Page 44 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter
The fae visitor smiled thinly, green eyes - several shades lighter than Tynan’s - swept dismissively over the office and to the workshop beyond. “Cousin. How quaint to find you in such a setting.”
Ian looked between them, confusion evident on his face. “Um, should I…?”
“It’s alright, Ian,” Tynan said quickly, keeping his voice steady despite the shock coursing through him. “This is my cousin, Finley. From overseas.”
Finley’s lip curled slightly at the human-friendly explanation. “Indeed. Quite far overseas. I require a private conversation with my relative, if you don’t mind.”
Ian hesitated, glancing at Tynan for direction.
“It’s okay,” Tynan assured him, though his stomach was twisting into knots. “Could you let Malik know we have a visitor and I’ll be busy for a few moments?”
Ian nodded and headed toward the work bays where Malik was finishing up an oil change. Tynan turned back to his unexpected guest, keeping his expression carefully neutral.
“What are you doing here, Finley? I haven’t seen anyone from the family in well over a year.”
“That’s precisely why I’ve come.” Finley adjusted his immaculate cuffs, a gesture so familiar it transported Tynan back to his days in the fae realm. “Your abrupt departure has caused quite the stir. The family council has questions.”
“I didn’t realize my whereabouts were of such interest,” Tynan replied, fighting to keep the bitterness from his voice. “Considering how little anyone seemed to care when I was actually there.”
Finley waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t be dramatic, cousin. You know how these things work. One can’t simply abandon their responsibilities without consequences.”
“Responsibilities?” Tynan laughed. “What responsibilities? Being the butt of everyone’s jokes? The cautionary tale parents tell their children about faulty magic?”
A flash of something - perhaps guilt? - crossed Finley’s perfect features before his mask of aristocratic indifference slipped back into place. “The council has sent me to formally request your return. Your extended vacation has gone on long enough.”
Before Tynan could respond, he felt a familiar presence at his back - solid, warm, and radiating protective energy. Malik had arrived, his large frame filling the doorway behind Tynan.
“Everything okay here?” Malik’s deep voice was deceptively calm, but Tynan could feel the tension in his mate through their bond.
Finley’s eyes widened slightly as he took in Malik’s imposing figure. His nostrils flared, and Tynan knew his cousin’s magic would’ve picked up Malik’s shifter nature.
“This must be the reason for your extended absence,” Finley said, his voice dripping with disdain. “Consorting with shifters now, are we? How very...progressiveof you.”
Tynan felt Malik stiffen behind him. He straightened to his full height, which still fell short of both men. “Keep your voice down,” he said quietly. “This is a place of business, and there are humans around. Put simply, Malik is my mate, Finley. That’s all you need to know.”
The words hung in the air between them. Finley’s carefully cultivated composure cracked, genuine shock registering on his face.
“That’s impossible,” he finally managed. “The council would have been informed of a proper mating bond. There are protocols, ceremonies…”
“That’s utter crap. No one with a nature such as ours needs protocols or ceremonies to follow the Fates’ lead,” Tynan interrupted. “The bond formed naturally, as the Fates intended.”
Malik moved to stand beside Tynan, their shoulders touching in a silent show of unity. “I think you should explain exactly why you’re here and what you want with my mate,” he said, his voice carrying the subtle rumble of his inner rhino.
Finley’s gaze darted between them, reassessing the situation. “I see. Well, this complicates matters somewhat.” He smoothed down his already immaculate suit. “The family is experiencing... disruptions in the power structure. Your great-aunt Evaline has been making rather troublesome claims about succession rights.”
“And this concerns me how?” Tynan asked, genuinely confused. He had never been anywhere near the line of succession for family leadership.
“She’s using your departure as evidence of the current leadership’s failures,” Finley explained with obvious reluctance. “Claims they drove you away with their mistreatment.”
Tynan laughed a second time. “Well, she’s not wrong there.”
“The point is,” Finley continued, ignoring the interruption, “your absence has become a political tool. Your return would nullify her arguments and restore stability.”
“So now I’m useful to the family?” Tynan shook his head in disbelief. “After a full century and a half of mockery and isolation, and close to eighteen months’ absence, suddenly I’m important enough to track down?”
“Politics makes for strange bedfellows,” Finley replied with a shrug. “Though not as strange as your choice, apparently.” He cast a pointed look at Malik.
Malik took a half-step forward, his patience clearly wearing thin. “You should watch how you speak about things you don’t understand.”
