Rise of the Fae (5 page)

How could he put this delicately? He took a deep breath and her sweet scent hit him. “You’re here because humans are food,” he blurted.
Subtle.

“I’m not human.”

“No, you’re worse. You’re fae.”

Her jaw dropped and he was pretty sure if he’d slapped her, she couldn’t look more shocked.

“Worse?”

“Yes, worse. Your scent is like Mason’s, alluring beyond a normal human. Remember the vamps? How even they were attracted to you at the bar?”

“Are you saying I’m unattractive?”

“What I’m saying is, if you’re attractive to even them, think of how you are to the rest of us. Any vampyr or Vampire you meet will have to use great restraint to stop from draining you. And there are those out there, many out there, who won’t use restraint. They don’t care about you or your life. They only care about the blood.”

“It’s always been that way. That’s no different from when I was here before.” She rubbed her throat with her fingers.

“True. But what is different is now there are only a tenth of the humans left for them to feed on. In a starving world, people don’t curb their appetites as well.”

They stared at each other for a minute as she processed the information. He tried not to see her beauty, to feel the urge to kiss her, to run his fingers through her silky hair.

“I can take care of myself,” she finally said.

“I’m sure you think you can.” He nodded. “But not in this world. Not now. As much as you don’t want to be in this compound, you need to be. Out there you wouldn’t last a week.”

“I’d be—”

“There’s no hotel that would take you. Why? You look human and you need a master to go in. There’s no restaurant that’ll serve you without a collar or a bracelet monitor. Why? Because you look human and you need a master. There’s no store you could go into, on your own, to buy supplies without someone calling me to let me know that there’s a lone human out in the city. Why?”

“I get it! Because I look human.” She huffed. “I got into the bar though, didn’t I?”

“You did. You got into the bar. But trust me, you were seen well before that. When I got back here last night, I had over two dozen messages on my phone about you, running through the streets, darting into a locked high-rise apartment building. The only reason I didn’t get the messages earlier was because I was in a meeting and my phone was off. But my men got calls as well and they went out searching for you. You’ve been quite a hassle in the last two days.”

“Yeah, well I would’ve been fine without you, thank you very much.”

“You were lucky. Extremely lucky, because I know for a fact at least half a dozen vamps tried to run you down to cash you in. The slaver they called was a man named Roth, who happens to be my old boss and a good friend. He got in touch with me as well before heading up here to find you. Do you know what would’ve happened if Roth or his men had caught you? You’d have been chained, caged, and sold to the highest bidder. And a female with your looks? Well…let’s just say you wouldn’t be cleaning toilets.”

She threw her hands in the air. “Okay! Fine. I get it. I’m lucky you found me and lucky to be here. Blah…blah…blah. Thank you so much, your highness, for letting me clean your commodes!”

Neeman sighed. She didn’t get it. He stared at her. Really looked at her. With her fine cheekbones and almond shaped eyes, she held the air of…royalty.

Maybe that was it.

“What did you do when you were here before?” he asked.

“What?”

“When you were here before. What did you do? For work.”

“I didn’t work.” She looked at him as if he were crazy. “I went to school and studied art. Then I went to school and studied music. Next I went to school and studied history. And finally—”

“All you did was go to college?”

“All? What do you mean ‘all’? Isn’t that what people do here? Go to college and learn stuff?”

“Yes. And then they move on and get a job.”

“Not fae. The fae were here to learn about the human culture. My mother said my job was to go to school. Even though she hadn’t been to her plane in over a hundred years, she was very steeped in the traditions of her people.”

“So how did you pay for anything?”

She glanced away. “Mother got us everything we needed.”

“What do you mean ‘got’?”

She stared at the wall and didn’t answer. He watched the emotions play over her features. Her body posture tensed. She bit the inside of her cheek.

It explained a lot. Spoiled rich girl who spent her life studying and getting what she wanted without ever having to work for it. But for some reason, the look on her face… He felt for her. Though she was spoiled and high and mighty, she hid the pain she’d been through. Compassion brewed inside him.

