Read Online Dragon Fae (The World of Fae) by Terry Spear - Free Book Online Page A

meals, she hadn’t time beyond creating new culinary disasters or successes—depending on Ena’s luck—to do anything else.
    Ena figured someone would give her a hard time about her choice of accommodations for the prisoner, and sure enough, her guess was Ryker. The butler said, “Is…” Then seeing her sharp look—for once, and probably the only time ever—he bowed his head and said, “Aye, mistress.”
    That was a first, and she suspected she’d hear an earful from him later. It shocked her so she wasn’t sure whether she should be thrilled that he’d behaved, or feel at a loss that he wasn’t his usual outspoken self. She believed, owing to the fact that Brett was a prisoner and not her usual sort of guest, her butler had curbed his tongue just this once. But she knew also the peace couldn’t last.
    She also knew he had to be worried about the human, most likely because Brett had killed fae before. In fact, she noted everyone looked a little anxious from wringing hands to wringing aprons, to furtive glances in Brett’s direction.
    “He won’t kill anyone. He has nowhere else to go. And he would have to deal with me if he causes any trouble.” She said so for his benefit as well as her staff’s.
    “I’ve prepared salmon steaks, mistress,” Lila said, looking much more relieved. “If you are ready, I will serve them at once.”
    “Yes, do and thanks.” Ena entered the dining hall where portraits of her family, in dragon form flying against a pale blue sky, hung prominently against the gray stone walls.
    She noted Brett was studying each of the portraits. She wasn’t sure if he was admiring them, or thinking what a mess he’d gotten himself into. Probably the latter. Unless he was a big fan of dragons—in a purely fantastical way.
    She really wasn’t sure what she was going to do with the human. Make him one of her servants, she supposed. She was curious whether he’d turn into a full-fledged fae, and which one, if he did so. And what would happen then.
    If he ended up with powers that could beat hers, she might be in for a real fight. Or what if he came from a powerful family and they took issue with her keeping him as her servant? Best to keep him halfway content.
    As soon as she took her seat at her favorite spot at the center of the long onyx table, she pulled her high-backed chair covered in soft black velvet underneath the polished black wood. She meant to have Brett seated on the other side of the table across from her to show she was the boss, and she didn’t sit next to the prisoner. But when she heard her brother and his friend, Alton, enter the foyer of her keep, their voices loud and boisterous, designed to irritate her to no end, she quickly motioned to Brett to sit beside her.
    She knew she’d have to protect her human and she knew the human was the reason why her brother had made this unexpected visit, when she’d told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t to visit unless she invited him. She hadn’t planned to do that anytime soon. If ever.
    Not that she didn’t care for her brother. She did. But he had a way of getting on her nerves—a little teasing could go a long way—which meant she preferred non-existent visits.
    She had to admit she wouldn’t have minded seeing Alton, if her brother hadn’t been with him. Although she was fairly certain Alton would be just as annoyed about her taking on the task of caring for a human prisoner.
    “Well,” Halloran said, walking into the dining room with a bit of a swagger, his black hair longer than hers, which she always thought ironic, his green eyes just as light colored—but that would brighten when he became dragon like hers did.
    He was tall, six feet—which made him a more imposing dragon than she was. Males did have that advantage. She didn’t even look in Alton’s direction because she was way too concerned about what her brother was up to.
    Halloran’s gaze shifted from her to Brett. “So here is the fae seer