FOUR

THREE

I PULLED INTO the parking lot of the place I called home. A second-floor walkup in a plain brick building, my apartment was on the outskirts of the university district in the no-man"s land before it transitioned to the next big neighborhood. Four bars were located within a ten-minute walk, an obvious draw to the college and grad students who made up the majority of my neighbors.

Once little more than a slum, it had seen some improvements over the last few months, courtesy of the new landlord. He"d made a point of repaving the parking lot and replacing the lights in the street lamps.

The stairs he"d decided to replace were finally done. No longer a death trap, they were more than sturdy enough to hold multiple people at once.

It was enough to make a person grateful. Something that would be easier if my landlord wasn"t also Thomas, the sire I"d prefer to avoid at all costs.

Still, I couldn"t argue with the changes. All of which had come without an increase in rent.

I put the car in park and hit the button to turn it off. It gave one last throaty purr before powering down.

No matter how many times I drove this beauty, I still couldn"t get over the fact she was mine. No strings attached. After years of doing most of my travel by bike, it was amazing to have a car again. Like a dream come true that I hadn"t even let myself dream about.

I faced Connor, not yet getting out of the car. "First rule. Driver gets to choose the music."

He settled back and regarded me with eyes that saw way too much. "I will remember that."

I grunted. Good.

If this was going to work, there needed to be rules. Boundaries.

"I guess I"ll see you later then," I said.

Connor nodded. "I will be here."

I paused in the act of opening my door, settling back to study him. The way he said that made it seem like he was going to hang around like a giant gargoyle on my roof while waiting for unknown Fae to attack.

"You"re not going home, are you?" I asked, giving into the inevitable.

"I thought I would watch over you for a time."

I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, staring out the window. I"d been afraid of that.

"Look, I need to do some research. I don"t plan to go out again tonight."

Connor perked up at that, looking interested. "I could help with that—if you were serious about us being partners."

I held up a finger. "I never said partners. You can work for me. I will be the boss."

We needed to get that straight right now. This was my business. My livelihood. Maybe one day when I trusted him, we could have more of a partner relationship, but that wasn"t today.

Connor inclined his head. "Of course. You"re the boss."

I narrowed my eyes at him, unable to help the unsettling feeling that he was humoring me.

"You might find the tool I use for research a tad suspicious." Liam certainly had. Then again, Connor"s experience in a Fae court could lend him even more insight into the book that I"d gotten saddled with—the one that liked to have conversations via the written word and set my bedspread on fire when I threatened it.

"All the more reason for me to stay by your side," he said.

I considered him, the silence in the car deepening. He was patient, not trying to push his agenda or manipulate me into the course of events he thought best. In that, he was smarter than Thomas—and Liam.

"Fine, but we do things my way." I pointed at him again, tacking on as an afterthought, "And you can"t hurt, maim, or kill anyone I consider an ally."

The stipulation seemed like overkill, but I"d been burned before. There was a reason the witches considered me persona non grata and tried to kill me whenever they saw me. Liam had done a good job of fucking up that relationship. Granted, I"d helped a little, but he'd done most of the heavy lifting.

"Agreed."

I frowned at him again and climbed out of the car.

Already feeling slightly off balance from Connor"s presence, I almost didn"t notice when a second car door slammed as we headed for my stairs.

Beside me, Connor went rigid, power sliding off him, ice cold and deadly.

"Aileen?" Jenna paused in her approach, picking up on Connor"s hostility. She stopped a few feet from me, fiddling uncertainly with her keys.

"Jenna, what are you doing here?" I asked, looking around.

With the attack not that long ago, I couldn"t help but be on my guard, especially with my little sister now in the mix.

There was more than one reason I was somewhat estranged from my family. They may have sensed something was different about me, but I also hadn"t fought very hard to mend the breach. If something ever happened to them because of me, I don"t know what I would do. The supernatural world had a habit of spilling over onto others—just ask Caroline.

"I wanted to talk to my big sister," Jenna said, a note of pleading in her voice.

Connor shifted beside me, drawing her attention. His gaze held a hint of unfriendliness, but otherwise he regarded her from behind a mask of indifference.

"Who is he? I thought you were dating the man who brought you to the hospital. I forget his name." There was no judgment in Jenna"s tone, but I couldn"t help stiffening anyway.

"I"m her brother," Connor said stiffly.

Confusion wrinkled Jenna"s forehead.

A fake sounding laugh left me as I patted Connor"s arm. "He"s so funny, isn"t he?" I glared up at Connor, trying to threaten him without words. "How about you go wait in my apartment?"

