I let out an aggravated huff. “Do cops and agents refuse to arrest human criminals because they’re human? And when was the last time there was a bounty on a Court faerie?”
The other hunters looked among themselves, but not one could answer me.
I walked over to the elevator and pushed the button. “Listen; I didn’t ask for this, but I’m not going to apologize for being alive or for doing my job. If you don’t like that, that’s your issue, not mine.”
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside. I turned and faced the room impassively. Some still wore their angry expressions while others regarded me thoughtfully. I’d said all I was going to on the subject, and it was up to them to accept me or not. This wasn’t the first time they’d challenged my right to be here. Their opinions hadn’t stopped me then, and they wouldn’t stop me now.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, I left the building with three new jobs from Levi, who said he didn’t care what I was as long as I kept earning him money. The paparazzi were waiting for me at the bottom of the steps, and I gave them a friendly wave as I ignored their usual shouts and headed for the Jeep.
I got in and started it, keeping my eyes averted from the camera lens nearly pressed to my window. They’d get bored with me eventually. Until then, I would make sure they got nothing newsworthy from me.
My phone rang, and I answered without looking at the number. The Agency had gotten me one of the special unlisted numbers reserved for Fae royals, and only a handful of people outside of my family knew it.
“Hello,” I said as I pulled away, careful not to hit one of the paps who was slow to move out of the way.
“Jesse James, you are not an easy person to reach,” said a man’s voice.
An ugly jolt of recognition hit me, and I nearly slammed on the brakes. He was the last person I’d ever expected to speak to again. My knuckles turned white, and I eased my grip on the wheel before I spoke.
“Davian,” I replied with a cool voice that belied the shock rippling through me. I scanned my surroundings, expecting to find him there. “How did you get my number?”
His laugh was the same charming one I’d heard the night we met at his party. “You must know by now that I have ways of getting the things I want.”
“Not all of them,” I retorted. The satisfaction it gave me was only a fraction of what I deserved after what he’d done to me.
“Not yet,” he said in a less amused tone. “But you don’t get where I am without being a patient man.”
“Where is that?” I couldn’t resist the gibe. “I hope you are well-stocked in your secret hideaway and planning on an extended stay.”
“I am quite comfortable, thank you, and this is only a temporary inconvenience until everything blows over.”
I shook my head. Did he honestly believe that? Aside from the fact that he’d conspired to obtain a stolen Fae artifact for his own gain, he’d also kidnapped and shot an Unseelie royal guard, who happened to be one of Lukas’s best friends. None of them would forget that, much less forgive Davian. And they would long outlive him.
Instead of pointing out the obvious to him, I said, “Is there a reason why you called, besides wanting to catch up?”
“I want to know how you did it?”
I didn’t have to ask what it was. “I didn’t do anything. I’m sure you’ve seen our interview, and you heard what Lukas said.”
“I heard the story you two gave the world, but we both know it was a fabrication. If all it took to convert an adult was a group of faeries, I would have done that already.” His voice took on a note of excitement. “It was the ke’tain, wasn’t it? They used it to amplify their magic so they could perform the conversion.”
“You know faeries can’t touch the ke’tain,” I reminded him.
“Then you held it and used its power while they did the conversion,” he persisted. “Tell me how it works.”
Angry heat spread through me. “I have no clue what happened during the conversion because I was nearly dead from a bullet, no thanks to you.”
“I’m sorry about that. I never meant to harm you. Things got out of hand.” He sounded contrite, but I knew the real Davian Woods. He was only sorry he hadn’t gotten what he wanted.
I gritted my teeth. “You hired mercenaries who murdered an innocent woman. Then you called the Seelie guard to come for Conlan and me. They would have done more than harm us.”
“I made some mistakes,” he replied casually. “I plan to make reparations to her family.”
I had no response. What did you say to someone who had no remorse and believed money was the answer to everything? Davian was so blinded by his wealth and his obsession that he’d lost touch with reality. Did he honestly believe a check could ease Angela Moore’s parents’ devastation over their daughter’s murder?
“Name your price, Jesse.”
I blinked, suddenly aware he had been speaking. “What?”
“How much will it take for you to share your secret with me?” he asked. “Five million, ten million? Your parents will never want for anything. Say the word.”
“I told you I don’t know what happened in the conversion. I can’t give you what you want.”
What I didn’t tell him was that my family had no need of his money, thanks to the three-million dollar deal I’d negotiated with the network for my exclusive interview. Mom and Dad could take all the time they needed to recover before going back to work, and that was worth every second of the uncomfortable interview.
“Is that your final word?” Davian’s voice was tight as he tried to restrain his anger.
“Yes.”
“Then I guess there’s nothing else for us to say to each other. Goodbye, Jesse.” He hung up before I could respond.
I gripped the steering wheel hard, and it was only then that I realized my hands were trembling. Too shaken to drive, I looked around for a place to pull over. I needed to call Lukas. We’d thought Davian was no longer a threat after he’d fled the country and gone into hiding, but we’d underestimated his obsession with becoming Fae.
A block later, I pulled onto a quiet street lined with brick apartment buildings and found an empty parking spot. I was no longer trembling, but my whole body was as jittery as it had been the time Violet and I drank three espressos in a row. Oh, what I wouldn’t do for a coffee now. That was one more thing Davian Woods had taken from me.
I picked up my phone and called Lukas, letting out a frustrated breath when I got his voice mail. I didn’t want to tell him about Davian in a message, so I asked him to call me as soon as possible. He was occupied with Faerie business lately, but he always responded quickly to my calls.
I laid my head against the headrest. Since the night he and I had cleared the air, we seemed to have fallen back into our old friendship – the pre-kiss one. Lukas was attentive and supportive to my family and me, and he’d completely won over my mother, despite her earlier reservations about him. At times, I thought I saw a flicker of something more in his eyes when he looked at me, but it was gone before I could read it. I was starting to think I’d imagined there had ever been more between us.