Lie Down with Dogs by Hailey Edwards

flattered by your attention.”
    His eyebrows rose. “You think so?”
    “Sure.” I pried Mai’s hand from his tight grip with a decisive yank then shoved her behind me. “Nice meeting you.” I placed a guiding hand on her shoulder and called out “Enjoy your night” on our way past.
    His expression made my knees weak, and not in a good way.
    “Oh.” He tenderly caressed his hand where my fingertips had brushed him. “I will.”
    My shoulders twitched under the tangible weight of his stare. Slowly, so as not to provoke any of his predatory instincts, we retreated a safe distance away.
    “We need to leave the area,” a cool voice said to my right.
    Thinking of the handsome-yet-creepy fae, I nodded. “Where’s Daire?”
    “Making sure we aren’t followed.”
    His calm made me curious. “I notice you didn’t step in back there.”
    “The fae appeared oblivious to our presence. I saw no reason why I should announce myself unless the situation escalated.” He exhaled. “I was unable to sense what type of fae he is. His power barely registered until you touched him, then it surged. Could you scent him?”
    The suggestion stunned me so much I stopped walking. “The thought never occurred to me.”
    Righty made a thoughtful noise.
    “He was using glamour to conceal himself with a side of compulsion mixed in for good measure.” I followed that line of reasoning. “Otherwise, I would have spotted him—” a threat who was obviously fae, obviously dangerous, “—scented him or demanded he declare himself.”
    Mai rested her hand on my arm. “Is it safe to stay here?”
    “He is Unseelie,” Righty answered. “He would not dare strike against our future queen.”
    Mai and I shared a look that conveyed our doubt. Faerie had been teetering on the brink of war for a long time. King Moran’s death and my controversial appointment could very well be the straws that dislocated the camel’s back. Rook was working to diffuse the situation, but our subjects were almost as fond of him as they were of me. Both of us were half-bloods, and few pure-blooded fae were eager to bow before a half-human sovereign. Especially not one who had killed both the Seelie and Unseelie candidates for the crown.
    “I’m hungry.” Mai rubbed her arms. “You want to hit one of the fast-food joints?”
    “That would be unwise,” a fourth voice entered our conversation. “Your admirer just left.”
    “We don’t want to risk bumping into him on the sidewalk.” I nodded. “Gotcha.”
    Beside me, Mai shivered. “Delivery?”
    “That sounds perfect.” I hooked my arm through hers. “We’ll eat and rent movies to watch until we fall asleep.”
    After collecting our belongings from the storage locker, we headed up to our room. There we found Diode in a compromising position on the carpet in the living room. He didn’t pause his grooming session to acknowledge us, but he did swivel his eyes to watch our grim procession.
    He hacked once. “What happened?”
    We told him, and he began pacing. The more I watched, the more certain I was he was growing before my eyes.
    Like sands through a flip-flop thong, our perfect vacation was slipping through our fingers—toes?
    “Beaches are a favorite hunting ground for predatory fae,” I said to anyone listening. “They prey on the drunk and drugged-up humans who wash ashore every summer.” I bent to rub Diode. “It’s not like this guy, whoever he is, set out to find us in particular. It was probably a wrong-place, wrong-time deal.” I raked a hand through my damp, stringy hair. “That doesn’t mean I agree with what he’s doing, I don’t.” The conclave accepted fae had to feed and that humans were on the menu, but I didn’t have to like it. “I’ll see if I can get him removed through official channels.” Shaw could coordinate a fae removal with the Florida conclave outpost without dropping my name. “He’ll come back when he gets hungry, though. They always do.