Chapter 3

"It must be a lie." Dad was driving, and we were already over the mountain; away from the heat-reflecting metropolitan montage around the mall and back to the lush, breezy, sprawling suburban side of the island.

We turned into a residential area; the bright sun flashing off the remnants of rain that speckled the abundant plant growth in front of every house. Our yard wasn't as well tended as our neighbor's but on the Windward side of the island that just means it was a bit overgrown. It rained too much there for the plants to die.

"It doesn't matter if she's lying or not," I said for the second time. "The threat of war is enough to grant a stay of execution. The Human Council can figure out what's going on. We can't take the risk that she may be telling the truth, and we don't have the authority to make this kind of decision."

"Not war," Aideen interrupted as she gazed out the window distractedly.

"You said extermination." I turned to look at her. I was sitting in the back seat of our SUV with her to make sure she didn't try anything.

"Yes, but I never said war," she said and sighed. "Can you remove my sunglasses, please? It's too dark in here for them."

"See?" my dad huffed.

"Dad, please." I grimaced at him in the rearview mirror and then looked back at our prisoner. "What is it if not war?"

"Death," she whispered as I removed her glasses, and she focused those big green eyes on me with startling intensity. "I was part of a research team whose objective was to classify different types of poisons."

"Poisons?" I asked as my stomach clenched.

"I had no idea that there was a purpose beyond the acquisition of information," she continued. "Then I overheard a phone conversation between my boss and a fairy council member. We had developed a new toxin that could be introduced to plants through water. It didn't hurt the plants, but any organism which ingested them would die within days. The toxin was slow-working and left no trace of itself after the victim expired."

"A bio-weapon," I breathed the words out with horror. "One that humans would unknowingly and willingly consume."

"And, as I'm sure you're aware," she added, "the Fey own a considerable amount of produce farms."

"So, all they would have to do is water their plants with this stuff, and humans would start dropping like flies." I exchanged a look with my father.

"Now, you understand why they want me dead," she whispered.

"What I don't understand is why they didn't just come for you themselves." I frowned at her.

"Looks as if they have." Her eyes went round and her whole body tensed as we pulled into the driveway of our little four-bedroom house.

There was an unfamiliar, black, sports car parked on the curb; right in front of our white picket fence with its overhanging foliage and—standing in surreal seriousness on the cracked cement driveway—was a bunch of fairies. They looked grim, mean, and very capable of killing whatever got in their way. They also hadn't bothered with any glamour magic to hide their inhuman features. I cast a look around to be sure none of our neighbors had spotted them. It was very arrogant of the fairies, but I wasn't surprised by their behavior when I figured out who they were.

"The Wild Hunt," my dad growled in a tone which barely concealed his pleasure. "Looks as if I might still get to kill me some fairies."

"So, we're protecting Aideen?" I asked, just to be sure.

"As you said"—he gave me a grin in the mirror—"we need to take her to the Council and have them sort it out. We can't risk losing her."

"A fight with the Wild Hunt could cause political problems," I warned him. "Not to mention the fact that it would be noticed by our neighbors."

"And it could also be a lot of fun." His grin widened. "I've never had the chance to go up against hunters."

"Fine, but we're going to try talking to them first." I transferred my grim gaze to Aideen. "Stay in the car."

"Don't worry"—her wide eyes were focused on the fairies—"I have no desire to tangle with the Wild Hunt. I will remain rooted to this seat."

"Great; plant humor." I sighed. "Just answer me one more question before I go out there and kill on your behalf."

"Yes?" She dragged her eyes away from the Hunt and set her stare back on me.

"Did you really murder Dylan Thorn?"

"No," she said firmly. "Dylan was helping me escape when they caught us. He gave his life to ensure that I reached the Human Council."

"A fairy dying to save humans," my father scoffed. "Absurd."

"Most of us like humans," Aideen whispered. "Dylan even had a human lover. We would never want extinction for the human race."

"All right." I waved a hand at my father before he said anything more. "Come on, Dad, they look as if they're about to head over here if we don't get out soon."

"Right." He pulled his iron sword from its spot between the front seats and unsheathed it. "Let's see what they've got to say."