Free Falling

They call her Z and she is a handful ready to explode. She has entered the waragainst Gais and the Dark Fae and means to take him on all by herself. She is driven.Aaibhe, Queen of the Seelie has other plans, and she sends in Prince Danté to execute and preserve her wishes.Z and the prince meet and hackles go up on both sides. Oooh…no, they don’t like each other one bit. They bang heads at every turn, and those turns become a whirlwind of emotions and feisty Z, well, her attitude is ‘bring it.’ He was a prince, and he was at my front door? Why? Beneath his lightweight black leather jacket, he wore a black Polo shirt tucked into his Lauren blue jeans; his black leather belt held a gold buckle engraved with etchings. He wore gold-tipped Gucci boots. This Fae knew how to outfit himself. And then I looked into his eyes.I was struck by the depth of those golden eyes. I was taken by the sparkle of green flecks in the deep gold of their color, but as I looked I noticed a certain aloofness therein. I knew, without being told, this Fae was not happy to be here. Fine—I wasn’t happy about his being here, either. We were in agreement.His chin went up. “I am Danté, Prince of Lugh.”“Good for you, fella—now, what do you want?” I didn’t like his arrogant and cold demeanor, and I didn’t think I liked him, not one bit.“It is not what I want that brings me here, Daoine,” he snapped. “It is my queen’s wish.”Well, that got my interest. “Now why would Queen Aaibhe send you to me?”“Manners dictate that you should invite me in,” he answered grandly.I felt like laughing at him. Not nice, I know. “Maybe I don’t feel like being mannerly,” I countered. For some reason he hadn’t brought out the best in me. “Okay, the quicker I listen to what you have to say, the quicker I get rid of you.”“I wish that could be the case. I wish it more than you do, but apparently we are stuck with one another for a time,” he said on a heavy sigh. “You, Daoine child, are my assignment,” he snapped. “And as much as I wish it otherwise, there you are.”“That is your problem, not mine.” I wagged a finger at him. What the hell was this? Since when was I anyone’s assignment?“Well, I am making it your problem.” His smile was wicked, as though he were getting pleasure at my shock and discomfort. It was beyond tolerable. “OH! Get out of my home … NOW!”“Can’t—Queen Aaibhe has ordered me to take you on as an assignment. I am honor-bound to do so.” He inclined his regal head. “I am saying that willing or not … you have a houseguest—me.”