Riordan gave him a tight smile. “I know. But Lady Caith already knows one was stolen, so it isn’t much of a loss to tell her it’s Saoirse’s.”
“And have you been looking for it?” Lady Caith asked.
“On land and in the ocean.”
Lady Caith tipped her head to the side a bit, the motion causing sunlight to splash over her face and head. The fire opals glittered a little brighter, drawing Wade’s eye. “There is something dangerous that calls the deep home these days.”
“How do you know? You don’t live in the sea,” Wade said.
“I don’t need to swim in the ocean to know there are predators beneath the waves.” She folded her hands together over the polished wooden table, thin shoulders straightening. Wade didn’t like how she looked at Riordan—like she wanted to hoard him. Which, no, Wade got first dibs.
“Will you give your sister to Niall? Or did he provide you with another offer?”
Wade scowled at her. “What’s it to you? We aren’t here to bargain.”
Lady Caith trained her unfathomable gaze on Wade, which he preferred. “Do you know the history of kin?”
“They’re fae, just like you.”
“They can shed their skin and be kept, with or without their consent.”
“You know, we call that slavery here in this country.” Wade leaned forward, digging his fingers into the wooden table, baring his teeth. “I’m gonna take it personally if you try that with Riordan or anyone else in his clan.”
“Boston is not your territory.”
“Nope. Cannoli aside, I’ll take New York City any day of the week.” He flattened his hands on the table, reached deep inside for that sense ofselfhe could always touch, and shifted mass just enough to break the table into dozens of jagged pieces with what appeared to be a single touch. “But you won’t be taking Riordan, or his sister, or anyone else. I know you fae like your games, but this is one you’ll lose if you try to play it with me.”
Lady Caith staggered to her feet before the shattered bits of wood could fall on her lap, aided by Tadgh’s quick hands. She stared at him with eyes gone fractionally wider, a brief scent of fear wafting off her before she could fully shield herself. Riordan had jerked back at the collapse of the table, nearly tipping over, and would have if Wade hadn’t grabbed the back of his chair and kept him from falling. Wade casually brushed off some of the wood shards from his lap.
“You accepted our hospitality,” Tadgh snapped.
Wade smiled meanly at him. “Did I?”
At his taunt, Tadgh rescinded the offer with “You are not welcome here in our lady’s home.”
Wade waited. And waited some more. When it was clear that nothing was going to happen—that the home’s threshold was not going to recognize him as a threat and magically kick him out—Wade tilted Riordan’s chair back so all four legs were on the ground, let it go, and stood. He sketched a mocking bow in Lady Caith’s direction that would probably make Patrick proud. “If you wanted us gone, all you had to do was ask.”
“You are no werecreature,” Lady Caith said, the smell of magic edged with ozone thick like pollen in Wade’s nose. It made him want to sneeze. If she was an immortal of some sort, she clearly wasn’t on the same level as Gerard. Demi-goddess, maybe. Still someone he didn’t want to deal with.
“I’m pack.” Whatever she saw when she looked at him would be human, even after that display of strength Wade had shown. “And you should remember it was mine that fought and saved this world against the gods of hell when you didn’t heed Brigid’s call. Neutral isn’t a good look on you. Maybe you should try rectifying that this time around when it comes to Niall.”
A warm hand wrapped itself carefully around his left upper arm, tugging a little. Wade glanced at Riordan, who was staring intently at him and not the other fae. “You don’t need to fight for me or my clan.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. This is a what would Patrick do kind of situation, and Patrick would definitely be pissing people off. We don’t like it when people try to enslave others. We wouldn’t want that to even happen to you, Lady Caith.”
That magic scent hadn’t faded one bit. Tadgh looked as if he’d bitten into a lemon. Wade wondered if he was the one trying out some spells that just weren’t hitting. Lady Caith still stood amidst all the broken wood, having not yet moved, and all her attention was off Riordan and on Wade, which was what he wanted.
“Your warning about Niall was helpful. I will take it under advisement,” Lady Caith said after a moment.
Tadgh very deliberately looked at her, which would probably be a spit-take from anyone else. Wade wondered just how unexpected that careful response was. “You do that. We’ll leave you to your garden party. Oh, and I’m taking the rest of the fruit in your front hall.”
He reached up and grabbed Riordan’s hand, turning and hauling the other man after him with easy strength. The farther he got Riordan away from the other fae, the better he’d feel. Wade didn’t let go of Riordan until they reached the front hall, where he swiped all the fruit in the bowl beneath the glowers from the two fae they’d met on the street. He waved at them on the way out, something like a plum but the size of a large apple clutched in his fingers.
“It’s been fun. Next time, offer chocolate,” Wade said.
He shoved the fruit in his mouth on the way out, biting through the center stone with ease. By the time they reached the sidewalk, he’d devoured two and was working on the third.
Riordan glanced at him, then did a quick double take. “You really brought the fruit with you?”
