My chest tightened, as if a crushing weight had settled there, and I curled my hands into fists. If I had found my people and assumed my role as princess sooner, this mess may never have happened. Those children would be home safe with their families instead of huddled somewhere scared, or worse.
“So who would want a bunch of faerie children?” Jinx asked.
I shook my head. Who indeed.
Feeding on children went against vampire law, but I didn’t trust bloodsuckers. For the long-lived undead, the blood of faerie children would be a potent delicacy to break the boredom of immortality. I wouldn’t put it past a hungry vampire to use hired help as bait, if they had the means. And most of the dust bags I’d met were loaded. I’d have to pay a visit to the head of the local vamps. Oh. Joy.
As for fae who may wish to steal a bunch of kids, I was stumped. Faeries were known for abducting human children, not their own. The victims included both Seelie and Unseelie fae, so it wasn’t a case of one court attacking the other, and the list of fae races represented by our clients was vast. I couldn’t see how kidnapping such a diverse group of kids would aid in any political maneuvering, but with the fae nothing was as it seemed. I’d have to ask around, just in case. Kaye said local fae leaders gathered at Club Nexus. Maybe things would seem clearer after a trip to the club.
But I’d have to wait until dusk to interview any vamps or fae royalty. That left searching the homes where the children were abducted and nearby burial grounds. I picked up my phone and scanned the map. A large number of faeries who live in Harborsmouth reside on Joysen Hill. Many of these families were targeted by the kidnappers, and there are two large public cemeteries and three small graveyards on The Hill. With its close proximity to Club Nexus and the entrance to the head vamp’s lair, it seemed like a good place to start.
I was going back to Joysen Hill. Hopefully this time I could avoid the attentions of deadly fae and a run in with the law. With my track record, I wasn’t so sure of that.
Chapter 11
Twenty-four hours ago, I’d juggled an armful of shopping bags while Jinx shopped on The Hill. Now I walked Market Street again, Ceff at my side. He was a lot more fun to look at than my roommate. My kelpie king boyfriend climbed the hill in a fitted dress shirt tucked into dark blue jeans that showed off some of his most attractive assets. I licked my lips, pulse racing. How did I, a grouchy half-breed, end up with such a dreamy guy?
I shook my head and turned my attention to The Hill and its inhabitants. I took a quick double-step forward to bring myself alongside Ceff. Walking behind him, and his gorgeous butt, was a distraction I couldn’t afford.
We both scanned the streets for clues and any sign of Melusine, wisps, or the cat sidhe. To passersby we probably looked like a couple out trolling for fun before hitting the bars.
I let my arms hang loose, alert to any threats. My leather jacket covered the throwing knives strapped to my wrists and the stakes tucked into my belt. I had additional anti-fae charms securely stashed in my pockets and an iron dagger in my right boot.
Ceff was also armed. Before leaving the loft, I’d asked for a closer look at the weapon he had strapped to his leg. He’d pulled up his pant leg and slid the weapon from an ankle sheath that looked suspiciously like it had been crafted from thick seaweed.
I’d been correct earlier. Ceff’s weapon was a trident, a deadly three-pronged spear. With a flick of Ceff’s wrist, the piercing end had shot out from a telescoping handle. The weapon, like the man, was impressive.
Now Ceff walked the street with sinuous grace, his weapon and the speed of a race horse at the ready. I pulled my phone from my jacket pocket and double-checked the map. We were close to the first home on our list.
“This way,” I said. I nodded to the street approaching on our right. “Two kids were taken from homes on Baker’s Row—a bean-tighe and a nixie.”
I started to turn down Baker’s Row, the smell of bread and sweets making my mouth water, when I realized that Ceff was no longer at my side. I turned to see him halt mid-stride, an incredulous look on his face.
“A nixie, here?” he asked.
Nixies weren’t known for city living, especially not high atop a hill away from any bodies of water. Nixies, a type of water nymph, typically lived in freshwater streams, brooks, or rivers. Joysen Hill was an unusual location for any water fae, but one of the families who called in a missing child had reported their address as the water fountain on Baker’s Row.
“Yes,” I said. “I think they live in the water fountain at Merrion Square.”
We came to Merrion Square first. Narrow Baker’s Row widened where it intersected with Grant Street, opening onto a small park. Parks were rare for this part of town and shoppers took advantage of the space. Every bench was taken, filled with people sitting with coffees and baked goods or shifty eyed men making dubious business deals. The fountain sat directly ahead at the park’s center.
“Might as well take a look around,” I said.
I sighed and walked the park’s perimeter. It was doubtful we’d find anything helpful. Too many people had passed through the area since the kidnapping. When the perimeter search turned up nothing, I started pacing the park, working in a classic grid pattern. Aside from discarded paper cups, condoms, and cigarette butts, I found nothing.
I joined Ceff beside the fountain where he spoke in burbling whistles and trills to a beautiful, naked woman. Long, green hair hung artfully around her body like waves, partially covering her breasts. I tilted my head, letting my own hair fall to cover my face. I could feel my cheeks and ears burn red.
In other circumstances I might have been jealous, but the blue skinned, green haired woman was crying and wringing her hands. We had found our nixie family.
No one batted an eye at the naked woman standing in the fountain. I stole a glance from the corner of my eye and confirmed what I’d suspected. The nixie was hiding behind a glamour that only Ceff and I could see through. To passersby, the nixie was just a foamy spray of water from the fountain.
Ceff speaking to thin air in the trilling, nixie language was bound to look strange, but maybe people just thought he was making bird calls. Then again, we were on Joysen Hill. It probably didn’t matter what people thought. Even during the day, people tended to mind their own business.
“She says that her child was safely beneath the water when she went to sleep last night, but this morning when she awoke, the child was gone,” he said.
I nodded.
“That matches what our other clients have reported,” I said. “Ask if she’s noticed any suspicious activity lately around the park.”
Ceff trilled the question and the nixie flapped her hands, pointing to groups of men who were obviously up to no good. When she finished, she tugged at her hair and moaned.
“She said that the humans here always act suspicious, but she thought her family was safe since they were carefully hidden behind a glamour,” he said. “No human would have been able to steal her child, and the fae who live on this part of The Hill tend to keep to themselves. She wasn’t aware of any danger. She thought the child was safe.”
“Tell her that we’ll do our best to bring her child home,” I said.
My chest tightened as I walked away. I had promised to bring these kids home, but so far, I had no helpful leads, only questions. I checked the angle of the sun and sighed. The day was passing much too quickly.
Ceff drew up beside me, matching my stride as I hurried to the next address on our list. I wasn’t running away from the crying nixie, really. Maybe if I kept telling myself that, I might even start to believe it.
“Did you find anything?” he asked.
“No,” I said shaking my head. “This place is too public. If the kidnappers did leave any clues, they’re long gone.”
Searching the park and questioning the mother had been a bust.
“We must find the children,” he said. He clenched his fists at his sides, eyes filled with emotion.
