The Glass Man (18 page)

I didn’t think I kept the stunned look off my face. “No, he didn’t succeed. And the last thing I need is some arrogant shit thinking he can do a better job of it.”

He flashed a silly cockeyed grin. “I wouldn’t dream of it. In fact, I find you quite—refreshing. The Seelie need a good kick in the ass.” With a flick of his fingers, the other guards gathered around me in a mass of black and white. I stopped trying to figure out Mr. Suave and focused on the rest.
What now?

“What are you doing?” Liam hovered around me. His warmth permeated my back. I had to concentrate so I wouldn’t melt into it by accident and start moaning like a porn star again. Garret leaned against my side, knocking me off balance for a moment.

“Your people will carry you the rest of the way,” Nix said. His gaze never wavered from me.

“What?” I raised an eyebrow. “No, I don’t think so. I have no use for laziness, and my legs aren’t broken. Just lead on and we’ll follow.”

I turned in time to see Liam take a step back from me, a tiny smirk quirking the corners of his lips.

One of the guards, short and stocky with bright red hair, kept looking at me, then at his captain. “But she looks weary,” he said.

“You heard your queen,” Liam snarled. “Hands off and get moving.”

I spun to Liam and leaned close enough to whisper. “Cool it. We’re supposed to be asking these people for help, so stop acting like an ass.”

Our link opened, and I sighed, happy that I remained standing and didn’t giggle.

“I don’t like this guy. Do you see the way he looks at you? He might as well just rip the rest of your clothes off and be done with it.”

My brow creased as I stepped back. He fixed a heated stare on Nix, who smiled back at him.

“Oh my God,”
I whispered through our link.
“Are you pulling some jealous macho shit on me? One—you don’t own me, Liam. Two—I have about as much interest in getting it on with this guy as I have in stabbing out my eyes with a fork. Three—they consider you Unseelie. If what you said is true, that they’ll hate you, then start acting friendly so I don’t have to sell my fucking soul to convince them to let you stay in their city.”

“It’s your city. You command them, so get commanding.”

I rubbed my aching head and turned away from him, grinding my teeth. After shaking off my frustration, I gestured up the street. “Can we go now, please?”

Nix glanced at Liam, raising an eyebrow at me. He nodded to the guards. They stepped away from me but kept their attention fixed on Liam. The testosterone in the air spiked as Nix and Liam continued to square off in their little eye war.

In the city for ten minutes, and Liam had already pissed off the locals.

Will this day ever end?

22

By the time we’d made it to the top of the hill, I cursed myself for not taking them up on that ride. My legs burned, and my stomach growled. The silent pissing contest between Liam and Nix—the heated glares and clenched fists—wore me down even further.

I stopped and gazed up at the turrets of a building that disappeared into the golden sky. The white scales that made up the outer walls gleamed and held hints of yellow from above. The scene glistened before me, a heavenly mirage or something out of a fantastic dream. A few of the windows blinked, and bright light shone from them. A bit of tightness eased out of my chest, replaced with hope that the city wasn’t beyond repair.

I’m not too late, mother. I’m here.

When I stumbled on the first of the stairs leading to the Court building, Liam and Nix came at me so fast they almost bumped heads. The killing looks continued between them, though Nix kept his grin in place. I didn’t have the patience for anyone to fight over me. We had a lunatic to stop.

“I’m fine,” I said, huffing from the hike. “I just need a minute.”

“You’re not fine.” Liam scooped me up from the pavement and started up the steps without waiting for me to react.

Crafty.
I had way too much skin touching his nakedness, and a delicious fire spread through my body.
Stop it! He betrayed me. He took my power, and here I am, drinking him up like high-proof whiskey. What is wrong with me?
I started to protest, but my senses kicked into high gear, and I ached to get closer. His heart throbbed beneath my arm, a steady rhythm that lulled me into calm.

He smelled so good as if he wore some masculine, otherworldly perfume designed to bewilder me into submission. Before I knew I’d done it, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer, buried my face against his throat and closed my eyes. He cradled me close, protectively, or maybe possessively, I couldn’t tell which. At that moment, I didn’t have the strength to care. I could have stayed there forever.

• • •

Sleep must have overtaken me at some point because I woke up staring at a white ceiling, buried beneath a fluffy gold duvet. Something sent a tingling sensation up my arm, along with warmth. My head lolled to the side, still disoriented and groggy, to find a strange man holding my hand. A woman stood beside him.

The man had the darkest brown skin I’d ever seen. Add stark white hair hanging in braids around his face and it made for a startling contrast. His eyes were clouded, but I could tell they were a deep blue beneath the milky film. He wore a suit styled from the eighteen hundreds with a high-collared white button-down shirt and a brown twill coat and vest.

The woman had metallic silver hair stretching to the floor like Christmas tinsel. It moved even when she didn’t as if it had a will of its own. Her face appeared young at first glance, but a network of tiny lines hinted that she might be much older. Her blue Seelie eyes had a lavender sheen bleeding out from the pupil. She wore a flowing blue sleeveless gown that tied behind her slender neck.

