Tempest in Disguise (Darkest Faerie Tale Series Book 1) Read online

  He would let Tom take the lead on the investigation for now, because he had more important things to worry about—like Mya.

  Fuck, what would he do about her? The Unseelie court wanted her. After the attempt to sway her last night had been fumbled by his cock, he needed to find a way to get to her. However, she was pissed as hell right now at him and she had every right to be.

  He’d acted every bit the Unseelie by following their five rules.

  Question authority.

  Always challenge yourself.

  Exude confidence.

  Rules are meant to be broken.

  No regrets.

  Well, he accomplished each one of those with his little wildflower. He questioned the authority of the other Elders as he challenged himself to be with her while he exuded confidence at breaking the rules with no regrets—whatsoever. Even if he broke an Unseelie law to be with her and risked being hauled off to jail.

  But hell, his actions also put her in quite the compromising position with the Seelie court. If they found out about her indiscretions with an Elder of their rival court, they would kill her. They liked to maim and kill first and ask questions second. No wonder she acted like an angry rabid monkey.

  Plus now, she was off with Gavin, the stupid cocksucker. What if she told him the truth about last night? Fuck. Cole messed up. He took his gloves off and threw them on the ground.

  How could he fix the situation and get Mya out alive? He raised his ball cap and ran his hand through his hair. Maybe he needed to kidnap the little vixen, teach her a few things and get her to comply. Once he owned her completely, she would bend to his will and fuck, if he didn’t like her bending over for him last night—taking his spankings like a champ.

  News of her house burning to the ground would spread fast and he needed to do damage control before he lost his opportunity with Mya and another Elder stepped into his role. Cole wouldn’t see her again if that happened and he wanted her. He walked over to the far side of the yard and pulled his cell from his upper pocket. He dialed one of the other Unseelie Elders, the one he trusted the most. When Liam answered, Cole said, “Hey. I’m at Mya’s. Don’t send anyone else for her.”

  “Do you have the hybrid in your possession?” Liam asked.

  Lie. Cole couldn’t lie. He needed to think of a good enough response to lead Liam into thinking Cole had Mya. “She’s mine.” Hot damn, the words came out. Did he really believe that? “I’ll be off the grid with her for a few days while I train her.” Shit, he was going to do it. He’d planned to have Mya come willingly, but after last night, she’d thrown his original plan out the fucking window. The only option left was to kidnap her, bind her up and bend her to his will.

  “Don’t forget the law, Cole, hands off.” Liam’s ominous warning hung in the air.

  “Yeah, yeah. Don’t touch her.”

  “Her power is insurmountable—you will do well to remember that. Keep your phone on in case we need you.” Liam hung up.

  Now, Cole needed to track Mya down and slip through Gavin’s defenses. Gavin would put up a fight. The lying bastard already fucked him over in more ways than one. In any case, the past didn’t matter. A smile spread across Cole’s face. Let the lessons begin.

  ~* * * *~

  Gavin squeezed Mya’s hand as he drove them back to his townhouse. The asshole Unseelie put his hands all over his girl. Arson investigator or not, Gavin wasn’t about to let the snake slither his way into Mya’s life—she’s too precious for that piece of shit. “You okay, sugar?” he asked, squeezing her hand for reassurance once more.

  “Yeah,” she barely croaked out while turning a little wooden box over in her hands.

  He’d been careful to gather up what belongings she’d managed to escape with. Damn, she barely made it out of the house alive. Heaviness settled in his chest. If something would have happened to her, he didn’t know what he might do. “When we get home, why don’t you take a hot shower? I’ll unload the car.”

  Tears filled her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. “Can I lie down for a little while?” she asked in a whisper.

  To have the little minx in his bed? His dick hardened in his jeans and he readjusted himself. “Of course, Mya.”

  He knew she just watched her house wither away in the fire. The bleak expression on her face when he arrived made his stomach churn, but he would take care of her and then go after the damned Unseelie who’d taken an interest in her. Besides, Gavin already cut up Cole’s pretty face once, and he would fucking love to do it again. The asshole had it coming.

