His expression became keen as he asked, “Someone you know in the future? You are from the future. Do not deny this, as it is something I know.” He waited, and when she said nothing he added, “So, my brother survives to your time? Ahh … but still, I might yet alter your time, as you are here now, and that changes everything.”
“Rysdale is your brother?” Again she spoke without thinking and cursed herself in her mind. She had already told him too much.
He didn’t respond at once but said instead, “Such a small human world … isn’t it. One never knows who one will run into.” He grimaced. “That decides my next course of action, you see.” He stepped towards her but took a half step back as he cringed from the obvious affects of the ward’s power. He put up a hand. “Ah, a very intricate ward, a Royal’s magic? So, then, you are protected by a Royal and know my twin, Rysdale. How very intriguing.” He paused and looked her over, and his lashes seemed to snap before he asked, “You are not quite human, are you?”
“Not quite,” she answered cautiously, wondering when Trevor would appear and hoping to get the wizard to reveal more in the meantime. “Why are you here? What do you want?”
“What I want is to make a deal. My brother has beaten me at every turn. I loathe him. I want his woman, I want Charm, and I want him dead, but—” He put up his palms. “—thus far, I have been unsuccessful. So I need more power. I have traced the disturbance in time to this region and discovered three beings from the future. A Dark Prince has established a habitat not far from here. And then here you are with a Royal Fae, in the home of yet another Royal, and one who has not been here in quite some time—all very interesting.” He eyed her speculatively.
“What do you think we can do for you?” she asked, stalling. She wasn’t going to be a part of anything that would hurt the Wizard Rysdale, and she was fairly certain her prince would not make such a deal either. Trevor was not about deal making, and this made her smile and feel a swelling of pride. Why should she feel pride in Trevor? How very odd.
“As I said, I want more power, and only your Royal Prince, or the Dark One, can give it to me. I have always believed that the Seelie Fae Royals have far more might than the Dark Ones, so I came to you first.”
Jazz felt the prince, with Frankie in tow, shift in beside her.
He immediately shoved her and Frankie to his back and stepped up closer to Baudali.
She heard the derision in his voice as he spoke. “What do you want, Baudali?”
“Ah, you have the advantage—you know who I am, but I haven’t the slightest idea who you might be. Have we ever met?”
“No, but I know that Rysdale has an evil twin. You seem to fit the part,” Trevor said with contempt.
“A sharp tongue. This does not bode well for our future,” Baudali said, pointing a finger. “Be warned. I have dark magic enough to do what you fear most.”
“What I fear most? Right, then, so have at me, wizard—here I am,” Trevor snapped as he took a step towards the warded and invisible line.
Baudali’s smile was twisted. “Oh no. I don’t mean to try and match my magic against yours. I am not a fool. That is not how I mean to win. You see, I play dirty.” So saying, his wormhole opened, and he was gone as quickly as he had appeared, taking his blue lightning, bloody snakes, and fire daggers with him.
“By wind, earth, and fire, this is a nuisance,” Trevor said with a low growl. He turned to Jazz. “Stay with the little one. I mean to track him.”
She pulled on his arm. “No … please don’t go.”
He snorted. “You can’t fear for me against such as that?”
“I am afraid of anything unexpected. This was unexpected, and he is on his way to make a pact with the devil. I don’t like it,” Jazz said.
He touched her face gently. “I shall be back soon. A wizard has never been a match for a Seelie Royal.” He started to leave and turned back to grin boyishly. “Nor has a Dark Fae, for that matter.”
And he was gone.
* * *
Jazz stood for a moment looking at the place he had just been. What did she feel? She was going to have to face what she felt because it was slowly eating her up. She couldn’t go on like this.
From the moment she had first come in contact with Trevor, she had seen him as larger than life. Well, yeah, she told herself, he’s a Royal Seelie Fae. He was larger than life. But even so, those were words, an old cliché—larger than life—ha, but now she actually knew what it meant. Who, in her human world, swooped in and took charge of evil without fear, without hesitation? Her Trevor did.
When he stood back to watch her with Frankie, he seemed to eat up more space than he actually occupied. He seemed to glow …
He exuded energy beyond his physical form. His every movement displayed strength of body, character, warrior determination, and courage. She had found even his Fae aloofness endearing and quite in contrast to the kindness of his actions.
She was so darned attracted to him, in every single way. No, that wasn’t the right way of putting it. She wanted to lie down on a sheet of clover and offer herself up to him. She wanted to see him naked and touch his body, from his beautiful locks of white-gold hair to his … oh yeah, she had looked at that bulge in his leather pants more than she should, and he seemed to have a perpetual hard-on forever ready. The memory it presented, even now, made her lick her lips and yearn for him.
She wanted to feel his hands on her body, to look into his golden eyes, and—stop!
This would get her nowhere but hurt. It wasn’t happening—it couldn’t, for she knew once she gave herself to him it would be forever. Even if he cared for her, and she did think he cared for her, he would eventually move on while she aged.
Yeah, but in the meantime, Jazzy girl, Tammy whispered, think of the fun you could have.