When Jess was out of sight, she put the glass down on the phone table, came outside and locked the door behind her.

  ***

  Andi walked to the barrier, keeping an eye on Jess from a distance as she walked. The usual protectors were out in concealed force; earth-bound fairies out walking their dogs or jogging while she dashed past them to get to class on time. The school was full of protectors too. Jess was safe there, but that didn’t stop Andi from worrying. Her mother was set up as the head teacher and there were three fairies employed by the Council to keep an eye on Jess while she was in school. It was the one time of the day that Andi could truly relax. Usually she went back to the house and got in a few hours of sleep that she wouldn’t get at night. She’d learnt to function with just four or five hours of sleep a day. Today’s schedule would blow that, and she knew what that would mean. Groaning inwardly, she tried not to think of Will’s inevitable visit. Something much more important was happening. The Seelie Princess would have her true protector, at last.

  She sat on the wall by the magical barrier that protected the town from the outside world, waiting for the arrival of the guy who was apparently her soul-mate. She had no doubt that they were fated, their strange encounter had been all the proof she could ask for. It had just come so completely out of the blue that she’d barely had time to process it. She hadn’t been expecting to meet a tracker she could actually fall for.

  A wry smile pulled at her lips. It was something her mother had driven her crazy over. She’d been pushing Will at Andi ever since they’d met, desperate to have Andi marry someone who could give her the right kind of grandchildren. Even though he was a tracker, she knew her mother wouldn’t approve of Shaun. Will had the woman curled around his finger. No other man would ever be good enough for Andi. It was just as well she didn’t listen to her mother’s opinions.

  The sensation of the magic at the barrier rippling was her first clue to their arrival. Shaun’s scent was familiar to her now, his parents were unknown, but she doubted that would be the case for long. She got up from the wall, pressing her lips together and wishing her mouth didn’t feel so dry.

  Shaun came through the barrier alone. He was exactly as she remembered. Tall, blond and dressed all in black, the claw scar over his left eye made him look kind of dangerous at first glance, but he had a vulnerable quality about him that no amount of scowling could hide.

  He smiled wryly at her. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” she said, smiling back. “What, no escort?”

  He snorted. “I shook them off. You’re allowed to debrief me yourself. Assuming you want to.”

  She laughed. “You really are funny. I wasn’t sure if it was a one off.”

  They stared at each other and she knew he was thinking about kissing her. What she’d told him about their soul-mate bond was probably the only thing stopping him. She almost wished she hadn’t explained it to him. She wouldn’t have felt the need to, if they didn’t have more important things to deal with. Sighing, she tore her gaze away from him.

  He cleared his throat. “So what happens now?”

  She looked at the bag he was holding. It hit her that this guy she was insanely attracted to was actually moving in with her. She tried not to think too closely about that. There were so many important things for them to discuss. “Follow me. I should talk you through things before Jess gets home from school.”

  “She goes to school?”

  “Uh, yeah. I’ll explain when we get inside. The town is pretty safe, but we have certain rules we never break.” She hated to be so cagey, but she knew it wouldn’t be for much longer. The house wasn’t far.

  Shaun was quiet as they walked. It was weirdly comfortable, as if they’d known each other forever. She took a breath as the house came into sight. This was it; the real test of her willpower. They were about to be alone together.

  Or not...

  “What the...”

  “Aw get to...” Shaun trailed off, clearly biting his tongue.

  Will was hanging out of the front door, an idiot’s grin on his stupid face. She’d ask where he’d come from, but she could sense the witch magic that had brought him there. He’d developed a fascination with teleportation ever since she’d done it in front of him. These days he always had a spell or two on him. She glanced at Shaun. The scowl he was wearing suggested he was even less pleased to see Will than she was. She wasn’t sure how that could be possible.

  “What are you doing here?” She shook her head, coming up the path and trying to keep control of her anger.

  Will leaned back against the door frame. “Thought you could use some help breaking in the rookie.”

  “Well, unless you’ve actually been ordered to help, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave. We have a lot of work to do.”

  He stepped back to let them in. “I’m sure I could get an order, if you really want that.”

  What she really wanted was to punch him in the face, but she just smiled sweetly, realising he had no idea that Shaun meant something to her. He wasn’t there to stop them from getting up to anything. He was there just to piss her off. Some things never changed. “If you’re sticking around then you can make yourself useful and put the kettle on.”

  He nodded and went into the kitchen as she let Shaun into the house. The door closed and Shaun ditched his bag by the side of the staircase.

  “Nice place.” His gaze drifted around the hall.

  She took off her jacket and hung it over the banister. He took his coat off and did the same, lifting it again after a second’s hesitation and taking his dagger out. He shrugged as she watched him stick it into his back jeans pocket, covering the hilt with his T-shirt.

  “It’s the Seelie dagger. I’d feel weird being around here without it.”

  She smiled. “I get it. Come on, I’ll show you our office.”

  She walked past the open kitchen doorway, where Will was getting mugs out of a cupboard. The office was always locked. Jess wasn’t interested in that room, what she called Andi’s dungeon, but she had to be on the safe side. She unlocked the door and went inside.