“Look.” He gentled his voice. “I’ve explained to you why you can’t go near the other trackers. It’s like putting an irresistible buffet in front of them. They have been taught to control their wants and desires, but you are a whole different ballgame.”

Her gaze met his and a slight smile played on her lips. She dropped her hands and cocked her hip to one side.

“I’m a buffet then?”

The sensuality she exuded made Neeman swallow hard. How did she do that? She went from spoiled rich girl to sexy siren within seconds. Her scent wafted toward him, making his fangs ache. He clenched his jaw and let his fangs press into his lower gums.

She stepped closer, her lithe body making graceful motions. She trailed her fingers lightly over her collarbone as she moved.

Neeman held still as she drew closer to him until she was only inches away.

“You know, Neeman. I feel so alone in this new world. And you’re right. It is different out there. I can’t just go out like I used to and do anything I want. I need help. I need protection.”

She reached up and laid her palm on his chest. She was so close her scent surrounded him, making him want to taste her. Her bright eyes pleaded with him. She licked her bottom lip.

“Can you help me, loverboy? Will you keep me safe?”

Yes!

She lifted up on her tiptoes and leaned in close. His body tensed with need. Her petal-soft lips caressed his. He wanted to throw his arms around her and crush her body into his, but instead he took a step back.

Her eyes flew open and flashed with anger. “What?” she demanded.

“I know what you’re doing and your tricks won’t work on me.”

She grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest. “Well could you at least get me something to eat then? I’m starving.”

Selene sat at a counter in an enormous industrial kitchen that reminded her of a school cafeteria. She took another bite of the sandwich Neeman had prepared for her and savored the tuna fish, her favorite.

Neeman leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest, his ankles crossed in front of him. He watched her eat while popping and chewing his gum.

She took a sip of her orange juice, replaying her actions in his room. She’d done everything right. She’d sauntered and touched and bit her lip and done all the things her mother had taught her to do and say to get a man to fall under her spell, but with Neeman it hadn’t worked. It was the second time he’d resisted her.

“You sure do like gum,” she said.

“I quit smoking a few months back.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Why? You’re a vampyr, it won’t kill you.”

“True. But I hated how I was a slave to it.”

She snickered. “I bet that’s how the humans feel right about now.”

“What does that mean?”

“I used to smoke.” She bit into her sandwich. “Mother hated it, which was why I did it.”

“I did it to help curb my appetite.”

“Heavy blood drinker?”

He didn’t answer, just popped his gum and looked away.

“So what were those things I saw on the desks in everyone’s room? The silver things with the apples on them?” She finished the first half of her sandwich.

“Probably a phone and a laptop.”

“What’s a laptop?”

“A portable computer.”

She went to bite into her sandwich and stopped. “Really?”

“Everything is tiny nowadays.”

“And how could that be a phone? That thing was tiny and flat.”

He pulled a device out of his pocket and clipped it to his ear.

“This is a Bluetooth.” He shook a silver rectangle with an apple on it. “This is my cellphone. I don’t even have to put it to my ear anymore because I can use this wireless speaker.” He tapped on the Bluetooth.

It was amazing. The fae didn’t have technology like the kind in this plane. Theirs was completely organic.

“Can I see?” She put down the sandwich and held out her hand.

Neeman set the Bluetooth and the phone down on the counter. She picked up the phone and turned it over. It was smooth like glass. She tried to locate the on button.

He took it from her, tapped a small button on the bottom and punched in a code, then handed the phone back to her.

There were all kinds of squares with different colors and logos. She slid her finger over the surface of the phone and it changed to new squares with new logos. She tapped on one shaped like a piece of candy. An orange screen pulled up, followed by a picture of different candies. She turned the phone to him.

He shrugged. “I like games.”

“It’s a game?”

“Yeah. Look.”

She gave the phone back. He swiped the screen and the candies fell down. He did it over and over until he won.

“It’s a video game you can play on your phone.”

She shook her head. “You’re kidding?”

