Motor City Fae Read Online Free PDF Page A

him. “I was unaware that he suspected your assignment. Do you think he knows the whereabouts of the woman?”
    “I’ve no idea, Majesty. He may have been following me, or he may have been trailing the possible heiress. We were dining together when I saw him. He made no secret of his presence, though.”
    “How vexing.” Llyris sounded more bored than vexed, but Ric knew there was some real stress behind her words.
    “Is Lord Green Oak aware that Owain is in his domain?”
    “He knows now.” The first thing Ric had done was call the local guardian, who had been predictably pissed.
    The second had been to contact the queen. He took a swig of coffee, wishing it was something stronger.
    “So Owain did not travel through the Detroit portal, nor did he follow protocol and inform the Detroit guardian of his presence. That means we can rule out coincidence. Inform Lord Green Oak that he is to maintain surveillance on the traitor. Your mission must not be compromised. You have four days left, bard. Do not waste them.”
    “Yes, my queen. Are you sure, however, that there isn’t a simpler way to resolve the issue? An—accident perchance?” Ric didn’t care for playing queen’s assassin, but if it came down to a choice between that and wholesale war, he’d swallow his qualms and do the job. It wouldn’t be the first time.
    “No. His heir is just as dangerous. Their faction is too powerful and Owain’s hold on each of his supporters is too strong.”
    So much for that idea. It had been a long shot anyway.
    Of course she’d investigated all the angles; she’d been handling court intrigue for over a thousand years. She’d probably already tried bribery, blackmail and every other means of persuasion to pull Owain’s supporters back into her camp. Ric ran his hand through his hair.
    “With Owain’s heir in the le Faire seat, the council vote will still go in his favor and I’m sure he has members of his line secreted well enough that even you couldn’t find them all in time. Only if the election is tied can I cast the deciding vote and retain my throne. And a tie will only occur if you find Emery of Rose’s missing daughter.”
    “And if she can be convinced to vote in your favor.”
    The queen’s frigid silence was a palpable reprimand.
    He could envision her eyes narrowing to slits, her thin lips pinching tight. “Precisely why you were given this assignment. Find her, convince her and bring her to me. Use any means necessary, but get her here.”
    “Of course, my liege.” He almost bowed out of habit, but stopped himself in time. That would be stupid over a cell phone, even if she was watching. He also resisted the baser urge to flip her the bird. “I remain, as always, your humble servant.”
    “Oh, cut the crap, Thornhill.” He winced. Where had she learned that modern phrase? Probably from him. One of these decades, he was going to have to learn to watch his mouth. “Go find me that girl!”
    “You got it, boss.” He waited until she’d broken the connection to hit the end button. It was a good thing elves didn’t need to sleep much, because it looked like it was going to be a long night.
    “How sure are you?”
    “Not terribly,” Ric sighed into his phone a few minutes later. He was grateful that Aidan had known him too well for too long to mess around. The other Fae also had a more than vested interest in finding Emery’s missing daughter. Ric rubbed the bridge of his nose. He’d been in the human realm way too long. Elves weren’t supposed to get headaches.
    “But you think there’s a chance?”
    “I might be grasping at straws. She talked about her parents, but didn’t mention adoption. And there’s something about her that—I don’t know—calls to me. My intuition has never failed me before and right now it’s telling me that she’s the one.”
    “Meanwhile, it would seem I’ve been elected to keep tabs on the villain of the piece.” Aidan’s tone darkened.
    “Are you