“Mark Jansen.” He held out a hand, which I took out of politeness, a second before he blindsided me with his next words. “So, Jesse, how do you feel since your conversion?”
I stared at him. “W-what?”
He flashed a press ID. “I’m with The Fae Chronicle, and my readers want to know all about you. Who did your conversion? Are they here with you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Excuse me. I need to –”
A camera flashed in front of my eyes. It was followed by a second and then a third.
“Jesse, have you been to Faerie yet?” someone yelled.
“How did you survive the conversion?”
“Why did they change the rules for you?”
“Is it true your Fae lover changed you so you could be together?”
“Who is he, Jesse? Is he here with you tonight?”
The questions came at me rapid-fire from all sides, punctuated by the blinding camera flashes. I shielded my eyes with my arm, but it was impossible to see through the throng of paparazzi surrounding me. Panic choked me, and I tried to back away, but escape was blocked from all sides.
A few paps shouted angry words at someone who shoved past them. I jerked when an arm was thrown across my shoulders.
“Stay close. I’ll get you out of here,” Tennin said in my ear.
I clung to him like a lifeline as he tried to push through the mob. His fellow paps weren’t having it, swearing at him and calling him a traitor. Tennin was unfazed by their insults and didn’t falter, even when one of them snatched his camera and threw it to the floor. This was insane. Why wasn’t the club’s security doing something to help us?
Two paps directly in our path suddenly disappeared as if they’d been picked up by a strong wind. The rest backed off with expressions that ranged from fear to excitement. I saw the reason for their reactions when three of Prince Rhys’s stone-faced personal guards appeared before us. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or unhappy to see them.
“Come with us,” growled Bayard, the blond, fearsome head of Prince Rhys’s security.
The other two guards took up positions behind us, and they ushered us through the crowds of paparazzi and onlookers to the VIP section. The muscled security guy at the bottom of the stairs took one look at us and moved aside to let us pass. I stayed glued to Tennin as we ascended the stairs, acutely aware of the hundreds of eyes following us.
At the top, people scurried out of our way, making it easy to see Prince Rhys and his two other guards waiting for us at a corner booth. As soon as we reached him, the five guards formed a scowling wall between us and the rest of the club.
“Jesse, are you okay?” the prince asked. “Did they harm you?”
“I-I’m fine.” My legs felt like rubber. How did celebrities deal with that every day?
I took some deep breaths to regain my composure. Tennin kept his arm around me, and I was grateful for his solid presence.
“She’s a little overwhelmed,” he said. “Thank you for your assistance.”
Prince Rhys looked at my savior as if noticing him for the first time. “Tennin, right? Aren’t you a paparazzo as well?”
Tennin laughed. “When it suits me. Jesse is a friend of mine, and her welfare is more important than a few photos.”
The prince nodded approvingly. “Jesse chooses her friends well.”
My phone rang, and I blew out a breath when I saw it was Violet.
“Jesse? Jesse, can you hear me?” she yelled when I answered. I had no trouble hearing her over the background noise.
“Calm down, Vi,” I said with more composure than I felt. “I’m okay.”
“Oh, thank God! Where are you? I couldn’t get to you, and then you were gone.”
I grimaced at the panic in her voice. “My friend Tennin and Prince Rhys’s guard got me away. I’m upstairs in the VIP section. Can you and Lorelle meet us up here?”
She huffed loudly. “Yes. As soon as I give these asshole paps a piece of my mind. They don’t know who they’re messing with.” There was a slight scuffle followed by Violet’s muffled, “That’s right. I’m talking to you.”
I rubbed my temple. “Vi, please don’t start a fight with the paparazzi.” But she’d hung up.
Tennin and Prince Rhys laughed, and my glower did nothing to stop them. I turned to push through the guards, but Tennin put up an arm to block me.
“You are not going down there,” he said firmly. “I’ll get your friend for you.”
“You’ve never even met her. She won’t listen to you.”
He grinned. “I can be very persuasive, and I’m the best one to deal with that mob down there.”
He had a point. I stepped back, and he tapped one of the guards on the back to let him pass. As soon as he was gone, I realized I was alone with Prince Rhys – my brother – for the first time since I’d learned his real identity. I had no idea how to talk to him now, and I was afraid of saying something I shouldn’t.
“Please, sit.” He waved at the plush leather couch behind me. “Would you like something to drink?”
“I’d rather stand, but water would be nice.” The initial shock of the incident was wearing off, and embarrassment was setting in. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten so frazzled because of a few paparazzi. Those guys would run screaming if they came face-to-face with some of the things I’d seen. It was a good thing Faolin hadn’t been here to witness this. He’d never let me forget it.
Prince Rhys poured a glass of water from a carafe on a small table and handed it to me. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“I guess it had to come out eventually.” I’d wondered what it would be like when the press got wind of it, but this was worse than what I had imagined.
“When I first came to this realm, the cameras and shouts were disconcerting,” he admitted. “I still don’t like them, but my guards shield me from the worst of it.”
“As a prince, you must be used to being in the public eye at court.”
He smiled. “Yes, but we have no cameras in Faerie. And no one there would dare to shout at the crown prince that way.”
“You have a point.” I relaxed a little and sipped my water.
“I have a confession to make,” he said. “I’ve been hoping we would run into each other, although I wish it had been under different circumstances.”
My fingers tightened around the glass. “Oh?”
“I enjoyed meeting your father very much, and I’ve been reading the books he recommended to me. I’d love to talk to him again and hear more of his bounty hunting stories.” Prince Rhys sighed. “I cannot explain it, but you are the only people in this realm with whom I feel a real connection.”
I tried to think of a response, but I had nothing. Was it possible for someone to be drawn to the family they didn’t know existed? What would he say if he knew the truth?
“Now I’ve made you uncomfortable.” His smile fell, and his expression turned sheepish. “I won’t impose on you and your family. It would not be appropriate for me to seek out a new Unseelie faerie.”
Bayard gave a low snort, reminding us Prince Rhys had done exactly that a week after I’d come home. Something told me the head of security was the real reason the prince hadn’t come to call on us again.