But no matter my abandonment issues, I did need to find the wisp king. And my best chance for that was talking to the cat sidhe, Sir Torn. Too bad that meant entering Club Nexus—and being outed as a faerie princess.
Becoming a fae leader? Not on my bucket list.
If I accepted my role as wisp princess, I would also have to acknowledge my alignment in the world of faerie politics. Wisps, like kelpies, were members of the Unseelie court. Ceff had insisted that one’s court did not dictate all of one’s actions. He believed in free will, but I was less optimistic. Unlike Ceff, I did not have loyal guards and a royal entourage to back me up should I ruffle some feathers.
Walking through the doors of Club Nexus could change everything. It would mean acknowledging my royal responsibilities and my allegiance to the dark.
It was too much to think about, but, thank Mab, at least I didn’t have to act tonight. Tomorrow or the next day, but not tonight. Maybe I could find another way to locate my father before then. I drew in a steadying breath and let the tension melt from my neck and shoulders.
While inside The Emporium I’d begun to worry that I was coming down with something. My body had flashed hot and feverish, as if my skin were too tight and about to burst into flame. But now, with the cool air from the harbor on my face, the heat bled from my skin. I took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky. Ceff was right. It was soothing for Unseelie fae to walk beneath the stars.
I let out a sigh. I wasn’t used to having someone to care about other than Jinx, but Ceffyl Dwr, king of the local kelpies, had strode into my life and stolen my heart. I sometimes wonder how Ceff snuck past the walls I’d spent a lifetime constructing. It may have been how unguarded he was at the time. I never saw him as a viable threat.
It was strange, but I’d known Ceff’s most personal secrets before I’d even met the man himself. And when we did meet, it was during a battle when he was at his most vulnerable. I’d held Ceff’s fate when a pooka dropped the kelpie’s bridle into my hand. Ceff pled for his release and I had returned his bridle, and tended his wounds while he sat dressed only in a tablecloth. After the battle, Ceff had asked me out on a date. Against my better judgment, the handsome thief had slipped past my defenses and stolen my heart.
I raised a gloved hand to my lips, powerless against the goofy grin spreading across my face. Even tonight when it seemed like my entire world was crashing down, the thought of Ceff could make me smile. Silly heart.
I bit my lip, pulled the tie from my ponytail, letting my hair fall across my shoulders, and smoothed my clothes with my hands. I could still feel the goofy grin on my face, but it would have to do.
Ceff and I didn’t have a date scheduled for tonight, but he had posted sentinels along the waterfront. The system was in place to keep Harborsmouth safe and to rebuild peace between the land and water fae, but Ceff’s kelpie soldiers and selkie allies would relay any message directly to his ears. If I called out for him, he would come.
I strode to the railing, cupped my hands around my mouth, and called out Ceff’s full name. There’s power in a name, especially for those with fae blood. I heard an answering splash near a pylon to my right and knew my message had been received. Now there was nothing to do but wait.
A flutter in my belly made my stomach churn. Should I have come to the harbor? It was selfish to take Ceff away from his duties just because I’d had a bad day. And telling him about Melusine would only cause him pain. I pressed my lips together, wishing I hadn’t called out for Ceff. Wishing I could take it back.
My eyes scanned the calm waters of the harbor and the ocean waves beyond. After what seemed an eternity, a dark form emerged. I gasped. I was always startled to see Ceff in his horse form. Kelpies are Unseelie fae who can shift into human form, but their natural shape is that of a water horse.
The horse swimming toward me had a glossy coat, dappled grey like a harbor seal. Ceff’s lustrous coat was marred by terrible scars, a parting gift from his
He was beautiful, and he was mine. My hands fisted and skin flushed hot at the memory of Melusine on the street today. How dare she come into my city and threaten our happiness?
Ceff tilted his head to the side, studying my reaction. I shook off my anger as he approached the dock. Ceff shimmered and hands replaced hooves. He gripped the side of the dock and pulled his, now human, body from the water.
Ceff’s water horse form was beautiful, but his human body was drop-dead gorgeous. Even in human form, he bore the scars from his abduction by each uisge, and the subsequent battle, but those scars didn’t detract from his beauty. Water ran down his chest, though his dress slacks appeared dry; just another peculiarity of fae magic.
I looked up from his chest—I was looking at the scars, really—and into his eyes. Ceff’s eyes were the one thing that remained unchanged when he shifted, large, midnight green pools in a handsome, otherwise human, face.
Ceff winked and I blushed, heat rising to my cheeks.
“Did you miss me already?” he asked.
His voice was like a burbling stream sliding across stones worn smooth with time. It made things churn and heat low in my belly. He started to reach toward me, responding to the heat rising between us. I flinched and took an involuntary step back.
“Sorry,” I said, sounding breathless.
I bit my lip. The apology was automatic, though heartfelt. I did feel guilty about my touch phobia—god knows I wanted to run my hands over his chest and fingers through his wet hair—but I’d nearly lost my sanity while touching his bridle. I didn’t know what would happen if I touched the man himself.
Immortals tend to accumulate painful memories in their long lives, and Ceff had experienced more loss and terror than most. Part of me wanted to reach out and share all of that with him, but most of me was a sniveling mess, rocking and shaking in the back of my mind. I wasn’t prepared, not yet.
Thankfully, Ceff was patient.
“Do not apologize,” he said, lips quirking upward. “We have all eternity.”
That sounded like a promise.
I stepped forward slowly, Ceff meeting me partway. We stopped within inches of each other, his hands in his pockets. Perhaps to keep them from straying? The weight of them pushed his pants lower on his hips and it was all I could do not to reach out myself. I drew in a calming breath and smiled at the peculiar mix of salt brine and cool skin that was Ceff’s personal scent.
Tension eased from my shoulders and I sighed. Ceff’s presence was calming, though I slid my gloved hands into my pockets as well.
“Thanks for coming,” I said. “I know you just left.”
Ceff traveled like the tides. He spent time here on land with me, but inevitably returned to the water and his people. Currently, we were trying a schedule of one day on land followed by six days at sea. It worked well for both of us. I was used to being on my own, and work kept me busy. Plus, Ceff had his royal duties as king.
Speaking of royal duties…
“I will always come when you call,” he said.
Yep, I was melting—big puddle of sappy goo over here. Ceff had that effect on me. But I did have questions which only he may be uniquely qualified to answer. I tried to decide where to begin. Focusing on my current problems helped to pull me back on track, and feel less like a love-struck puppy.
I nodded and took a deep breath.
“I met a cat sidhe today who may know something about my father,” I said. Ceff raised an eyebrow, but I pushed onward. “Kaye believes the cat to be Sir Torn, Lord of the local cat sidhe. If it’s the same cat, he holds court at a place called Club Nexus. But getting inside the club will be tricky.”
