Page 53 of Wicked Deeds

Usuriel. Lord of the Darker Hours. Who should be safely in the Fae realm, not anywhere near me.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed, bracing myself to run. The bartender was serving another woman, not looking at me. I tried to keep my face calm, not wanting to drag anybody else into this.

Usuriel’s hand was still raised. A subtle whisper of magic brushed by me. Fae magic. The sound of the club receded.

Fuck. He’d cast an illusion around us. Probably to anyone watching it would look as though we were having a friendly chat. Question was, was it only an illusion or a physical ward? In other words, could I walk away?

Don’t panic.

Easier said than done. I took another swallow of whiskey, hoping it might burn out the shock at seeing him here. It seemed to work, the thump of my pulse in my ears died down to normal levels. I squared my shoulders. I had broken Usuriel’s magic before. I could do it again, particularly out here in the humanworld, where his magic would be slightly weaker. But only slightly. He was an Elder, like Cerridwen. One of the greater Fae powers.

“You told my watcher you wanted to speak to me in person,” he said, coolly. “I thought it was only polite to comply with your request.

“So youdidsend the nixlings. What the hell are you doing spying on me?”

He shrugged and tiny pinpoints of rainbow light shimmered over his black shirt. I would have sworn it was silk but watching the glimmers of light, I wasn’t so sure. It was beautifully tailored, setting off his pale skin and the hair that was shorter and several shades darker than it was in the realm.

The face was different, too. Human, not unearthly Fae lord. Which was a relief. It made it slightly easier to control the fear still prickling down my spine. I could probably see through the illusion if I tried hard enough, but I didn’t want to waste my power in case he tried something. My hand slid into my jacket pocket, seeking the familiar smooth disc of my panic button. I could activate the one programmed into my chip with a flick of my wrist, but I didn’t want the movement to draw his attention. And I didn’t want to pit Maia or Jake against Usuriel, let alone any of Decker’s staff, none of whom were witches.

Safer to see what he wanted and try to get him out of the club as fast as possible. “I asked a question.”

“Not so much spying as observing,” he said.

I frowned, lifting my chin. “Sounds like the same thing to me.”

Another liquid shrug.

Irritation crawled up my spine, tightening my shoulders and jaw. Were they all taught to do that? Callum, Gráinne and Cerridwen were all masters of the ambiguous gesture, which could mean any number of things. Perhaps in a society wherepeople couldn’t lie and acknowledgment could be taken as a debt, you had to develop other ways to deal with nuance and fill spaces where it would be dangerous to say something definitive.

“Very well, why are you watching me?” I asked, trying to temper my tone to something more polite. Not pissing off the scary Fae lord seemed like the smart thing to do. Particularly when I didn’t want to test my magic against him. Especially when I could hardly set him on fire like an afrit. Crowded club aside, I was sure there would be nothing but a world of hurt waiting for me if I physically attacked an Elder.

I could defend myself under the contract, but crossing Usuriel in the realm had so far led to me being persona non grata for over a month. If I actually injured him—let alone killed him—I doubted I’d ever be allowed back.

“I have learned more about the person you were pursuing through the realm.”

Chapter Fourteen

Jack?He’d found out about Jack? Fuck and double fuck. How? Andwhathad he learned? I clenched my teeth shut. I really wanted to know. I couldn’t ask. Usuriel would want something in exchange for the information. And I had no intention of ending up in his debt. I forced back all the questions and let the silence stretch.

“He is someone to be concerned about,” Usuriel said.

“He is a criminal,” I agreed carefully. “But that doesn’t explain why you are…watching…my backyard. I can guarantee he’s not hiding there and it’s unlikely he’d try.”

“I would not be so certain. This man seems to feel some connection to you. Did he not try and take the man you share your life with?”

“He did,” I said, “but he was trying to steal from Damon’s company. He didn’t want me.” I didn’t know if that was strictly true. Yes, Jack kidnapped Damon, but we didn’t know what his ultimate goal had been. He may have wanted Damon to help him with some aspect of whatever plans he had, or he may—as Usuriel suggested—have wanted me. But without knowing howmuch Usuriel knew about what had happened, I wasn’t going to mention anything other than the first option.

“Even if that is true...” Usuriel’s tone suggested he didn’t think it was. “You now live with Damon. It is his territory I have been watching. And, regardless, you frequently attract trouble. Witches. Demons. A man who seeks the Greater Dark. One does not need to be Lady Morgain to know that your fate is a complicated one. And that we should all be watchful because of that.”

“I do not ‘attract’ demons,” I snapped, trying to keep my voice low. The bartender was ignoring us. Hadn’t even glanced in our direction since Usuriel had started talking. The illusion was working on her, too. Hopefully it would keep her safe.

“You can speak normally. We cannot be overhead.” Usuriel waved a hand in her direction and she still didn’t react. Her expression was faintly glazed but she moved down the bar to serve another customer, so whatever the spell was, it wasn’t preventing her from doing anything other than seeing us.

I took a sip of whiskey, trying to think. “Did you do something to her?”

“No,” Lord Usuriel said, “Merely a ward so no one can hear and a little encouragement not to look at us. Or be curious if anyone does.”

“You can’t cast Fae magic on humans, it’s against the contract.” I was on solid ground there. The Fae got to keep their doors and their realm, the Cestis kept the fact of their existence secret and, in return, the Fae weren’t supposed to use their magic on humans. No luring people into the realm with glamours or compulsions or other magical trickery. No keeping humans who wanted to leave the realm there against their will. Of course that one was harder for the Cestis to police. And, of course, most of the Fae who ventured outside the realm were capable of being very charming. Add in their beauty and you gottemptation personified. So humans still followed them into the realm for other more human reasons. Like lust, curiosity, or the always classic sheer stupidity.

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