To Kill a Fae - A Fantasy Romance

Chapter 2

Unable to tear his gaze away, Malek watched the mysterious woman disappear into the darkness. The mark on his wrist still tingled, and he resisted the urge to rub it. Her touch had affected him more than he'd expected. Now he had an almost insatiable desire to discover the effects of having her hands on other parts of his body. The thought was more than a little distracting, and he shook his head to clear it.

Even without that brief taste of her power, her features had been a testament to her mixed Fae heritage. She'd even worn her hair in a braided style more suited to the Fae, but it was her nearly lavender eyes that had intrigued him. They were more blue than anything, but he'd caught a glimpse of the pale purple color—the mark of the Fae.

"Pointed ears," Levin murmured, staring down at the bodies. "Four bodies, and two of them have pointed ears. Think they're part-Fae?"

Malek made a noise of agreement. The tips of the woman's ears had been pointed too, arching upward in a graceful slope. The trait wasn't as common in the northern cities where they were from. He'd heard some people living in Akros were of Fae descent, but he hadn't realized the strength of those ties until now.

"At least we know we're in the right place," Malek whispered.

The goblin's forked tongue flicked out as he gleefully pocketed another pouch of coins from one of the dead men.

Levin snorted. "I don't know about that. The Fae are supposed to be the keepers of the forests and lakes. I can't imagine someone with a lot of Fae magic living in a city like this."

"Ah, Levin, have a little faith," Malek said with a grin and clapped his friend on the shoulder.

The goblin cocked his head. "You have an interest in the Fae?"

Malek studied Pozgil in surprise. Goblins were one of the lesser Fae, but they had very little magic. It was unlikely he could help them, except to provide some information. "Of course. Tales of their beauty and magic are legendary. Anyone would be intrigued. Are there many Fae living in the city?"

Pozgil grinned, his tongue darting out between his lips. "We have quite a few with Fae blood, but no full-blooded Fae. Those taste of high magic and sex."

"I doubt they'd allow you close enough to take a bite," Levin said dryly. "I've heard the Fae are a bit more discerning in their tastes."

Pozgil shrugged. "The Unseelie Fae are more open-minded than the Seelie. How do you think some of these dead men ended up with pointed ears? When the Unseelie emerged from Underhill after the Dragon War, some took humans as lovers to replenish their numbers."

Levin frowned. "Underhill? You're referring to the Underworld?"

Malek leaned over to study one of the men's ears. Other than a slight point, he didn't see any other sign the man had been Fae. "It's one and the same. The Fae refer to it as Underhill, but the demons and dwarves call it the Underworld. The Unseelie Fae escaped their service to the gods and fled there."

Levin rubbed his chin in thought. "I'd wondered about the difference between the Seelie and Unseelie. You're saying the Seelie remained as servants to the gods and caretakers of the forests?"

"Yes," Malek said.

Pozgil scooted over to inspect the last dead man. He was having a little too much fun playing with the bodies. They'd need to pull him away soon, if he didn't knock it off. They were already running late for their appointment.

Malek turned back to Levin. "The Fae who remained in the light were Seelie, while those who embraced the darkness and abandoned their creators were Unseelie. Their magic is similar, but the Unseelie had to twist theirs into something darker to defend against the demons and dwarves while they were trapped in Underhill."