Fae Guardians Series

Chapter 9: Never Trust a Fae

Avery

Sunlight flickered across my eyelids and I groaned. The rays felt like sand across my eyes. And I hurt everywhere. Did I have the flu? My mouth tasted like I'd licked a skunk. Yuck. I stretched out a hand, searching for the bottle of water I always kept on my nightstand. When I met nothing but air, I frowned.

Was I at Maggie's then?

A fog covered my mind that I couldn't quite shake.

"Are you hungry?" Malcolm's voice asked from across the room.

As though he'd thrown ice water on me, and not just spoken, I bolted upright. Then the sheets slid down my body and I grasped them to me, covering my near-naked form. "Where are my clothes? Where the hell am I?"

He chuckled and waved his hand to the edge of the bed where a wooden tray with fruits and cheeses lay. "Eat."

"No thanks." I didn't bother to camouflage my fake smile. "I'm not hungry."

At my stomach rumbling, he arched an eyebrow.

"How do I know it's not poisoned?"

"If I wanted you dead from poisoning, we wouldn't have undone the leminax's work."

"Oh." My face burned despite me wanting to stab him. Where had he put my weapons? Had he touched me while I was unconscious?

No, he didn't seem the type to take what wasn't offered freely. He could get a woman to disrobe for him merely by looking at a woman with those midnight blue eyes of his.

"Do you mind?" I asked, tucking the sheet around me. "I'd like my clothes back."

The muscle in his jaw twitched. "Seems your outfit had some issues with it. As soon as it is repaired, we'll return it. In the meantime, there are dresses in the wardrobe."

When I didn't move toward the armoire or the food, he sighed, and leaned forward. I held my ground, not flinching. He grabbed a piece of cheese and popped it into his mouth.

"Why am I here?" I asked.

"You are at Brimx Castle."

I shook my head, the movement making me dizzy. "Not what I asked. Besides, I've never heard of it."

"Eat." He waved an impatient hand to the food.

Since he wouldn't answer my question unless I did as he asked, I snagged a cluster of grapes and ate them one at a time, my gaze never leaving his.

"What do you know of the Fae?"

I paused mid-chew. Guess we weren't going to beat around the bush. Then again, if he had my dress, then he had to have found my multiple weapons. If he wanted me to cower and beg for mercy, then he didn't know me.

"How's the Fae with the thigh and shoulder wounds?" I asked in a sugary-sweet voice. "Did he survive?"

The muscle in his jaw twitched. "Aye. He's had worse done to him and lived...thrived even."

Something in Malcolm's gaze told me not to push him further. I shrugged. I could let this go for now while I ate. The truth was I was super sore all over and going up against a Fae or two that my blades didn't seem to bother as much as they should probably wasn't the best idea.

However, I would do anything to survive if he or his friend tried anything.

"What were you doing with all those Fae-killing weapons?" He scratched at his chin. "Most humans don't know about our kind much less how some take both iron and silver to kill."

I frowned at the tray of cheese and fruit. My stomach suddenly turning sour, but I couldn't let on that it was a sore spot. Fae could be bastards like that and poke a wound. Plus, I needed to get my strength back as soon as possible to nix these two odd Fae and get the hell out of here. Never give the enemy anything they could use against you.

"I had a crash-course." I picked up a piece of cheese, forcing my face neutral while I ate.

"And I assume since you attacked Darrius, including the number of knives we found hidden on you, that you are an assassin?" His voice hardened. "Who pays you?"

I choked on the piece of cheese, then flashed him a smile. "No one. I'm an independent contractor saving the women and children your kind hurt, cleaning up the streets of vermin like you."

In a millisecond, he was across the room, looming over me. He tackled me back onto the bed. His weight pressing in me down.

"You think I killed those innocents?" he snarled down into my face.

I hoped my expression was mocking instead of intimidated. "Who else? You were the last one known to be with them. What Fae charm did you use to convince the police that you didn't have anything to do with their disappearances and deaths?"

"None." His gaze bore into me. "I had nothing to do with those women's disappearance."

"Right." Arched my eyebrows, indicating his hold on me. Then my body came alive under his masculine presence. Feeling his hardness against every one of my curves, his thigh pressed between my legs. His hands held mine down and I wanted him to take control, take the lead.

I licked my lips and he growled, making my body suddenly ache for him. His eyes widened, a look of ecstasy and anticipation that charged through me. I suddenly wanted him more than air. I squirmed, trying to get away from him, when his c**k brushed across my thigh.

Holy f**k, was he that big down there? And fully erect already? I shook my head. No freaking way was I going to have s*x with Malcolm or any other damn Fae. I shoved my hands against his chest.

"Get off me."

His lips formed a hard, white line, but he released me. The lack of his warmth suddenly made me cold and longing. What the hell was wrong with me? Or were his Fae pheromones that potent?

I sat up, glaring at him, and wishing I had my knives back.

"Finish your food and get cleaned up." He marched to the armoire, yanked out a blue dress, and tossed it at me.

"Why?" I definitely wanted to be wearing more than my undergarments, but I didn't want to blindly obey his commands either.

"Unless you wish to remain half-dressed when you meet your court?"

My mouth opened and closed for several seconds before I shook my head. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He stomped to the door, yanking it open. "Didn't you know, Avery?"

"Okay, I'll bite...know what?" Didn't matter what he said. How much he protested his innocence because somehow he was connected to the disappearances and murders of those women. He'd been the last one to see them alive and I'd make him pay. The world wouldn't be safe until all of his kind were dead or crawled back into the sewers they came from.

His sly grin made my heart skitter a beat. "If you believe all Fae are monsters, you should take a good long look in the mirror."

I scoffed. "I'm human and don't go around hurting or killing innocents."

He swung the door wider. "Guess it's good we took away all your daggers. Hate to see you hurt yourself because of your prejudice."

I crossed my arms. "What are you getting at?"

"Because you, Avery, are half-Fae."

He closed the door as shock whipped through me. Lying. He had to be making that up in order to f**k with my mind. I was human. I couldn't be Fae. But as I stared down at my hands, something inside me uncoiled.