Shadows of the Heart

1. Reine-2

Rhys's car turned out to be a black, low-slung two-seater convertible. What was it with paranormal men and their convertibles? Not that I could say much about impractical vehicles—I rode a motorcycle, which was currently being repaired back in Scotland.

We arrived at the hotel to find Lawrence waiting for us by the front door. Others wouldn't have been able to tell, but I saw relief flicker across his face. Guilt again stabbed me, but I mentally swatted it away. Rhys had reminded me—I needed to act like the Fae I was if I was going to survive this thing and return home.

Lawrence opened my car door like a gentleman, and we stepped to the side while Rhys gave very specific instructions to the valets. How had Rhys scored a luxury vehicle? When Mother had sent me to Atlanta earlier that week—which felt like a century ago—I'd been on my own and dependent on the kindness of strangers. Well, and my rideshare apps that mysteriously never ran out of money. I missed having the freedom of my own transportation, but I didn't trust myself to drive on the right side of the road in the States.

"Are you all right?" Lawrence asked.

"Yes." I reached to my shoulder, and Sir Raleigh pushed his head under my hand with an emphatic purr. "Rhys can't hurt me. I've always been the stronger of the two of us."

"I don't mean physically." Lawrence's face still had his stony gargoyle expression, and he narrowed his gray eyes at Rhys. Huh. I hadn't seen that reaction from him before, but then, we'd only known each other for a couple of days.

"I'm fine." I didn't know what else to say. Not here, anyway, with lots of curious eyes watching and ears listening. And there did seem to be a lot of people around. Was the hotel a busy place on Fridays? I didn't think a shopping mall could draw that many people from out of town.

"I don't know if I believe you. We have a lot to talk about." Lawrence crossed his arms. "Like why did you sneak away this morning? Did I do something to anger you?"

Gods, is that what he thought of me? That I'd leave in a snit after he'd been injured and had lost one of his friends?

"No, not at all. I had to go meet my mother, and…" I shrugged. "Fae business. I didn't want to wake you."

A half-truth. I hadn't wanted to wake him so I could avoid the pain of saying goodbye. When I'd left the hotel that morning, I'd thought Sir Raleigh and I had a ticket to Faerie. Of course I hadn't. I still had to settle the one hanging thread of a monster, who hopefully should still be dormant after its activities of the previous evening.

"Right."

I could tell he didn't believe me. He'd already caught me in one deception when I hadn't told him I'd searched his lab.

Rhys walked over to us. He had a black faux leather duffel bag slung over one shoulder, and his half-grin told me he'd heard at least some of our discussion. Damn that Fae hearing.

"I hope there's a room for me. This is a busy place."

A porter pushed a luggage rack full of suitcases and boxes past us, and a sparkling object caught my eye—a pair of strap-on wings. What in the world…?

"Excuse me," I asked him. "What's going on here?"

The man stopped and grinned. What could he find so funny? Oh, Hades, I had tucked my hair behind one pointed ear to get it out of Sir Raleigh's face. Then the man looked at Rhys, whose ears of course were on full display. Yet another thing I'd have to talk to him about—hide the damn things with a spell or something.

"Nice costumes, Miss, Sir. I swear, y'all start dressing up earlier every year."

"What?"

He pointed to a stand-up sign I hadn't noticed. It read, "Welcome to Fae-Con" and had instructions on where to check in for the hotel and the 'Con.

"Oh, right." I gave him what I hoped was a dazzling smile, but without any kind of charm or push behind it.

He glanced around and dropped his volume. "You may want to hide the cat, though. The manager doesn't allow pets in public spaces."

"Right, thanks."

The porter nodded and continued along.

"Well, you should fit right in," Lawrence said too cheerfully. "Shall we see about getting your brother a room?"

Luckily, they had one available two floors below ours. I noticed Lawrence didn't offer to trade with him, and that gave me hope. Perhaps he wanted to stay close to me.

Or maybe he took his job of protecting me seriously.

I puzzled over his logic as we lined up to wait for the elevator.

Rhys frowned at the crowd. "I'll take the stairs, thanks." He walked away before I could argue with him. I started after him, but Lawrence grabbed my arm.

"Don't worry about him. How much trouble could he possibly get into?"

I arched an eyebrow. "You have no idea. I'll fill you in later." But I decided to wait with him. I hated the metal boxes, but I'd just gotten a nice recharge from Stone Mountain, so I decided to remain with Lawrence.

One of the four cars filled up, and we moved forward. A young woman next to me bumped into me, and I tried to move away from her, which meant I nudged Lawrence and lost my balance. He steadied me with a hand on my arm, which was a good thing. Sir Raleigh growled just before the girl leaned over, and her eyes flashed yellow.

Hades. The soul-eater had found me.

The young woman’s mouth split into an evil smile that didn't belong on her pretty face and said, "You can try to hide, but I'll find you. I'll get you. Just wait."

"That's what you think." Right, next task—find new hotel.

As if the soul-eater could read my mind, it added, "And if you move out of the hotel, I'll take my revenge on your friends and the innocents here."

She clasped my wrist, and my knees went weak. Then the girl's eyes rolled up, and she fainted. I managed to catch her and lower her to the floor as the people around us stepped back juggling their luggage. I put my hand to her neck and found her pulse to be strong.

A short man with a terrier-like face and black eyes rushed over. He had a radio clipped to his belt, and he ran a hand through thinning dark hair.

"What happened?" he snapped. He sounded more annoyed than concerned, which made me respond more harshly than I should.

"She fainted, you i***t. Do you have some sort of medical personnel here?"

He sneered at me. "Of course. Everyone step back, give her some air."

We managed to get the girl out of the elevator line and to a couch in the lobby, and a medical crew arrived with blood pressure cuff, oxygen, and other equipment. Once I confirmed they knew what they were doing, Lawrence and I left, but I couldn't stop shivering, my mind whirling with panic now that I didn't have to worry about the girl who'd been taken over.

The problem had reached a whole new level—the soul-eater was stalking the convention.