He'd spent his life protecting fairies and he probably knew every way to get out of a situation. He could even talk his way out of a fight. But not with a goblin and the females were even fiercer than the males. A short guy with whatever beer courage was wouldn't be hard to take down."Aye."The waitress came back with their beers. Meg touched her glass to his. "Cheers.""Cheers."He sipped and immediately liked the dark brew in his hand. It did speak to him of his homeland. Something about the richness of it made him think of the richness of the culture of Ireland."Not as good as home, I bet," Meg said."It'll do.""Have you been in America long?""No. Only a few weeks," he said. "Are you from Philadelphia originally?""Sort of. I was born in Ireland, but was adopted as a baby by an American couple.""Are your parents still alive?"A darkness crossed her face and Donal wished he hadn't said anything. "No, they died in a car crash a few years ago."Donal wondered if that was on purpo
Not in the real sense. He'd paid for someone else's crime. "No, sir.""Are you wanted by the law?""No, sir," Donal said.Jeremy sighed. "Okay. I won't ask. As long as you haven't broken the law I'll keep you on. You have an edge to you that the others don't.""Thank you."***Tex had found a suit at a homeless shelter that also had a shower and he now accompanied Donal to his job. Donal wasn't sure that there was a spot for Tex at Jenkins Security, but he was going to try.Tex fidgeted next to him on the bus. "Do I look okay?""You look fine. That haircut I gave you is okay. You can get a better one, but some of the guys have long hair. Don't worry, Tex. You'll be fine."Tex nodded then stared out the window. Meg had gotten on the bus that came before this one, but Donal couldn't leave Tex. He just crossed his fingers that Meg would be okay. He doubted the goblin would attack her in front of other people. "Your boss is Jeremy?" Tex said."Yes. He's a good guy."Tex nodded.They reach
Hold on! That was a problem. "We are not siblings, but I can explain our connection."She rested her elbows on the table. "Go ahead.""I need you to have an open mind.""Okay."He took a deep breath. "When you want something good, does it come your way?""Well, not my boss' job, but until then, yes, I guess so. I've never wished for anything unrealistic. I didn't want a pony when I was a kid," she said.She took another sip of her beer, studying him. "Do you know anything about your birth parents?"She put down her pint of beer. "Only that they were Irish and they might have been killed.""Have you tried to trace them?" he said.He leaned his elbows on the table, mirroring her posture. She leaned back, her eyes getting a little warier. He'd have to tread carefully in this conversation. He didn't know what people believed in this day and age. At a disadvantage not knowing that he was going into this conversation blind. Not a good stance tactically and it chafed at him."The adoption w
Donal's trouble had started when his father had fallen for a fairy.Was he no better than his father? He fell into step beside Meg as she remained silent. He hoped she was mulling over what he'd said. He'd never had to tell anyone they were a fairy. He'd figured the church would be the final point she couldn't deny. In his time, people knew what they were. Life was easier because the enemies looked like enemies and friends looked like friends. "You're quiet," he said.She sighed. "It is a lot to take in, but I'm not sure I believe you, but I don't know why you would lie to me."He held the door open to her apartment building. She stopped just inside, spinning around to look at him. "Did you want to come up, Donal?""I don't think that would be proper."She smiled as if what he said had amused her. "Proper?""Yes."She cocked her head. "I like you, Donal."He smiled down at her. "I like you, too, Meg."Not in the way she was thinking. What would she see in a gargoyle? Gargoyles were
Meg shook her head. She had chosen not to go that route as Donal had suggested. Instead, she was doing good things. In fact, she wished that Harriet had found a better job. That hadn't happened yet which had Meg doubting what Donal had tried to convince her of. She wasn't a fairy and she didn't know why she'd even entertained the idea.Probably Donal's Irish charm. None of that mattered in the present situation. "I truly don't know what you're talking about, Harriet."Harriet's eyes flashed with anger and if Meg hadn't been watching she would have missed it. The woman schooled her face quickly. "I'm watching you. And if I see you step out of line I will fire you.""You do realize it isn't that simple.""Oh?""Yes. There are procedures for firing someone. You can't just decide that you don't like me and let me go. There needs to be documentation of issues," Meg said. She knew her rights. An eyebrow went up on Harriet's face. "We'll see about that."The woman rose, her gaze never leavi
A gasp escaped Meg's lips. She put a hand to her mouth. What had brought her back here? She'd never know, but now she was glad she had. Why would Donal be talking to Harriet? "Oh?"Harriet laughed, drawing Meg's attention to her. She couldn't figure out why Donal would be here. Because of her past experiences with men, she was sure it wasn't good. She stepped into the office. "What's going on?"Donal's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Harriet cackled again. This could not be good."You going to tell her?" Harriet said.She hadn't stopped laughing. Donal fidgeted in his seat. Guess he hadn't been expecting her. "Meg.""Save it.""Why are you so sure this is a bad thing?" he said.He stood and took a step towards her, but he was catapulted back into the chair. It looked as if he'd been yanked into it. His mouth gaped open and his arms flailed. Something was terribly wrong with this situationShe blinked as Donal struggled to get out of the chair. She shook her head, before turning to
"Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure."Meg recalled the scene. Harriet was laughing. She demanded that Donal show Meg who he really was. He'd been reluctant, but he did it and what did she do? She'd run away. Oh. God. She'd run away. "What did you think was going on?" Fiona asked. What had she thought was going on? She replied slowly, gathering her thoughts on this impossible situation. "I don't know. I just assumed it wasn't good. The guy I like and the boss I hate were together in a room.""You assumed that he was doing something wrong?" Colleen asked. Meg put a hand over her mouth. "I did. He was stuck there. Helpless. The same way I had been only moments before. He couldn't move even after I could. Harriet must have done that."She couldn't get the vision out of her head. He'd looked at her helplessly. His eyes pleaded with her, but she'd walked away."Didn't you mention that you thought Harriet was odd? Something was wrong with her?" Fiona asked. "Yes. And I left him there. Alone
No." Donal held Meg back with his outspread wings. "She isn't dead yet. I can still hear her heart beat," he said. Meg nodded, wondering where her friends had gotten to. When the creature finally let out what could only be a death gasp, Donal let go of it. His gaze went to Meg. "You're safe."Somehow she knew that. She ran to Donal, who stepped away. "I'm a mess, Meg."He transformed before her eyes. The fangs receded. The wings tucked themselves back into him and his legs were once again as a man. Somehow his clothes had appeared though they were tainted with a black substance.Colleen and Fiona burst into the room. They looked at everything. "What the Hell happened here?"Donal swung around to face them and began barking orders. "Get Meg home and cleaned up." He lowered his gaze. "You ladies weren't here.""But the cameras," Meg spoke quickly.The gargoyle shook his head. "I can take care of those recordings. Go, Meg. I have to take care of this body."Her friends yanked her out of
Declan banged on Colleen's door, knowing full well that Fiona wasn't there. He figured if she was with her friends, he could check out Brent a little more. Then he felt some distress from her, but couldn't tell where it was coming from. It was there, some kind of link, even if she said she hated him. Yes, something was wrong. His phone was dead so he couldn't locate her that way. Damned new technology. No, this was different."The feckin' goblin is blocking me."He didn't know how, but he knew it was Brent. Something more than a gut feeling overtook him. Why hadn't listened to the lessons he'd been supposed to learn? Declan banged on the door again then tried the knob. It opened in his hand. He looked up to see Colleen on the other side. "Where is she?"He stormed into the apartment, feeling like a caged animal. He could feel that Fiona was in some kind of distress, but he couldn't tell what. "She left us. She ran out and I assume she went home, but she didn't pick up when we called,"
Declan wouldn't own Fiona. No man ever would. Which made her mind turn to Declan and it still made her mad that he thought some fancy story would get her into bed. Couldn't a guy just like her for who she was first? Men were poopyheads.Fiona pushed open the door. She found Colleen on the other side, a wine bottle half uncorked in her hand. "Hey."They hugged. Fiona felt relief wash over her. Meg yelled from the balcony. "Hey, Fi."Snacks were arranged on a low table between three lounge chairs. "Go out. I'll be there as soon as I wrestle this wine bottle."Fiona hugged Meg tightly, then plopped onto one of the chairs. "How's the job hunt going?" Meg asked. Fiona shrugged. "Not great, but I have a few weeks before I have to worry." She paused, not sure why she was reticent to tell them about Brent. "I had dinner with this guy.""A date?" Colleen said, walking out with the bottle and three glasses in her hands. "Nah. He wants to sponsor me and my art."A smile broke out onto Meg's f
The goblin was trying to distract Declan. "I want you to leave Fiona alone. Don't contact her. Don't talk to her."Brent laughed then sipped some of his drink. "You know that I can kill you right now."The goblin could and it was arrogance and maybe youthful exuberance that had brought Declan to his door. He began to back away, closer to the door. "Then it won't be as fulfilling for you if you can't kill her in front of me.""I could live with that."Declan had underestimated his opponent. A rookie mistake for sure. Brent had been right about his inexperience. He'd made a tactical error and now not only was Declan going to die, but Fiona would, too, without having any idea why. His brothers might never know what happened to him since he'd never told them who the goblin was. Feck.Without a glance backward, Declan hurried to the balcony, unfurling his wings as he went. A rush of air almost enveloped him, but he was out of range fast enough. The surge of energy bypassed him as he flew a