I shoved my keys into his hand and pointed to my door. Reluctantly, he took the keys from me. Good thing for our future working relationship.

Jenna and I waited until Connor climbed the stairs and the door closed behind him before speaking.

Jenna lifted her eyebrows at me. "Replacing me already?"

I bent a censorious look on her. "Is that what you came here for? To ask questions about my friends."

Her grin was unexpected. "Not really, no." Her glance up at the apartment was contemplative. "Army buddy? I know you guys sometimes refer to each other as your brothers and sisters in arms."

I shrugged, hoping she"d take it as confirmation. Lying to her and my parents was never easy and I tried to avoid it when I could, preferring to rely on half-truths and letting them draw their own conclusions when possible.

"He"s cute," she offered.

Oh no.

No. No. No.

My sister wasn"t going to get the hots for Connor. I had enough problems in my life. I didn"t need that one.

"Jenna, why are you here?"

She focused on me, seriousness entering her face. "I know Dad came to see you. I want to help."

I stared at her, still lost.

She made a frustrated sound. "I want to help you find your biological dad."

I looked around the parking lot as if it could offer answers to the odd circumstance I found myself in. "What makes you think I"m looking for him?"

"Please, I know you. Even though you say you don"t care, you do. I know I would if I suddenly found out I had a dad out there I didn"t know about." She stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Let me help. I"m your sister. I know we haven"t been getting along, but I"d like to fix that."

I rubbed my forehead. There was nothing I"d like more than to take her up on her offer. Invite her upstairs and share a cup of tea or coffee while we discussed the curveball I"d been thrown about my parentage.

But there was a vampire in my living room and a group with designs on my person. Jenna"s presence couldn"t have come at a worse time.

"You"re right. I am looking for him," I confessed. "But I don"t see how you can help. I have contacts that you don't, and I've already put out inquiries. I"ll hear something eventually."

Jenna's shoulders sagged in disappointment.

"Thanks for the offer, though. I really appreciate it." The words didn"t feel like enough. Already I could feel Jenna pulling back, a response to my rejection.

"If I can think of a way for you to help, I"ll let you know," I told her.

She nodded, the hope she"d had earlier gone and her expression closed and guarded.

"How"s my niece?" I asked, hoping the change of subject would soothe the sting of my earlier decision.

Like I knew it would, Jenna"s face brightened at the mention of her daughter.

"Good. The doctors are actually a little surprised at how well she"s doing."

Vampire blood had a way of doing that. I would be surprised if Linda got even so much as a sniffle for the next few years.

If there was one thing I could say for my sire, he"d come through when it counted. I would have given anything, promised him my freedom to make sure that little girl had a chance at a full life. Instead, he"d shared his blood freely, not asking for a single thing as payment.

Relief and pride had smoothed out some of the frown lines at the corners of Jenna"s eyes. None of which had been there until her daughter"s brief stint in the hospital. It had aged her, and she was just beginning to come back from the experience.

An awkward silence fell between us.

I gestured to my apartment. "I"d better get in there. We still have a little work to do before we"re done for the night."

Jenna glanced in the direction of my door. "I take it he"s a coworker, then."

"I guess you could call it that. I"m taking him on temporarily to see how he does in my business." I nodded than shook my head.

Jenna looked at me in surprise. "Business? I thought you were a courier. What business is this?"

Ah, crap. I"d forgotten that I hadn"t shared my brief encounter with unemployment.

"I"m a private investigator," I found myself saying. It wasn"t entirely a lie. I did investigate problems when the occasion warranted. I also did errands and occasionally recovered heirlooms for clients.

Jenna"s expression was thoughtful. "That actually makes a lot of sense."

I couldn"t help my surprise at that.

Seeing it, her smile was rueful. "You were always good at putting the pieces together. You were way more observant than the rest of us, too."

That wasn"t the response I"d been expecting. Most times when my former job came up, it had been followed with a prod to get a real career or go back to school.

This was way more understanding than was typical with my family.

"I"m glad you found something you like doing, Aileen." Jenna"s words were sincere as she started to move toward her car.

I stepped forward. "How about I come visit you and Linda in a few weeks?"

Jenna"s expression lit up. "We"d love that."

The urge to hug her struck me. I hesitated. It had been a long time since I"d been physically affectionate toward my sister, and I wasn"t sure how to initiate.

Ah, to hell with it. This could very well be the last time I saw her if I didn"t solve my current problems.

I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around her, braced for rejection.

"I love you, little sis," I whispered when she didn"t move. "And I"m sorry I"ve been difficult."

Jenna breathed in sharply, as if forcing down a sob. Her arms clenched around me as she hugged me tight. "I love you too, Lena. I"m sorry I made you feel like you couldn"t talk to me."