  “So the first thing you should know is that Jess doesn’t know she’s the Seelie Princess.”

  Shaun followed her into the office. She watched him walk around, taking everything in. Every little bit of research she’d conducted over the last twelve years was contained within those four walls. She had two floor-to-ceiling bookcases, a desk overloaded with filled notepads, four lockable filing cabinets, a safe she kept stocked with handy spells and small weapons, and a hardwood kitchen table with a map of the country carved into the top.

  “How does that work?” He glanced up at her. “I mean, if she doesn’t know, how can you keep her safe?”

  “I had the same question when that decision was made,” she told him. “It was decided that she’d be safer if she had no powers.” She sighed. “I hate keeping it from her. I don’t agree that it makes her safer. But the choice wasn’t mine.”

  Will walked in, handed Andi a mug and sipped from the other he held in his right hand.

  Andi shook her head at him. “What about Shaun?”

  “What about him?” Will shrugged and took another sip of his coffee before he put the mug down on the table.

  Shaun didn’t seem to notice Will’s snotty remark as he gazed at the map that was carved into the table, the fingers of his right hand tracing Ravenstow Woods.

  Andi put her tea down and looked at Shaun. “Tea or coffee?”

  He glanced up. “Eh, coffee. White. Thanks.”

  She nodded and left to make him his drink. She only hesitated for a moment before she left him alone with her arsehole of an ex. It wouldn’t be the best time to let Will know about them, but she didn’t think a good time would ever come for that, not from Will’s point of view. As little as his opinion mattered to her, she knew revealing her new relationship was going to have consequences beyond pissing her ex-boyfriend off. She trusted Shaun not to say anything, but she knew it was going to come up sometime.

  ***

  Shaun watched Will drink his coffee. The guy looked smug as hell. His gaze had drifted over Andi’s body as she left the room. She was wearing something a bit more fitted than the last time he’d seen her. The tight jeans and jumper were black, like his, but he doubted he looked anywhere near as good as she did in the ensemble. She had a slim, athletic body, which wasn’t all that surprising given that she was a tracker. The assignment she had wasn’t usual though and it could have let her slack off the physically demanding aspect of the job a little bit, but he’d seen her in action and he knew she was no slacker.

  “She’s something, isn’t she?” Will said it like he was bragging.

  Shaun frowned at him. “She’s not yours.”

  “Said who?” Will’s gaze turned stony.

  “Whatever you two had is over,” he said, not sure Andi would want him elaborating on that. He’d have to bite his tongue. A pissing contest wasn’t the kind of thing that would impress her. No matter how much fun it would be to shove this cunt’s face in his victory. He’d only kissed Andi once. He didn’t want to screw up his chances. Even if it was fated to happen he didn’t want to do anything that might upset her.

  Will didn’t seem bothered, he didn’t even try to come back with an argument. He just smirked and kept on drinking his coffee. He clearly didn’t care what Shaun thought.

  Andi came back with a mug she passed to Shaun. He took it, and ignored the spark he felt ignite as their fingers touched. The connection between them burst open and he saw her tense as she fought the feeling, backing away quickly. He reluctantly pushed his own rising desire back, trying to stay focused. It wasn’t easy. It felt wrong to deny the enhanced feelings between them. He told himself it wasn’t a denial, just a postponement. They were meant to be together, and they would be, when it was right. Now just wasn’t the time.

  “This is usually when I take a few hours to sleep,” Andi said, stifling a yawn. “My mother is the headmistress at the school, and there are three earth-bound fairies who work there who watch over her as well. I can’t sleep at night. That’s when they’re most likely to come for her.”

  “Well, now,” Will said. “The boy can switch shifts with you. So that can change.”

  Shaun glanced at Andi, hoping he hadn’t been sent to her only to be stuck on separate shifts watching over the princess. It would be torture, being so close and so far away all at once.

  Andi frowned at Will. She shook her head. “That’s not what he’s here for. He’s the Seelie Knight, Will.”

  Will laughed. “That whole thing is a big joke. Some little fey girl with terrible judgement thought he was noble so he was given that piece of crap dagger. It doesn’t make him a knight, or a protector, or anything.”

  Shaun couldn’t fight what Will was saying. He didn’t feel like he was supposed to be a knight either. Or he hadn’t, until he realised it meant he’d get to work with the woman he was sure was his soul-mate. The profanities that filled his head seemed too vicious to unleash in front of Andi. He narrowed his eyes, settling for a silent glower. He could sense Andi’s anger rise as she stared at Will, who had started to grin; amused at his observations, Shaun supposed.

  “Get out,” Andi said, her tone sharp.

  Will’s grin sank as he stared at her. “What?”

  “You heard me,” she said, calmly.

  Shaun drank his coffee, hiding the grimace the taste brought out behind his mug. He’d never tried the stuff before and he didn’t know why he thought this would be a good time to start.

  “Andi,” Will said, lowering his voice.

  She kept her gaze level. “I said get out. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

  Will took a deep breath, put his coffee mug down abruptly, sloshing the hot liquid over the rim, and stalked out of the room.

