Rescued By The Fae Prince (Fae 0f Ballantine Book 3) Read online

  Reese couldn’t believe his ears, and could only look from one to the other; finally, he found his voice. “You what?” he croaked.

  “We’ve thought about this a lot,” his mother said, “and it’s the only way. We need Sarah here, not halfway across the world.”

  “How did you manage this? How is she getting here? Did you say she’s already on her way?” he couldn’t stop the questions pouring out, a little part of him hoping they’d start laughing and tell him it was a joke.

  ***Sarah***

  Sarah followed the sound of voices down the stairs and into the dining room, surprised to find the long table full of people. When she walked through the door, conversation stilled as all eyes turned to her, and a wave of déjà vu washed over her, taking her back to when she was twelve and traveling with her grandfather. But it quickly vanished when Minerva came through the swinging doors from the kitchen with her hands full of food.

  “Dinner is served,” she announced, flashing her gap-toothed grin.

  Relieved to have the focus off of her, Sarah quietly slipped into the only empty chair and tried to be as invisible as possible. It wasn’t hard to do; she’d spent her entire life trying not to attract attention, hiding in the shadows, and avoiding people. But looking around the table, she realized that here she didn’t have to hide; they didn’t know her or anything about her, and again she felt that same nostalgia for her time traveling with her grandfather.

  It was the summer after she’d graduated high school; only twelve at the time, she was far too immature for college but too intelligent for anything else. A child protegee, her parents gone, her grandfather came up with a crazy plan and swept her off on a four-year tour of the world. They rode trains, boats, and airplanes to far off places, slept outdoors, in hostels, and occasionally in fancy hotels all over the world.

  She’d always loved it when they stayed in places like this, the meals around the table with new and interesting people. Then, like now, she’d eat quietly, absorbing the people around her, her mind filling with questions that she would later pepper her grandfather with as they got ready for bed. She felt a pang when she thought about her grandfather, who would have loved sharing her little adventure. He’d been her only parent and she’d lost him when she was only sixteen.

  Pushing the sad feelings away, she sat up a bit straighter as the first platter of food was passed to her by a nice-looking man who smiled at her. “Minerva is the best cook ever,” he said. “I always try to stay here when I see it pop up.”

  “Oh, you’ve stayed here before?” she asked, passing the platter on and taking the next one.

  The man nodded. “It’s my favorite place,” he said, turning away from her to take the next platter.

  Soon, her plate was piled high with food, and the conversation was flowing around the table; she said little as she ate, but she couldn’t help but notice the other guests stealing looks at her. She tried to ignore it, but once her plate was empty, she got up and quietly excused herself, so exhausted she was sure she was imagining things. Again, the room went silent, and with all their eyes on her, she felt a little light-headed.

  But Minerva came bustling out of the kitchen. “Won’t you stay for dessert?” she asked, glancing around the table a frown on her face as she made her way over to Sarah.

  The guests began talking among themselves again. “No, thank you, I think I’ll just go up to bed. Everything was so good, and I’m afraid I didn’t leave room,” she said.

  “Well, then I’ll just walk you up to your room, make sure you have everything you need,” she said, starting for the door.

  “Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure I’ll be just fine,” Sarah said, her eyes heavy with fatigue.

  “Well, okay then, breakfast is at eight,” Minerva said, patting her arm. She started to turn away, then stopped. “It might be best if you stayed in your room tonight. Lots of people coming and going, you see, and I wouldn’t want you to get mixed up in the commotion.”

  Sarah knew that Minerva was warning her in a fashion, and normally would have questioned her, but she was so tired, she didn’t care what went on as long as she could sleep through it. “All I want is to sink into that soft bed and sleep all night long. I promise you; this will be the last time you see me before morning,” she said.

  The old woman patted her on the cheek, and Sarah felt a wave of comfort wash over her. “Sleep well then. I’ll see you at breakfast.”

