Warrior Fae Trapped (Warrior Fae #1)(101)

“So…you’re the—”

“Seer, yes,” Karen interrupted. “Put your sword…” She squinted at Charity. “Never mind. Sit down.”

Charity’s brow furrowed, and she looked at Devon for the go-ahead.

“The alpha is looking for you,” Alder told Devon, Alder’s unwavering stare beating into him, raising Devon’s hackles. Charity’s magic pulsed into the room, wild and raw and fierce, shocking through Devon’s middle. His magic rose to answer the call.

Devon struggled his gaze downward. He had no intention of challenging a superior tonight. “Yes, sir.”

“But what if I…?” Charity said, her gaze imploring.

“I’ll be right outside,” Devon told her, knowing she was worried her magic would surge and she’d have no one around to temper it.

As he was walking out, he heard the snap of the tarot deck and “Well, didn’t you find yourself a handsome young man. Congratulations. Just remember, they don’t come trained. You have to do that yourself.”

Roger waited outside with Reagan, the two of them watching the natural dual-mages standing at the edge of the grass, talking and gesturing as they prepared the new ward. Devon had seen what they were capable of. It was awe-inspiring. That Roger was paying for them to erect a ward around his house showed how serious he was about keeping Charity safe.

“How is she?” Roger asked when Devon joined their powwow.

Devon shook his head. “Her surges of magic are getting stronger. They feel like needles along my skin at this point. Sometimes I have to fight her into submission, and that turns bloody.”

“The sword should help a little,” Reagan said. “Karen was adamant that she have it sooner rather than later. But it’s just a patch. I asked Darius about the warrior fae. He says they typically shepherd their own kind into full magic. At least, the stronger ones do. A warrior fae on her own won’t be able to handle the surges when they get too strong. Charity will need guidance. She’ll need to be among her own kind.”

Roger nodded and turned, looking out at the trees. “We’re trying to wait until the end of the school term so we have the whole summer.”

Reagan smiled briefly. “You’re hoping the start of school will be enough to pull her back out of the Flush?”

“I’m hoping.”

“Roger, come on. She’s a princess. A princess—”

“We’re not sure of that,” Roger said.

Reagan’s eyes widened, and she pointed to where Charity had stood when she’d expelled her magic. “Really? Not a princess? The backlash of her magic earlier nearly blew my eyebrows off, and thanks to Penny, I just had to have them regrown. That woman is a beast. Besides, do you really think Vlad would be this interested in her if she were any normal magical creature? He got barbecued, man! Barbecued. And do you know what he’s doing right now? Sitting in the vampire lair in the Realm, all pasty and half charcoaled, drafting plans. He’s more intrigued than he ever was. He still means to capture her and use her. If he gets her, then his focus will shift back to me. It’s in everyone’s best interest if you keep that girl out of his hands. So cut the crap, and start thinking rationally. She needs help, and only her people will give it to her.”

Devon held his breath. As a rule, no one spoke to Roger that way. Not unless they wanted a hard lesson in respect.

But Roger just blew out a breath and tucked his hands into his pockets. “We’ll see what Karen has to say.”

“You guys set too much stock on a silly type of magic,” Reagan muttered.

A grin tweaked Roger’s lips. “If we were talking about anyone but Ms. Bristol, I’d agree wholeheartedly. Which you know, since you’ve been on the receiving end of her…fortunes, as well.”

Reagan scowled. “Fair enough.”

Roger sobered. “I doubt Charity will let us take her out of school unless she’s on her death bed.”

“Wait as long as you can, sure, but don’t wait too long,” Reagan said. “Otherwise, you’ll have a dead Arcana on your hands, and several very angry live Arcanas at your door.”

Roger shook his head and watched Penny and Emery wave their hands in the air, obviously weaving magic. “She was magnificent in that battle. Courageous and brutal, fast and efficient. Everything I’ve heard warrior fae are supposed to be, and she is completely untrained in her magic. She worked with my wolves perfectly, with the loyalty I’d expect of one of my shifters.” He threw a glance at Devon. “If we’d had a host of warrior fae at the Mages’ Guild, we would’ve dominated without question. And Vlad’s changing party would have been a nonstarter.”

Reagan turned and stared directly into his eyes, a challenge by shifter standards. Roger didn’t seem to notice.

“Vlad is planning big things. Huge things. Things that will greatly affect us all. Here. In the Realm. And even in the Underworld. You cannot let him have Charity. He’ll know exactly how to use her to manipulate the warrior fae. She needs to be in the protective fold of her kind. I cannot stress that enough.”

“I heard you the first time,” Roger growled.

The door opened, revealing a grim-faced Alder. “She wishes to speak with Devon.”

Roger motioned Devon in before turning back to Reagan.