“Aye. For every purpose under the heavens, ye will find a Fae born to excel at it.”
“And what of the royalty?” she asked. “What are they born to excel at?”
“To oversee and defend every Fae under the heavens. The royals are the warriors. The protectors.” He huffed a wry laugh. “Did ye think me nothing more than a keeper of unicorns?”
“In my world, the upper class, the royals, are often seen as figureheads for charities and special events. It just depends on whom you ask.” She tried the soup and found its buttery savoriness delicious. “And I meant no insult. Please forgive me if it sounded as such.” He suddenly seemed oversensitive. On edge. She wondered if he had gotten more word regarding the war, but decided not to ask. Maybe it was time to change the subject and concentrate on learning more about the Realm at large. “You seem to have learned a lot about my world. Why don’t you tell me more about yours? I know about kelpies and the Loch Ness monster. What other of my world’s Scottish mythicals are real here?”
Something nudged her leg under the table. She leaned sideways, lifted the tablecloth, then rolled her eyes. “And do Fae tigers beg for table scraps like dogs do?”
“Apparently, yours does.” He picked up the chop on his plate and gave it to Aylryd. “There beastie. But that be all. Leave yer mistress to eat in peace.”
The mighty tiger’s contented purring rumbled through the room.
“Here.” Lexi transferred her chop to Jeros’s plate. “You can have mine. I’m not much of a meat eater.”
“I should have known. Especially the way ye are with animals.” He nodded at the butler. Nightleaf hurried out of the room. “Nightleaf will inform Cook.”
“Does Nessie live here? And the kelpies?”
“The kelpies do,” he said, “but the Loch Ness monster does not.” He leaned toward her with a pointed look. “Nessie and her family are real in yer world. They enjoy living there.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Really.” After another sip of wine, he continued, “Many of the Celtic myths and legends ye’ve read about are residents here. Ghillie Dhu, a countryside faery known for helping children and those in need. Wulver, from Shetland folklore, is a werewolf of sorts, known for its benevolent nature and helping the poor. Cu Sìth, the faery dog, whose growl is feared. Cat Sìth, the black faery cat with the white star upon its chest, known to walk on its hind legs when it thinks no mortals are watching.”
“Sounds as though I have a lot to learn about the Seventh Realm.”
“Ye have plenty of time,” he said quietly. “With the war as it is, it would be unsafe for ye to leave the boundaries of Sevenrest. I have an extensive library here. Feel free to make use of it.”
“I wish your princess had been willing to talk to me. Maybe I could have helped mediate and avoided war.”
“She is not my princess,” he said so sharply that she sat back in her chair. “Forgive me. As ye can see, Princess Faeniana brings out the worst in me.”
“I would think she’d bring out the worst in everyone,” Lexi said, feeling generous. Still uncertain as to why he had become so ill at ease even before she mentioned the princess, she decided to grab the proverbial bull by the horns. “What is wrong, Jeros? You were fine earlier, but the longer we sit here, the more you seem…off.”
He stared at her, then slowly lowered his knife and fork to rest on his plate. “I fear I dinna have the patience I should have.” He sat back in his chair and tossed his linen napkin to the table. “I am troubled, Lexi.”
She patted the corners of her mouth with her own napkin, then placed it beside her plate. “Are you talking about the war or about me making up my mind?”
He gave her a look that said more than any words ever could.
“I need time, Jeros. I can’t just toss away all I have ever known as if none of it ever mattered.”
“Am I not enough for ye, then?”
“I didn’t say that.” She shifted in the chair, fidgeting like a child called into the principal’s office. “The more I get to know you, the longer we’re together…” How could she describe it? It was like waking from a long, terrible dream and finding herself safe in the arms of who she had been looking for all along. And yet… “It’s difficult for me to let down my walls and allow myself to become vulnerable. Every time I did that in the past, I was hurt. Whether from friends who turned out not to really be friends after all, or lovers who were only using me.”
His glower darkened even more. The muscles in his strong jaw flexed, and Lexi swore she could hear his teeth grinding together. She decided to try a different sort of reasoning to help him understand. “If our situations were reversed, if you were the one taken from this world and dropped into mine, how would you feel? Would you be ready to never see the Seventh Realm ever again? Would you be willing to leave your people to whatever fate awaited them without you to protect them? Wouldn’t you have to think twice and weigh all the consequences before you made your decision?”
“Yer life, yer world is not like mine. People would not die if ye dinna return.” He jerked with a curt, condescending nod. “Granted, yer people may experience a bit of uncertainty or grief, but they will adjust. It would not be the same as if I left the Seventh Realm.”
His answer bristled her. She couldn’t believe he had the gall to sit there and say her existence in her world was not as important, not as integral, as his. She might not be royalty, but she mattered. “You are an ass.”
“Honesty and trust, aye? Ye asked the question, lass. Did ye not wish to hear the truth?”
She thumped her fist on the table. “My existence in my world is just as important as your existence here.”
“Will people die if ye dinna return?” he asked with infuriating quietness.
