The Summer Lands, in the forest not far from the Unseelie Court palace
Prince Gideon na
Feransel stared at Maeve and wondered, not for the first or tenth
or even the hundredth time, how the smartest, most powerful
Unseelie Court Fae prince in recorded history—himself,
naturally—had been saddled with an idiot for a sister.
“Maeve, if you’d quit
playing with your hair and listen for a single minute, I’d explain
this in words even you could understand.”
Maeve continued
brushing her silky blue-black hair and rolled her eyes at him.
Which he hated—which she knew.
Damn Fae princesses
were astonishingly arrogant.
“We tell the humans
we’re cousins, because the closer relationship of brother and
sister would involve certain expectations we don’t wish to entangle
us.”
She handed her
hairbrush to one of the fawning males who always surrounded her.
“Such as?”
“We’d have to pretend
to like each other.”
Her delicate features
screwed up in a tiny moue of distaste. As Fae, she could never be
truly ugly, but Gideon privately thought this expression came
close. Of course, his taste ran to paler beauty. A certain blonde
had caught his eye.
“You’re wrong, in any
case, brother,” she said. “I know many
human siblings who despise each other.”
“This is all beside
the point, Maeve. Now if you don’t mind, please send your entourage
away so we might speak privately.”
She shot a
speculative glance at him, reminding him anew that vanity was not a
signal of lack of intelligence. Anyone who underestimated Maeve na
Feransel was a fool, and Gideon was many things, but never, ever a
fool.
“Go,” she said,
waving a slender arm. The various men—lesser Fae and human both—all
bowed and fled, obeying her order with an alacrity that underscored
his reason for the conversation with his sister.
He leaned against the
trunk of a winged elm tree and inhaled deeply, comforted by the
scent of all things green and growing. The soil beneath his boots
was a touch dry, but he knew rain would soon arrive to soothe and
nourish the forest. The connection with the earth and all things
growing was so much a part of Fae nature that he sometimes wondered
how humans survived without it. Perhaps it was how they could
destroy nature with so little concern or remorse.
Perhaps he was a fool
to try to save any of them, but then again, he did occasionally
need them. All of that chaotic life-force energy was so
delicious.
“I’ve put out the
word that a very wealthy buyer will pay top money for the sword
Vanquish,” he said. “I’ve also told Telios, but that fool vampire
is more interested in murder and destruction than anything else, so
I doubt he’ll be able to come up with a coherent plan to steal
it.”
“Why don’t you just
steal it yourself?” Maeve turned away from him and bent to admire a
profusion of wild orchids tangled around the base of a jasmine
bush. “I know you’re only after the Siren and what it can do. The
power to enthrall shifters on a large scale? Why would you possibly
care about that?”
“Power held is never
useless. Far more important, though, is power withheld from others. If the vampires were to learn
what the Siren can do, their misguided attempt to take over the
entire world would be one step closer to its realization. Even you
should realize that this would be utter annihilation for the
Fae.”
“You do know that
Rhys na Garanwyn is working with the Atlanteans toward the same
end? Why not join forces?”
Rage flared inside
him with sudden, sharp intensity. He forced it to recede. The time
would come for him to unleash his fury. Not now. Not
yet.
“I will consider all
options,” he managed to say calmly. “For now, if you see your
little human friend, encourage her to steal the sword for
me.”
“Friend? What are you
talking about?”
He started laughing
at her so-obvious attempt at deception. “Don’t bother to deny it. I
know that your friend Lady Fiona is a thief. The Scarlet Ninja,
isn’t that what they call her?”
She whirled around,
and he saw her shock before she masked her emotional
response.
“I don’t know what
you’re talking about. She—”
“Don’t bother,” he
repeated, folding his arms over his chest. He was enjoying this. “I
targeted her, specifically, by making sure her contacts got the
word. She has Fae in her, you know.”
This time, his
beloved, wicked, deceitful sister could not hide her shock. “How
did you know?”
“The way you were
drawn to her from the first, when you attended that human school.
Don’t you think we noticed? Do you really believe we would allow
you, a Fae princess, to mingle in the human world without constant
surveillance?”
She shook her head.
“No. I would have known. I watched for anyone. There were no
guards.”
“There were dozens of
guards, you fool,” he said, enjoying the way her lovely white skin
paled even further. “Always. The first time we caught her
shadowing, we backtracked her heritage. We’re almost certain she’s
of Fae blood. Probably Seelie Court, and quite possibly
royalty.”
“You leave her
alone,” Maeve said hotly. “She’s mine.”
“Yours? I thought
your tastes ran only to the male of the various species.” He swept
his gaze over her luscious curves. Too bad she was his sister. He
was in the mood for a little bed play.
“Not like that. She’s
my friend. You hurt her and you will answer to me.” Her voice was
quiet as she said it, but somehow deadly. For just an instant, a
chill of apprehension slid over him, but then he came to his
senses. She was so far below him in the hierarchy of power as to be
entirely unimportant.
“You aren’t
threatening me, are you, little sister?” He strode over to her,
crossing the distance between them with slow, deliberate intent.
“Never forget who holds the power of Feransel. I could crush you
with a thought.”
She paled again but
said nothing. Just bowed her head.
“Permission to return
to my rooms, Lord Feransel?” This time, her voice held nothing but
submission and a tinge of bitterness.
Better.
“Yes, go. But have a
care. If Telios approaches you, be sure to emphasize how important
that sword is to me, but make no mention of the jewel on its hilt.
I’d steal it myself if William’s witch hadn’t ensorcelled it to
destroy any Fae who touched it when not freely given.” He laughed.
“William the Conqueror, indeed. How did they never wonder how he
became such a conqueror? A powerful witch on his side for all those
years, and none suspected.”
“You knew,” she
pointed out.
“Yes, but what care
did I have for human affairs at that time? There were more than
enough of them and the vampires still hid in the dark. Now, things
are different. I want that gem. A perfect aquamarine, or so I
hear.”
She bit her lip but
said nothing. Probably thinking about her next bed partner. Useless
female. He made a go-away gesture with his hand and she all but ran
off down the path toward the palace.
“The Siren and Lady
Fiona. I’ll have them both. Quite lovely prizes for one who seeks
to rule both courts, don’t you think?” he asked the empty
air.
Only the trees heard
his laughter.