By Fairy Means or Foul: A Starfig Investigations Novel(59)

“But your dad still keeps in contact with him?”

I chuckled. “No. My father values his life.” At Quinn’s raised eyebrow I added, “Nyx hates our dad. Loathes him now. Lives for the idea of hurting him.”

“Oh.” Quinn cleared his throat. “Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“Does he hate you, too?”

I shrugged. “Sure. I guess. He always has.”

“You don’t look upset about it.”

“Why should I be? You think he’s the first to hate me because of what I am?”

Quinn reached out, placed a hand on my forearm. I expected him to do what he usually did and pull back quickly, but instead he tightened his grip until it was almost painful. “I know we’re still trying to figure things out and what it means to be a wizard and familiar, but I want you to know I won’t let anyone hurt you anymore.”

His face looked so grave when he said it, his jaw firm, eyes glittering dangerously. I almost laughed, except I could see how serious he was. Quinn might be indentured to a sadistic unicorn, but he still had his pride. I wasn’t about to strip it from him. And if I was honest, his declaration—though totally unnecessary—made my heart thump once. Hard. He meant every word and I loved it.

So instead of snickering, I placed my hand over his. “Thank you.”

He nodded, didn’t release my arm. I didn’t mind. At all.

Staring into each other's eyes, it was easy to forget we still had a job to do. Finally clearing my throat, I said, “So, we need to leave for the Wiffleweather Mountains tomorrow morning. I can fly us there. I think.”

Quinn seemed to consider this. “Maybe. We’ll have to try your wings out first. See if they’re fully functional.”

It pissed me off that even in my dragon form, there was no guarantee I’d be able to fly. I’d find out soon enough.

“We won’t need to cross the Expanse again,” I said, keeping focused on our next steps. “But we will have to go north to the outer edge of the Elder. I’m not sure why Nyx would set up there. It’s a desolate area. Lots of demon activity, though.”

“Demons? Why’s that?”

I shrugged. “There used to be an illegal entry point. They’d pop over from Notocrypta, the demon realm, and feed off emotion or sex or sometimes bodies—though my dad put a stop to most of it. He and the council sealed the gateway some time ago. It wouldn’t surprise me if my . . . Nyx was trying to open the portal again.”

Quinn gaped. “You mean like throw it wide open?”

I considered this. My dear half-brother was definitely crazy enough to do it and damn the consequences. “He would, but I doubt that he has. More likely he’s trying to extract a particular demon or two. And that’s assuming he’s even there because of the demons. It could be something less insidious. He does need to stay out from under my father’s gaze and believe me, that’s not an easy task.”

“He can’t control a demon.”

“True. He won’t believe that, though.”

“So he’s fucking crazy?”

“Like a harpy with a hangover.”

Quinn blew out a breath. “He couldn’t just be a sweet little fairy, could he?”

I nudged him with my shoulder. “Nothing sweet about fairies, wizard.”

“What do you think Nyx wants with the horn?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”



“You sure your wings were meant for flying?” Quinn asked, his tone gentle.

His lack of confidence chafed. I grunted, thought some very uncharitable things about his lineage as I unfurled my wings. His eyes widened when I got to a particularly descriptive passage about his sire. He held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Sorry I asked.”

I huffed. The truth was I didn’t know if my wings would allow me to fly, either. I had been too concerned about Quinn’s exhaustion and my own to try it when we were in Rottingvale. I glared down my long neck at my fairy wings. If I could blush in dragon form I would have. Delicate, rounded like a butterfly’s, with a sparkly border tracing the outer edges. Could I be any more embarrassed? Someone from my ex-clan would laugh themselves silly.

“Hey, big guy, don’t get upset. Even if it turns out you can’t fly, you’re still amazing. There’s no one in all the realms like you.”

I lowered my head until I could nudge him in the belly. Quinn flew off his feet and landed with a thump. Oops. Still didn’t know my own strength in this form. I didn’t have hands to help him up, so I used my tongue to let him know I was sorry. It was like giving him a shower if his horrified yelling was any indication.

“Cut it out, Twig! Ugh. I’m soaked.” He covered his head with his hands. I chortled. I mean, it was funny, right? “Will you stop? Ugh, your breath reeks!”

Quinn scooted back, trying to avoid my tongue. If time wasn’t of the essence, I would enjoy continuing to bathe him. Maybe another day . . .

“Seriously, quit it.” Quinn waited to see if I’d do it again. I bared my teeth in a smile. He shook his head. “Fucking dragons,” he muttered under his breath.

I couldn’t agree more.

Once he was on his feet again, he eyed my back. “Okay, here’s what I think. Your wings simply won’t move like a regular dragon’s, so you’ll have to learn to fly like a fairy.”