By Fairy Means or Foul: A Starfig Investigations Novel(4)
“Are we having the same conversation? Because I have to say I don’t really see a common thread here.”
“Be careful what you promise, sir. Demand payment upfront. Don’t be fooled by appearances. Brandsome seems all sweetness and light, but underneath he’s as rotten as can be.”
I scratched my jaw, the stubble itchy against my skin. “That gentle, lovely creature? Are you kidding?”
He threw his hands up in the air. “Never mind. You’re obviously as susceptible as the rest.”
“You seem to have anger issues,” I offered. What game was he playing? Everyone in this damn realm seemed to have an ulterior motive. Yet, his warning focused my dragon on his words. That side of me seemed to agree with Quinn. Odd. I didn’t doubt the dragon’s instincts. It kept me alive on more than one occasion. Yet, I couldn’t think of the unicorn without a sappy smile coming to my face. I’d never felt that kind of discordance before.
“I was trying to do you a favor. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you, sir.” Quinn kept his eyes downcast like he’d probably been taught.
“About what exactly?”
Quinn pinched the bridge of his nose, glanced up from under ridiculously long, glitter-enhanced lashes. “Look, he’s going to ask you to find his horn.” He held up a hand when I would have interrupted. “He’ll give you a sob story about how it was stolen from him and can a big strong creature like you help little ol’ helpless him get it back?”
Quinn batted his eyes in the same fashion as Brandsome—obviously mocking—then shook his head.
“So what really happened?” I leaned forward until we were only inches apart. His breath ghosting over my cheek smelled of the sweet meadowmint bark, though the rest of him reeked of that damn pheromone spray. Did any creature actually find it appealing?
“He—”
“Sorry, sorry, I’m baaackk!” Brandsome sashayed into the room, the sway of his hips drawing my eyes like vampires to blood. Damn, the unicorn was sex incarnate. Succubae had nothing on this dude. “Fans, you know. They’re so excitable. But also sweet. Like cupcakes with sugar sprinkles.” He giggled.
Quinn had practically shot out of his chair when Brandsome reentered the room. He wasn’t very good at this secretive thing. I almost rolled my eyes, but eased back into my seat instead, hoping that keeping my distance would keep my wits about me. For whatever reason, my dragon side loathed moving away from Quinn and growled menacingly in my head as Brandsome approached.
Brandsome ruffled Quinn’s hair affectionately before he resumed sitting and proceeded to tell me a tale, just like Quinn had warned.
“So do you know who stole it?” I asked when he’d finished.
“Well, yes. But it might scare you away if you knew.” His face was so earnest. I broke eye contact so I could think with something other than my dick, which began to perk up again, even with the meadowmint bark and my dragon snarling in my head.
My eyes found Quinn’s and I swear he was shouting, “See, see!”
“I don’t scare easily.” Which was true. I was dragon-born after all, and even though I was cast out for being too runty—the human sure knew how to hone in on a sore subject—I still possessed the courage of a full sized dragon.
“I’m sure you don’t.” Brandsome winked. “In that case, you’ll be outraged to know it’s none other than the scoundrel Lapus Rainbowpebbles.”
2
“Lapus Rainbowpebbles stole your horn?” Rainbowpebbles, despite his name—or perhaps because of it—was a nasty little fae who’d been under investigation from the Elder Bureau of Investigations many times for breaking several of the High Council’s tenets. He lived in the seedier part of Lighthelm, running a den of iniquity called the Steamy Bean Café.
“Can you believe it? He gave me bluebell nectar!” The outrage in Brandsome’s voice rang pitch perfect, but I was a little wary with Quinn’s warning ringing in my ears. After all, why would a unicorn even know a shady fae like Rainbowpebbles?
“That’s some potent stuff,” I agreed. Tasty, but more than a thimbleful and next thing you know you wake up with three leprechauns, four elves, and one very horny satyr in a sleazy inn on the outskirts of the Elder. Not that it ever happened to me.
Not more than once.
Okay, twice. I’m a slow learner.
“He tricked me! The next thing I knew, he took my horn and wouldn’t give it back.”
“You could report him to the EBI.” I kept my eyes on my notebook so I could concentrate on my questions. Being around Brandsome made it hard to think about anything but sex. I needed my wits about me, though.
He laughed, the sound like tinkling chimes and more than a little rueful. “Oh icicles, I suppose I could. But then the story would be leaked and everyone would know he duped me. I-I couldn’t bear the shame.”
With my attention focused on my notes and the meadowmint bark in my mouth, I could definitely hear the lie—or at least omission—in his voice. Definitely more to this story than he let on. I should walk away. Rainbowpebbles was bad news and I’d already had a run-in with him years ago when I first came to live with my father’s people.
Then again, no one ever accused dragons of being particularly bright.