I shrugged.“He’s sensitive.”
Thomas’s lips twitched.
“Your yearling shook Niamh’s hand and introduced herself,” Liam said through gritted teeth.“The twins seem very taken with her as well.”
Thomas choked.
“Only because you looked like you were going to snap her neck,” I returned.
Thomas’s shoulders shook as Liam let out a sound very similar to a growl.“She does have a point,dearthair. You do get a certain look about you whenever that creature’s name is mentioned.”
I shot Liam a look that said“see,I’m not the only one.”
He ignored us both and signaled to his men near the door. Thomas and I turned our attention back to the matter at hand.
I took in the room, noting several vampires lined up at the foot of the dais. Aiden, a clan PatriarchI’d run into more than once and who’d proven an ally on occasion, caught my eye and winked at me before turning to face our visitors. His presence gave me the hint I needed. These men and women were the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of their clans. Powerful in their own right, and if I kept to my normal way of operating, to be avoided at all costs.
Everyone in the room was dressed to the hilt. The women wore designer gowns and the men wore high end formal wear.
Against the wall I spotted Liam’s enforcers, for the first time noticing the similarity in their dress. Their clothes were just as formal as the rest, but managed to make it appear they were wearing a uniform of dark pants and a dark jacket, the cut of which indicated all of them carried weapons.
I realized abruptly there were no humans in the room. Just vampires. Powerful ones, if what I was sensing was correct.
A woman stepped forward as Anton, one of Liam’s enforcers, opened the door.“The Fair Folk of the Silver Hills.”
Through the door stepped several Fae, each as beautiful as the last. The twins were among the first to step through, their faces coolly amused as they paced into the room, their stride that of confident hunters. By their side marched the red caps, forming a line between the Fae and the vampires.
Niamh was the last to enter, a Fae man prowled by her side with a lazy stride. He looked bored as he surveyed the room. He was just as beautiful as the rest but there was a hardness to him. This was no creature of light and laughter.
“Here we go,” Thomas said in a soft voice.
“I do not like the fact that they brought the red caps,” Liam murmured.“They’re bred for war.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Thomas said softly.
The Fae glided across the floor, the magic that was a part of them seeming to spill out over us, shining a light on their small group.
There were only a handful of them, but it felt like we were facing an army.
I went still at the sight of a familiar pair of eyes the shade of the land after several weeks of soft rain. Delicate features that should have seemed feminine except for the cold look on his face. Ash blond hair fell across his forehead.
Niall. My downstairs neighbor and evidently one of the High Fae.
Now thatI’d spotted him, it was easy to find Cadell, his copper hair drawing my focus as he kept pace with the red caps. His attire was much different than the last timeI’d seen him in jeans and a t-shirt. Now he looked like a hunter fresh from the woods, wearing a loose green tunic over buckskin pants.
He met my gaze, a clear warning in his.
I settled back. Fine, but the two of them were going to explain themselves as soon as the time presented itself. I wanted to know what a pair of important, powerful Fae were doing as my downstairs neighbors.
Aiden stepped forward.“The master of these territories greets our friends from the summer lands. We give warm welcome and a warning. Offer no violence to ours and you shall receive none in return.”
A man stepped forward from amidst our guests. His size alone should have meant I noticed him before now.
I’d always thought Jerry was huge. Standing next to the High Faes’ guards he seemed almost inconsequential, half their size, but still taller than any of the Fae beside him.
His gaze flicked to mine and held. His expression was grim and stoic as he gave the slightest shake of his head before bending in a half-bow toward Thomas.
“Esteemed lord, my mistress and masters have given me leave to speak for them,” he said.“They are most happy to accept guesting rights and give you a token of their gratitude in return.”
