Chapter 2

Alex just stared.

Abigail.

The Seelie Queen.

She waited for the fae woman to summon a knife and gut her like a fish. If Valroy the Unseelie King had run his mouth to Abigail about Alex, and Alex's pending wish she owed to Izael, then there was no way that Abigail didn't know what Valroy wanted Alex to do with it.

And by "wanted," I mean he'll torture me until he gets his way.

Taking in a deep breath, she held it and let it out in a long rush. "I'm so fucked."

Abigail laughed again, resting her hand on Alex's shoulder. "Oh, dear girl. Shall we go somewhere more comfortable? I know it is quite early, but I feel as though you are in need of a drink."

"If you're going to kill me, I'd rather just know, please." Alex kept rigid, not wanting to trust the woman, even if her smile was infectious and her eyes shimmered with mirth and kindness.

Never trust the fae.

Never. Trust. The. Fae.

She hadn't learned the first time in dealing with Izael. She really, really had to beat that into her head this time with the goddamn Seelie-fucking-Queen.

"I do not wish to kill you, Alex." Abigail's smile faded slightly.

"That wasn't a no. That was just you saying you don't want to. Which is nice and all, but not what I asked." Alex clenched her hands into fists in her lap. She could teleport away using her weird music magic, by just jumping tracks again—but something told her she wouldn't be very good at hiding from Abigail.

"You must be giving Izael a run for his money. I love it." Abigail chuckled. "And yes, you're right—that is precisely what I said. I do not wish to kill you. And at this point in time, I have no reason to. But you must understand how…complex this situation is." The Queen turned her attention to the splattered greenery that was once the soldiers. "A situation that has grown more complex in the past few minutes, I must admit."

"I…" Alex paused. "I'm sorry."

Abigail snorted. "Do not apologize for things that are not your fault. This magic of yours was not of your choosing. It is unlike anything I have seen in Tir n'Aill before—this place must find you intriguing to give you such a unique and dangerous power."

"It kind of is my fault, though. I asked for it. I didn't ask for this, specifically, but." Alex scratched the back of her neck. "I'm not sure why I'm digging myself a deeper hole, either."

"Because you figure that I already know or that it would be easy enough for me to find out the truth. Both of which are true, by the by." Abigail stood with a grunt and brushed herself off. "Come! If you will not take wine, then perhaps—what is it you people drink these days? Coffee?"

Coffee sounded amazing. "I would like that. As long as it isn't laced with arsenic." It wasn't like she trusted Abigail—she really didn't. But she was the goddamn Seelie Queen, and there was no escaping the Seelie in the daylight of Tir n'Aill. This might be her best play, honestly.

Standing, she brushed herself off as well. She was surprised to see how short Abigail was—maybe came up to her shoulder or an inch more. She looked like a supernatural gardener, not royalty. Her music was all flutes and gentle strings. Folksy and warm.

It all made her instantly endearing.

Don't get suckered in, you big, fat moron. You already did that once.

"You're smart not to trust me. Not to trust anyone. Especially as I feel you are already once burned on that front." Abigail shrugged. "But the fact of the matter is, dear, you are human in a world of creatures that would love to make you a snack. And I mean that in all meanings of the word."

"Yeah." Alex grimaced. "I got that sense from the Unseelie."

"You have no idea." Abigail sighed. "I had quite the arrival to this world. I had to adjust to all of it not too long ago, in the grand scheme of things. I know how it feels to be a fish out of water. Come." She held out her hand to Alex. "Let us go."

Well, she really didn't have a choice. Alex put her hand in the Queen's, and felt the world melt away from them as something took them. When they reappeared on the other side, Alex groaned and staggered. She felt weird. Extremely weird.

"Traveling through the roots can be unsettling at first. You get used to it." Abigail was already walking away, heading toward a stone and plaster home that looked like it could have been transplanted straight from the English countryside, circa the 1700s. The roof was thatched, and there were wooden shutters hanging in charmingly lopsided fashion next to old, diamond-shaped glass paned windows.

Smoke was gently curling from the chimney.

Abigail opened the door and strolled in like she owned the place.

With a shrug, Alex followed. She had to duck under one of the beams in the home—and she really wasn't that tall at all. "Is this your home?"

"Hardly fit for a Queen, I know." Abigail smiled at Alex over her shoulder as she went to the fire to place a kettle of water on a hook that dangled from a cast iron crane. She pushed it over the fire to warm it. "I have several homes. This is simply one of my favorites."

"Huh."

"Reminds me of my own home when I was on Earth. When I was human, like you. Before I was taken."

"By Valroy."

"Mm." Abigail's shoulders sagged slightly before she shook her head. "It is quite the tale. Not one best told at the crack of dawn." She paused. "Or sober."

That got a laugh out of Alex. All right. She didn't know what to make of Abigail, but she certainly didn't hate the woman. When Alex laughed, Abigail's face lit up in a joyful smile. The Seelie Queen just seemed so sweet. It was hard to imagine her married to Valroy.

I mean, the King was a looker, there was no way around that—Valroy was hot as fuck. But that only went so far when the man was also a rampaging genocidal maniac.

Then again, she had the hots for Izael, and the snake monster literally ate people whole.

Kettle, black, all that jazz.

Abigail gestured to a table by the wall. "Sit, dear. Please. Help yourself."

Alex sat and fought the instinct to thank the woman. There was a bowl of rolls and some cheese sitting on the table, and her stomach grumbled. Picking up a knife, she cut a slice off the cheese and picked up a roll. "I appreciate the food."

"Smart girl." Abigail smiled. "Smarter than I was."