She leaned back, her smile crooked and a suspicious sheen to her eyes. "I don"t mean to be a judgmental bitch." She shrugged. "It"s just habit."

That surprised a water logged laugh out of me.

I untangled myself from her embrace, dashing away any wetness that might have slipped out. It wouldn"t do if someone saw the badass vampire getting teary eyed over something like this.

"Alright, get out of here. I really do have work," I told her.

Jenna backed away, raising a hand in good bye. "See you soon."

I nodded, lifting my own hand in a wave.

I really hoped I didn"t end up breaking my promise to her.

*

I walked into my apartment to find a standoff taking place between Connor and my two roommates. Hostility and distrust crackled back and forth.

"Aileen, what is this fanger doing here?" Inara demanded, rising from the counter.

Wings clad in every shade of green imaginable beat at the air, the fast movement making light play over them. They shimmered, reminding me of tree leaves rustling in the wind.

She hovered in midair, her features set in a scowl.

No taller than the length of my hand, Inara had a body that was humanoid and eyes a tad too big for her face. Her teeth were sharp and pointed, the better for tearing into her kills. Pixies, despite their small size, made excellent hunters—especially when their court was bigger than two.

She would have been right at home in a forest with the faint greenish cast to her skin that would have allowed her to blend right in.

Her consort, Lowen, was her opposite in almost all ways. Calm where Inara was a tempest, he wore jewel tones of blue and purple on his wings. His skin was burnished copper.

Usually I could count on him to be the voice of reason in any situation—except, apparently, this one.

He glared at our guest from his vantage in the vent near the ceiling. In his hands he held a bow and a nocked arrow, pointed directly at Connor.

For someone else, seeing a pixie hold a tiny bow with an equally tiny arrow would have been funny, but I"d seen what they could do with one of those. I didn"t think Connor would appreciate having an arrow fired into his eye, even less so with the tip coated, I suspected, with poison.

"What the hell are you two doing?" I asked.

Inara lifted higher into the air. "Defending what"s ours."

My stare could have lit her wings on fire. "Would you like to rephrase that?"

This apartment was mine. They were squatting here without permission.

Inara's chin tilted up, defiance in her posture.

"Connor"s my guest," I said through gritted teeth.

"Coworker," Connor interrupted.

Inara"s expression held betrayal as her gaze flitted between Connor and me. "Say you didn"t. You"re not that dumb."

I scratched my neck, not answering.

As if sensing the danger had passed, Connor moved into my living room, taking a seat on the edge of my couch and leaving me to handle my roommates.

"Aileen? Seriously!"

I knew this would be their reaction. It was why I"d hesitated to invite Connor into my apartment in the first place.

For some reason, that I still didn"t know, the two had adopted me, taking my safety even more seriously than I did. They"d helped me out of a dangerous situation more than once.

Inara landed on the counter and paced in a circle. "I thought you knew better than this."

Evidently not.

I spread my hands. "What can I say, he"s proven himself useful."

Inara"s eyes narrowed on me, suspicion moving through her expression. "Something would have had to happen for him to prove that."

"About that," I started. The two of them would find out eventually since I"d planned to use them and their contacts to help in my research.

"What happened?" For someone so small, Inara could be awfully intimidating at times.

"Aileen was attacked by a Fae." The answer came from Connor where he sat on the couch, looking around him with entirely too much interest for my comfort.

"What Fae?" Inara demanded.

"We were hoping you could tell us," I said.

A streak of purple and blue sailed by me. Seconds later, Lowen landed on the coffee table, the bow and arrow nowhere to be seen.

"What did they look like?" Lowen asked.

"I can"t be sure. His umbrella hid his face," I said, thinking through events. "But he had some type of tentacles or something under there."

"They tried to drag Aileen through a fairy door," Connor volunteered.

I gave him a sharp glance. He was awfully chatty all of a sudden.

"There aren"t many people who can create one of those." Lowen shared a look with Inara.

That"s what I figured. Magic on that scale had to be rare and spoke of a power I didn"t want to tangle with.

"Any idea where the door went?" Inara asked, some of her earlier hostility tabled for now.

Connor shook his head. "I did not recognize the taste of the magic."

"Neither did I," I inserted.

All three of them ignored me, but that wasn"t too surprising since I was the one who had the least experience with Fae magic.

"This is concerning," Inara said.

"That"s why I was hoping you could ask Niall or Cadell for their take on things," I said.

"Oh, so now you want to talk to them?" Inara scowled at me. "Your tune changes as soon as you need something."

