She's No Faerie Princess (22 page)

"But why do it in the first place?" Missy asked.

"I don't know." Fiona shrugged.

Rafe raised an eyebrow. "Would you care to speculate?"

She hesitated, then shook her head. "Not really.

Touching the gate knocked me unconscious for a goodcouple of hours, and the glass could have slit my throat, if Walker hadn't shoved me out of the way. This could startto give a girl a complex."

No one laughed at her quip. Walker especially didn'tlaugh. He bristled, hackles raised like the overprotectivewolf he was. "Someone is trying to hurt you, and when Ifind out who it is, I'm going to very much enjoy ripping outhis throat."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but Tess makes sense. I'm not so sure I'm a specific target. I mean, who could have known I'd be the one using the glass? It could just as easily have been Rafael. More easily, since he's used it before and I'm not actually supposed to be on this side of it."

"Is there any way to find out?" Missy asked. She had to

stand on her tiptoes and peer over her husband's

shoulder, since he clearly didn't intend to let anything

else get a clear shot at his mate. "I don't know a lot about

magic, but aren't there ways to tell? Like with tracing the

demon?"

"Different kind of spell," Tess broke in. "Demons respond to certain physical signs and objects in a way that isn't necessary for most other kinds of magic. Curses are designed not to leave traces." She grinned. "I know a bit about curses."

Fiona laughed. "Well, that could be helpful, because Idon't. At least not about ones that don't last for a fewhundred generations, and the one on the glass didn't feelnearly old enough to be a
 
geis
 
."

"No, it didn't. It's interesting, though, that it seemed timed to go off once you'd established a connection with Faerie, not at the moment you activated the mirror. It's almost like it was doing double duty as a burglar alarm, set to go off when you made contact."

"The ethereal branch of ADT?" Missy grinned.

"I wonder if it rings in a police station somewhere in

Faerie."

"Right. I can just see the Queen's Guard donning their riot gear." Fiona shook her head and laughed again. "Somehow that doesn't strike me as likely. But I do want to know why someone is deliberately sabotaging the link between this world and Faerie."

"I don't get it, either. It's not like we all spend a lot of time in powwows. I think that glass has been used a total of three times since Mab sent it to us, and all three of them were when she popped up in it to give us hell about something we did or didn't do when one of your folk was visiting."

Fiona wasn't quite sure of the reason, either, but it gave

her an uneasy feeling. She shrugged. "That I can't tell you. But the explanation isn't our biggest problem. If we can't get access to Faerie, our choice of ways to identify and track down the demon just got a heck of a lot smaller. I think we're going to have to start knocking on sorcerers' doors."

"I think that's a piss-poor idea." Walker scowled. "It's too dangerous. Like you said before, that could just escalate the violence or drive him into hiding. And what if you bump into him and spook him? He could end up attacking you." Walker shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, his expression turning mulish. "No. It's out of the question."

Missy and Tess exchanged wide-eyed, knowing glancesand fought with equal unsuccess to suppress their grins. They gave up the struggle when Fiona rounded on thewerewolf, her spine straightening and regal authoritydraping over her like a mantle.

"I thought we already had this discussion, Tobias Walker." It freaked her out a little to hear her aunt's voice coming out of her mouth, but somehow she couldn't seem to stop it. "We agreed that I am not some incompetent little fool. I make my own choices, and I am responsible for my own life."

Walker's eyes flashed bright with golden fire, but beforehe could open his mouth, Missy shot Tess a speakingglance and the witch hurried to defuse the tension. "Idon't think it's really the best idea to just go door-to-doorand ask every sorcerer you meet if he happens to besummoning demons and then setting them loose on thehuman populace of Manhattan," she said. "First off, it

could be dangerous, and second, it's just inefficient. Let me ask a few very discreet questions of the Witches' Council. Sorcerers are, after all, witches. Just a specialized kind of witch. I'll find out who's safest to approach and give you a couple of names. You can start there and hopefully not have to resort to the kamikaze approach."

Fiona and Walker stared at each other for a long, silentmoment before she pursed her lips and nodded regally. "Ican accept that. I won't be told what I can or can't do, but I'm not so stubborn that I'm incapable of listening toreason."

"Good, then it's settled," Rafe said, taking up his habitual role of peacemaker. Fiona recalled his mentioning something about how Graham had nearly been head of the Council of Others, and she shuddered at the thought. "Now, I suggest that we've all had enough excitement for the evening, what with the disturbing revelations and the bleeding and all."

At the word "bleeding," Walker's gaze snapped back to Fiona's face and locked on the reddened nick in hercheek. "You're right. We've had enough for one night. Come on." He grabbed Fiona by the hand and towed hertoward the door. "We're going to have a doctor take alook at that cut."

Startled, Fiona dug her heels into the carpet and laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I told you, it's just a scratch." Shemade a face at him and ran a fingertip along the scratch. It smoothed away, leaving nothing more than a frecklebehind. "See?"

He continued to glare at her while their audience watched

with obvious fascination. She felt her heart skip a beat before racing ahead on a burst of adrenaline. When he spoke, his voice sounded gruff and deep and so quiet she had to strain to hear it. "Let's see if you can do that same trick on a bright red behind after I get through paddling your reckless little ass."

Her jaw dropped with a nearly audible thud. "What didyou just say to me?"

"You heard me." Walker prowled forward while the other occupants in the room struggled to both blend into the woodwork and make sure they had a good view of the action. "You're more in need of a good spanking than any woman I've ever met in my life. The agreement we made was before you got cut up by flying glass. In fact, it involved you understanding that I won't stand by and watch you put yourself into dangerous situations, like chasing after sorcerers who might be trying to kill you!"

