all of his expectationsabout how a thousand-year-old king should look.
Instead of a distinguished figure who radiated wisdomand dignity, Walker found himself staring at a GQ covermodel. Dionnu looked no more than thirty, with pale,unlined skin and the leanly muscled build of a runner. Hestood tall, over six feet, and his erect posture brought theslim flexibility of birch trees incongruously to mind. Hewore a pair of black denim jeans and a gauzy silk shirtalmost the same sapphire shade as Fiona's top. Like hisniece, his black hair fell in glossy waves about his head,curling down over his collar in the kind of chic disarrayonly achievable through magic or expensive stylists. Unlike Fiona, he had black, empty eyes that reminded Walker of a reptile or a sorcerer.
Dionnu's aura of elegant grace and lazy amusementreally should have made him look effeminate or weak, buthis eyes kept that from happening. This was not anyone Walker would show his back to in a dark alley. Or on acrowded street corner at high noon.
"Fiona, darling," the Fae drawled as he stepped into the room. He spared a brief, dismissive glance for the brownie behind him, who scurried off as if on a mission. "I'm delighted to see you again, but I admit it is a surprise. I thought your aunt would sooner renounce her throne than allow one of her pets to be exposed to my corrupting influence."
Fiona had risen to her feet when her uncle entered, and
Walker watched her offer a small curtsy before shesmiled at the king with her trademark sunny charm. "Youknow me, Uncle. I never was very good at followingorders."
Dionnu chuckled, an unmerry sound that made Walker'shackles rise. "I do, and I like to credit my side of thefamily tree for that." He took Fiona's hands and kissedher lightly on each cheek. "I take it that explains yourpresence here in the human world? A little civildisobedience?"
"Exactly. Every girl needs a vacation from the rules now and then. And since Aunt Mab is nowhere in sight, it's the perfect place to relax."
Still smiling, Dionnu turned and looked at Walker. "Aren'tyou going to introduce me to your friend, Niece?"
"If you insist." Fiona laughed dismissively and glanced over her shoulder at Walker, her expression saying she paid him about as much attention as the average plant stand. "But he's no one important. The Council of Others assigned him to me as a sort of bodyguard. Apparently, they're a bit paranoid over the idea of something bad happening to a member of court on their watch. Just ignore him. That's what I've been doing."
Walker's jaw clenched at that. If he hadn't known it to bean outright lie, he would have been tempted to grab herand demonstrate graphically just how difficult he was toignore, but this didn't seem like an opportune time. Givenshe'd started off her meeting with her uncle by outrightlying to him, Walker was willing to credit her with somesort of strategy. He just hoped it was a good one.
He kept his expression blank and his gaze focusedstraight ahead of him while Dionnu gave him a cursoryevaluation. Behind the mask of boredom, Walker thoughthe saw the king's eyes flicker, but Dionnu said nothing,just turned and led his niece to a grouping of furnitureplaced not around the room's large, inviting fireplace butaround a mirror the size of a small pond that took upmost of the center of one wall.
Seating himself in a thronelike wing chair, Dionnugestured for Fiona to make herself comfortable. "I have toconfess I'm surprised that you would make the Council of Others a stop on a vacation visit to the city, Niece. Iwould have thought you would be eager to see moreinteresting sights."
Fiona laughed lightly and perched back on a sofa nearlyidentical to the one she'd recently vacated. Figuring hemight as well play along for the moment, Walker took upa sentry's position just behind her shoulder. "You can becertain it wasn't on my touring list, Uncle, but I didn't think I had a choice. I had no idea you
Instead of a distinguished figure who radiated wisdomand dignity, Walker found himself staring at a GQ covermodel. Dionnu looked no more than thirty, with pale,unlined skin and the leanly muscled build of a runner. Hestood tall, over six feet, and his erect posture brought theslim flexibility of birch trees incongruously to mind. Hewore a pair of black denim jeans and a gauzy silk shirtalmost the same sapphire shade as Fiona's top. Like hisniece, his black hair fell in glossy waves about his head,curling down over his collar in the kind of chic disarrayonly achievable through magic or expensive stylists. Unlike Fiona, he had black, empty eyes that reminded Walker of a reptile or a sorcerer.
Dionnu's aura of elegant grace and lazy amusementreally should have made him look effeminate or weak, buthis eyes kept that from happening. This was not anyone Walker would show his back to in a dark alley. Or on acrowded street corner at high noon.
"Fiona, darling," the Fae drawled as he stepped into the room. He spared a brief, dismissive glance for the brownie behind him, who scurried off as if on a mission. "I'm delighted to see you again, but I admit it is a surprise. I thought your aunt would sooner renounce her throne than allow one of her pets to be exposed to my corrupting influence."
Fiona had risen to her feet when her uncle entered, and
Walker watched her offer a small curtsy before shesmiled at the king with her trademark sunny charm. "Youknow me, Uncle. I never was very good at followingorders."
Dionnu chuckled, an unmerry sound that made Walker'shackles rise. "I do, and I like to credit my side of thefamily tree for that." He took Fiona's hands and kissedher lightly on each cheek. "I take it that explains yourpresence here in the human world? A little civildisobedience?"
"Exactly. Every girl needs a vacation from the rules now and then. And since Aunt Mab is nowhere in sight, it's the perfect place to relax."
Still smiling, Dionnu turned and looked at Walker. "Aren'tyou going to introduce me to your friend, Niece?"
"If you insist." Fiona laughed dismissively and glanced over her shoulder at Walker, her expression saying she paid him about as much attention as the average plant stand. "But he's no one important. The Council of Others assigned him to me as a sort of bodyguard. Apparently, they're a bit paranoid over the idea of something bad happening to a member of court on their watch. Just ignore him. That's what I've been doing."
Walker's jaw clenched at that. If he hadn't known it to bean outright lie, he would have been tempted to grab herand demonstrate graphically just how difficult he was toignore, but this didn't seem like an opportune time. Givenshe'd started off her meeting with her uncle by outrightlying to him, Walker was willing to credit her with somesort of strategy. He just hoped it was a good one.
He kept his expression blank and his gaze focusedstraight ahead of him while Dionnu gave him a cursoryevaluation. Behind the mask of boredom, Walker thoughthe saw the king's eyes flicker, but Dionnu said nothing,just turned and led his niece to a grouping of furnitureplaced not around the room's large, inviting fireplace butaround a mirror the size of a small pond that took upmost of the center of one wall.
Seating himself in a thronelike wing chair, Dionnugestured for Fiona to make herself comfortable. "I have toconfess I'm surprised that you would make the Council of Others a stop on a vacation visit to the city, Niece. Iwould have thought you would be eager to see moreinteresting sights."
Fiona laughed lightly and perched back on a sofa nearlyidentical to the one she'd recently vacated. Figuring hemight as well play along for the moment, Walker took upa sentry's position just behind her shoulder. "You can becertain it wasn't on my touring list, Uncle, but I didn't think I had a choice. I had no idea you
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