The prince released a low curse in what she assumed was Danu, but when Jazz pinched his arm he frowned at her and told the child, “Of course—isn’t that what we Royals do? Babysit?” He grimaced at Jazz and murmured as he bent to her ear, “Sure, what is one more piece of baggage?”
“Oooh,” Jazz seethed and glared up at him as he straightened. She played with her pendant and said, “Ah, but, Royal, I am the one with the charm, remember?”
He grinned suddenly. “So you are, though you haven’t a clue how to use it.”
She turned away from him and bent onc
e more to the girl. “What is your name, sweetie?”
“Francine McGilley.” Her voice was quiet and still tinged with uncertainty as she kept her eyes focused on the ground.
“Well, then, Francine, I am Jazmine Decker, and this big, handsome Fae is Trevor, Prince of Lugh …” She smiled up at the prince, noting that he appeared taken aback. She smiled to herself and said, “Oh, aren’t you used to being called handsome?”
* * *
Surprise raced through him. She had called him handsome? Well, of course he was, but until this moment he thought she was not aware of it. He frowned and then felt a wave of satisfaction. She thought him handsome. It shouldn’t matter, but perversely it did.
Jazmine Decker was complicating matters irrevocably for him. He spent too much time thinking about her, wondering what she was thinking, looking at her. Damn but he couldn’t stop looking at her. Everything about her attracted him to her. Her golden hair framed her piquant face … her nose upturned slightly, and he constantly had an urge to touch it … kiss it, lower that kiss to her full, luscious lips and taste her tongue.
No time, absolutely no time for this.
And then he had stood back and watched her fight for the child’s well-being. In that moment, he thought he had never seen a more beautiful creature in all his thousands of years.
He was affected by the child’s plight. He shouldn’t be, but there it was.
It was most disturbing.
He had always been very detached from humans, even more so than his brother, Prince Danté, yet he had felt fury establish itself, and he’d stepped forward with every intention of picking the brute up and throwing him into another dimension.
Even though interference was prohibited, it had been his intention, but then he saw that his little Fios had it under control.
Idiotic pride swelled forcefully through him as he watched his Jazmine Decker take on a brute twice her size.
Why should he find himself proud of her? Ridiculous. Why should he feel any pride about anything she did? It had nothing to do with him, and yet he could not deny that he did.
Perhaps his admiration for the courage she constantly displayed had confused him about what he felt for her?
She was mortal. She could be hurt. She could die. She could be maimed for life, but being faced with these possibilities did not stop her from taking on a man of great size to spare a young human hurt.
In spite of his cool attitude about humans, he immediately was aware of feeling two things: respect for her and pity for the human child.
However, now what she was doing would plunge them into further complications. He didn’t have time for this. He had to track Hordly, obtain the Orb, and use the pendant to call on the queen—if she could be called on from this time period.
He could not be embroiled in human affairs. His queen would be most displeased, but neither could he leave the girl to be beaten by the brute once they had departed. Quandary.
Interference in this time period could be devastating for the future, but he didn’t think saving this child from harm would adversely affect anything. To the contrary. Maybe, in fact, that was why they had been pulled into the past. Perhaps saving this Fios child was their destiny?
However, they would have to be careful about other matters. It would be dangerous to do anything of consequence when in another time period. Even small matters, once altered here in the past, could mushroom towards the future and cause the fates to be altered. One could never know if that would be good or catastrophic.
However, the child was a Fios. That might work well when he presented his explanation to the queen.
At any rate, he could not refuse to take the child under his protection. He simply could not.
Would his brother, Danté, refuse to see the child to safety? No, nor would Danté’s mate, Z, allow the child to go unprotected. And he knew what Prince Breslyn would do. Bres would scoop up the child and find a way to wash, clothe, and feed her without delay. Bres would make certain his humans were safe. Suddenly, he smiled to himself. Could he do less than that? Hell no.
“Very well,” he said. “The child remains with us until we can find a solution to the problem.”
And then, something inexplicable happened.