“Seventeen,” Raza said. “Including the Demons.”
“Five in one team and four in the other three,” I said.
The Demons split up and let us decide. Our guards wanted to go with their assigned royals, of course. So, most of my husbands had to go in other groups. I had Killian, our guards, and Medea. Star got Raza and his guards, Apitron gotTiernan and his guards, and Nassar got Daxon and his guards. Once everyone was settled, we headed for Korea.
“Goodbye,” I called to my family. “I love you. See you tonight!”
“Bye, Mommy!” was the last thing I heard as I summoned my Angel magic and laruked my team to South Korea.
Chapter Eleven
Killian was right about it beingfuckingcold. We're talking low thirties. No snow, but it was cold enough for it. Not that we were out in that weather. Nope, we were holed up in the local Hunter house, talking about what to do while waiting for Star's people to arrive. Not only was it cold, but it was also dark since Korea is seven hours behind the Southern region of Twilight where the royal castle is located. Yeah, my dad was smart enough to build in a location with the most temperate climate. It lined up with California, as did our time. And so, we were jumping back seven hours. We probably shouldn't have at nine in the morning.
Despite the early hour, the local hunters didn't look tired. What they did look like was Korean, something I wasn't expecting, and I don't know why. Of course, the Fairy Council would assign fairies who looked Korean to this post. It would be easier on them. And they had probably lived in Korea before joining the Wild Hunt, so that would help too.
I say “looked Korean” because no fairy ever admits to human blood in their ancestry. They are Fey. Period. My father once told me that the reason fairies resemble certain human races is that their ancestors procreated with humans and those racial traits were passed on. But since then, I've heard other fairies say it is simply living in a region that gave them their racial traits. And not necessarily a region on Earth. The planetof Fairy is directly tied to Earth through magic and the bond of the Twin Gods. It does make sense that fairies would evolve in similar ways to humans depending on the ecological conditions of the part of the world they evolved in. The races of Fey were created by Danu but that was thousands of years ago. So, they could have evolved just as humans did after Anu created them. Or the answer could be far more simple—the Twin Gods made the races as they are and they happened to resemble each other because the Gods wanted them to. Maybe Anu and Danu took inspiration from each other. Who knows?
Whatever the case, the hunter team working with us looked Korean but would never call themselves Korean unless it was in recognition of where they lived. Like the way I call myself an American. I know, it's a little insulting to humans, but isn't respecting how people identify themselves important? If they wanted to ignore all ties to humanity, that was their business. And, if the theory of evolution was correct, they truly didn't have blood ties to humans. But no matter what they wanted to call themselves, they shared physical features with the people of Korea. Not exact, mind you, but damn close.
None of the six hunters assigned to the Incheon Hunter House were Kumihos. There were four men and two women, and they had no physical features that gave away their fey races. Which is why I instantly knew they were not Kumihos. Kumihos are known to have at least one fox-like feature in their human forms. Be it obvious, like tails and ears, or just a strange slant of the eyes, there was always something about them that hinted at the animal within. Sure, those features could be hidden under a glamour, but I could tell with one look of my second sight when a fairy was using a glamour and none of them were.
I surreptitiously watched them as we had our meeting. They were very polite but more formal than other fairies I'd met. And beautiful. Their skin was on par with Angels. No pores, perfect tone, and so healthy, they almost glowed.
“You're making me nervous, Your Majesty,” Choi Mi-cha, one of the female hunters, said.
I jerked upright. “Sorry! I just . . . what do you use on your skin? I know it's not a glamour.”
Hunter Choi Mi-cha laughed, holding a hand before her mouth as she did, and her thick, straight hair fell forward as if it had been trained to frame her face. “Korean skincare is the best in the world, and I've been using it for a long time.”
“Huh,” I said. “I'd love some recommendations.”
“Seren, you wash your face with bar soap,” Killian said.
“Well, maybe I want to start doing more.”
“Why? Your skin already looks like hers. And you don't need creams for that. It's the Irish in you.” He winked at me.
“It's the fairy in them both,” Tiernan said. “None of us need creams or potions to look good.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, being a fairy keeps our skin youthful,” Hunter Choi Mi-cha said. “But taking care of it can make it even more beautiful. You wash your hair, do you not?”
“I do. I also wash my face because they both get dirty,” Tiernan said. “But I don't have to apply a human-made concoction to prevent wrinkles.”
“No, not wrinkles. But hydration is important to any skin. Our immortality doesn't instantly replenish the moisturewe washed away. Humans are so obsessed with appearances that they've invested a great amount of time and money into creating products that help skin recover and retain moisture all day. These products plump, smooth, and impart a glow that has nothing to do with magic. When a fairy, whose skin is already magnificent, uses these products, the result is, well, I find it worth the effort.” She inclined her head to him as if she were sorry for pointing out that he was wrong.
“Just let it go, love,” I said to Tiernan. “She's obviously right. Just look at her face.”
“She may be right about improving her skin, but Killian is right about you,” Tiernan said. “You can't possibly become more beautiful.”
“You're sweet. Both of you.” Then I whispered to the female hunter, “We'll talk later.”
Hunter Choi Mi-cha grinned conspiratorially and nodded.
“Um, this is probably rude,” I said as I straightened. “But I can't tell what type of fairy any of you are.”
“Oh, not rude at all, Your Majesty,” Hunter Kim Do-hun said. “Hunter Park Kyung-soo and me are Dokkaebi. Are you familiar with our race?”
“Yes. You're known for your combat skills, so we studied you, back when I trained to be an extinguisher. Is it true that you have clubs that are like magic wands?”
