Troy rolled his eyes. “I’m sure that’s a source of great solace to her.”
Levet stiffened. Yep. Really, really, really annoying. “I am. She adores me.”
“She also adores psychedelic muumuus and raw liver on banana bread,” Troy pointed out in wry tones. “That might suggest she doesn’t always have the best taste.”
“Hey.”
“But she has the heart the size of a dragon,” Troy smoothly continued.
Levet nodded sadly. The female had been wrenched from her mother’s arms and sold into slavery when she was just a baby. She’d been told her family hated her. And she had been manipulated into betraying her people by the former king. “Oui. It is not only large, but tender. She has been hurt too many times.”
“So why not stay at her side and protect her?”
Levet winced as the imp’s words scraped across his raw nerves. “I would if she were simply an ogress. But she is the Queen of the Mer-folk. They will never allow her to sit on the throne unless she earns their respect.” He heaved a sigh. “Something she will never earn if she depends on moi to offer her courage.”
Troy shrugged. “They have no choice but to allow her to sit on the throne. Not as long as she holds that big-ass trident.”
Levet wasn’t nearly so nonchalant about the magic of the Tryshu protecting Inga. It did, after all, have some weird mystical power to determine who should lead and when it was time for a new ruler.
“How long will the Tryshu keep her as queen if she cannot lead her people?” he asked.
Troy blinked, as if he hadn’t considered the possibility that the trident might decide to reject Inga.
“So you abandoned her for her own good?” he finally demanded.
“I did not abandon her,” Levet snapped. “I am fulfilling my duty, just as she is fulfilling hers.” He returned his attention to the cobblestones. The mark had to be somewhere. “At least I hope she is,” he breathed in a soft voice.
Troy shoved himself away from the wall. “I smell…figs.”
The words had barely left his lips when a rich, female voice floated through the alley.
“Levet. I didn’t know you were going to visit. You should have called first.”
Levet cautiously straightened at the unmistakable reprimand. Cleo had opened a portal, but she hadn’t stepped through.
“I am just passing by,” he assured the nymph.
“It is still rude to enter without permission.” The scent of figs intensified, drenching the air with outrage. “And you brought along an uninvited guest.”
Troy was wise enough to hold up a hand in a gesture of peace. “I am—”
“I know who you are, Troy, Prince of Imps,” the tart voice interrupted.
A half dozen nymphs rushed from the shadows, at the same time, another dozen appeared on top of the nearby buildings, pointing crossbows that were loaded with iron arrows. They wouldn’t kill Levet, but they would seriously injure Troy. All fey creatures were allergic to iron.
For several minutes, the warriors simply surrounded the alley, not speaking but silently making certain that Levet and Troy didn’t try to escape.
Then, there was a stir of warm air, and a female stepped out of a portal. She was small and slender, like all nymphs, but instead of the usual golden hair, Cleo possessed raven curls that framed her pale, perfect face and tumbled down her back. Her eyes were also darker than other nymphs, closer to cognac than gold. But it was her vibrant sensuality that was causing Troy to struggle to catch his breath. The very air seemed to sizzle with sex.
She was wearing a long, black-and-gold gown that matched the warriors’ uniforms, and an emerald the size of an egg hung around her neck.
“Why are you in my territory?”
Levet cleared his throat. He wasn’t afraid of Cleo. He didn’t fear any demon. Well, he might be the teensy, tiniest bit nervous around dragons. They were absurdly temperamental. But he was in a hurry. He didn’t have time to sneak his way out of Cleo’s dungeons.
“We are on the hunt for a vampire.”
“Vampire?” She arched a brow, gliding forward. The air warmed, spiced with the scent of figs. “Dangerous business.”
Levet shrugged. “It is what I do.”
“I remember.” Cleo reached up to touch the emerald that hung around her neck. Several centuries ago, it had been stolen by a jealous lover. Levet had overheard the male trying to barter the gem to an imp in Dublin and had taken steps to remove the rare emerald from the vengeful jerk. A few nights later, he returned it to Cleo. Not for a reward. He simply enjoyed thwarting the two males who’d tried to take advantage of a female. Of course, at the time, he hadn’t realized that Cleo was one of the most powerful creatures in all of Great Britain. “It’s because I owe you a debt that I haven’t punished you for trespassing.”
Levet shifted his weight from foot to foot. Cleo ruled her territory with an ironing board. No, that wasn’t right. An iron fist, oui. If there was a portal opened, then she was the one who opened it.
“We…um…could use your assistance,” he told the female.
The cognac eyes glowed with a warning taste of her power. “You invade my territory, and now you ask for my help?”
Levet blinked. “It was not much of an invasion.”
The cognac gaze turned toward Troy. “You know how I feel about royalty.”
Troy shrugged. “Probably the same way I feel.”
Cleo took a step toward the imp, her gaze running over his poison-green spandex jumpsuit. It was impossible to know from her beautiful features if she was amazed or traumatized by the sight of the bizarre outfit. Levet was betting on traumatized.
“I’ve heard about you, Prince of Imps,” she murmured.
A smile tugged at Troy’s lips, a combination of captivation and odd wariness. As if he wasn’t sure what to make of the lovely nymph.
“I’m afraid I can’t return the compliment,” he said.
There was a ripple among the guards. Like a breeze rustling through grass. Clearly, they thought the words were an insult to their leader.
Cleo tossed her glossy raven curls. “It wasn’t a compliment.”
Troy chuckled. “Touché.”
The nymph turned back to Levet. “What do you want from me?”
“The vampire I am hunting disappeared through a portal.” Levet waddled forward, touching the brick wall at the end of the alley. “Here.”
Cleo shook her head. “You must be mistaken. Victor and I have a bargain. There have been no vampires in the neighborhood.”