"Doubtful." Alex sat back in the chair and looked around the room. It resembled something from one of those Colonial American reenactment places—like Williamsburg. Only somehow older. It smelled amazing, like a hundred thousand cooking fires and roasted food. It was cozy, she had to admit.

"Please. I couldn't stop thanking people for years. But you and I have a lot in common."

"We do?"

"We both fell for the charm of a man we, despite all reason and common sense, should not have." Abigail hummed. "We are likely the same manner of foolish, then."

"I'll accept that." She smiled faintly. "And I haven't fallen for Izael."

Abigail gave her one of those looks that could only translate to girl, please. She pulled the kettle off the hook with a towel and took it over to another table, where a suspiciously modern pour-over coffee pot was sitting. "No reason to lie."

Alex narrowed her eyes and changed the subject. "You were expecting me."

"Being prepared for, and certain of, are two very different things. I was suspicious this may come to pass, yes."

"Why?"

"Because it is what I would have done." Abigail smiled at her again, just a little sadly, perhaps. "It is, more or less, precisely what I did do."

"Which was what?"

"Sought to sacrifice myself to save two worlds in peril." The fae Queen finished pouring out the hot water and set the kettle back on the stone of the fireplace as the liquid made its way through the coffee grounds. It already smelled fantastic. "I also ran from the man I loved, for I feared what he was capable of. And I feared for my part in his plans."

"Seems to have turned out—uh—okay—for the two of you." Alex winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean it to come out like that."

The redhead laughed and sat across from Alex at the wood table, reaching over and picking up a roll and tearing off some of the bread. "No offense taken. You are not wrong. My relationship with Valroy is, shall we say, complex."

"How do you two make it work? Always trying to stop the other one."

"It makes our arguments quite heated. You can imagine how they end." There was a bit of a devilish edge to Abigail's tone. Just a little bit of playfulness.

Oh.

Hah.

"Yeah. I can imagine." Alex snickered. "Nothing like angry make-up sex."

"Indeed." Abigail plonked her elbow on the table and put her chin on her palm, watching Alex curiously. "What are we to do with you? Your power, if left unchecked, could wreak havoc wherever you go."

"I promise not to?" She smiled back at Abigail hopefully.

"To be blunt, I believe you. You do not seem like the power-mad kind, or out to destroy the world. That said," Abigail hopped up to pour out two mugs of coffee, "your word is predicated on the notion that you remain in control of your power." Abigail walked back, placing a stoneware mug of steaming, caffeinated goodness in front of Alex.

She couldn't see any cream or sugar around, but it wouldn't be the first time she drank black coffee out of desperation. It smelled amazing. She sipped it, careful not to burn her tongue. It was good enough she probably didn't need cream. "You mean Izael?"

"Or Valroy. Pick your poison." Abigail sat back down, thoughtfully spinning her own mug between her fingers. "Although those men have been known to share."

Whelp. That was more than she needed to know.

Fae.

Alex shut her eyes and nodded, choosing to skip over the insinuation and focus on what mattered. The odds that one of the Unseelie bastards in question would find some way to control her—either through torture or magic—was high. Especially if Valroy learned about her weird new musical magic. Right now, to him, she was just a mortal girl with a wish. "What do I do?"

"I do not honestly know. I have been considering that since I learned of your misfortunate situation." Abigail sipped her coffee. "One possible solution is to use your wish before Valroy or Izael can manipulate you into choosing to destroy the treaty. Or abuse your new gifts to do something terrible."

"If I make a wish, even a benign one, then Izael will own my soul." She shook her head. "Which, considering my magic, probably isn't the best idea."

"Have you thought of wishing your magic away?" Abigail tilted her head to the side. "It does not solve the issue of the ownership of your soul, but it would solve the other two issues at play. Which, if the other option you were considering was death, certainly must be a better way out."

"Yeah." She sat back in her chair. "But—if I lie about the wish, it doesn't count."

"And you do not wish to lose your magic." Abigail frowned. "I cannot say I blame you." She thought in silence for a moment. "What is true in your heart, then? What would you wish for, if pressed?"

"There's the thing. I don't know." Alex leaned back in her chair, frowning down at her coffee. "I really don't know. That was the whole stupid game Izael set up. Seven days to convince me that I had a wish to make. If I lost, he would grant my wish and take my soul. If I won, he'd set me up with money for life and leave me alone."

"And you have nothing that you wish for?"

Alex shook her head.

"How sad." The fae Queen let out a hum. "Well, I suppose your mission is clear, then."

"Oh?" Alex furrowed her brow.

Abigail smiled halfheartedly. "You must win this game of yours at all costs. Or two worlds, and your soul, could be lost in the process."

Yeah.

That was what she was afraid of. "I have three days left in this game before it's up, and I have to make a wish. Does…all that still count if I'm here, with you?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Abigail sighed. "Our contracts supersede all other rights and laws. You may stay with the Seelie and seek shelter with us for those three days. In fact, I would insist upon it. To keep you out of the Unseelie's undue influence."

"And torture."

"And that." Abigail smirked. "I shall keep you safe for the remaining time. And we can only pray that your wishless heart remains as impassive as before."

"Great. My jaded personality finally comes in handy. How wonderful. My mom would be so proud," Alex muttered into her coffee as she took a sip of it.

The Queen laughed. She really did seem easy to talk to. And genuine. She knew she shouldn't trust the fae—nobody, not even Abigail—but there was something still…she didn't know, still human about the other woman. Maybe it was because she hadn't been born a fae. Or maybe because a few hundred years in Tir n'Aill wasn't enough to make someone forget things like empathy and compassion.

That was all Alex could hope for, anyway.

Because otherwise?

She was fucked.

And not in the fun way, either.