He smiled and her heart leapt. She looked away. Why had that happened? She hadn’t seen him smile since she’d arrived, but it amazed her that for a brief second his entire face changed and she saw the man from the photos in the box, once more.

“When I was younger Mason and I used to go to an arcade at the mall sometimes and play video games. I was always better than he was.”

“Look.” He pointed to the phone, tapped on the screen and another picture popped up. He hit a button and music poured out of the phone.

“I know this song. This is AC/DC!” She bobbed her head to the music, struck by a feeling of nostalgia.

“Yeah.” He chuckled and turned the music off. “I like the classics.”

“Turn that back on.” She reached for the phone.

He hit another square. “Do you know the internet?”

“The what?”

“The internet. The web?”

She stared at him.

“Okay. So you know how a computer can hold information? Imagine a way to access all the information out there. Books, magazines, news, music, buying products, anything. That’s the internet. It connects you with things all over the world. It used to be bigger before the outbreak, but most of the websites are still there, they just aren’t updated anymore. And shopping isn’t what it used to be. Not since Amazon went down.”

“Amazon?”

“It was like the virtual megastore of the world.”

“Megastore?”

“Yeah a store that sells everything from groceries to beds to shoes.”

She wrinkled her nose. Her mother never would have been caught in such a store.

“Never mind. Anyway. You can access a lot of things on a cell phone now. It’s like a computer, radio, phone all in one.”

She took the phone and flipped through it again. “So when do I get one?”

He popped his gum and then nodded. “I’ll get you one.”

“Can you put all the music in there that you have?” She’d forgotten how much she loved human music. “Fae music was all about the reeds in the wind and the sound of sunshine.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” His brows furrowed.

She nodded. “Exactly my point! Real music is Motley Crue, AC/DC, Metallica, Def Leppard, Led Zeppelin—”

“Pink Floyd, Van Halen, The Stones, The Eagles—”

“REO Speedwagon!”

His face broke into a wide grin and he laughed. “REO Speedwagon? Really?”

“What?

He shook his head and chuckled.

“Air Supply? Chicago? Scorpion?”

He held up a hand. “Okay Scorpion. That one I concede to. I’ll get you some good music.”

He smiled again and her stomach fluttered. She broke eye contact, picked up the other half of her sandwich and bit into it. She needed to get out of this compound and find a one-night stand to get her hormones out of her system.

“Party till it’s over.”

Stop that! She rubbed the side of her head.

She’d heard the voice over a half dozen times in the past twenty-four hours. Ignoring it wasn’t the best policy, but at the moment, she wasn’t sure what else to do.

“Are you all right?”

“What? Yes. I’m fine. So what do you do for fun?” she asked, looking around.

“Fun?”

“Yeah. You know, things you do to relax and take the edge off. Besides playing games on your phone and listening to great music.”

He looked at her, perplexed. “I… Nothing really. I haven’t thought about having fun since—”

“Since what?” She took a bite. Man she’d missed mayo.

“Nothing.” He straightened from the counter and shoved his phone in his pocket.

She stopped chewing. He’d shut down right before her eyes. One minute he might have actually opened up to her, and the next, nothing. He was gone and back was the hardass Neeman.

“Why do you do that?” she asked before she could stop herself.

“What?” His eyes narrowed and his jaw set in a hard line.

“Shut down like that. For a minute there I thought I might have actually seen the real you.”

His gaze locked on hers, conflicted. “Finish eating. I have stuff to do.”

* * * *

Neeman deposited Selene in the human wing to clean and headed down to the training arena. He’d opened up to her, he had no clue why. He’d shown her inside the wall he’d put up. A wall he didn’t let anyone see past. Not even Danika. But then, with them, things had been mostly physical.

His heart hurt thinking about her. He swallowed his gum and headed for the elevator. He couldn’t let Selene get to him. He had things to do and getting involved with someone like her was like playing with a brushfire. Besides, whatever was between her and Mason wasn’t something he wanted to get in the middle of.