Warrior Fae Princess (Warrior Fae 2)

How did that fit with what Karen had Seen? Was Charity supposed to convince Devon and his pack to stay in the Flush? Because the guardians were entrenched. They weren’t leaving. Which was madness, because she wasn’t sure they were really living. Their whole genetic makeup was rooted in protecting others, and yet here they stayed, practicing fighting with no risk, and doodling around with hobbies. She knew it helped their balance, but so would battling a foe or throwing dirt clods. After getting even a small hold on her magic, she wasn’t sure her dad’s explanation of the natural releases really jibed. It sounded made up, like it was a placeholder for their real magical balance: protecting others. Their job. The root of their freaking name.

They were denying their natural urges to kick ass so they could play with gardens and make tables for superfluous, though enjoyable, competitions. It was incredibly frustrating. They were wasting their talents!

And since she was officially a member with high status, now she could raise that concern. It was about time.

What had happened to her people?

“What?” Devon asked, probably hearing her scoff.

“Nothing. What are you guys up to tomorrow? What do you think about a picnic—”

“Fantastic, Third,” a beaming woman said as she passed. She squeezed Charity’s shoulder. “The best I can remember.”

“Thank you,” Charity said, smiling back. The woman walked on without seeming to notice Devon.

Charity frowned, glancing back at the woman. It wasn’t like these people to be rude. At least not in an obvious way. Their rudeness was hidden in nuances that Charity usually missed or didn’t understand.

“Do you know that woman?” she asked Devon.

“No, why?”

“You might’ve been a ghost to her. Is all the fornicating between your pack and the fae giving you guys a bad name?”

He shrugged, apparently unconcerned, but his muscles bunched for just a moment. Tension worked into his shoulders before he sighed and released it.

She’d opened her mouth to ask about it when he said, “You really outdid yourself, you know.” He squeezed her and turned the corner to the lane that ran in front of her house. “Some of those flavors tasted weird, and still it was the best food you’ve ever made.”

She snuggled into him. “Thanks. It’s probably silly in the grand scheme of things, but I was stressing really hard about it. I just want to earn my place, you know? Demons might be infiltrating the Brink, and Lucifer himself might be waiting for me to leave this place, but for once, I just wanted to show I belonged somewhere.”

“You do.” He squeezed her again. “You do belong here.”

Kairi stood by the front door. She offered a thumbs-up, something she’d learned from Charity and did constantly now.

“Excellent work, Third.” She pulled the door open, giving Devon a nod in hello.

Charity was relieved to see it. “Thanks,” she said, as much for the inclusive greeting as the compliment. Devon guided her in front of him, his hand on her lower back.

“I like that,” Kairi said to Devon, stalling him.

He caught Charity’s hand to keep her close. “What’s that?”

“You let her enter first. Or you hold the door open for her. All of you shifter males do that, it seems. All except the dimwitted middle-aged wolf with the scar.”

Charity huffed out a laugh. She meant Dale.

“They call it being a gentleman in the Brink,” he told her. “It’s a sign of respect.”

She nodded at him, turning back to the street. “I like it. It made me feel special when the lion did it for me earlier. I shouldn’t have punched him.”

“Why—” Devon shook his head and kept walking through the door. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

Charity shut the door behind them. “I meant to ask her why she is still hanging around when I have a firm grasp on my magic now.”

“She’s your assistant, isn’t she? Set to guard you?” Devon gathered her into his arms and traced her jaw with his lips. “Though how she could protect you better than you could protect yourself, I don’t know.”

“We can’t always protect ourselves, as you well know from the journey here. But I don’t need her. I have you,” she whispered, letting her eyes flutter closed. “And no one mentioned an assistant to me.”

“They probably did through their bodily sign language.”

She sighed as he kissed down her neck, his lips leaving a trail of fire across her skin. “I’m going to need a tutor in that, I think. It’s exhausting trying to figure out what everyone is really trying to say.”

He swung her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. “You’ll get it eventually.”

He laid her down on the bed and leaned over her, running his hand along the inside of her thigh, pushing up her dress as he did so.

“You have more faith in me than I do— Hmm, Devon.” She arched back as he slipped his fingers into her panties. “Did you like the dress?”