Desert Tales: A Wicked Lovely Companion Novel

“Shy?” Carissa looked at them warily.

“It’s fine.” He kept an arm around her.

The waitress, who had been watching them with a pronounced scowl, headed back over to the table. She stopped just behind the standing faery and announced, “No orders, no seats.” She paused and glared at Sionnach before adding, “Your friends need to order or get out.”

“They aren’t staying.” He looked at them one by one, hoping that they’d walk away.

They grinned unrepentantly.

“We could order food,” one said.

“And pay for it,” the waitresses said sternly.

“Sure,” another faery replied.

“No.” Sionnach gave them a look that was more bared teeth than actual smile, warning them that they were treading on shaky ground. “You need to leave.”

The faery on the chair asked, “Where’s Rika? I didn’t see her around. Did she go back with Keenan?”

“Who?” Carissa tensed and started to pull out of Sionnach’s embrace.

“Tsk. Tsk. You didn’t tell her about Rika?”

“Rika is my family,” Sionnach murmured to Carissa as the faeries flashed mock innocent looks. Then, his gaze still on the faeries: “She’ll be home soon, and she would not like you attempting to stir trouble in her absence.”

Carissa started, “Your family? Is she your sister or—”

“My family . . . more or less adopted her. It’s like she was born one of us now.”

“Oh.” Carissa sounded relieved, and then instantly a little hurt. “Why haven’t I met her? Or heard about her? You’ve never even mentioned her.”

“What terrible manners!” the faery standing beside the table said with a gasp. “Carissa, darling, you ought to come with us instead.”

At that, Sionnach’s patience expired. He stood in a move almost too quick for mortal eyes. The faery who was standing and the one who’d dragged the chair over both jumped and promptly scurried backward. Calmly, Sionnach said, “Carissa, would you go up to the counter and ask our waitress for a piece of pie?”

“Sure.” She stretched the word out. “And how long do you need me gone in search of this pie?”

Sionnach flashed her a toothy smile. That was part of her charm: she didn’t ask questions he couldn’t answer or expect him to behave like he was completely civilized. “Just a few minutes,” he assured her. “Your patience is kind, Riss.”

“In case your lips are bruised later . . .” She slid out of the booth and kissed him full on the mouth.

He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her while they kissed. When he pulled away, he turned and lowered her feet; in the process, he moved her away from the other faeries. “Never too bruised for you,” he whispered. “Go on now.”

She walked away laughing with a swish in her steps. Unlike Rika, Carissa didn’t question him when he asserted his dominance. If anything, she seemed excited when she glimpsed it.

As soon as she was at the counter, her back to them, Sionnach turned to face the faeries. His words were low as he ordered, “Leave. Now.”

The faery who had remained standing was suddenly very serious. “There is taking of sides. There are words, Sionnach. There are rumors that Maili has invited Keenan to—”

“He is not welcome in my desert.” Sionnach pulled his shoulders back. His tail—which the faeries could see although mortals, fortunately, could not—was held high and to the side in an aggressive posture. He flashed his teeth.

One of the seated faeries stood and raised a hand as if he’d strike Sionnach. “Maybe it’s not your desert after all.”

Sionnach punched him, an uppercut to the face. “You forget yourself.”

The waitress called out, “Fights outside. Not in here.”

“There is no fight,” Sionnach answered without taking his attention from the faery staring at him. “Is there?”

“If you can’t keep us safe, maybe there should be,” the faery said.

“Do you challenge me?”

Several heartbeats passed as they all waited.

The faery looked down and took a step back. “No. Not me.”

The other faeries didn’t move, but they all lowered their gazes to the ground submissively.

The one faery who had remained seated stood finally. Like Sionnach, he was a fox, but his tail was tucked between his legs. Quietly, he said, “Rika ran because Keenan’s coming here. The Summer King. Here!” He looked around worriedly, lowered his voice further still, and said, “He’ll change everything. Even Rika is afraid. She left because—”

“Rika didn’t run from Keenan.” Sionnach felt a wash of exhaustion. He’d hoped that no one had noticed her absence, figured that with the way she hid in her cave they’d assume she was tucked away, but she’d obviously been seen. Gently, he said, “I’m sure she’ll be back.”

From beside him, the faery with the bruised face prompted, “And the rest?”

“We’ll fix it. Rika intends to . . . talk to Maili.” Sionnach’s tail swished behind him. “And if you are wise, you’ll want seats to watch. Rika is not pleased that Maili invited Keenan into our desert. He has no right being near her ever again. We will not allow him here, and we will keep you safe.”

“But—”

“Have I failed you yet?” Sionnach looked at each of them in turn.

“No,” several said simultaneously.

“I told you I’d find a way to have Rika help me keep you safe. I did.” Sionnach let them see his affection for them for a moment.

“Rika will come back?” the twitchy faery asked.

“This is her home,” he said. Hoping they didn’t notice that he’d avoided the question, he quickly added, “If I fail you, you have every right to anger, but I will not fail. I have not.”

“Rika will stand beside you? Keep him out?” the fox faery asked nervously. “I like it here, but I don’t want a king. Kings aren’t . . . good. We’re solitary and—”

“I will keep us all safe,” Sionnach interrupted him. “I always do. Trust me.”

After a quiet moment, all four faeries left. Sionnach let out a whoosh of breath. He needed Rika to come back, to forgive him or at least ignore her anger to look after the solitaries here. He was mostly certain she would return, but a niggling doubt remained. She’d held on to her anger at Keenan for decades. Grudge holding was something of an art for her. This, he rationalized, wasn’t a major offense though. Surely she could see that! A harmless omission, a few nudges toward what she already wanted, and some gentle manipulation . . . Among fey, these weren’t even worth noticing. He’d give her the day, and after that, he’d have to find her. If she wanted to rage at him later, she could, but right now, they had the safety of the desert to consider.

Matter resolved, Sionnach sat down and looked toward the mortal girl he’d grown to like.

Carissa walked back toward the table, accompanied by the waitress, who was carrying a slice of pie. Carissa slid back into the booth and snuggled up to him again.

The waitress smiled approving at Sionnach as she set the pie down in front of him. “Good riddance to them. That lot always starts trouble in here.”

“I’ll speak to them about that.” Sionnach flashed her a quicksilver grin and then ordered a glass of milk for himself, as well as a burger, fries, and a soda for Carissa.

After the waitress walked away, Carissa was quiet for a minute before she asked, “Who’s Keenan?”

“Rika’s ex . . .” Sionnach felt weary. “He wasn’t kind to her, and it’s taken her years to even think about trusting again.”

Carissa squeezed his hand. “Will she be okay?”

“Yes,” Sionnach vowed. “We’ll find a way to keep her free of him. Everyone will be fine. It’s just a matter of finding ways to make it so.”