  When he pulled into the driveway, Gavin quickly turned off the engine and made his way to the passenger side. “Let me help you out, sugar.” He went to lift her from her seat.

  “No. I can handle it.” Her weight then buckled as she tried to stand up.

  “Whoa. I got you,” he said, catching her before she fell. Gavin scooped her up in his arms, carried her inside and took her straight to his bedroom. “You need to rest for a bit. Are you hungry? Do you want some coffee?”

  She gazed up at him through moist lashes with the saddest puppy dog eyes.

  Gavin wanted to pull out his wallet and hand her his credit card for all the damage done.

  “Will you—hold me?”

  Hell ya, he would. Her tragedy became his saving grace—he would be her hero. He placed her in the middle of the bed with little effort. “I can most definitely do that, darlin’.” He lay down next to her and pulled her close.

  Mya snuggled into the crook of his neck. “I don’t know what I’m going to do now.”

  Her warm breath heated his skin, as tears must have slid down her face, because Gavin could feel moisture on his throat. A primal growl radiated in his chest. Using his thumb, he swiped away the sadness on her face and brought his finger up to his mouth to lick her sweet tears away. “You can stay here while we get everything figured out.”

  “How am I supposed to get to work? Everything’s gone. I have no clothes. No car.” Her body shook as her sobs picked up. “Michaela’s going to use this as another excuse of me backing off our friendship and not being there for her. Why does everything always revert back around to her? She’s going to use this opportunity to bring my reputation down even further.”

  Michaela and Mya worked together in the office of the Seelie Court. Elders and the girls working for them grew closer over the last two years, but Michaela, always on a power trip, became Mya’s boss a few months ago.

  Even he sensed the shift. Gavin pulled Mya up, so they were face to face. “You’ve got me. I’m on your side.” Unable to resist it any longer, he kissed the side of her face where one tear rolled down her cheek. He intended to kiss them away if he could. “I’ll call Michaela and let her know you won’t be going into the office today.”

  Mya moved her head back and gaze up at him. “I took a day off two weeks ago and Michaela told the other women I was jealous of her. Jealous of what? I have no idea. And the fact they believe the lies she spins. Sometimes, I think she hates me.”

  “Michaela is one of your closest friends. I don’t think she’d do something so cruel.”

  “It’s true Gavin. I went to a BBQ last weekend and she gave me the cold shoulder—her and her little friends. They were mean.”

  “Well, she won’t be able to turn all of this around on you. Your house burned down—even she can’t deny the truth.”

  Abruptly, Mya pulled further back from him, her eyes wide.

  Shit, there went their moment.

  “I’m supposed to pick Nicole up at the airport.”

  Gavin knew Brad died the night before. The Seelie Elders freaked out over the tragic death of their star commander. “We can go get Nicole together. When does she get in town?”

  She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and scrolled through her texts. “Nicole gets in at three.”

  “Did she tell you anything about Brad?” Gavin ran his fingers through Mya’s red hair.

  “Yeah. She said h
e overdosed, but Gavin—it doesn’t seem right to me.”

  Every muscle in his body went taut. “Why would you say that?”

  “I don’t know.” She met his gaze. “Brad isn’t the type to do drugs. There’s no way.”

  “Mya, you don’t know what people are like behind closed doors. Sometimes, people only allow you to see what they want you to see.”

  “No. It doesn’t make sense.”

  Gavin didn’t like where the conversation headed. He needed to remind her of what happened this morning. She’d lost everything. She needed him. “Don’t worry about it all, sugar. Let’s relax for a bit and then I’ll make you something to eat. If you need to go anywhere, you can use my car. Okay?”

  He would have to talk to Michaela too, make sure she didn’t hound Mya to go into the office. Michaela was known for manipulating people. She always talked about other people, told other people’s stories to make is seem like she truly cared but in reality, she did it because as long as she spoke…the attention was solely all on her.

  Mya nodded. “Thank you.”