  Sarah slowly climbed the stairs, her cheek still warm where Minerva had touched it, sleep the only thing on her mind. When she got to her room, she locked the door, kicked off her shoes, stripped off her clothes, and climbed into bed, not bothering with pajamas. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow: so deeply asleep, she didn’t hear the other guests going to their rooms, the door when it creaked open, or Minerva’s footsteps as she crept away.

  From her room on the second floor, she couldn’t hear Minerva calling her old friend Stephen Kinkaid, or the chewing-out she gave him. “You could have called and warned me,” she barked when he picked up the phone. “It would have been nice to know that I was having guests, and a human one at that.”

  “I’m sorry, Minerva, I wasn’t even sure she’d be able to make it that far,” Stephen said, but she could hear the excitement in his voice. “How is she?”

  “Oddly enough, she’s fine,” Minerva said. “I’ve never seen a human spend that much time with Fae and not lose their mind. We didn’t seem to affect her at all.”

  “I knew I was right. For some reason, we don’t affect her,” he said, his voice full of satisfaction. “You may have just saved the world, Minerva.”

  “Yes, well, you owe me one,” she said, then hung up the phone.

  Chapter Three

  ***Reese***

  After a night tossing and turning after his argument with his parents, Reese almost skipped breakfast, but he knew it was his only chance to change their minds. He’d been rehearsing what he was going to say over and over as he showered, so when he walked into the breakfast room, he was as ready as he could be. But as soon as he sat down, his father took control of the conversation, and the words escaped him.

  “We did as we promised and thought again about working with Sarah, and we’ve reached the same conclusion,” his father said. “I would like to add that I have it on very good authority that my premise was correct: Sarah isn’t affected by us like other humans. She had dinner with a table full of Fae last night with no ill effects.”

  “And who is this authority?” he asked, then it hit him. “You’re talking about Minerva, aren’t you? You sent a human to Minerva’s?”

  His father nodded. “It was a test,” he said. “Minerva would have gotten Sarah away from the Fae if she’d been affected in the least, but she wasn’t.”

  Reese frowned; he’d never heard of a human who was immune to the effect of the Fae, had, in fact, seen once how powerful the attraction was. “I don’t believe she’s human then,” he said.

  His mother sighed. “As long as she isn’t harmed being here with us, I don’t see why this is such a big deal,” she said. “We need Sarah, Reese. She’s the only one who can solve our problem.”

  “Have you ever considered the possibility that she’s not really human, that she’s Fae and hiding it, or worse, a witch being sent by the Unseelie?” he asked. “I know what they’re capable of, and this is exactly the kind of thing they’d do.”

  They were silent for a few seconds, exchanged another one of those looks, then his mother said, “I know you’ve been through a lot in the last few weeks, but we’re safe here, Reese; there’s nothing here for the Unseelie. Sarah is coming and I can promise you that she’s nothing but a very special human, not Fae, and definitely not a witch.”

  “I still think that you’re making a mistake. Something bad is going to come out of this,” Reese said, still not ready to let it go.

  “Then it’s a mistake we’ll have to live with,” his father said. “No
w why don’t you go outside and go riding or something.”

  Reese knew that he was being dismissed and got to his feet. “I just hope it's not a mistake we’ll all have to pay for,” he said, then turned and stomped out of the room.

  Reese kicked his heels into the horse’s flanks, sending it into a gallop, and held on as they careened along the fence, almost out of control. But he pulled the reins back just a little, bringing the horse under control, then enjoyed the feeling of the wind whipping through his hair. It wasn’t long before the horse began to tire, so he slowed it to a walk and took a deep breath of the fresh air.

  He wanted to be annoyed that he felt better, wanted to hold onto his anger, but he knew, just as his father had, that it was unproductive. His head cleared of the useless emotion, he tried to look at the situation logically, as his parents had taught him. It was abundantly clear that nothing he said was going to change his parent’s minds. Sarah was coming whether or not he liked it.

