"Good to see," Jacob said as we sat, coffee and piled plates in front of us.
"What is?" I asked around a bite of toast, my mouth half full. Manners were not something I bothered with around Jacob, since the fey generally regarded me as a nuisance anyway. A bit of chewed toast in his conversation wasn't going to lower my status.
He jerked his fork toward my plate. "You're finally starting to eat like a supernatural. For months you've picked at your food."
Observant bastard. "Yeah, I guess my appetite is finally finding its stride. The food is pretty good here."
He shrugged. "Not the best I've had, but it's passable. Now the food in Faerie…"
I shook my head. "Haven't really been there long enough to notice, but sure, I guess it tasted pretty nice."
He tilted his head, eyebrows quirked. "You're determined to hate your heritage, aren't you?"
Annoyingly observant bastard.
Stabbing a potato with my fork, I popped it into my mouth to avoid answering that. Jacob didn't press me, but that half-smirk was back. Again. Stabbing another potato, I imagined it was his eyeball. Stupid fey was too fast for me to ever actually stab him, but it was fun to imagine.
We ate our food in relative silence after that, the tension slowly easing until it was gone. That was one part of our relationship I really enjoyed—no one held on to a grudge or anger.
Just as I opened my mouth to ask about his communing with nature, the president walked into the food hall. Everyone went so quiet it was almost eerie, and I questioned how any human could hold so much power that he would render a room silent.
It didn't sit well with me, and I wondered if I’d be so bothered by it if the president was a woman.Men.They just couldn't be trusted, and I was big enough to admit that I had an issue with any in power. Especially human men.
John Caine walked slowly through the hall, nodding at a few of his soldiers and smiling at some cleaners and staff. Normally that would have spoken a lot of his general character, but I knew it was all a front. From his first meeting with Louis, he’d been less than honorable, and I saw no reason to upgrade him because he bestowed a few smiles on those he considered beneath him.
When he reached us, Jacob and I didn't move or say anything. Ball was in the president’s court now.
"You assaulted one of my men," he drawled, blinking in an odd slow movement, like he was trying to figure out what to say.
Or maybe that was fear.
"Your men need a lesson in respect," Jacob said, in an affable tone. "They continue to push and harass and berate us. We don't work for them. We don't work for you. Think of this as a diplomatic exchange, and right now you're not gaining a lot of favor with my people."
The president did more of that extended blinking, but this time I was pretty sure he was weighing up his need to show his power—i.e. dick measuring—against the odds Jacob might wrap his hands around the president's throat next.
"You requested to speak with me," he finally said, clearly no longer concerned with punishing us on behalf of Marcus. Looked like that soldier had underestimated his importance.
Jacob leaned back in his chair, long legs crowding into mine. "We want to take our first trip back to Stratford. It's been a month, and so far we've done nothing but trail the humans around."
"You don't need us here, clearly," I added, pushing my half-eaten plate aside. I'd lost my appetite in the face of this man.
Jacob briefly glared at my remaining food, before returning his gaze to the president.
John Caine cleared his throat. "Yes, well, uh … I have been working on important matters behind the scenes to ensure that we utilize this exchange to the best of our abilities. And while I would love to grant your request to return home briefly, I'm afraid right now is not the best time—"
He was cut off by the scraping of chair legs as Jacob stood, leaning over the top of President Caine, using his height and bulk as pure intimidation.
"You better give me a very good reason," Jacob said, baring his teeth. "Or I'll consider our agreement null and void, and we will leave here and never return."
The president didn’t like this threat. "You wouldn't dare. You have no idea how much rests on our little arrangement here. I could bring war to your door."
Everyone in the entire room was listening in at this point, some obvious, and others pretending they were reading their phones, even though their eyes were not focused. The moment the president’s threat was dropped, flames raced across Jacob, not to mention the scales appearing on his forehead and down the visible skin of his chest and hands, and all those “not” listening in, let out a loud, almost unanimous gasp.
President Caine stepped back, and the fear on his face was as clear as day. He was pissing his pants terrified, and I knew that if someone didn't reel Jacob in, this was going to get bad.
Really bad.
5