My lips thinned as I caught hold of the temper that wanted to spill out. Inara wasn"t wrong. I"d resisted all attempts at communication from my downstairs neighbors since I"d learned Cadell was the one who had placed the Wild Hunt"s mark on me, designating me as its prey.

I probably should have let them explain, but I"d needed distance between me and the memory of fleeing for my life and the terror that every step would be my last.

"Speaking with either of them right now will be difficult," Lowen inserted, ever the peacemaker.

I shot him a questioning look.

"They're busy helping the new lord put the barrow into order," he added.

My shoulders sagged. Fudge. I"d really hoped they could shed some light on this before things escalated.

"I guess I have no choice but to consult the book," I said with a grimace.

I really didn"t want to. It wasn"t that the book wouldn"t have answers. It would, but they would come in vague and unhelpful riddles that I likely wouldn"t figure out until it was too late.

That was if it deigned to help me at all.

It knew pretty much everything on every supernatural creature but that didn"t mean it would share that information with me.

Magic, know-it-all books weren"t all they were cracked up to be.

"Book? What book is this?" Connor asked with interest.

None of us answered, the pixies even less enthusiastic about the book"s involvement than me.

Not surprisingly, I spotted the leather-bound book on my coffee table, as if it had anticipated my needs and moved to address them.

This time it had the title "All the FAErietales You Need" embossed on its cover and written in gold on the spine.

Connor leaned forward, his forehead wrinkled in concentration. One hand hovered over the book as if he was feeling its magic.

"This is a Fae artifact—a powerful one."

I nodded. Yup, so I had been told.

His eyes met mine. "How did it come to be in your possession?"

"I wish I knew." And that I could give it back.

The book had attached itself to me despite my best efforts during a visit to the Book Haven, a local independent bookstore that had a much older and supernatural side. The custodian of that place had said the book was mine whether I wanted it or not. Every effort to leave it there—and I"d tried many times—had ended with it sitting on the coffee table in much the same way as it was now.

"It has a will," Connor said with some surprise.

"And a personality."

I reached for it, grimacing at the way it warmed under my fingers in silent welcome.

I flipped the book open, choosing a page at random. It didn"t really matter where I started, the book would show me what it wanted.

"The Woeful Tale of the Scattered," I read aloud.

The words were written in an archaic font, much like you"d find in a book like the Grimm Brother"s Complete Fairytales.

Inara"s wings flared with alarm. "The Scattered?"

I looked up from the book. "You know them."

Her nod was grim. "Everyone knows them."

"Not many have met them and lived to tell about it," Lowen added, seeing my confusion.

"Who are they?" I asked.

Connor was the one to answer, his expression contemplative. "Assassins."

"Not always," Inara disagreed. "Once they were the elite and honored warriors of one of the first Fae kings."

I balanced the book on my lap. "What happened to change that?"

Inara shrugged. "Everyone has a different story. One thing is true, they"re considered outcasts and mercenaries. The High Fae King has a kill on sight order out for any of them. If you"re even suspected of being one of the Scattered, you"re dead."

"Comforting thought," I said.

I looked down at the book, my gaze scanning the first paragraph. The book was telling the story in the form of a fairy tale, complete with the words "once upon a time". On the opposite page was a drawing of a throne and a man clad in black, bloodstained armor, a dark shadow over his face. On top of his head was a crown with three peaks, a different colored gem in each one.

A sharp pinch on the upper part of my ear pulled me from my contemplation. I yelped, yanking away and lifting a hand to swat at the offender.

Inara dodged out of the way, rising before me, her glare hot. "What did you do to draw the notice of the Scattered?"

"I don"t know," I shouted back. "If I did, do you think I"d be so freaked out?"

Inara"s ire faded to a grumpy frown. "Well, you"d better figure it out. This is serious business."

I sent her a withering glare. "Thanks, I never would have realized."

Inara didn"t respond to my sarcasm, whirling in midair to confront Connor. She pointed at him. "You will stay here and protect her."

My mouth popped open in disbelief. "This is still my house!"

"The vampire will stay here for added security until this catastrophe is over," Inara bellowed at me, for a moment sounding more like my old drill sergeant than my perpetually sarcastic roommate.

I couldn"t help but be impressed by her volume, considering the small lungs she had to work with.

She flew toward the vent Lowen had used as his sniper"s perch earlier, muttering to herself the entire way. "I swear, the vampires are multiplying. Next thing you know, a whole clan of them will be living with us."

"Don"t blame this on me. Him staying here is your idea," I shouted after her.

Her answer wasn"t forthcoming as she reached the vent, alighting on its edge and stalking out of view.

