I stiffened. I’d hoped that the pack would become my allies. That was the plan, really.
“Visit Golden Apple by the lake. The restaurant’s owner can help you.”
Taken aback, I shook my head. I didn’t understand how a restaurant owner could help me, but I wasn’t going to stand here and make the man answer all my questions. Instead, I threw myself back into my car and drove around the block to clear my head.
At lap five, I came to the conclusion that Alvin’s attack dogs weren’t going to strike any time soon. My presence wasn’t keeping them away, either. They were somewhere else. The scents in the air here in Lakesedge wouldn’t lead me anywhere.
Ness’s father warned that I would need protection. I figured there was no harm in following his advice. The GPS led me toward the lake, just like the man had said. A brick warehouse converted into a restaurant sat near the bank. Behind the building, several docks jutted out over the water.
The sign hanging over the door had a gold apple with a bite taken out of it. Thorny black vines wrapped around the edge of the sign and left me with a sinking feeling that I was walking into the domain of someone powerful.
I should have brought an offering.
I found parking and stopped to study the building once more. I didn’t have an ability to see through magical illusions, but I felt the need for one right about now. Rolling my shoulders back, I prepared myself for whatever I was about to walk into.
The inside of the restaurant was dimly lit. The shadows in the corners rippled as if they were alive. Nervous electricity leapt up my spine. I inhaled and took control of myself before stepping down into the dining area.
A thin man with hunched shoulders and tired eyes looked me up and down. The corner of his nearly non-existent lips curled into a wicked smile. Once more, electricity surged through me. My beast sniffed the air, but the scent around me was unlike anything I’d ever smelled before.
I chalked the heady scent of wine up to the fact that this seemed like an upscale restaurant that I was under-dressed for. I couldn’t place the smell of earth and flowers, though.
“Our Lady was wondering when you would pay her a visit,” the man said, his voice more like stones grinding together than a human voice.
I had been so distracted by the restaurant’s smell that I hadn’t given the host any thought. He crooked a finger too long to be human at me and led me away from the front door.
I assumed he would lead me to a table by the windows overlooking the lake, but he made a sharp right turn and pushed through a door that I hadn’t noticed before. A dark stairwell led down. I thought I would end up in a basement where Alvin’s shifters were waiting to ambush me.
Instead, I stepped out into a wide cavern. Light streamed in through a window that peered directly into the lake’s waters. As I stepped deeper into the cavern and made my way between dining tables, I realized that was not a window at the other end. No glass separated the cavern from the lake. The water stood upright as if it were afraid to spill over the woman lounging before it.
She wore a wine-red dress that dipped low between her small breasts. The light filtering in through the lake water made her skin shimmer as if it were made of finely ground gemstones. In her black hair, several moths trembled, their wings fluttering ever so slightly.
She lifted her red eyes in my direction and grinned. I would have thought her to be a vampire were she not sitting in the sunlight.
The host stepped between us and bowed low to the woman. “Queen Beryl of the New York Unseelie Court, I introduce the storm dragon of Thunder Pass.”
I nodded my head in her direction. While I’d never met a fae queen before, I doubted lowering myself before her was a smart idea. Fae were deceitful beings who liked to trick mortals into their service. I already had enough trouble with one woman. I didn’t need another trying to use me.
“I was told that you were waiting for me,” I said, holding my position.
She smiled softly and patted the seat beside her.
I gave a shake of my head. “I don’t mind standing, ma’am.”
Queen Beryl did not pout. She did not frown. She stared me down, that smile fixed in place as if everything were going according to her plan.
“Word spreads quickly in Lakesedge,” I said. “I haven’t kept you waiting long, I hope.”
She gave a slight shake of her head and leaned forward to set her wineglass down. She, too, had inhuman fingers. Everything about her was elegant and beautiful and a little more than human. I wondered if she hid a monstrous form and couldn’t help but show hints of her true nature even through this guise.
“Not at all,” she said. Her eyes narrowed and a hungry grin spread over her face. “After all, I’m not the one who needs something from you.”
My jaw tightened.
She leaned forward. “You are a shifter, alone and without the protection of an Alpha. Now that you’ve thrown your allegiance behind the Black Hound, you’ll find no safety with Alvin of the Lakesedge pack. In order to ensure that no one else in Lakesedge hunts you down, you need someone to claim you. Someone so strong that even Alvin himself will think twice about hurting you.”
I laughed. “Have you forgotten that I’m a dragon shifter?”
The fae queen gestured to me. “Your dragon might be safe, but what of this form? What will you do when they drape you with silver and trap you with your humanity? Mortal bodies are frail without the beast to protect them. If you think Alvin would never resort to such trickery, then you need to reevaluate your enemy, darling.”
A heartbeat passed.
“And you need to remember that my court extends far and wide. Without my protection, Alvin could ask any number of my subjects to handle the silver for him. Only my word will protect you.”
The shadows moved. Creatures of all shapes and sizes stepped into view. There were golems, hulking creatures made of stone. There were fae that lifted themselves into the air with the help of shimmering batwings. A few crawled out of the lake and dripped fresh water onto the floor.
“So, you’re resorting to blackmail?” I asked, more than a little annoyed.