Page 23 of Beauty At Stake
“I didn't have time to scry you. I'm on a mission and that comes first.”
“Wecome first!” Raza swooped in, his wings exploding outward to push Star and Killian even further away. “We always come first,Wife! That was the agreement when you said you wanted to return to this work. And you seem to have forgotten it.”
“Uh-uh. You don't even know what you're talking about, babe. So don't get up in my face!” I shoved him back. “And don't give me shit over some gossip that you haven't even verified!”
Raza's menacing golden eyes went wide, his whole body did—arms and wings spreading as he stared at me. “Who are you?”
Good question. I took stock, checking the horrified expressions on everyone's faces, especially Killian's, then looked back at Raza. “Yeah. Fair enough. But I could ask you the same question.” I waved at him. “What the fuck, Raza? You couldn't have scried? You had to come flying in like the fucking Creeper fromJeepers Creepers?”
“Oh, I can totally see that.” Kill nodded. “Is that what he's called? The Creeper?”
“Yeah.” I glanced at Kill.
He started singing the song.
Raza slowly swung his head toward Killian.
The song abruptly ended.
Raza swung his head back to me.
“He has wings,” I said, as if that explained it. Then I waved in the air limply. “Never mind. It was a dramatic entrance. Points for that. But it's alsomypoint. It was unnecessary, and it got my dander up. You've basically made a scene at my work.”
“Seren, I am barely containing my rage,” Raza's voice dropped into a low, I'm-gonna-get-to-murderin'-soon range. “If you don’t start explaining why you failed to scry me after discovering Demons were involved in your mission, I will tear thisfucking house apart!” he ended with a roar.
The only one who didn't jerk away was Star, who only lifted a brow. I have to admit that impressed me. Killian was halfway across the room. But that was only because Kill knew Raza wouldn't hurt me. Not physically.
“Fine!” I snapped, relief flooding me. Raza didn't know about the Anu thing, only the Demon thing. Which made sense. The hunters hadn't been around for Anu's visit, and neither the extinguishers nor vexes were going to gossip with them. Which meant that lady hunter had even less reason to go whispering in my husband's ear. “Come with me.” I took Raza's hand and led him into the corridor, then into a bedroom. We'd put on enough of a performance.
After shutting the door, I turned to confront my husband . . . and got snatched up by the Unseelie King. Raza took my upper arms in his clawed hands and jerked me forward. I thought he was going to snap at me again, but he laid one on me. I stiffened at first, startled by his response. Then I melted. It was impossible to be kissed by Raza and not melt into a gooey puddle of hormones. Djinn were made for seduction, and my husband was the ultimate of Djinns.
Raza's grip gentled when I slid my hands up his solid chest and over his broad shoulders. Those deadly claws, so ready to tear and rend, grazed me through my shirt as he slid his hands from my arms to my back. Then he pulled.
Pressed up against that vast expanse of dragon muscle, I lost all thought but one—I love this man. I sank into that love with the ease of someone who had dove into those waters many, many times. They were warm and familiar. I knew every emotional pebble that lined the bottom of our lake. Every grain of sand upon the shore. We had put them there together, building a love that nothing could evaporate.
Except for maybe me.
I eased out of our kiss, coming back to cold reality as I remembered my other mission—the one involving Star. “I'm sorry I didn't scry you immediately, but we agreed that you guys stayed out of things if the mission involved humans.”
“And then you discovered a Demon was behind it.”
“Which means calling in Star,” I said gently. “I only call you in when it involvesfairies. In your case, Unseelie Fey.”
Raza blinked. Frowned. “I don't believe that's . . . shit.”
“Yeah, babe. It may not be how you took it, but that's how I understood it.” Mostly. It was how I was interpreting our agreement now, at least. And I was glad for the wriggle room. “Doesn't it make sense that I wouldn't involve you unless you were needed?”
“But I want to be here,” Raza's voice dropped into a whine, and I knew I'd won.
“I know, babe.” I took his hand. “That's why we had to have that conversation. But it doesn't make sense for the King of Unseelie to come on a mission involving humans and Demons.”
“The Wild Hunt is here.”
“Only because the Coven made a stink and insisted on it. It's an alliance thing. They want the full support of both Councils since it's their people who are being hunted.”
Raza grimaced.
“And I'm still pissed that a Lady of the Wild Hunt would break her vow as a hunter to tattle on me to my husband.”
