He placed one of his warm hands over mine, and the heat spread through me. I was almost overwhelmed by the need to be held by him. I missed the closeness and intimacy we’d shared during the times we’d kissed. I wished he would kiss me and tell me he wanted me as much as I did him.
“This changes everything.” He let out a harsh breath. “I thought Davian Woods was no longer a threat, but I underestimated him. That won’t happen again.”
“We all thought that. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“That’s not enough.” He straightened to fix me with a determined stare. “You’re staying here.”
I took a step back. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.” He crossed his arms. “I allowed you to stay at your apartment after the story broke because of your mother’s health, but Davian is too dangerous for you to continue living there.”
“You allowed me?” I sputtered. “News flash, Lukas. You don’t have any say in where I live or what I do.”
“Actually, he does,” Faolin said, causing me to jump. I turned to see him stepping out of a portal.
I sputtered. “Since when?”
“Since you became Fae. You’re Unseelie, and Lukas is your crown prince. He can command you to do whatever he wishes.”
I waited for him to smirk or say something to tell me he was pulling my leg. He didn’t.
“You’re joking, right?”
Faolin shook his head.
“What?” I whirled on Lukas. “No one told me this! I’m not going to spend the rest of my life being ordered around like I have no mind of my own. And if you think I’m going to bow down to you because you’re going to be king someday, you have another thing coming.”
“Females don’t bow. They curtsy,” Faolin said, and there was no mistaking the humor in his voice. Jerk.
Lukas came around the island and sat on one of the bar stools facing me. Most of the anger had left his eyes, but his tone was still firm. “No one is going to order you around, but there will be times when I’ll make decisions you won’t agree with. I refuse to take risks with your safety.”
“But the ward –”
“The ward only protects you while you are inside your building,” he reminded me. “Do you plan to stay at home for however long it takes us or the authorities to locate Davian? And what of your parents? Do you think Davian won’t try to use them to get to you?”
Fear lanced through me. Since Davian’s call, I hadn’t had time to consider that he might go after Mom and Dad, but it was exactly what he would do.
I fumbled for my phone. “I need to call and warn them. Those men could be headed there now.”
“Faolin?” Lukas said evenly. How was he so calm when my family could be in danger?
“Iian and Kerr are already there,” Faolin replied, walking into the kitchen. “I called them after you left. No sign of trouble, but we travel faster than the humans.”
I relaxed my tense muscles, but not by much. “They didn’t tell my parents what happened to me, did they?”
Faolin opened the refrigerator. “No. Kerr told them it was a routine check-in to see if they needed anything.”
I looked at Lukas. “I need to be the one to tell them.”
He nodded. “I’ll take you home to pack some clothes and whatever else you want to bring with you. You can fill them in while we’re there.”
“But –”
“You staying here is not up for debate.” Standing, he walked into the living room and created the portal. He looked back at me. “Are you coming?”
I went to stand beside him. “We are not done discussing this.”
“I expected nothing less,” he replied wryly. Then he took my arm, and we stepped through the portal.
* * *
I halfheartedly strummed a few chords on my guitar and stood it on the floor propped against the bed. Flopping onto my back, I stared at the ceiling without seeing it. I thought about reading a book or watching a movie on my laptop, but I couldn’t summon enough energy to do either.
The door creaked softly. A few seconds later, Kaia jumped gracefully onto the bed and lay beside me with her large head on my stomach. I scratched behind her ear, and her loud purr filled the room. She’d taken to hanging out in here and had even slept on my bed last night. I wasn’t the best company, but she didn’t seem to mind.
I stared at the high ceiling and wondered what my family was doing now. Mom and Dad were probably lounging on the deck of Lukas’s island home while Finch and Aisla ate fruit until they passed out. I smiled at the image even as my chest tightened. They’d been gone less than a day, and I missed them so much it hurt.
When I’d told my parents about Davian, they had agreed with Lukas that the best place for me was at his building. Lukas suggested this was the perfect time for them to take him up on his offer to use one of his properties. Mom had always wanted to see Italy, but they chose the Brazilian island instead. It was tropical, private, and the perfect place for my parents to rest. Also, it wasn’t listed among Lukas’s holdings, so there was no way anyone could find them there.
Lukas had made all the arrangements, and they’d left yesterday after a tearful goodbye. I wanted to go with them, but Lukas said I needed to resume training now that my Fae magic was growing stronger. I’d been here for four days, and all I’d done so far was the same conditioning workout from before my conversion. I could leave the building but only with him or one of the others, which meant hunting was out of the question. I felt useless, and I was bored out of my mind.
“Knock, knock.”
I raised my head to look at Conlan standing in the doorway of the library…or should I say my bedroom? They had completely transformed the room for me. Except for the new bed and wardrobe, it held most of my things from home. It was a comfortable space, and I loved the fireplace and queen bed. I just needed to get used to thinking of it as my room.
“Hey.” I sat up, earning an unhappy growl from Kaia.
“Faris and I are thinking about trying an Italian place for lunch. What do you think?”
I stroked the lamal’s fur, and she stretched contentedly. “Whatever you bring back will be good. I’m not fussy.”
Conlan walked over to stand at the foot of the bed. “We thought you might want to come with us. There is a restaurant in Venice we’ve been wanting to try.”
That got my attention. “Venice…as in the city in Italy? You’re going to create a portal to Italy just to visit a restaurant? I thought you didn’t use magic for portals unless you have to.”
“We make some exceptions.”
I shot him a knowing look that said he wasn’t fooling me. They knew today was hard on me, and they were planning this outing to cheer me up.
A smile pulled at my lips. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” He turned to the door. “It’s still cool there at night, so you might want a light coat.”
I scrambled off the bed and changed into fresh jeans and a nice top. Grabbing a coat, I went to the living room where Conlan waited with Faris. Lukas had gone to the Agency with Iian and Kerr earlier and hadn’t yet returned.