Page 59 of Tempting the Fae Lord
I pass through the kitchen. There’s no sign of Eulayla, though the remnants of a large supper haunt the kitchen, scents of roast meat, dirty pots set to soak, leftover bread wrapped for another day on the counter.
All normal, nothing amiss.
Still no relief.
Up ahead, the sound of conversation drifts from the game room. I rush through the hall to get to them, eager to confirm their safety.
At the threshold, I peer inside.
Multiple heads turn.
Gale appears to be fine but looks at me wide-eyed. Amaris and Marissa sit across from each other over a game of Essin. Jack and Petru are similarly occupied with chess. Chester holdsa drink in one hand and a pipe in the other. Eulayla arches her brows at me.
And in the middle of all of them—all of those I love more than life itself—sits Sonja on a cushion on the floor, leaning against the same lounge Eulaya rests on, a cup of tea next to her, embroidery in hand as if this is a perfectly normal thing to be doing.
In. My. Home.
She glances at me, mischief strutting through her silver-blue gaze, and sets her lips to a pouty littleo.
I hold back the urge to throttle her bare-handed and grit out, “You’re not welcome here.”
Everyone talks at once.
Eulayla: “That’s no way to speak to a guest.”
Marissa: “But I like her.”
Petru: “She’s going to release me from my life debt.”
Gale: “Wait, don’t hurt her.”
Only Amaris appears to be on my side, lips drawn to a thin line, eyes narrowed and staring at the intruder with suspicion.
She’s a smart one, Amaris.
Sonja’s magic sweeps through the room like a summer storm, more intense than I ever felt from her on the other side. She’s stronger here. Strong enough to have hidden from me. More powerful in the fae realm.
But so am I.
“I will leave, if that’s what you wish,” she says, lying through her teeth. I don’t believe a word of it, not with her magic so thick in the air.
I scowl. “You’ve enchanted them.”
She doesn’t deny it, not quite. “Perhaps they naturally find me enchanting?”
“How dare you set foot in my home and use your magic on my people?”
Eulayla stands, blocking my line of sight to the harpy. “This is my home too, sir. And I’m ashamed you’d treat a traveler so poorly within our walls. What’s gotten into you?”
I cast her a stern look, but Eulayla doesn’t back down. Not her fault.
“I only used my magic to hide my presence from you,” says Sonja. “I wanted a chance to meet them. I can see why you protect them. Your people. They’re lovely.”
I grind my teeth.
She sets down her needlework. “Wouldn’t want anything to happen to them, would we?”
That’s a threat if I ever heard one, but the others don’t react to it as such. I stalk closer. “So, I’m to believe you’re here peacefully playing games and drinking tea with my staff?”