  So, that left him with only a couple of choices: ignore the situation and hope his parents were right, or stick as close as he could and watch her. If she really was who they said she was, it wouldn’t take long to find out; if not, he’d be there to protect not only his parents, but Loughmore as well.

  Feeling better with a plan, as flimsy as it was, he kicked the horse back into a gallop, planning to meet their visitor when she arrived. First impressions could say a lot, and he wanted to be one of the first people she met, wanted to assure himself before she even stepped into the castle. But when he got to the castle, Simon was waiting out front, shifting from foot to foot, looking worried, and he forgot about Sarah.

  “What’s wrong? You look worried.” he asked, dismounting and tying up the horse.

  “I’m just so worried about this woman who’s coming,” he said, wringing his hands and looking just a little too pathetic. “I’m afraid something terrible is going to happen.”

  Reese wasn’t buying his act. “You didn’t seem worried last night,” he pointed out. “You seemed angry.”

  He saw that same anger flash across Simon’s face, but he recovered quickly. “I was a little mad. I mean, can you blame me? I’ve been with them on this thing the whole time and now they’re replacing me.”

  “Well, I’m sure they’re not replacing you,” Reese said, watching Simon closely.

  Simon snorted. “It can’t be done, you know; it’s never going to work,” he said, anger sneaking into this voice. “I’ve told them that over and over, but they won’t believe me. Well, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m done with the whole project; they never appreciated me anyway. I’m done with all of it. Maybe I’ll start looking for someplace where my opinions count, I’m tired of just being the math guy.”

  Simon’s face which had been getting increasingly redder suddenly paled, as he realized that he’d said too much. “I’d better...uhhh...get going,” he stammered. “Sorry, I was just venting; don’t take anything I said too seriously.”

  Reese watched him walk away, looking nervously around him, then he disappeared into the castle. Simon was definitely acting strange, and he’d have to keep an eye on him as well, he thought, mounting his horse again. He kicked it into a trot, thinking that Loughmore wasn’t the quiet place he remembered.

  ***Sarah***

  After four more hours of driving that morning, Sarah was tired of the green hills and mountains that surrounded her. It was nearing lunchtime; the food she’d packed for the trip had long ago run out, and she hadn’t seen any sign of human life all morning. Wondering again if she’d made a wrong turn, she looked down at the map on the seat next to her, then back up at the road, nearly wrecking the car when she saw the castle looming in front of her.

  Sure, that it hadn’t been there only a second ago, she pulled over and let her heart calm down, her eyes glued to the stone structure. She felt a moment of indecision, the feeling that something wasn’t quite right about Loughmore flooding her system. It looked like any castle out of the past, made of gray stone, with turrets reaching to the skies and a set of huge double doors. Surrounded by a stone wall, she felt like she’d stepped back in time, and a shiver traveled down her spine.

  She sat staring at the castle, the car idling, watching for signs of life, trying to get up the courage to drive forward. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a cloud of dust rising by the stone wall and tore her gaze from the castle to see a man riding a huge black horse. As he got closer to her, her heart began to pound as his muscular body and handsome face came into focus. She was shocked to feel the stab of desire race through her and quickly looked away, her face turning pink.

  Throwing the car into gear, she started for Loughmore, trying to ignore the horse and rider who were pacing her as she drove next to the stone wall. Pressing down a little harder on the accelerator, she surged forward with a sigh of relief, but could still see the man in the rearview mirror. His muscular arms bulging as they held the reins, his hair falling in his face, distracted her so much and she nearly ran off the road.

  Whipping her eyes back on the road, she gripped the wheel, refusing to let herself look in the mirror again. When she finally turned onto the drive that led up to the castle, she let herself look around, pleased when the horse and rider where nowhere in sight. She let the car come to a halt, the man forgotten as she stared up at the imposing structure blocking out the sunlight.

  She turned the car off and sat staring at the huge building, suddenly feeling like she’d stepped into a different world. But there was no place to go but forward, she wasn’t about to turn around and go back, so she took a deep breath and got out of the car. She grabbed her bag and slammed the door, hoping that the noise would attract someone’s attention.

