Chapter 4

We opened our doors at the same time and slammed them shut together as well; making a loud boom that echoed off our neighbor's brick wall. I walked a little behind my father; casting wary glances around us while I trusted him to take care of what lay ahead. The neighborhood held remnants of the Hunt's passage but no other traces of fairies hiding to ambush us so I focused my attention forward.

There were four hunters; two light sidhe of the Seelie Court and two dark sidhe from the Unseelie. It was pretty easy to tell the two courts apart, at least for those of us with clairvoyance. The Seelie, or Light Sidhe, had golden auras which faded to white, like something you'd expect an angel to have. While the Dark, the Unseelie, had jewel-toned clouds of energy pulsing around them. I assume that was how the terms came about, but no one knew for sure. At least, not any humans.

The dark sidhe duo consisted of one woman and one man. The woman had crimson hair; the kind of red which only looked natural on a cardinal or a rose. Or a fairy. It was pulled back into an elaborate braid which dangled down to her waist and the vivid color brought out the odd bluish tones in her pale skin. Her eyes were acid green, slit like a snake's, and when she smiled, she revealed a set of fangs.

The unseelie man had hair as black as mine but it was cut short, almost military short, which was strange for a fairy. They loved their long hair; on both sexes. Perhaps the cut was to show off the intricate tattoo he had curling around the lower part of his skull and down the sides of his neck. Stylized tree branches clutched at a pack of wolves. The skin beneath that black ink was a normal tan, but his eyes blazed canine yellow.

The light sidhe were both men. One was auburn-haired with skin like roasted chestnuts; darker even than Aideen. He had talon-tipped bird claws instead of hands and they flexed at his sides; the tips clicking together impatiently. Behind him, a pair of wings shivered; their tawny, topaz feathers ruffling with anticipation. My first thought wasn't one of admiration—although, they were pretty wings—it was one of confusion. How did he manage to get those wings in that little car?

The last man was obviously the leader. He stood a little in front of the group and held his chin at an angle which clearly broadcasted his disdain; either for us or his task. I wouldn't be sure which it was until we talked to him. His hair began as bright, platinum blond at the roots; a color so light as to almost be colorless. Then it slowly darkened, shifting through golden tones like a lion's mane; warming deliciously to caramel and then to chocolate until it hardened into onyx at the tips. Those stark ends shifted like wet ink over the shine of his armor.

Within that maddening mane was a majestic face ruled by startling silver eyes; made even more intense by a thin outline of black around the irises. Skin—pale as raw silk—covered a wealth of muscles but it wasn't pale enough to conceal a thin, silvery, curling line which trailed over the top of one high cheekbone. With those artistic swirls, the mark looked more like decoration than defect and it actually accented his eyes beautifully; making them seem to shine even brighter. Still, it was a scar; I was sure of it. One created by magic.

A scarred fairy; you didn't see that often. Most healed too quickly to leave scars but then this was the Wild Hunt, and he wasn't just a foot soldier. He stood with the bearing of a commander but against the backdrop of my overgrown yard with its waist-high grass and our humble wood home painted a sweet baby blue, he almost looked silly. At the very least, he looked extremely out of place.

"Extinguishers Ewan and Seren Sloane?" The scarred one asked in a deep voice as he casually laid a hand on the pommel of his sword.

"Yes," my father spoke for us; his own sword laid back casually over his shoulder as if it was a Louisville Slugger. "And you are?"

"Tiernan Shadowcall, Lord of the Wild Hunt," he said tonelessly but then his wide shoulders tensed; muscles flexing enough to shift his silver breastplate, and his gaze shot to mine.

I blinked at the intensity in those strange eyes and a shiver of precognition coasted through me. The silver in his gaze seemed to warm, melt, and go liquid as a trailing tickle of fingers ghosted over my flesh. My eyelids twitched over images of his face above me; long fingers clenching in the grass beside my cheek. I inhaled sharply and determinedly pushed the vision away to focus on the present. Tiernan cocked his head and took a step toward me. I was about to move toward him as well when I realized how crazy that would be and stopped myself.

"How can we help you, Lord Hunter?" I asked as I lifted my sword and made a lie of my welcoming words. I didn't know what the vision meant; if it was a promise or a warning, an attack or... something else entirely. I couldn't think about it right then so I let the questions go and focused on the job at hand.

Tiernan stopped moving and blinked rapidly as he frowned; shifting his gaze from my eyes to my sword. He took a step back and then his eyes fell on the black SUV behind me. Those silver orbs seemed to flash and then he began to smile.

"You've found her already." the hunter looked back at me. "Well done, Lady Extinguisher."

