Warrior Fae Trapped (Warrior Fae 1)

Willing himself to be calm, he said, “Okay, fine. Look, you need to let me lead you out of places. You need to always assume things have been left unlocked, because many creatures with magic aren’t impeded by human electronics. Or deadbolts. Magic is the only key they need. You have to defer to me—”

She huffed.

“—until you know what you are doing. Okay?”

She barely nodded, but she did. Devon took a large breath and shook his head.

He might quit his job after all.Chapter SixteenAfter about fifteen minutes of driving across town, the shiny Range Rover turned off the highway toward a small shopping center with neon signs and twinkling lights. Charity came out of the stupor induced by Devon’s cushy leather seats in time to see him pull into a deserted fast food drive-thru.

“What do ya want?” he asked, eyeing the options.

The bright glow of the menu chased the darkness away. She traced the edge of her fingernail as she remembered the balance of her checking account. It was under twelve dollars, which would need to last her the whole week.

“I’m okay. I brought food.” Her stomach growled, punctuating her words.

Devon hung his head. Lines of fatigue had worked around his speckled eyes, making his thick black lashes droop. He leaned back against the seat. “Look,” he said. He ran his hand across his face. “I know you’re starving. Neither of us want to go home and make something. I also know you’re holding out because you don’t have the money. It’s five dollars, Charity. I’m good for it. You need to learn to pick your battles.”

“Number three, please. With a Coke.”

“Thank you.”

When they got their food, Charity reached for a fry.

“No, not yet.” Devon scrunched the top of the bag so the heat would stay in.

“What do you mean?” she asked as he turned off the street and onto a dirt road.

“Can’t eat until you get there. It’ll let all the heat out.”

Her mouth dropped open as she watched him expertly handle the vehicle around a sharp turn and a jutting tree. The soft green lights from the dash carved out the structure of his face. His deep-set eyes and high cheekbones almost made him look regal, but that strong jaw and slight cleft in his chin bent him toward core-tighteningly masculine. She could understand why Samantha wanted him over Donnie. He wasn’t just a guy with a handsome face or a nice body; he had a certain raw quality about him. He was bare and ruthless and unkempt. He might’ve styled himself just so, but that was a façade. Underneath, he was wild. Uncontrollable and untamable. Savage, even.

Charity took a deep breath. He’d be miserable to house-train. Thankfully, all she had to do was somewhat get along with him until she could figure out the next steps.

“Me hungry,” she said. “I just want one fry.”

“No. The rule is, you have to wait until you get home.”

She stared at him. “Didn’t you just say we had to pick our battles?”

“Yes. And this is my chosen battle. You can’t open it until you get there.”

“It’s not a present!”

“It will be when you get there. Fries are delicious.” A childlike grin lit up his face.

Charity snorted as they pulled into a driveway lined on one side with a beautiful lawn and flower garden. Yawning trees surrounded the property, offering beauty and privacy. A light clicked on as they neared the garage, bathing the driveway. The residence sprawled out, beckoning them in like wayward travelers.

“Are you the only one that lives here?” Charity asked, fries forgotten.

“Yes. I bought it a couple years ago.”

Devon balanced the computer, the food, and her duffel bag, leaving her to bring in her bag of pillaged food and the drinks. As she climbed out of the SUV, her gaze slid to the murky darkness that pooled between the bases of the trees pressing in on the house, turning into an oily black deeper into the foliage. Anything could be hiding in there, ready to surge out at them. But that wasn’t why her heart was suddenly rampaging through her chest. She was terrified that the creature who stepped out of the darkness would wear Sam’s or Donnie’s face.

“You coming?” Devon asked, heading toward the front door.

Hustling toward the house, she was still looking at the tree line when she bumped into Devon. Normally she would apologize and step back, but the solidity of his body, and the feeling of safety it imparted, shocked into her. She pushed into him, her stuff held out to the sides so her whole front was plastered against his back. She buried her face in the groove between his back muscles like an ostrich at the beach.

“This place is warded. Unless we’re sieged, no one is getting through,” Devon said tiredly.

“What do you mean, warded? Like with magic?” she mumbled into his shirt.