered the streets, and I was fairly certain I had witnessed a drug deal or two. I started to lose confidence the further I walked. Somehow, I had wandered away from the main drag into something much more derelict. I passed one building after another, all in desperate need of repairs, until they seemed to blend together. My skin prickled with unease; there were no people crowding the streets, no cabs to hail, and all of the ground-level businesses were closed for the evening. Until that moment, Dublin felt like a city that came alive after dark. That definitely wasn’t the case on this side of town. I lost my bearings and felt as if I were walking in circles. My anxiety level was rising; I had to keep reminding myself that I was fine. All I needed to do was find the river and my sense of direction would be restored. That wasn’t very difficult, right?

I thought I heard footsteps behind me but saw nothing as I glanced over my shoulder. Click. Clack. Click. I stopped to listen and they stopped. I started and they did the same. Okay, now I
knew
I wasn’t imagining it. I increased my pace, trying desperately not to let panic take over. I didn’t risk looking back as I heard the footsteps gaining on me. I saw a side street up ahead and practically jogged over to it, hoping it led to a more populated area. As I rounded the corner, I was met with a dead end.
Shit!
I was in an alley with no way out but the way I’d come. I was closed in on three sides by red brick buildings, each one, four stories high. The smell of rotting garbage permeated the air making me gag. Old newspapers and God knows what else scampered across the ground. The person behind me slowed their pace as they closed in on me.
Dammit! I was the idiot that went up the stairs in a horror movie!
How did I get myself into these situations? I took a deep breath, willing myself to calm down. I closed my fist and conjured some dust just in case I needed to defend myself. With my feeling of terror having risen to an all-time high, I turned around to face my stalker. I was now officially in freak-the-fuck-out mode as I prepared to fight.

“Hello, Karli,” Maria purred.

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