Fiona held her breath. Why did his opinion matter? She'd just met him, but he had seemed concerned about her from the beginning. Genuinely. Not that fake concern to get into her bed. She picked up her wine glass again to have something to hold."I see. Did you at least meet him in a public place?"She responded with a tilt of her head. "I'm a single girl living in the city. I'm not stupid."He picked up his wine glass and leaned back. Staring at her over the glass, he sipped. "The one I warned you against.""Yes. You're not my keeper, Declan. I can do what I want.""Even if it puts you in danger?"She rolled her eyes at him then let out a breath. "Declan. You're so dramatic. He's a nice man who just likes art." And maybe me a little bit, but Brent would get past that. "You aren't my brother or a boyfriend. You have no say."He nodded then sipped. After putting down the wine glass, he placed his hands on the counter. "I have something I need to tell you.""You aren't going to give me a
Brent leaned back in his chair, his gray eyes looking as if they were memorizing her features. "Business first.""Business, Brent. I don't mix that with anything else. I'm a serious artist and if you're serious about your offer, I want to know exactly what it is."He snagged his wine glass then swirled it in his hand. A wry grin creased his face. "I like you, Fiona. You know what you want.""I do and if you aren't my means to that then I need to move on and not waste either of our times."She glanced out the window again. They sat at a table for two and the streetlights were below them, illuminating the sidewalk. Fiona didn't notice anyone lingering. The building across the street was dark, but she couldn't see on the roof. When had she become paranoid?"Pragmatic as well as beautiful.""Seriously Brent. This isn't a date. You don't need to flatter me. You know I have no job and you have the upper hand. Let's get to what we need to discuss."He chuckled as he put down his wine glass. "
She'd only ever done art for Damien. Her stuff never left her apartment. She looked around her bedroom to make sure none had left on its own. Silly as that idea was, she couldn't figure out how he would know what was hers and what was Damien's. "I've been around the art world for a few years. I know what goes on. Even if it has Damien's signature on it, I know it isn't always his. The colors you use are more vibrant than most of his paintings. I've been drawn to them and finally figured out that was the difference. You keep to his style, but his colors are more muted. As are those other assistants he has."Okay. So he knew what went on with artists. Fiona wasn't going to confirm or deny anything, but then she remembered Damien had fired her. That let her out of her contract. He'd broken it not her. "Okay. I'll admit that we often battled over color."Brent let out a guffaw. "I've known Damien for a few years. I think battled is a good word.""You know Damien?"Was this a setup? "Yes.
Declan's heart was beating fast. Not because of the exertion, but because of holding his fairy in his arms. He didn't want to feel this way. He should be detached, but Fiona had already gotten under his skin. As if she belonged to him. He unlocked the front door of her apartment building then carried her up the steps. She was singing the whole time. Hopefully, no one was sleeping.He put her down to unlock her apartment door. She fell against him, but he was able to get her into the apartment and lock the door behind them. He looked around having been too busy looking at Fiona when he'd picked her up the other night. He dropped the keys on a table then picked her up again. "Declan, you're carrying me to bed?""Just to sleep."Not that he wouldn't want to be with her. She was a beautiful woman. He'd never get tired of looking at her. He set her down on the bed, then went to work on her shoes. She leaned down and grabbed his hair. "I'm up here, buddy.""Fiona, let go of my hair."She d
Damien must know about her conversation last night. She could lie and blame it on Declan, but she didn't. "Oh?""I know that you were checking out possible sponsors last night."Had she been set up? Had the man who approached her told Damien for some reason? Did her potential sponsor want her to be in a crappy position to negotiate? "I spoke to one man about making some art for him. Nothing was agreed upon."He smacked his hand on the desk, making her jump. "You know you can't create art for anyone else while you are under contract with me.""That contract will be up this year. There is nothing in it that says I can't lay the groundwork for that now."She'd read it again last night just to cover her butt. Damien shook his head. "I think you think that you are better than you are, Fiona. On your own? Mediocre. Maybe slightly better with my tutelage."God, he was arrogant. What had she seen in him? She remained silent, letting him get out whatever he wanted to say so she could go back to
The nerve of him! was all Fiona could think as she scoped out the ballroom. There were only fifteen minutes left in the cocktail hour and then people would populate the tables. If she made contact with the person here, would it get back to Damien? This was a public place as Declan suggested. Feeling angry and petulant, Fiona wanted to leave Declan in the dust. Were he just some guy she might. Too bad he was the brother of her best friends' significant others. Get-togethers would be awkward. She roamed around the ballroom, deciding that settling at the bar might help her chances of someone talking to her. This was different than just picking up a guy. She could do that without breaking a sweat. No, this was business and important to the rest of her career. Hopefully, she wouldn't say something stupid.Fiona stopped at the bar and ordered a soda. "Make that two," Declan said next to her. "I never said you didn't have talent, Fiona."He hadn't. She'd read into his words and come up wit