Desert Tales (10 page)

“Okay.” Rika turned and walked away, but she paused at the doorway and said, “I'll be back as fast as I can.”

 

When Rika reached the skate park, she stopped and remained invisible briefly, standing behind the mortals who were gathered there. She felt a strange mix of inclusion and exclusion around Jayce's friends. On the other side of a wire-mesh fence—coated steel far too toxic for a faery to touch—Jayce sat with Del on metal bleachers while Kayley was on a vertical half-pipe. The boys watched her. Del's skateboard was propped next to him, but neither of the boys took it out to the ramps. Kayley was the artist here.

Jayce grinned at Del as Kayley executed another nice trick. Several other people noticed her prowess as well. “Your girl would shame me if I went out there,” Jayce said.

Del preened. “She shames
me
. I swear I'm going to get as good as her, but she comes out harder every time.”

They watched her for a moment, and Rika was struck at how different they were from the men she'd known in her human life—and the faeries she knew in the courts. Keenan had believed that women were to be delicate, that men were to be better at every act of skill. Rika had tried to be that, even after she was fey. It hadn't worked. She smiled to herself at the thought of Donia, the girl who'd become Winter Queen.
She
wasn't ever meek, and from the rumors that had made their way to the desert so far, neither was the Summer Queen. Not for the first time, Rika hoped that both formerly mortal faeries were making Keenan squirm.

On the other side of the chain fence, Del and Jayce continued to discuss Kayley. “She outskates me, but on a climb”—Del grinned at Jayce—“I get her back.”

After a few more minutes, Kayley walked up to the guys.

“Nice.” Jayce gestured with his chin toward the ramp where Kayley had been.

Although she shrugged like she was unconcerned, her posture and the grin on her face revealed her pleasure as she accepted the compliment Jayce offered her.

“I've seen worse.” Del extended his bottle of water to Kayley.

“Yeah, you.” Kayley drained the rest of the bottle and tossed it into a recycling bin. She smiled at Del, who promptly caught her by the hips and pulled her toward him.

“Compared to you?” He paused and kissed her lightly. “Every day.”

“Get off your ass then.” Kayley looked from Del to Jayce. “Neither of you are going to get any better if all you do is sit around watching me.”

At that, Rika decided it was time to interrupt. If Jayce went to the ramps, she'd be left in the awkward position of trying to explain why she couldn't come inside the park and why she couldn't stay. She backed farther away from the park, and then after a quick glance around to verify that no one was looking in her direction, she became visible to human eyes. Jayce and Del wouldn't notice her for a few moments, so she waited, walking slowly toward them. She couldn't approach the metal bleachers and the fence surrounding the park, but she wouldn't have to. They'd see her, or she'd call out.

After a few steps, Kayley noticed her and waved. Del glanced over his shoulder, waved, and then grabbed his board. They both said, “Later, Jayce.”

Rika waited, knowing that Jayce would come to her so she didn't have to come any closer to the poisonous metal. She felt her cheeks flush as he smiled at her, and she couldn't believe that he was hers now, that he saw her and wanted to be with her.

“Everyone okay?” Jayce asked as he reached her side.

She nodded, and he pulled her into his arms. Before the last few weeks, Rika had only been kissed a few times in her life, chaste kisses that didn't leave her feeling consumed, but in the past couple of weeks, she'd discovered why people kissed. As Jayce's lips pressed against hers, his arms tightened around her. Even still, she felt like they were too far apart, and when he pulled away, she wanted to whimper at the loss. Instead, she asked, “Come with me?”

She entwined their hands, unable to be this close to him without touching.

“Anywhere,” Jayce agreed.

This was what she'd wanted, this togetherness, this hunger to be with another person. She'd thought she'd lost the chance at it when she'd believed Keenan's lies, and now, she couldn't imagine life without it. Someday, this would pass. Unless they were cursed, mortals didn't become faeries, so Jayce would leave her someday. Rika hadn't told him that, not wanting to bring up how fleeting their time was. For now, she had found the heady mix of
like
and
want
that she'd been dreaming of for years.