“Do not fear, Lila.” The man had such a low voice it didn’t sound real—like fingers strumming a bass.

I snatched my hand back, flexing and relaxing my fingers to see if he’d done something to me. Other than a few pins and needles, everything seemed normal.

“My name is Gallagher and this—” He nodded to woman at his left. “—is Neasa. We are here to offer you council and to aid your transition to the throne.”

I wasn’t interested in the damn throne. I tried to sit up, but the room spun, so I didn’t finish the motion. “Where are Liam and Garret?”

Gallagher cleared his throat and frowned. “Nix has made them comfortable.”

My hands fisted into the comforter. “You mean he’s confined them somewhere.” I glared at Neasa, clearly the one in charge by the way she stood ramrod straight, staring down her nose at me.

She smiled. It seemed genuine, but I got the impression I wouldn’t enjoy the words forming in her mouth.

Great.

“They are Unseelie, my lady,” she said without losing that infuriating flash of white teeth.

She sat down at the edge of the bed and reached for my hand, but I shuffled away from her. The touchy-feely business had already started to wear on me.

“They can’t be left to wander about our fine city.”

I groaned, talked myself down from the cannonballs I wanted to launch at her. “First, none of this ‘queen’ or ‘my lady’ stuff, just Lila. And second, they both risked their lives to get me here. You bring them here where I can see them. Get me some clothes and food, and then we’ll talk like civilized folks.” I surveyed what they were wearing and added, “and none of that froufrou frills and lace stuff. Jeans, or something I can move in without worrying about what might fall out. And I need a bathroom.”

Gallagher turned his face away. At first, I thought I’d said something offensive, but then I realized his shoulders heaved with hidden laughter.

Neasa huffed, the corners of her mouth creased due to her pursed lips. “A queen’s wardrobe does not contain slacks.” A little flare of her heavily lashed eyes emphasized her frustration.

I pushed myself up a little farther and stared her down. “Then raid one of the guard’s rooms and bring me some pants that fit. I can’t fight Parthalan dressed in a fucking gown.”
Slacks? Where the hell did she come from?

She shot up and grabbed Gallagher by the arm, the wrinkles in her forehead deepening. “There is no call for profanity, Your Highness.”

I cringed.

As she pulled the snickering fae to the door, she gave me a little bow. “As for clothing, we’ll see what can be arranged.” She nodded toward a door in the corner. “The facilities are through there. I trust you’ll find them to your liking.”

As long as it had a toilet, I didn’t give a flying leap if she put a whole damn circus in there.

Gallagher winked at me as he followed Neasa out and shut the door behind them. Him, I liked. The other one would take some work.

I took in the room, still unconvinced I was finally alone. The walls were all painted cream and had bland landscapes hung in carved black frames around the perimeter.

“A little dreary, don’t you think?” Other buildings had heard me. Would the castle, too?

The room groaned. The walls shook. The cream paint melted away and pooled on the floor, revealing a deep red. All of the paintings fell with a crash. New ones grew, vivid pictures of sunsets, one of a fae who looked similar to my mother warming her hands by a fire, and other brightly colored landscapes.

When I gathered my chin off the floor, I managed a smile. “Red suits you better, and I don’t imagine having your guts covered in paint is particularly comfortable.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed. As broad as two kings pushed together and far enough off the ground it took steps just to get down from the mattress.

After I not-so-gracefully stumbled down the stairs, I clutched the back of a blue wing chair and made my way toward the door in the corner. A stone fireplace crackled along the same wall as the hallway door across from the foot of the bed.

I sped into the bathroom where most of the fixtures were gilded gold, even the toilet. A sunken tub took up most of the floor, though it was more the size of a small swimming pool than a tub. A glassed-in shower stall sat at the far end with an enormous round golden showerhead perched above the center. I had to admit the thought of a hot shower enticed me.
Later.
A dark wooden vanity stretched the length of the far wall, with gold bowls on top for the sinks.

I did my business while shaking my head at the absurdity of such an exorbitant room. When I finished, I pulled open a few closet doors until I found a silk robe that I applied over top of the corset and red butt floss.

It took me half an hour to stack all of the old pictures along one wall. I stood on the bed, working on a painting half the size of a Volkswagen wedged behind the head board when a voice startled me.

“Do you need some help with that?” Nix leaned against the doorframe, his hand still on the knob. Amusement ripened his tone.

“Damn it, Nix, you scared the hell out of me.” My breath heaved out in unhealthy bursts. “Ever hear of knocking?”

“I did, but you look pretty absorbed in what you’re doing. I guess you didn’t hear me.”

I’d give him the benefit of the doubt. I nodded my apology and returned my attention to the painting, in search of a place to get a good grip. I had to stretch to reach it. “Would you mind getting the other side of this?”

He stepped up on the bed beside me, gazed around the room. “Redecorating?”

We lowered the painting and set it against the front of the headboard. His blond hair tumbled forward. It reminded me of pale corn silk.

