Definitely fae.
I held up my hands. “You’re in my flower shop. My friend accidentally summoned you.”
He blinked. “Summoned? I am nodemon.”
“Yes, well, a hole opened in the ceiling, and you fell through, so…”
His eyes narrowed. “You are lying.”
“Swear to the gods, I’m not. We’re just as freaked out as you are.” I touched my hand to my chest. “I’m Evie. Ash and Moira are outside in the shop area. There’s a banshee who works with us, but she isn’t here today. If you tell us where you’re from, we can help you get back.”
The magic in his hands sparked and died. He sank onto the couch and let out a long breath. “You truly didn’t intend to bring me here?”
“Nope. And neither did Moira. We have no idea who you are.”
His lips twitched. Silence stretched between us. “You may call me Lou.”
My brows lifted. “Lou?” When I thought of the name Lou, I thought of 1950s Vegas and mob dealings, not someone who looked like a supermodel Olympic swimmer.
“That’s my name, Lady Evie.”
I snorted and reached for my cell. “I’m no Lady, sir.”
Ash knocked on the door less than thirty seconds after I shot him a text. He held a small bag in his hands. “Brought this for our guest.”
Lou stared at the bag with suspicion.
“Clothes,” Ash clarified. “Clean and mine. I thought you might want to wear something other than Evie’s blanket.”
Lou reached out for the bag. “Thanks.”
Ash nodded. “The shop closes in ten minutes. We should all chat afterward.” His gaze rested on Lou. “Would you like some tea or coffee?”
He shook his head. “No, thank you. I should get home before people notice I’m gone.” Lou grimaced. “Though I have no idea where I am.”
“Joy Springs,” Ash supplied. “A small town in Texas run by our local Shifter Lord.”
Lou’s brow furrowed. “Your what?”
His accent had the crisp sound of the United Kingdom, but most regions had their own Shifter Lords. “Where are you from?” I asked.
Those strange eyes rested on my face. “I can see from your face you know that I am fae. And I can tell by the magic humming from your body you are one of us, though your magic has a strange flavor reminiscent of our missing gate and something else I can’t put my finger on.”
I stiffened. While it wasn’t exactly a secret that I was the one who’d destroyed the World tree, very few realized I could function as a gate between the fae and human worlds. The power wasn’t one I knew how to use exactly, but I could send people where they needed to go if I concentrated hard enough.
Since he’d confessed to being fae, I could send him back right now if I wanted to, but this was Moira’s screw up, and I wanted her to see if she could learn to control the magic flowing through her. If she couldn’t figure out how to send him back, I’d have tostep in, and trust Lou wouldn’t blab about my ability to anyone who asked.
Funny how trust was the one thing that usually got me into a whole lot of trouble, but it also happened to get me out of quite a few scrapes, too. “I am the product of mixed genetics,” I said with a thin smile.
Lou chuckled. “Aren’t we all, my dear?”
Ash gave me a warning look. “Ten minutes. Then we’ll talk.”
When he left the room, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Are you going to cause any trouble?”
Lou laughed, a bright, merry sound. “We are strangers! Why would I want to cause trouble for you?”
He sounded innocent. Too innocent.