  “Did you happen to grab your purse on the way out of your house? You seemed to take everything else.”

  Her head dropped. “No. Damn it. I didn’t.”

  “So, you don’t have any bank cards, no ID?”

  Mya growled in frustration. “I have nothing!”

  He could feel the intense heat rising off her. “Maybe we should do something to clear your mind?” Gripping on to her ass, he pressed her up against his dick. “Hmm?”

  The look in her eyes changed, no longer trusting, but more cautious. Her defensive wall rose back up. “Gavin?”

  Damn that Unseelie side of her. He would take her body in the shower and scrub her clean of every Unseelie trait if possible. Maybe if he filled her pussy and her mouth with his seed, he could cleanse her from the inside out. Then she’d be perfect. His dick jerked, liking the idea. He would come all over her. “Just trying to ease some of your tension from this morning.” Gavin winked at her. “How about we go take a shower? I can help you get cleaned up. You’ve got soot all over you.”

  “We’re friends. You know we can’t do that. Besides, I can shower on my own.”

  Oh, man did her words fucking sting his ego. Ringing from his cell phone agitated him even further. He dug through his pocket and pulled it out, hitting send. “Yes?”

  “Well, it’s good to hear from you too friend,” Michaela spat out.

  Damn, the girl pissed him off, but he needed to play nice. “What’s up?”

  “Mya’s house made the local news. What the hell happened?”

  His gut tightened. “Her house burned down, but don’t worry she’s here with me now. What’d they say on the news?”

  “They said it looked like arson.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, and the fire captain said Mya told him there was a man in the house and they’re looking for him.”

  Gavin stopped himself from throwing the phone against the wall in rage. “Do they have a description?” Maybe he’d kill Cole anyway to make himself feel better.

  “Not yet. But, there is a ten thousand dollar reward for any information leading to an arrest. Ten thousand! That’s crazy. She’s not that important.”

  He couldn’t talk to Michaela anymore. She grated on his nerves. “Text me if you find out any more information.”

  “Fine. Tell Mya I expect her in the office this weekend to catch up on the work she’s missing today if she doesn’t come in.”

  “She’s your friend. Don’t you think you should be more sympathetic?”

  Michaela laughed. “Friend? A definition of a friend is a person who is on good terms with another…a person who is not hostile…which she is. Mya’s been jealous ever since I went with the other girls to the beach without her and she’s been anything but a friend.”

  “How did she become jealous? She never mentioned anything to me about you and the other girls taking a trip. I would’ve heard about it if she was upset.”

  “Mya refused to go shopping with me when I was getting ready for the vacation. A real friend would have been happy for me and supported me. She would have gone to the mall with me anyways. And then, she sent me a nasty text telling me she couldn’t drop everything at the drop of a hat to go to with me. She practically told me off.”

  “She told you off in a text? And you caught the exact tone she used, right? Seriously, you are being ridiculous. Did you think for one minute, that…I don’t know…she was truly busy? Her entire world doesn’t revolve around you.”

  Michaela huffed into the line. “Tell her to be in the office this weekend.”

  Gavin ground his teeth. “Whatever.” Then he hung up.

  Mya looked up at him pensively. “Who was on the phone?”

  He kissed her forehead and tucked her back into him. “Relax, sugar. Those damn Unseelies are going to get it for fucking with you.”

  ~* * * * ~

  The sixth sense Mya experienced when Brad died came back with a sickening force. Something felt wrong. Why did Michaela call Gavin? More proof of how the insecure girl hid dirty and wicked tricks up her sleeves. The fact Michaela dug her claws into Gavin, irked Mya beyond belief. “Do you really think the Unseelies did it?” Mya asked him.

  “Who else would do something like this? They’ve already targeted us and killed four Seelies in the last couple months—that we know of. I wouldn’t doubt if they had something to do with Nicole’s brother too, the fucking bastards.”

  “But why? Because they want to have power back?” She caught at least that much in passing conversations and hushed whispers at the court. Sometimes, she felt like nobody told her anything.