  Shaun put his own mug down more carefully, not intending to pick it back up. “So, eh, what now?”

  “Now, we wait for bat-ears to leave,” she said, with a wry smile. “He honestly could hear us have a conversation from across the street.”

  She sipped at her tea and he watched her face as the tension started to drain out of her. Will’s departure was calming her anger right down. She pointed at the bookcase he stood next to.

  “There are books there that relate to the Seelie princess. Some of the prophecies line up, and some of them contradict each other. I’ve read all of them.”

  He turned to one of the bookcases. Some of the books looked ancient. He wondered how quickly they’d crumble to dust if he picked one up. “So how do you know what to watch out for?”

  “Mostly, I don’t.” She shrugged as he glanced back at her. “They tend to only come true in very round-about ways. It’s unpredictable. So far though, nothing has happened that we couldn’t handle.”

  “Things are probably about to take a turn,” he said, knowing that was why he was here now. The gates were due to open and that likely had something to do with the princess. He probably could do with knowing some of the possible scenarios. “Any of these books mention the gates?”

  She nodded. “Most of them do, in one way or another. I think this is the one you’ll want to check out,” she said, moving over and picking one out of the bookcase. Her arm brushed his and she shivered. The heat of her gaze made his desire surge.

  He took the book from her and put it down on the table. “Is he gone?”

  He didn’t want to split his focus to check where Will was. His hand was already reaching out to touch her face. Their connection demanded skin-on-skin touch. She sighed softly as his fingers stroked her cheek.

  “Wait,” she told him, reluctance in her voice. “You know I want this as much as you do, but we have to be careful.”

  “We’ve got a princess to protect,” he said, knowing the girl was at the centre of Andi’s world. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

  She pulled him in close as he started to back away. Even as she deepened the kiss, he could tell she was conflicted about what they were starting, and he knew it would all come down to protecting the girl. Andi groaned as she pulled away. “This is going to be so hard.”

  “You’re telling me,” he murmured, as he let her go.

  “We just have to focus.” She closed her eyes. “Where was I?”

  “Eh, before you told Will to get lost? I don’t remember.”

  “Right,” she said, as her dark eyes opened. They were full of determination. “So, Jess is at school. This is when we’ll sleep, usually. After, she comes home most days. There’s one other family she can spend time with. They’re human, but the kid’s father is in the loop and has access to pre-mixed defensive spells. He was in the military. He’d be able to protect her until they could call me.”

  Shaun took it in, trying not to think too much about the sleeping part of the arrangement.

  “Um, yeah, so most of the time she comes home and we eat dinner, she does her homework, watches TV and goes to bed. I give her sleeping pills, because they stop her from dreaming. That’s really important. When she dreams she’s at risk. You know a lot about the Darklands and how all that doorway stuff works, right?”

  He nodded. “More than I ever wanted to.”

  “So it’s pretty important that she doesn’t dream. I mean she was kind of safe when she was younger, but you know about the prophecy involving the Unseelie prince?”

  “He’s missing right now,” he told her. “What’s the prophecy?”

  “Shit,” Andi hissed. “Did you say he’s missing?”

  “We thought Adrian might be trying to use him to open the gates.”

  “We?”

  “Uh, the Council informant for the earth bound Fey.” He smiled. “We’re friends.”

  “I don’t understand why I’ve not been told about this,” she said, frowning deeply as she brought out her phone. “I need to make sure the others know.”

  He watched her make a series of phone-calls that sounded cryptic. Apparently codes were in place for these kinds of situations. When she put her phone back into her pocket she didn’t seem any calmer.

  “Okay. Everything’s going to be fine,” she said it as if she was trying to reassure herself.

  “Maybe you could tell me what the prophecy is?” He wasn’t sure it would make her feel better, but at least then he’d be better placed to help protect the princess.

  She nodded. “We’d better sit down. This might take a while.”

  Chapter Four

  Teri walked with the dark-haired fairy into the castle grounds. The clang of the gates being closed and bolted behind them made her stomach lurch. She’d just willingly trapped herself. She hugged herself as she moved onwards, telling herself a way out would present itself. If she got stuck she knew she could always call Shaun. She’d done him enough favours to have earned at least one in return, even one this monumental. Her heels sunk into the dirt as she walked. They were turning red. She grimaced as she kept walking. The entrance to the tower was just up ahead. She swallowed as she realised where he was taking her. Fear gripped her and she had a hard time letting go of it. The tower was where Adrian had killed at least one psychic that she knew of. She’d experienced it herself, as if she were the one being tortured. She shuddered as he reached back and pulled her into the entrance. His hands went to her waist in the enclosed space. He pushed lightly and she started to walk up the winding staircase, legs trembling as she got higher and closer to the tower. Escape didn’t seem quite so likely the higher she climbed. She was walking to her death.

  When she got to the door at the top of the winding staircase her legs no longer wanted to move. She looked at the man who’d brought her there. “Don’t do this.”

  He pushed the door inwards. She was afraid to look inside.

  He guided her into the room as she squeezed her eyes closed.

 

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