  The sound of hoofbeats caught her attention just at the huge wooden doors were thrown open, and she didn’t know which direction to look. When she saw Stephen and Patience Kinkaid come through the doors, relief washed over her, and the huge smiles on their faces filled her with warmth. She was just about to step forward to greet them when the rider she’d seen earlier came thundering into the courtyard and came to a halt right in front of her.

  Shocked, she jumped back, a scream escaping her lips, and nearly tumbled to the ground. The man jumped off his horse and watched her stumble then right herself, his eyes boring into her, making her skin prickle and goosebumps rise on her skin. He stared at her, his eyes traveling up and down her body, and a thrill rushed through her, shocking her even more.

  “Reese,” she heard Patience say, “that wasn’t very nice. Apologize to our guest.”

  “Sorry about that,” he said obediently, but the apology didn’t reach his eyes. “I was going a bit faster than I thought.”

  When it became clear that he wasn’t going to move, she said, “That’s okay; you just surprised me. It’s a long way here and I haven’t seen very many people.”

  “You drove that thing all the way here?” he asked, a skeptical look on his face.

  “Yes,” she said, beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with the man. “It’s a decent car, if a bit small.”

  “Reese, you’re keeping our guest waiting outside, and I’m sure she’s ready for some lunch,” Stephen called from the porch.

  He finally stepped aside, holding out his hand for her bag. “I’ll take your bag for you,” he said, his eyes still appraising her.

  Unable to do anything but hand it to him, she turned it over, then on wobbly legs, started for the porch. When she got to the professors, she smiled at the welcoming looks on their faces and shook both their hands. “How was your trip?” Stephen asked.

  “It was different,” she said. “I stayed at an interesting place last night, run by a little old lady named Minerva.”

  “Well, come on in and tell us all about it,” Patience said. “Lunch should be ready. I ordered a buffet since I didn’t know what you liked.”

  Sarah gave her a shaky smile. “I’m not picky, especially when I’m hungry, and right now, I’m
starving.”

  Patience put her arm around her and led her into the house. “Well then, you’re in luck because around here, we like to eat well.”

  Chapter Four

  ***Reese***

  Reese followed his parents and Sarah into the castle, down the long hallway to the sunroom where they ate most of their meals. He couldn’t help but notice Sarah’s reaction to the ancient walls as they walked, or the shiver that shook her body as the temperature dropped. It also didn’t escape him that she was petite, her head barely reaching his mother’s shoulder, his father a giant next to her. With her blonde hair bobbed at her shoulders, she reminded him of a Pixie, and for a second, he seriously considered the idea but pushed it away as ridiculous.

  When they walked into the sunroom, Sarah paused for a second, her eyes closed against the brilliant sunshine, then he heard her sigh. “Oh, this is amazing,” she said, turning in a circle. “I feel like I’m in the tropics.”

  His mother smiled. “It’s our favorite room,” she said, leading the way over to a table next to a waterfall. “I think we’ll sit here today; the sound of the water is so soothing.”

  Before they could sit down, he said, “I’d be happy to show you the buffet, Sarah.”

  She looked alarmed, and he couldn’t miss the look on his mother shot him, but he just waited, a pleasant smile on his face. “Ummm, okay, thank you,” Sarah mumbled, her cheeks turning pink.

  When he put his hand on the small of her back to guide her through the room, he heard her quick intake of breath and smiled. Just as he’d thought, she was already becoming attracted to him, so he decided to push it just a little further. It was going to be fun proving to his parents that, for once, he’d been right, and they’d been wrong.

  At the buffet table, he handed her a plate, making sure that his hand brushed hers, then leaned in as close as he could and explained each dish. He knew that his breath was soft on her neck, he could see the downy blonde hairs moving with his words, and soon he saw goosebumps erupt on her skin. She stepped away from him and reached for a spoon in one of the dishes, but her hand was shaking, so he wrapped his hand around hers and helped her.