Fiona caught herself taking a step backward andstopped, squaring her shoulders. She did not make ahabit of backing away from anything. "Our agreementwas that you would give me credit for the ability to takecare of myself and the brains not to put myself in clearlydangerous situations. I know you feel protective of me, Tobias, but just because you jumped me and got menaked doesn't mean you own me."

Someone made a choking sound, but Fiona wasn't aboutto take her eyes off Walker to see who it was.

"I didn't jump you."

"Oh, really. What do you call it when you tackle me at the top of the stairs, rip my clothes off, and make my eyes roll

back in my head, then? A relaxing little interlude?"

He growled long and low and took another step towardher. "I don't remember you spending a lot of time fightingme off, Princess. You did a little jumping of your own aftera while."

"See?" Tess murmured to Missy at the other side of the room. "I told you they wouldn't be able to keep their hands off each other."

Fiona ignored their audience, too riled up now to carewho watched them. "I don't deny I did some jumping. I'mnot ashamed to jump. Jumping is perfectly healthy andnatural, and quite frankly, in Faerie most of us jump asoften as we feel like it. But that's not the point."

"What's the point, then?"

She managed a growl of her own. "The point is that youseem to have reverted back to the knee-jerk control-freakstance that we already fought about."

"This is not a knee-jerk reaction, Princess. This is what happens when you volunteer yourself for combat duty without even discussing it with me first!"

One more step had the backs of her knees bumping upagainst the side of an ottoman. She swallowed a rush ofnerves—or was that excitement?—and raised her chin tokeep him from noticing. "Why should I discuss it withyou? Do you think I shouldn't try to help your friends andyour community prevent a disaster while they try andnegotiate for their survival among the humans? And here I thought I was doing you a favor."

He swore.

"Besides which, I already told you that I won't be treated as if I'm somehow your responsibility." She was on a roll. "We agreed that I was capable of looking after myself, and I don't see the need to ask your permission or your approval before I decide what needs to be done. Did you think I would just defer to you because of those idiotic protective instincts of yours? Get over them! I'm a princess. I don't defer to anyone."

He pinned her to the ottoman before she got the lastsnotty word out. She struggled, but even if she'd beenfully magically charged, her strength couldn't match anadult male Lupine with a chip on his shoulder andsomething to prove.

"I don't care if you're the fucking queen of the universe, sweetheart." The golden flames of his eyes burned into hers, and his lips drew back in a fang-baring snarl. "I agreed not to treat you like you're made of glass, but I did
 
not
 
agree to let you put yourself in some maniac's line of fire, and you're crazy if you ever thought I would. I'm not trying to smother you or run your life, but you're my mate, and you'll just have to learn to live with my idiotic protective instincts!"

CHAPTER 17

The room cleared out in three seconds flat. It took a lotlonger than that for Fiona's head to stop spinning and her

heart to start beating again. "What did you say?"

"You heard me well enough." Her hands pushed against his shoulders, and he grabbed her wrists to pin them above her head. "I will not stand aside and allow my mate to put herself in danger, Fiona of the Sidhe, whether she tells me she can handle it herself or not."

The buzzing in her ears wasn't going away, and sheshook her head as if that could clear it. She couldn't haveheard him right. Mate? Her? A royal princess of Faeriethe mate of a mortal werewolf? It was impossible.

"You're out of your mind," she finally said, the sound strangled in her throat. "You're completely insane. I am
 
not
 
your mate."

Walker laughed, but he didn't sound amused. "Don't kidyourself, Princess. It's not like either of us got to choose. And it's not like either of us gets to just say, 'No thanks.' "

"That's exactly what I'm saying!" She squirmed beneath him, but with her wrists pinned and her legs dangling off the ottoman, she couldn't get any leverage against him. "There has to be a choice. You don't just get to say I'm your mate and think that makes it true!"

"I don't think saying it makes it true." He shifted both her wrists to one of his large hands and used the other to jerk aside the collar of her shirt until he could see his mark against her skin. "I think
 
that
 
makes it true."

She tried to ignore the way the spot seemed to ache andthrob just from his looking at it. The way her heart beganto beat faster. She sneered. "That? It's just a hickey. Trust me, I've had them before."

"Right. Does this usually happen when you have a

hickey?"

Eyes blazing, he leaned down and drew his tongue in along, rough line over the mark. It may as well have beenover her clit. Her entire body clenched in sudden,debilitating need and a hungry moan broke through herclenched lips. Her head fell back and her breathshuddered out of her chest. She could feel herself goingsoft and damp in welcome, and she fought desperately toremember the point she'd been trying to make.

"It's… just… chemistry." She panted, but she didn't give

in. "Lust. A… shallow physical… reaction."

"Uh-huh."

He shifted and the lick became a nibble that had herheart pounding in time to the throbbing between her legs. Her mind reeled. It was impossible that he could do thisto her, make her feel this way without even touching her. Sure, the side of her neck was an erogenous zone, butthis was ridiculous.

"Doesn't… prove anything."

His voice sounded muffled against her skin. "Of coursenot."

The nibbling ceased, and Fiona gasped for air. Goddess,she felt like hot running wax. It had to be lack of oxygenmaking her this dizzy. She knew about magic, but evenmagic couldn't do this to her.

She struggled, trying to turn her head or slide out fromunder him or do anything that would help her return tosanity. This had to stop before he started thinking she

believed him about this mate thing.

"Walker, st—"

She never did get the word out. It hovered on the edge ofher tongue, ready to tumble off, but he stole it from heralong with her breath, her self, and the sound of herscream when he sank his teeth into the mark on her neckand shoved her hard into orgasm.