Lowen sent Connor a commiserating look. "Don"t let Aileen fool you. She appears grumpy but she"s happy you"re here."

Flabbergasted disbelief filled me. In what world?

"I understand," Connor replied.

My gaze swung toward him. He did?

I wish somebody would make me understand.

Lowen lifted from the coffee table. "Will the couch work for today?"

Connor laid his upper body back, keeping his feet on the floor. He wiggled, finding a comfortable position. "Yes, this will do nicely. I will take my sister up on her kind offer."

My lips parted as I stared at the two like they"d suddenly sprouted horns or stepped off the set of a particularly gruesome horror feature while still wearing costumes.

This was still my house, wasn"t it?

I looked around in confusion, finding that yes, yes this was my house. Those were my belongings and that was my door.

Then how the hell did I lose control so quickly?

Lowen headed for the vent. "Sheets and a blanket are in the hall closet if you need them."

Connor sat up when he found me staring at him. Well, to be honest, it was more of a fulminating glare.

"I can go, if you"d prefer."

I waved a hand at him. I would definitely prefer that, but Inara had a point. Connor"s presence added an additional level of security. Someone would think twice about attacking if he was here.

"No, you might as well stay since you look awfully comfortable," I said.

"I am."

My lips twitched before I controlled my amusement at his response. If I wasn"t careful, I'd find myself liking Connor.

He sat up. "I can force the will of the artifact to show itself as payment for letting me stay here."

I hesitated in the act of standing. "You can do that?"

He nodded. "Probably. It might be helpful to know why it chose you."

That it would, along with what it wanted and why it wouldn"t leave me alone. If it wouldn"t answer those questions, maybe I could at least convince it to stop being so damn vague.

I offered the book to him, not really expecting this to work, but willing to try anyway.

He took it, his forehead furrowing in concentration. A moment passed and then another. Around him power swirled, white and hot as its edges splashed against me.

He said something in a language I didn"t understand and all that power condensed, spearing into the book.

A percussion threw me back in my seat, upending my coffee table and many of the decorations I had scattered throughout the living room.

A canned light in the ceiling popped out of place. Inara leaned through the gap. "What was that?"

I crawled to my knees and used the couch to shove myself upright. I"d really like to know that myself.

In the center of my living room stood a man. The same man I'd met once before in the spook library moments prior to the book attaching itself to me like a leech. His features were more mischievous and slyer than I remembered, but it was definitely him.

Somehow, I was less than surprised. I'd always suspected the two were connected. Though how a book could also be a man was still something I didn't entirely understand.

His hair was curly and brown, sticking straight up from his head. Eyes the color of amber landed on me and he smiled.

"Hello, again, Aileen."

My expression filled with dislike. "You couldn"t have made less of an entrance?"

My poor living room. It looked like a tornado had targeted it for demolition. I had a feeling it would never be the same.

He looked around, his smile never wavering. "I had not intended to meet you face-to-face so soon—if ever."

And this was the consequence of forcing his hand, I"d wager.

The man"s gaze moved to Connor. "I take it this is the one who forced me into this form. Interesting friends you"ve made since our first meeting."

"What is your name?" Connor asked, not reacting to the statement.

The man was unnaturally still, his expressions skating across the surface of his face without really registering. There and gone as if they"d never been.

"Book works for me," he said.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

This time when he looked at me there was a darkness in his eyes. A knowing that managed to feel sinister.

"Because an important someone asked me to keep an eye on you."

"Who?" There weren"t a lot of people I knew who would fit that bill. None, in fact.

His lips curved, this expression managing to leave its mark where the others hadn"t. "Oh, I have a feeling you"ll know by the end of this. I truly hope you don"t die, magic breaker. It would be such a shame."

Magic wound around and through him, thousands of little fireflies.

"Wait," I shouted as they split apart to be replaced by a burst of light.

I lifted a hand to shield my eyes from the brilliance, aware of Connor doing the same.

When the light had faded and the black spots in my vision were gone, it was to find my living room empty again. No sign of the man—or the book.

Inara stared at me wide-eyed from her spot in the ceiling. "Whose bright idea was it to summon an artifact"s soul?"

I pointed at Connor. "Him. Blame him."

Lord knows, I certainly wouldn"t have been that stupid on my own, or more truthfully, that I wouldn"t have even thought it possible.

"I take it back. You"re almost more trouble than her." She jerked her chin at me, before disappearing into the ceiling, pulling the canned light into place behind her.

I collapsed onto the couch, staring at my ruined living room with dismay.

Connor took a seat beside me. "You lead an interesting life."

"Tell me something I don"t know."