I groaned. “Come on, you can’t do that. Details, man.”
His mouth quirked. “Fine. Magical fish. Maybe a sea monster, depending on the season. Definitely some water fae. Possibly my ex-boyfriend.”
“He get on the wrong side of someone?” I asked.
“Yeah. Me.”
My eyebrows shot up, but Xavier chuckled. “Don’t worry. I didn’t have him offed in the river, so don’t go spreading that around. Absolutely no mob ties here.”
“Sure.” I didn’t know much about a magical London mob—it was probably in Guild City. Hell, Grey was probably the mob.
Which made me realize that I had no idea what kind of supernatural this guy was. His physical form didn’t reveal anything. I couldn’t see his ears, but maybe they were pointed. He could be fae like Eve. He had the same ethereal beauty.
“You’re staring,” Eve whispered.
“Oops.”
“I don’t mind,” Xavier said. “Beautiful women staring at me isn’t a problem.”
Shit.
My cheeks heated. He had exceptional hearing, but I still had no idea what he was.
In the distance, a shadow appeared in the middle of the river. As we neared, I realized it was a little island. A small thatched-roof cottage sat in the middle, a single building on the speck of land. Roses climbed up the stone walls, and a little green field surrounded it. Two sheep chewed busily at the grass, and they looked up at us, blinking sleepily. A barrier of brambles surrounded the island like a wall, and a little wooden dock sat at one side.
“So sweet it makes your teeth ache, doesn’t it?” Xavier asked.
The charming little house looked like it had been taken right out of the Cotswolds and plunked down in the middle of the Thames. “That’s one way to put it.” I frowned. “But don’t the humans think it’s odd? Or can they not see it because of magic?”
“The second one,” said Xavier.
“What about the other boats? Won’t they ram into it? It’s in the middle of the river.”
“They’re magically diverted around it. It’s not a problem.” He pulled up to the wooden dock and leapt out, tying off the boat to two metal cleats.
“Why does he live all the way out here?” I asked Eve.
“He likes it.”
“Not Guild City?”
“He doesn’t have a guild,” Xavier said. “Neither do I, for that matter.”
He didn’t sound at all bitter about it, but I couldn’t imagine living out here alone. Xavier’s lifestyle I could imagine. Barge life seemed cool, but this…it seemed cold and lonely.
I definitely needed to get my shit sorted with the Council, because I did not want to end up booted out of Guild City and living on a cold, wet island in the middle of the Thames, no matter how charming the house was.
The door of the pretty cottage opened, and an enormous man stepped out. He was well over six feet tall, with the broad shoulders and the strong legs of an athlete. His warm complexion was the opposite of his brother’s pale one, as were his strong jaw and bright green eyes.
He reminded me of Quinn—a handsome, wholesome-looking man who played rugby on the weekends and went down to the pub to watch the football with his boys.
His eyes searched us keenly as he wiped his big hands on the canvas apron he wore around his waist. His broad shoulders strained against his soft, dark T-shirt.
Next to me, Cordelia leaned against my leg as if swooning. I like him.
He was good looking, all right. Both the brothers were in totally different ways.
“What have you brought me, Xavier?” His voice was a low, soft rumble. Somehow, I was certain that he’d never raised it in his life.