“He is.” I pointed to the wall. “I just made the suggestion.” I jumped off the bed and grunted as I dragged the painting over to the rest. “These buildings are alive. Give them a pat once in a while. They get lonely.”

“Neasa says they exist to serve us.”

I gritted my teeth, assembled my thoughts so I didn’t say the nasty words burning my mouth.

“I didn’t say I agreed with her.” He grinned.

“Now you’re making fun of me. Nice.” I shook my head and stroked fingers along the smooth wall. “What are these structures exactly?”

“As our population grows, they rise out of the ground within the faerie mounds. When I needed a place to live, I sent out a burst of Light, and one of the creatures answered me. Once I formed a bond with it, I pictured what I wanted: color, design, furniture. The changes happened before my eyes. My perfect home and companion too, like sleeping in the arms of a cherished friend. Gallagher says they’re shape-shifters that predate even the fae. Somehow they became dependent on our Light to survive. I think they stay here because they enjoy the company.”

Fae, trolls, witches, shape-shifters. I didn’t have any room left in the mental inn for more, so I held up my hand to stop him. “How do I fix the ones in the rest of the city?”

Nix smiled half-heartedly. “I give you my word I’ll explain everything, but later.” He motioned to a small table by the door with a tray of food on it. “I brought you something to eat. Why don’t you tuck in, and I’ll find someone to help me take away the snore-worthy art Neasa arranged for you.”

Maybe Nix wouldn’t be the pain in my neck I’d first imagined. “That would be great.” I returned his smile.

A jolt of panic caught me off guard when I remembered Liam and Garret.

“Where are my boys? I mean, thank you for the food and the help. I don’t mean to sound so ungrateful.”

“They’re waiting for us in the main briefing room. They’ve eaten, showered and changed, and I give you my word nobody has harmed them.”

“Okay. Can you tell them …” Tell them what? That I ached to have Liam near me again? That the thought of my little brother alone and scared somewhere made my heart hurt? I didn’t know Nix, and I didn’t want to hand him my weaknesses, though my reaction probably betrayed me anyway.

“I’ll tell them of your concern.”

I fidgeted with my hair, twisted a bunch in my hands as he took the silver lid off a bowl of orange soup and another from a plate that held a variety of cheese and crackers.

“Liam tells me you haven’t been able to eat much, so I thought something simple would be best until we can return you to full strength.” The contented smile never left his face as he spoke, or when he stared at me afterwards.

“Uh … thanks. That’s thoughtful. And good thinking.” I found myself tugging the robe tighter around myself and wondering if his pale skin was as soft as it looked.
God, what the hell am I thinking?
If I couldn’t be around the fae without turning into a nympho, I’d be going back out to the bush to live under a tree for the rest of my life.

“Do you need anything else before I go, Lila?” The way he said my name enticed my eyes to his.

I don’t have time for this!
“No. I just need some time to myself. I’ve had better days.”

“Understandable. Once you’ve had some time to adjust, we’ll establish a link so you can call me metaphysically. For now, there’s a silver wall panel beside the bed. Just place your hand against it, think about what you need and I’ll come. Brígh will be here in a while to drop off your clothes.” He winked at me, but I didn’t know why.

I wouldn’t hitch my mental caboose to another guy whose presence made me all squeegee. “Thanks,” I mumbled as he walked out the door.

The instant he left, I wanted him to come back. My frenzy to clean the room had only been a distraction. Alone, I had nothing to do but think.

Thoughts of Donovan, of his face, of his screams crept out of the shadows of my mind to haunt me. The thought of eating made me gag, so I paced, frantic to take my mind somewhere else again. More dark thoughts poured in: my brother, Milo, bellowing from beyond the door that night, the high-pitched squeals of my little sisters as the Glass Man took them from me, the look on my mother’s face as she closed the floor above me. Garret. Liam. That young boy and girl who witnessed the murders of their entire family. The Conners, who would never be the same again.

I threw myself on the bed and screamed into a pillow, the sounds in my head growing to a boom, the blood painting my mind’s eye red. The room vibrated as I leapt up, desperate for some way to cut the pain out of me. I ran into the bathroom, stripped off my clothes and turned on the shower. Hot water poured over my head as I slid my back along the wall, shaking until I sat on the white tile beneath the showerhead.

“Lila,”
Liam’s voice whispered through me.

When I tried to speak I realized I was weeping.
“What?”
I thought at him.

“You can’t fool me when I’m with you like this. I can feel your pain. Don’t shut me out.”

I gasped when his spirit filled me until I thought I’d burst. He wrapped his essence around me, an embrace from the inside while the water washed away my tears for Donovan, and for the rest of the ones I couldn’t save.

Liam fed me his warmth, his desire to take away my ghosts, to grab me up and run away with me, to keep me safe. For the first time since I’d left home, I put the weight of my mind on someone else, and I let him hold me. I wanted to stay that way forever, to never be alone again. The softness of his thoughts sliding through my mind brought light to my dark night.