The Hob (The Gray Court 4) (5 page)

Damn. There went her daydreams of getting biblical with Tall, Dark and Dreamy.

She had to admit, they were certainly gorgeous together. There was no doubt of that. The dark-haired man’s golden skin and dark, almond-shaped eyes were the perfect contrast to Kael’s blond, all-American good looks.

It was weird, because Michaela tended to like guys with lighter hair and eyes, like Kael, but her gaze was constantly drawn to the darker of the two. It had been that way earlier in the parking garage too. She just hoped she hadn’t been too obvious in her attraction, especially if the man was taken. Michaela didn’t poach, not even when the object of her unrequited lust steered toward the fairer sex.

Out the window behind them Michaela caught a glimpse of one of the convention goers dressed as some kind of walking tree. She tsk’d loudly. “Poor guy. He’s going to wind up with splinters in some interesting places.”

The brunet, still vibrating with laughter, collapsed into the chair Amanda had recently vacated, placing him right next to Michaela. “In truth, it gives new meaning to the term woody.”

Kael pinched the bridge of his nose. “Not enough caffeine in the gods’ bedamned world.” He sighed. “Ringo?”

“Iced caramel macchiato.”

“Got it.” Kael walked away, shaking his head.

Michaela bit the bullet. She would remember his name this time if it killed her. “I’m sorry, what did Kael just say your name was?”

He tilted his head and smiled. Something about that smile sent shivers down her spine. His eyes had odd flecks of blue in them, like chips of blue topaz in rich, dark earth. He tilted his head in an oddly old–fashioned gesture, almost like a bow. “Ringo Midori, at your service.”

Wait. She knew what those words meant from all the manga she read. “That name’s Japanese. That would make your name Midori no Ringo.” She laughed. “Oh, man. Your parents named you
green apple
?”

One dark brow quirked upwards in surprise. “I was an interesting looking baby.” She thought for a second she detected respect in his gaze before the laughter returned. “You speak Japanese?”

“Nope. I read a crapload of manga, though.”

“Manga?” Kael settled into his chair and handed Ringo a cup.

“Yup. I love yaoi.”

The cup Ringo had begun to lift to his lips paused. “Aren’t they Japanese man-love comics?”

“Ever hear of Naono Bohra? She’s one of my favorites.” Michaela waited to see what would happen. Most guys had one of two reactions.

Sure enough, Kael made a face. “Not my cup of tea.”

Ringo just smirked and sipped his macchiato.

Michaela didn’t understand why she felt so comfortable talking to these two, but her instincts hadn’t steered her wrong yet. After all, Kael had proven more than once that he was a nice man, and so far Ringo was proving to be fun-loving. She decided to go with it and tease the hell out of Kael. She propped her chin on her hand and fluttered her lashes at him. “So you’re not looking for a big, strong
seme
?”

Ringo almost choked on his drink. He obviously understood what the word meant. Kael, however, appeared lost. He turned to Ringo. “I don’t want to know, do I?”

Ringo leaned back in his chair. “No, Kael. It’s best if you remain ignorant.”

Hmm. Maybe they weren’t a couple after all.

“Then color me blissful.” Kael sipped his drink and watched the fake fairies dancing outside the window. One gentleman in particular seemed to think that a strategically placed fig leaf meant he didn’t need briefs. Too bad he hadn’t secured the leaf properly. Kael whimpered. “Remind me to bleach my eyes later.”

She winked at Ringo, blushing when his gorgeous eyes narrowed. For a split second, she could have sworn they turned blue, but it must be some trick of the light. “Are you going to the fairy con?”

Ringo and Kael exchanged a look she could read quite well. She worked around children every day.

The two of them were up to something.

“Yes, indeed. Are you?” The speculation in Ringo’s gaze would have been flattering if not for the sharp look Kael sent him. What was going on, and why didn’t Kael want Ringo admitting they were going to the con?