She smiled, and they started across the desert . . . fading to invisible as they walked away from the people in town. Things might be unstable in the desert, and she had no doubt that there would be conflict until Maili realized that she couldn't become Alpha. Right now, though, Sionnach was alive and healing, and Jayce was at Rika's side. Both her faery friend and her mortal boyfriend were safe, and Rika couldn't stop the smile that came over her.

C
HAPTER
12

Sionnach knew that the Summer King was standing nearby: Keenan didn't exactly try to hide the heat that radiated from his body. No one else, save for the newly ascended Summer Queen, would exude such heat, and there was no reason that the new queen would visit the home of a former Winter Girl. So without opening his eyes, Sionnach knew that the Summer King stood in the mouth of the room in Rika's cave where Sionnach was reclining, half-propped on the mound of pillows Rika had arranged behind him.

When he
did
open his eyes, Sionnach had to resist the urge to grin. The wide-eyed shock on the Summer King's face was enough to improve even the lowest of moods, and his temper was accompanied by eddies of heat that made the air shimmer.

“What are
you
doing
there
?” Keenan didn't gesture, but the disdain and possessiveness were both clear in his tone. Even now, the Summer King did not expect to see someone else in the bed of one of his former pseudo-beloveds.

Sionnach offered his practiced expression of wide-eyed innocence and said, “Recovering.”

The bowl with the hilt of the knife in it was hidden on the opposite side of Sionnach's body, so Keenan wouldn't see it. To keep the Summer King's temper pricked and his attention diverted, Sionnach smiled in the way of the falsely modest and added, “Forgive me for not standing, but I can't find the energy just yet.”

The answering heat flare was enough to raise the temperature in the cave, enough to explain the fine sheen of sweat on Sionnach's body. It wasn't comfortable, but it was useful at hiding the truth. He waited as Keenan's gaze took in the candles, the glasses beside the bed, and the fact that Sionnach was seemingly naked. There were moments in every faery's life that were too perfect to have been planned, and Sionnach was having just such a moment as he reclined in Rika's bed grinning while the faery who had caused such upheaval in Rika's life—
and
in their desert—very obviously misinterpreted the clues.

“Were you looking for something?” Sionnach queried. In a moment of feigned modesty, he pulled the blanket higher as if to cover his upper chest, intentionally drawing the Summer King's eye to his bared arms and shoulders. In shifting the blanket, one of Sionnach's legs became partially exposed. The result, as Sionnach intended, was that he appeared to be sans trousers too.

After a disgusted look at Sionnach, Keenan asked, “Where is she?”

“Rika?” Sionnach stretched and, trying not to wince, rolled onto his hip. “She's out.”

“I need to talk to her.”

“Hmmm. I don't think she's interested.” Casually, Sionnach reached down and lifted one of the glasses Rika had left next to him. He took a sip, stalling to hide his fight with pain, and watched Keenan. Then, he swallowed and said, “You had your chance. She's moved on to better things.”

“I'm not here for that. I respect Rika—”

Sionnach couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped his lips. “
Sure
you do.” He dragged out the words. “
I
respect Rika; you upset her. You hurt her. I've been looking out for her while you were busy ruining other mortals' lives.”

“I want to talk to her. We have business—”

“Let me guess. Fealty? The benefit of your court's protection in exchange for meddling with our lives?” Sionnach sat up, holding the sheet to his abdomen, casually keeping it over his wounds as if he were protecting his modesty. “Where were you all these years when we struggled to keep
any
semblance of order in the desert? Where were you with your offers when I was getting bloodied to keep the unruly ones from slaughtering mortals? Not interested.”

“I'm not asking you. I'm here for Rika.” Sun sparks glittered around Keenan as he became increasingly agitated.

