The Faerie Prince

Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT

Tall and slim and dressed entirely in black, the faerie stalks slowly across the room toward Mr. Hart. His hair is white-blonde with black streaks, and his eyes are cold black holes. Rings with multi-colored gems glitter on his fingers, and silver spikes protrude from the back of his boots.

Oh, crap, crap, crap. Who is this guy? I'm not easily scared, but there's something about him that freaks me out. I hurriedly shrink the necklace and pop it into one of the hollow balls around my neck. Should I go back to the passage to find Ryn? Should I stay here?

"Start explaining," the faerie says. "Now. What is all this magical junk doing in a human home? Who gave it to you?"

My amber vibrates against my thigh, and I quickly remove it. Not in passage anymore. Antique wardrobe next to shelf with glowing orb. Come here. I look out the peephole. My eyes dart to the various cupboards and wardrobes around the room until I see the antique one beside an orb. I close up the hole in front of me and concentrate hard on being inside the wardrobe. I certainly don't want to show up in front of it.

The darkness of the faerie paths is suffocating. It seems to take forever, but eventually I notice a sliver of light in front of me and feel a hard surface beneath my feet. I can also feel a presence invading my personal space.

"That you, V?" Ryn's voice is right beside me.

"Did you invite someone else into a small, dark wardrobe with you?" I whisper back.

He chuckles quietly. "Not recently."

"So what can you see from here?"

"Just about everything. The wardrobe doors don't meet properly, so there's a good view of the room." I can see his outline as he puts his eye to the sliver of light. "Mr. Hart's been stammering out some explanation I can't really hear, and David's looking edgy."

"Well, I'm ready to jump out there and fight this faerie the moment he shows any signs of hurting them."

"You think you can take on this guy in high-heeled shoes and a cocktail dress?"

"My shoes are in the passage, but yes. I could." In all honesty, I'd probably fall flat on my butt if I tried to fight in heels, but I'm not about to tell Ryn that.

"This faerie obviously isn't the one Mr. Hart was talking about," Ryn murmurs, his eye still glued to the crack between the doors. "I wonder what interest he has in this situation."

I press my ear to the door and try to hear what's going on. With nothing else to look at, my eyes absently trace the profile of Ryn's face. His perfect nose, his full lips, his strong jawline. His eyes are so blue I can make out their color even in the almost darkness. And those lips. Definitely kissable.

Okay, what? I push the startling thought aside immediately. Focus, Violet. I kneel down on the floor of the wardrobe and peer through the crack into the room.

"Things are about to get very bad for you," the faerie says as he circles Mr. Hart and David like a predator stalking its prey. "Do you know why? Because you silly humans have been conspiring against the Queen."

"W-what?" Mr. Hart stammers.

"Which one?" I whisper.

"That's quite an accusation for two humans who probably have no idea of the existence of either queen," Ryn says.

"B-but how?" Mr. Hart asks. He's visibly shaking now. "What have I done?"

"You're about to find out."