“Oh, yeah. I’ve been looking forward to it.” Michaela almost bounced in her seat, she was so excited. She’d managed to finagle the graveyard shift at the hospital just so she could attend the con. She’d be tired, but it would be worth it, and the kids would love the pictures she was planning on bringing them. “I have the prettiest pair of light-up butterfly wings. I’m wearing them to the fairy ball.” The gown had cost a pretty penny, too, but it would totally be worth it.

Ringo sputtered, nearly spraying them with macchiato. “Fairy ball?”

Kael groaned and dropped his head in his hands. “Butterfly wings,” Kael moaned. “Not more butterfly wings.”

Ringo’s lips twitched. “They light up too.”

Kael sobbed.

Michaela just stared at them. “You have something against butterflies?”

“No.” Kael made a face. “It’s…complicated.”

All righty then. Maybe he had mottephobia, fear of moths and butterflies, and was too ashamed to admit it. If so, he’d have one hell of a time at the convention. Almost all the women had butterfly wings strapped to their backs.
 

“So I guess you’ll be going as something else, then.” With his thin build, golden eyes and blond locks, he’d make an excellent— “Oh, I know! You’re going dressed as Puck!”

This time, Ringo did spray the table.

Chapter Four

“You heard?”

Robin watched Michaela leave the coffee shop. He still couldn’t understand why she’d been so vehement in her defense of him. The passion in her voice had both amused and humbled him. “Yes.” He tilted his head. “Tell me about her.”

Kael took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. “She’s twenty-eight, works in medicine, but I’m not sure where or in what capacity. She’s human, as far as I can tell. She has several friends she spends time with, but no boyfriend. Either that or she’s dating multiple men at once.”

Robin did not like that thought one little bit. Green fire danced in his eyes before he could subdue it. “Anything else I should know?”

“She goes away on the weekends sometimes with her friends. Sometimes she brings equipment, like skis or a snowboard, others she doesn’t. And you heard her—she’s got a thing for Puck.”

Robin smiled. That, he could live with. It was the thought of other men that would drive him insane.

Kael’s amused expression deepened, became wicked. “She thinks I should dress as you.”

Robin felt his eyes flare with green light. He quickly masked it by closing his eyes. It wouldn’t do to have the Unseelie alerted to his presence so quickly. “So she did.”

“Robin?”

Robin shot the boy an inquiring look.

“Go after her.”

He smirked. He’d caught sight of an unknown Sidhe sidling up to the coffee bar. Chasing after Michaela would not be wise. Black Court, Gray or White, the Sidhe were indistinguishable until they chose to reveal their allegiance. “While her defense was flattering, I hardly think we have the time to—” But Kael wasn’t looking at him. Instead, he was sitting straight up in his chair, his gaze glued to something outside the window. Something that had the pooka on high alert. “What?”

“I saw someone I recognized following her.”

Hell and damnation. That could mean only one thing. One of the Black Court delegates had seen the girl speaking with Kael and marked her as prey. If they recognized him as Prince Evan’s cousin their cover was already blown, despite the fact Kael lived and worked in the city. They would see his presence as a direct result of their kidnapping of his cousin and respond accordingly.

Michaela would be nothing more than a statistic to the humans. To the Black Court, she’d be something worse. A bargaining chip, one they would ruthlessly use and cast aside if it proved less than valuable to them.

Robin stood, threading his way through the sudden crowd of convention goers streaming in for a hot cup of coffee. Why was it whenever he had the need to move quickly someone, or something, blocked his way?

By the time Robin made it out the door, his quarry was gone, lost in a sea of humanity. He glanced at his watch and realized the time. Rush hour in the city. With a muttered curse he headed the way Michaela had, hoping he would find her on the way to her apartment building. If the Black Court got hold of the female her chances of survival were slim at best. Her bright smile would be dimmed forever.

That would be a tragedy, one Robin fully intended to avert.

“OW! Hands off, fucker!”