Sionnach looked to the hallway behind Keenan. Rika's silhouette was barely visible in the dark. This opportunity was too good to ignore. King or not, the arrogant court faery needed to be reminded that there were things that were not acceptable, like leaving Rika so sorrowful that she had hidden herself away from everyone for years. Although Sionnach had hidden his own sorrow at seeing her so lost and confused, he certainly hadn't forgotten it. He never would. To Keenan, Rika was one of scores of mortals whose lives had been changed irreparably by nothing more than the bad luck of his having noticed them. For nine hundred years, the Summer King had wooed mortal after mortal, trying to convince them to love him, hoping that they would love him enough to take the ridiculous test to determine if they were the one mortal who could free him. Those who loved him enough were the unluckiest: for their foolish trust in him, they were cursed to carry ice in their bodies until the next girl agreed to the test. If Sionnach had been a different faery, if he'd been Keenan's friend, he would feel sorry for the king's centuries of searching. He wasn't, though. He was Rika's friend.

He stared at Keenan, offering him his most convincingly innocent expression. “It won't matter what you're here to say. Rika doesn't follow very well; she's more of a leader.”

“Rika?” Keenan gave Sionnach a look of incredulity at that. “She was a sweet girl when I met her. Time doesn't change that. She might have a few fits of temper, but—”

“But what?” Rika interrupted as she walked closer to them.

Keenan turned to face her. He shrugged, arrogant and apparently not concerned that she'd heard his idiocy. “I came back to give you another chance to discuss this. I can give you the security I never could before. You could keep order here in the desert for me. You give me your vow, and I give you my strength to get things safer here. It's better for everyone. . . .”

Sionnach laughed, interrupting the Summer King, who fixed him with a glare. Sionnach's laughter was only a little forced. Logic had begun reminding him that he shouldn't use those stomach muscles, that moving and laughing were liable to make him cry in pain before long. He swallowed against the sound that wanted to crawl out of his throat.

“Shy, no laughing,” Rika ordered, and he knew that she was well aware of the way it was making him feel.

“Yes, Rika,” he demurred, giving her a very obedient look, and then he smirked at Keenan. “She's a natural
leader
, only a fool wouldn't see that.”

Keenan continued to glare at Sionnach, holding the other faery's eyes for a heartbeat or two, and then returned his attention to Rika. “We can talk out the details. Things are different now. You'd be an extension of my court. It's not a difficult task, and you could enlist whatever”—he gestured vaguely at Sionnach—“faeries you wanted as staff.”

“Did you miss the part where I said
no
when you were here before?” Resolutely, Rika walked past Keenan and came to gently sit down on the bed beside Sionnach, putting herself between them. Her hand brushed his cheek gently, a gesture that looked like affection but Sionnach knew to be a subtle way of checking his fever.

As she withdrew her hand, Sionnach realized that he was barely resisting touching her. He'd let Keenan think that she was his. She wasn't. He'd known that for decades. They were friends. He'd all but shoved Jayce into her arms. Still . . . he could rationalize it away right now as simply encouraging the image he had set before the Summer King. He ran his fingertips over Rika's upper arm, enjoying touching her as he so rarely could. She didn't pull away.

“I'm not interested in what you are offering,” Rika told Keenan, her voice soft but firm. Her body was motionless, but Sionnach felt the tension in her muscles. He didn't know if it was her anger or his touch that made her so stiff. Just in case his touch was making her unhappy, Sionnach stilled his hand.

“I don't want to hear anything you have to say,” Rika said.

Keenan raked his hand through his hair. “Be reasonable, Rika. You can't think that having this many uncontrolled faeries without leadership is
wise
. The Summer Court can establish order here. If you help—”

“No.” She glanced over her shoulder at Sionnach then and added, “I have all the help I need.”

Sionnach reclined, letting himself relax farther into the pillows now that she was there. The pain from hiding his injury and moving as if he were unharmed had made him feel sick. A wise Alpha didn't show such things—especially to court faeries who were determined to take over where they weren't wanted. Moreover, an Alpha didn't show weakness to the one who'd hurt the faery he most wanted to shelter. Sionnach wrapped an arm around Rika's waist and closed his eyes as if he were bored. “Wake me when he's gone.”

“He's leaving
now
.” Rika wrapped her hand around Sionnach's where it rested on her, keeping him held tightly to her, letting him know that his embrace was wanted. This, at least, was familiar territory with them. He had embraced her a few times over the decades when she was upset—usually because of the Summer King's unwanted visits.

