“What’s this…like a fighting thing?” I asked, at the edge of a large expanse of spongy grass filled with organized groups moving in a dance-like way. One guy flipped over a woman and then landed on his back. She swung her wooden sword down and stopped at his neck.
“What was your first clue?” Emery said with a smirk.
But it didn’t look like any kind of fighting I’d ever known. They were almost civil with each other, stopping the moment it might get dirty, swinging their silly practice swords and ignoring their other body parts, like elbows, feet, or foreheads. What a waste of time. When, in the real world, weren’t things dirty?
It took me a moment to spot the shifters out there, because they were all in human form, Roger’s muscular body standing out among the lithe, graceful forms of the fae flitting around him.
I spotted Devon next, his bare back shining in the faux-sunlight, his movements nearly as quick as Roger’s. He’d be a serious alpha one day. I hoped he headed up to some other country, though. He seemed much too stuffy.
Even Cole had taken to the fields in human form, and that guy liked to show off his yeti.
“How dumb.” I started forward because…well, why not?
“Hey, pretty lady, fancy a fuck?”
Aaaaand my trajectory was altered immediately.
Steve lay within the shade of some big tree that I was sure had a long name, utterly relaxed with his dong hanging down. He caught sight of Darius trailing us, taking everything in.
“What’s up, bud?” I crouched down near his head.
“Oh, pity, you have that neck sucker with you.”
“He doesn’t just suck necks, if you know what I mean.” I waggled my eyebrows at him. “You’re all battled out?”
“Didn’t bother. I got plenty to do in this place.”
“Oh yeah? Is it hanging your dick in people’s windows and seeing if they’ll notice? If I had one, I’d absolutely try that. I bet they wouldn’t even look.”
“The women would. All the little fae come running when this big lion shows up in town.”
“And yet…” I looked around us. “You are alone. That bad in bed, huh?”
His smile was lazy. “Just taking a break. Also, I think they are getting ready to put the First on trial. The fae are all distracted by that.”
Darius stilled, looking down at Steve for the first time. “Emery,” he said, “can you hide me from view in this place? I’ve never heard that fae can sense spells.”
“No, they can’t. Yeah, sure.”
“Fantastic. I intend to witness it, though it might be wise to ascertain when it will be held and scope out the location beforehand.”
“Should you do that, though?” Penny asked in a small voice. “What if they catch you listening in on private matters? They aren’t really cool with strangers.”
“Understatement,” Steve murmured.
“Reagan,” Darius said. “Can you distract the village so no one is bored enough to look for me?”
Steve started laughing. “Livin’ the dream, huh, Reagan? Causing mayhem.”
He had that right. Another green light to act against social norms? Yes, please. “Yup.”
“Don’t get us kicked out,” Penny said, grabbing Emery’s arm. “We can’t afford to be kicked out. We need their protection.”
“We have Lucifer’s heir.” Emery wrapped a comforting arm around her. I rolled my eyes on reflex. “They won’t kick us anywhere.”
“So good to be needed.” I grinned at Penny. Her expression darkened.
Steve pointed at the practice field. “You headed in?”
“What’s the deal with the shifters being in human form?” I asked.
“Ah…” Steve sighed and then scratched his chest. “These people are taking a while to warm up to us. The ones that were more receptive are either in the Brink watching the back door, or are busy with Romulus and Charity. These cats out here are still a bit iffy. They like fighting with us but aren’t sure yet about the animal form. Roger decided it was best just to fight in human form.”
“Huh.”
“You gonna go make them uncomfortable?”
If you can draw people here somehow, it would help Emery and me, Darius thought. I would like to get more information about their inner workings—their politics—but I need to get closer. They mistrust vampires.
“And for good reason, given you plan to skulk around and eavesdrop.”
“The first sign you’re cracking up is answering out loud questions that you asked yourself in your head,” Steve drawled.
“Only the first sign? Man, I’m way ahead of the curve.” I glanced at Darius. “How long do you need?”
You have a shelf life before people run screaming. Try to draw that out as long as possible.
Yeah, that might be hard.
Ever determined, I started forward.
“No, you’re going with her,” Emery said, and Penny had the look of someone who’d just realized she’d pulled the short end of the stick.
The soft breeze felt a little cooler here than it did elsewhere in the Realm. I wondered if the warrior fae had requested that of the elves, since it was a practice yard. The sun hung up there in the orange sky innocuously, and I really wanted to see how that whole thing worked, but I didn’t dare tear it away. The real sun would be up now, and Darius wouldn’t do so well in its rays.