casual!
I rolled my eyes and went for it. “What do you mean by faery treasure, Hobs?”
“Faeries are the holders of the treasures.” He punched his finger into the patterns of the blanket, once again shielding his expression from me. “It’s what gives us our power. There are those in the Otherworld who want that power, mortals who make deals with faeries for their secrets. Some of these mortals are cursed. Others just greedy. Our rulers, the Twelve—well, they don’t make a habit of getting involved with the petty skirmishes of the courts, but they banished the traitors who worked with these mortals from our world to this one after . . . some complications. These dark Fae are still here, creeping around, causing trouble, spilling secrets. Cursed mortals have already stolen more from the Fae than can ever be replaced, and if they learn to use what they’ve stolen? They’ll destroy everything in our world. Oh, and maybe your world, too.”
I took a deep breath, playing with the ends of my dark hair. All I wanted was to return the kid so I didn’t have to be involved. I’d mess up everything way more than it was now. My hands went back to my hips, and I tried to forget it. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Babs echoed.
I looked down at her piggy-tailed head; she stood tall, looking very self-important with her hands on her hips. Is that how she thought I looked? The little two-year-old copied everything I was doing. I dropped my own hands and chuckled wearily. Why did she even like me, especially in my sleep-deprived condition? If I continued like this, I would fall over. How could I help Babs after that? I scrubbed my tired eyes. If Hobs was warning me about something, I had better listen. “Does this have to do with that Skinwalker from the tabloids?”
Hobs’ tan elbows dug into the blanket. “Skinwalker?”
He wasn’t fooling me. I sat next to him on the blanket. My shadow scooted back with an angry flip of her hair. “The one you were Googling this morning, you hacker. You think he’s one of those treasure chasers, don’t you?”
“Just doing my homework. He took his face off in a golf course in Okanogan. That’s only thirty minutes away. I had to make sure it didn’t have anything to do with us.”
“Did it?”
“Just more tabloid rubbish, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t keep the two of you alive, so you’re welcome.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
He looked pained and swiped a hand across his ears as if trying to wipe away the gratitude. What was his problem, anyway? He took a deep breath and his eyes betrayed his concern. It was touching and completely unexpected. “Believe it or not, our princess is a pretty big deal to us. We want to keep her safe.”
My heart sank and I allowed myself a self-deprecating snort. It was Babs he was worried about, not me. And why should I care? If this was what normal felt like, I hated it. My eyes burned and I closed them against the sun. “Yeah yeah, I’m in that play tomorrow, and if I don’t get better? Well, I just have to get better. I’ve got to get both of you out of here ASAP.”
“You’re worried about a play?”
I matched his narrowed look with one of my own. No. I was just as worried about his precious princess as he was, but talking about it only made me scared for her. Babs’ big hazel eyes took in everything. After a moment, she noticed we were both talking about her. She tried to distract us by pointing to a tree, all the while babbling incoherently.
My hand found her hair. Babs was a beautiful baby, so beautiful she’d fit in with the other swans in my family. No one would be the wiser that she wasn’t one of ours. If I hadn’t been cursed, I’d bag this whole going to faeryland idea and adopt the poor kid. And now I was thinking crazy.
Hobs pulled himself to his knees and took Babs’ hands. His playful eyes crinkled up at the sides, giving him that impish look. “Head butt,” he said. Her bobble head came crashing
I rolled my eyes and went for it. “What do you mean by faery treasure, Hobs?”
“Faeries are the holders of the treasures.” He punched his finger into the patterns of the blanket, once again shielding his expression from me. “It’s what gives us our power. There are those in the Otherworld who want that power, mortals who make deals with faeries for their secrets. Some of these mortals are cursed. Others just greedy. Our rulers, the Twelve—well, they don’t make a habit of getting involved with the petty skirmishes of the courts, but they banished the traitors who worked with these mortals from our world to this one after . . . some complications. These dark Fae are still here, creeping around, causing trouble, spilling secrets. Cursed mortals have already stolen more from the Fae than can ever be replaced, and if they learn to use what they’ve stolen? They’ll destroy everything in our world. Oh, and maybe your world, too.”
I took a deep breath, playing with the ends of my dark hair. All I wanted was to return the kid so I didn’t have to be involved. I’d mess up everything way more than it was now. My hands went back to my hips, and I tried to forget it. “Okay.”
“Okay,” Babs echoed.
I looked down at her piggy-tailed head; she stood tall, looking very self-important with her hands on her hips. Is that how she thought I looked? The little two-year-old copied everything I was doing. I dropped my own hands and chuckled wearily. Why did she even like me, especially in my sleep-deprived condition? If I continued like this, I would fall over. How could I help Babs after that? I scrubbed my tired eyes. If Hobs was warning me about something, I had better listen. “Does this have to do with that Skinwalker from the tabloids?”
Hobs’ tan elbows dug into the blanket. “Skinwalker?”
He wasn’t fooling me. I sat next to him on the blanket. My shadow scooted back with an angry flip of her hair. “The one you were Googling this morning, you hacker. You think he’s one of those treasure chasers, don’t you?”
“Just doing my homework. He took his face off in a golf course in Okanogan. That’s only thirty minutes away. I had to make sure it didn’t have anything to do with us.”
“Did it?”
“Just more tabloid rubbish, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t keep the two of you alive, so you’re welcome.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
He looked pained and swiped a hand across his ears as if trying to wipe away the gratitude. What was his problem, anyway? He took a deep breath and his eyes betrayed his concern. It was touching and completely unexpected. “Believe it or not, our princess is a pretty big deal to us. We want to keep her safe.”
My heart sank and I allowed myself a self-deprecating snort. It was Babs he was worried about, not me. And why should I care? If this was what normal felt like, I hated it. My eyes burned and I closed them against the sun. “Yeah yeah, I’m in that play tomorrow, and if I don’t get better? Well, I just have to get better. I’ve got to get both of you out of here ASAP.”
“You’re worried about a play?”
I matched his narrowed look with one of my own. No. I was just as worried about his precious princess as he was, but talking about it only made me scared for her. Babs’ big hazel eyes took in everything. After a moment, she noticed we were both talking about her. She tried to distract us by pointing to a tree, all the while babbling incoherently.
My hand found her hair. Babs was a beautiful baby, so beautiful she’d fit in with the other swans in my family. No one would be the wiser that she wasn’t one of ours. If I hadn’t been cursed, I’d bag this whole going to faeryland idea and adopt the poor kid. And now I was thinking crazy.
Hobs pulled himself to his knees and took Babs’ hands. His playful eyes crinkled up at the sides, giving him that impish look. “Head butt,” he said. Her bobble head came crashing
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