Sionnach could feel her tremble as he held her. Seeing Keenan had always upset her, and the helplessness Sionnach felt every time hadn't faded. He couldn't undo the hurt, the self-doubt, the sorrow that Keenan's actions had caused her. He couldn't even strike out at the faery king. All he could do was stay by her side, and try to help her when he had a chance. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, reminding her that she was not alone.

“There are other faeries who would be strong enough to run the desert for me if you won't, Rika.” Keenan's words were spoken softly, but the threat in them was implicit: he would control the desert with or without her.

Sionnach's eyes snapped open as his temper flared, but even the strongest Alpha was no match for a faery king. Years ago, when Keenan was a bound king, Sionnach might have considered attacking him. He would've lost, but he might have survived it. Now, though? The Summer King was unbound; he was all but invincible. A fight would likely end in death, or at the least, such a severe defeat that Sionnach would be useless to Rika. And attempting anything while he had poison in his body would be a potentially fatal act.

Rika, however, didn't seem to have even reacted to Keenan's quiet threat. She said only, “You need to go, Keenan. I don't have anything more to say to you, and I don't want to see you.”

The Summer King, however, was nothing if not persistent. He was a faery who had spent nine centuries seeking one girl. He didn't surrender easily. “Think about what's best,” he said. “The solitaries here don't need to be without protection. The Summer Court has a plan to create sub-regions with local rulers and—”

“No,” she cut him off. “We are strong enough without you. No one bothers us out here.”

“But if there's trouble from one of the other courts—”

“Why would they bring their conflicts here? Our only troubles are from our own, and Shy and I are strong enough to mete out discipline. You made me stronger than most every faery when you stole my humanity. I didn't need your help these past years.” She faltered then, looking bereft for a moment.

“You were already strong inside. That's why he chose you,” Sionnach murmured gently, giving her the encouragement she deserved. “Still are. You can hold order over the desert, Rika. Without him. Without me.”

Rika glanced back at Sionnach. An all-too-familiar look of worry crossed her face. “Am I? You were always Alpha here.”

“Only because the stronger faery didn't take it from me. You're strong and brave and smart,” Sionnach told her honestly, not caring that they had an audience. “You
know
that. We don't need him here.”

After a grateful smile at him, Rika looked back at Keenan and announced, “We have nothing to discuss.”

As Keenan glared at Sionnach, heat wafted toward them. The Summer King said bluntly, “Maili has approached me.”

“Rule of might, sweetheart.” Sionnach gestured in the air with one arm, pointing toward Keenan. He smiled sweetly and added, “Maili can't act as liaison unless she's the Alpha, the top. She's not. Rika's the strongest faery here. Aren't you, princess?”

“I am.” She nodded her head and straightened her shoulders. “This is solitary territory, not court territory. You have no rights unless the Alpha allows it . . . and since Shy and I are the strongest faeries here, and I'm telling you
again
that you are not welcome here, you need to go away.”

Sionnach made an agreeing murmur, once more trying to seem unconcerned that Keenan was there, but inside he was rejoicing. Rika was acting as if she was already Alpha, as if she was the one in power here.
This
was what he'd been trying to convince Rika to notice for years: she was strong. She could rule the desert. It was unfortunate that it took him getting stabbed and taunting the Summer King to get her near the point of accepting the truth, but that mattered little in the big scheme of things. Rika was declaring herself.

“Leave, Keenan,” Rika demanded.

“Good idea, princess. Make the distraction go away.” Sionnach released Rika's hand.

Rika's voice sounded like laughter was about to replace words as she told Keenan, “It's past time for you to go, Keenan.”

Then, she stood, walked over and took Keenan's arm, and led him to the mouth of the cave. “Go. And don't walk into my home again without my permission. You have no authority over me—or right to walk into my sleeping chamber.”

“Ashamed of your choices?” Keenan asked.

After a quiet moment, Rika answered, “Only the one, but that was a long time ago.”