Robin froze. Was that—?

There. Down that small side street, with no other pedestrians, Michaela struggled against the pull of a tall, dark-haired man with shoulders so wide he took up almost the entire pavement. Robin scented the wind and snarled.

Redcaps. The aroma of mushrooms and earth was unmistakable.

“Hey!”

Robin watched, appalled, as Kael dashed to Michaela’s rescue. The redcap whipped around, throwing Michaela into the street so hard Robin could hear her hit the ground even over the sounds of the city. He would be surprised if there were no bones broken.

His eyes flared green. Robin dug out his sunglasses, hiding behind them, as he began to stroll forward.

The redcap would pay for harming her.

Kael threw a punch at the redcap that it easily avoided. Idiot boy. Redcaps never traveled alone, and certainly never attacked alone. Kael would be dead within moments, brutally torn apart before Michaela’s horrified eyes.

Robin quirked his brow, and behind him the lights changed. A car, unable to stop in time, slammed into another one in a shower of steam and the crunch of fiberglass. The redcap, attention diverted, didn’t stop the blow Kael threw this time, the pooka’s fist landing on its jaw.

The redcap’s head barely moved.

Robin sighed. The boy would have to learn quickly, it seemed.

Robin sauntered down the pavement, hands in his pockets. He yawned, and a door sprang open, to the astonished cursing of the human chefs hidden behind it but knocking into the redcap, startling it. Robin kicked at a piece of paper and the redcap howled, clutching the thumb that suddenly bent backward.

Robin stood over Michaela and held out his hand. “Are you hurt?”

She winced. “I think my wrist is sprained. Other than that, just some minor scrapes and contusions.” She took his hand and Robin pulled her to her feet.

Just as she went to brush her hair out of her face her eyes went wide, her mouth dropped open, and Robin smiled. He’d wondered when the other redcap would show up. He winked at Michaela, pleased when another howl of pain shattered the air. The redcap behind him was hopping up and down and clutching its foot. Robin tilted his head, amused, and the redcap tripped over the curb, landing on its ass with another yowl.

“Oh, shit. Your friend’s in trouble.”

Indeed, Kael was. The redcap had his hand around Kael’s throat and was choking the life from him. Before Robin could move, Michaela pulled something out of her oversized purse without even looking. How women could do that, just reach into a bag like that and find exactly what they needed without thought, defied logic.

Even to the Hob, the bloody things were a mystery.

“Hey, asshole!”

Robin’s breath hitched as Michaela dashed past him. What was she
thinking
? He took a step toward her, ready to rip the redcap in half if he dared lay a finger on her. None should so much as make her frown.

Before he could reach her she held up her hand, spraying something in the redcap’s face that had him screeching like a troll giving birth. Kael, released, reeled back, sucking in air and coughing.

Leaving Michaela open for the blow the redcap almost landed.

Almost.

Robin grinned up at the redcap as he squeezed its fist, breaking every single bone and joint with a brutal crunching sound. His eyes were a shining, iridescent green, and he didn’t care. Either the sunglasses shielded them or they didn’t. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to hit girls?”

The redcap fell to its knees, in too much agony to even scream.

The sound of limping footsteps had him glaring in the direction of the redcap’s fleeing partner. A car blew past the entrance to the side street, sending the redcap flying.

“Crap.” Michaela took off once more, this time in the direction of the accident, a determined expression on her face.

Robin was stunned. The woman was insane. There was no other explanation.

Robin didn’t even hesitate. He eliminated the redcap at his feet, and then raced after Michaela as if his hair was on fire, leaving Kael to destroy the remains however he saw fit.

Michaela dashed through the crowd and landed on her knees at the victim’s side. “Call an ambulance!” She quickly assessed the damage, praying the ambulance would arrive in time to save him. It didn’t matter to her that just moments ago he’d been attacking her and her friends. His life was in danger, and Michaela would do her best to save it.