Page 98 of Beauty

Duffy sighs as though he heard the excuse a thousand times,and he likely had. “But Lach, there are some things that are worth dying over.Haven’t you figured that out yet? You would die for Bronwyn. Do you think she’sless a woman than you are a man? Do you think she doesn’t want her life tomatter?”

What the hell is Duffy talking about? Doesn’t he understandthat everything I’m doing is about how precious Bronwyn is? How precious Duffyis?

I’m about to answer when a trilling alarm goes off andRoan’s whole body shifts to full alert. He has a sonic blade in his hand in aninstant, and he and Harry pull Gillian behind them.

“I have alarms set up all over,” Roan explains. “I placedthem before we settled into camp. It could be a deer or it could be Torin’sguard. The last village said their guards had been pulled out just the day beforeto hunt for the princess.”

I’m relieved to see Shim hauling ass back to camp. He grabsBron and forces her behind us.

Dante walks in, his hands in the air. Kaja is at his side,in her wolf form, her delicate nose in the air.

A large man walks behind Dante. He’s at least my height atsix foot five. He has an Unseelie look about him, and I would bet he isn’t apure sidhe. Emerald-green eyes and pitch-black hair make a starkcontrast to Dante’s reddish blond.

“Dude, I told you we’re not Torin’s guard,” Dante is saying.“I showed you my fucking fangs, man. I’m a desperate vampire looking for aconsort. Do you know any? Because I will pay.”

Kaja growls.

“I’ve learned not to believe everything a person says.People lie, even when they have knives to their backs.” The dark man looksaround. “You have women here. Why the hell do you have women here?”

Dante gives him a careless grin. “I’m ridiculously wealthy.I keep an entourage with me, even in faery forests. The men are here to ensuremy safety and the women are here to do what women do.”

Gillian huffs. “As if I would touch you, Dellacourt.”

The dark man stiffens. “Dellacourt? Are you one of thevampires who’s related to our kings?”

A little laugh comes from the trees above. “Yes, he is,Master Zane. He’s the billionaire playboy turned fairly ruthless politicaladvisor. And the wolf beside you is his wife.” The phooka. Of course. It waschaos. Naturally the phooka showed up. It was in its tree form, hanging upsidedown from one of the low branches. “I believe I mentioned we could call themallies.”

Dante breathes a deep sigh as the man named Zane lets himgo. “Sorry, guys. I was giving into Kaja’s need to hunt when this assholejumped me. When did the lemur thing start talking? You know we’re in a faeryforest. It’s really best to shoot anything that talks and ask questions never.”

I feel Bron moving behind me, trying to get a good view, butI’m not certain anything is settled yet. I block her, unwilling to expose herat all.

Zane sheathes his incredibly large knife and looks atDellacourt. “So all that talk was bullshit. You don’t need a consort. You havea wolf.”

Kaja changes, her transformation so quick if he blinked hewould miss it. “He has a consort, though after calling my friends cheap women,he might not get his meal tonight.”

Dellacourt shrugs out of his jacket and wraps it around hiswife’s shoulders. “I am sorry, lover. They are very expensive prostitutes. Isthat better?”

“Much,” Kaja agrees. “One would always rather be expensive.Queen Meg taught me that.”

Dante sends his consort a pointed look. “Too bad she didn’tteach you to bite the people who pull a knife on me.”

Kaja shakes her head. “He wasn’t going to use it. He’sprotecting his son. And someone else. There are still two more out there. Icould smell them. They’re afraid. And on the run. Fear is easy to smell.”

Zane turns back to the forest. “Nathan, you can bringCharlie out now.”

A second man, this one slightly shorter but just as fit, hisbrown hair curling over the edges of his tunic collar, walks out of the woodscarrying a young man in his arms.

“I told you I would bring you to safety,” the phooka says.

Nathan struggles with the body in his arms, but he seemsresolute. “You told us you would take us back to Aoibhneas.”

Shim moves forward. “You’re the Harpers’ friends. The onewhose boy was taken by Torin.”

Bron moves, sidestepping me and slipping toward thenewcomers. Gillian moves, too, though Roan and Harry do nothing to stop her.

“She’s very good with white magic,” Roan says. “Why don’tyou bring the child over here to the bed?”

Roan tosses the cube to the ground and in an instant it is afull-size air bed. Nathan gently lays his son on the top. The boy looks to bemore of a young man, roughly fifteen or sixteen. He’s malnourished, his body amass of gangly arms and legs.