  “In the old days, the Aos sí used to rule on the island of Sitnalta. Even though we had a king and a queen, the Fae were gods. You can’t imagine that type of heaven compared to the way we live now, in secret next to humans with our enemies beside us. I know why the Unseelies want to go back—they live to make our lives miserable. We accepted the results of the Great Atonement millennia ago, but those unruly assholes won’t.”

  “The Great Atonement happened thousands of years ago. Why try to get power back now?”

  “Why not?”

  “How would they even get that type of godlike power?”

  “The first Aos sí hybrid ever, was born.”

  He knows. Fear rampaged through every nerve ending, bringing her paranoia to the forefront. A burning sensation started in her gut and spread outward. Mya’s head shot up and she met Gavin’s eyes. “A hybrid?” Cold settled into the marrow of her bones and she shivered. Fighting back the anxiety attack threatening to overcome her, she pushed on the pressure points in her hands and wrists until her nails starting sinking into her skin.

  “Hey.” He squeezed her arm. “It changes nothing between us.” He said it as if the word hybrid burned his tongue.

  How is this even possible? Alarm assaulted her. Her chest tightened. Gavin wasn’t even an Elder, he shouldn’t know the truth. Then she caught on to the rest of what he said and numbness tingled into her extremities. “Us?” She frowned, dread building into her gut as tension seeped into her skull.

  “Come on. You have to know how I feel about you. Obviously, you feel the same or else I wouldn’t have been the only one you called to come and get you after your house burned down.”

  Did she? No, she panicked she hadn’t known who to call. “You’re my friend. That’s why I called you.”

  “You sure?” He leaned down to her face and pressed his lips to hers. “You’ve never wanted to be something a little more than friends?”

  For some odd reason, she welcomed the contact. “Gavin,” she breathed against his mouth with trepidation, yet she wanted to be held, consoled. A war brewed inside of her. She needed comfort, but this was all wrong.

  “Let’s see.” He kissed her. Once. Twice. Until his tongue parted her lips and slipped into her mouth. He moaned against her, pulling her in tighter t
o him, his erection pressing against her belly.

  She acquiesced, perhaps from the shock of her trauma filled morning or the fact she needed to be soothed, and opened her mouth for him. His lips became soft, tender even, but something was missing. Confusion and uneasiness hit her in waves. Their kiss didn’t hold the spark, the desire she’d felt with Cole. Tears filled her eyes. She’d wanted to give in to him, but not to Gavin and shame rippled over her as betrayal sunk in and she started pushing against his chest.

  Thank the ancient ones. Gavin’s phone rang as she pulled away, breaking the kiss.

  “You make me feel so high, Mya,” he said before moving away and grabbing his cell.

  She immediately brought her fingers to her lips and wiped the remnants of his kiss away. She’d given herself to Cole—how could she do this to him? Sharp pinpricks of pain lacerated her heart. She didn’t love Cole, but something happened between them. How in the world did she let things escalate between her and Gavin?

  Gavin answered the phone, “Hey.” He sat up on the edge of the bed, his back facing her. “Yeah. Uh huh.”

  She couldn’t hear the conversation on the other end, but based on Gavin’s tone he was pissed.

  “Why?” Gavin paused, “They can’t do that.” More pausing. “What time do they want us in the courts?” He clenched his jaw. “Fine. We’ll be there.” He threw his phone across the room and it shattered against the wall.

  Mya jumped and the she rose up on her knees behind him. “What did they say?” Fear made her voice tremble. She’d never seen Gavin so angry.

  He turned to face her. “There is to be a trial held in the court this afternoon at three. It has to do with your house.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Gavin’s eyes met her dead on. “They think you burned your house down on purpose.”

  “What?”

  “Somebody gave them a tip, said you were actually siding with the Unseelies.”

  “It’s not possible. You know I’m not.”

  He raised a brow. “Apparently, there is a picture of Cole Delgleish leaving your house at nighttime. Do you know anything about that?”