"Thank you." My father stepped between us. "We've got it from here."

"I'm afraid my orders are to return with Aideen Evergreen's body." He finally looked toward my father. "I'll wait if you'd like to kill her yourself. I know you have a hatred that needs to be fed, Ewan Sloane. Far be it for me to begrudge a fellow warrior his share of blood."

"I'll feed my hatred with your blood if you don't get off my property." Dad edged forward, and the fairy tensed.

"Easy now." Tiernan waved his soldiers down without even glancing at them. This was a man who expected to be obeyed. "You have the warrant of execution. We both want the same thing. Just kill the girl and be done with it, then we'll leave peacefully with her body. You won't even have to bother with the cleanup."

"No one's going to kill her. Not today." I edged around my father and heard his sharp intake of breath. I always let him handle business, and I never got between him and a fairy. I don't know what came over me.

"What's that, Extinguisher Seren?" Tiernan shifted his weight smoothly; his thickly muscled frame moving with the grace of one much leaner. He almost appeared to have glided sideways so that he was once more in front of me.

"She's asked for asylum," I continued and lifted my sword higher. If he moved just an inch forward, the tip of my weapon would be directly beneath his chin. "Aideen Evergreen is now under the protection of the Human Council. Care to start a war by trying to take her?" I lifted a brow at him.

"Seren!" My dad growled.

"Do you have anything to add, Extinguisher Ewan?" Tiernan angled his gaze to my father but remained where he was.

"The girl is under our protection," Dad snarled. "But I have no problem fighting you for her if you choose to ignore it. I won't tell if you won't."

I nearly groaned. My father's hatred was greater than his common sense. If the Wild Hunt tried to remove Aideen from our custody after I'd just informed them of her status as a refugee, it could indeed be considered an act of war... whether or not my father was inclined to fight.

"Just leave now," I used my pyrokinesis to cast a circle of fire around us and the SUV; forcing Tiernan and his hunters to step back. "Tell the Fairy Council that Aideen is under the protection of the Human Council."

"So brave here in the light of day; surrounded by a ring of fire," the other light sidhe hissed at me. "We'll see how impudent you are in the depths of night when death comes for you on silent wings. Just wait and see how delicious our next meeting shall be, little Extinguisher."

"Enough!" Tiernan snapped, and the fairy went still. "We can't break the sanctity of asylum but asylum can only be invoked for political reasons, and Aideen Evergreen is a murderess on the run. That is not a matter of politics."

"She denies the allegations." I leveled my stare at him. "She claims that Dylan Thorn was killed while trying to help her escape from those who would murder her."

"Those are fascinating claims." Tiernan's face went pensive. "But why should we believe them?"

"She says they want her dead because she has information about a fairy threat against humanity," I continued. "A plot to exterminate my entire race."

"She's lying of course," the lone female in their group snapped. "A desperate bid for her life."

"Perhaps." I nodded at the redhead. "But her claims are serious enough that we need to take her to the Human Council and let them decide. If they find her information to be false, we will hand her over to you."

"Hmm." Tiernan glanced over at the others. "Sounds fair enough. Which council house will you be taking her to?"

"The closest." My father shrugged.

"San Francisco?" Tiernan asked, and my dad nodded. "We shall see you there."

"If not sooner." The winged man grinned at me as they walked by; skirting the flames of my circle.

"Come by anytime," I called to him. "I'll be happy to wear those claws on a necklace and those wings will look good on my wall."

The winged fairy stopped in his tracks, turned, and started to head back over to me, but Tiernan grabbed him by the shoulder, hissed something in his ear, and then shoved him in the direction of the car. Tiernan and the two dark sidhe got into the car while Mr. Death on Silent Wings leapt into the air and disappeared. His shining aura flared brighter; giving away his location as he flew off.

After all signs of the winged fairy were gone from the sky, the sports car purred to life and drove away. Silver eyes flashed at me through the windshield as the car went by and another shiver fluttered down my spine. I stood with my father; staring down the street for a good five minutes after we lost sight of them before I opened the door to the SUV and let my flames die out.

"Thank you," Aideen said as she eased out; her cuffed hands held before her.

"Someone really wants you dead," I observed. "Those were some serious players."

"Yes, I know." She cast a worried look down the road. "The one who threatened you is called Ryvel. He's known for his cruelty; even among the vicious soldiers of the Hunt. Lord Tiernan is the only one who can control him, and his team is sent after the most dangerous criminals."

"Well if this Ryvel comes after my daughter, he'll find out what true cruelty is," my dad said in such a calm, matter-of-fact way, it even gave me the shivers.