Shadow Play

31

I nodded and stepped back, withdrawing my hands from his hold. “All right, I'll see you there.” After I made it back to my desk, I spent a majority of the afternoon attempting to focus on work but found my thoughts straying to what information Ronan would be willing to part with and how best to go about getting the most answers possible. After removing my sneakers and slipping my heels back on, I entered the coffee shop and spotted Ronan waiting at a table. Ever since he got carried away at the club, his manners had returned and he was in full gentleman mode. He rose at my approach and helped me remove my coat. “Hot chocolate again or something different this time?” “I think some tea would be good for now, thank you.” He gave a light-hearted bow and headed to the counter to order our drinks. When he returned, my hands were sweating in anticipation. “I want more than anything to earn your trust, Rebecca. Tell me what I need to do.” My eyes dropped to my hands in my lap as they toyed with a bit of napkin. “I'm afraid that I'm finding it hard to trust anyone right now. It's so hard when I'm learning that nothing is what I thought it was. I'm having to relearn how to trust my own instincts in this new reality.” It was more deeply personal than I had intended to give him but it was the truth. “I can understand that and I'm here to help you in any way that I can. Tell me, what questions do you have?” My eyes met his with determination. “You’re Fae, aren’t you? You and Lochlan and the men of the Huntsman.” It wasn’t so much a question as a statement I needed to confirm. As I spoke I could see pride in his eyes—he was pleased that I had figured it out. “Yes, we are.” I had expected his answer but it still blew me away to think that these men were not human. “Are you immortal then?” “That is one of those subjects we are not supposed to discuss, however, you already know of our race and, considering the circumstances, I feel it's only right for you to have all the facts. We are immortal, but probably not as indestructible as your myths would have you believe. We stop aging around thirty and then we are very long lived, although not totally invincible. If you cut off my head, it will not grow back—we are quick to heal, but there are limits to the damage we can sustain. Our healing abilities also keep us from getting sick, which means we can potentially live for thousands of years unless we meet an untimely end.” “Am I allowed to ask how old you are?” His lips quirked in a wry smile. “I suppose you just did.” I returned his smile and arched my brow to indicate that I was still waiting for an answer. “Let’s just say that I have the benefit of centuries of experience in life.” I sat back in awe of his answer. “And Lochlan too?” The moment Lochlan’s name left my lips, Ronan's eyes went hard and a snarl of distaste briefly hinted on his face before he caught himself and schooled his features back into a calm mask. “Yes, he is quite old.” I was pushing my luck because he obviously didn't want to discuss Lochlan, but my burning curiosity made me push further. “Can you tell me about Lochlan? Why is there so much animosity between you two?” “Of all the questions you might have, I cannot fathom why you would want to waste one on him.” He paused for a moment, his brown eyes distant. “He tried to take everything from me. At every opportunity, he has plotted against me, and after we had been in the Hunt for some time together, he even tried to take my life. He set an intricate plot to make others think I had orchestrated a blood bath, but in reality, it was all engineered by him to give him reason to kill me. I would have died too, if the others had not intervened.” “Why do you stay in the Hunt if you hate him so much?” “Not just any Fae can be in the Hunt. It’s like your Navy Seals, there are a limited number of men who are accepted in our ranks and the standards are rigorous. There are also many freedoms and privileges that come with my station. I wasn’t about to let that piece of s**t drive me from what I had earned. I may not have the option to walk away from him, but you do, and you would be wise to stay far away from him.” I nodded at his warning and knowing how much the subject upset him, I moved to a safer topic as the barista brought over our drinks. “Tell me about the portals and why Fae aren’t allowed to be here.” “Nearly a thousand years ago, Guin, the Seelie queen, made the decision that man was becoming too territorial and power hungry to coexist peacefully with the Fae. Not to say that we were living completely out in the open, but the Seelie came and went basically without restriction and it was not uncommon that magic was performed on Earth. However, human populations began to unite under sovereign rulers and campaigns such as the crusades spread out to conquer surrounding lands. Along with the end of the Middle Ages and the spread of the Renaissance and enlightened thinking, it became clear that the Fae would no longer be able to live outside of the rule of man. Nor was the queen interested in waging war with the whole of mankind to rule Earth. “As there was no other acceptable option, Guin called home the Seelie and sealed the portals, preventing all but a select few, such as the members of the Hunt, from crossing between worlds. The Unseelie had long been prohibited from entering Earth by the queen's magic, and once the Seelie no longer inhabited Earth, our existence dissolved into rumor.” He took a sip from his mug while I processed his words. If I understood him correctly, some Seelie were allowed on Earth and I wondered just how many that meant and how scattered they were. Guin must be remarkably powerful to rule them all and to control whether the Fae were able to cross between worlds. “I know it might sound silly, but I had heard of Titania and Oberon and wondered if they were the king and queen, but I guess that was fictional. Are either of them even real?” “There is no Titania that I am aware of; however, Oberon is real.” “Is he the Fae king?” “No, that is one way in which time has distorted the facts. Much like the game of Telephone young children play, there are many facts about the Fae that have been lost or warped through the years. Fae magic is matriarchal and prefers women so the strongest of our kind are almost always female and there are no kings.