Free The Cursed (League of the Black Swan) by Alyssa Day Page B

Rio.”
    She automatically scanned Elisabeth’s thoughts with the gentlest touch and realized that, although Elisabeth was obviously Merelith’s niece—the girl looked like a tiny copy of the Fae—she was also human.
    “Clearly, it was a gross misunderstanding combined with unacceptable stupidity,” Dalriata said calmly, as if he weren’t facing down the Dark Wizard of Bordertown.
    On the other hand, he was new. Maybe he didn’t know.
    “My daddy is human,” Elisabeth said wistfully, distracting Rio from the budding confrontation. “He lets me eat hot dogs at the baseball games. My mommy went to France for a job, though, and he went along. They’ll be home soon, I hope. Have you seen Auntie Merelith? She’s going to be so angry I was late.”
    “She’s going to be so happy you’re safe that she’ll probably let you eat all the hot dogs you want,” Rio said, hugging the girl closer.
    “No, she won’t. There are
rules
,” Elisabeth said, either consciously or unconsciously imitating Merelith’s icy voice so perfectly that Rio nearly shivered.
    “And what are you planning to do about your stupidity problem?” Luke mocked, as he sauntered closer to Dalriata, placing himself between the man and Rio.
    Since she couldn’t see him anymore, she sent out a feeler toward his thoughts and got back exactly zero. Dalriata’s mind was closed up tighter than a bottle of whiskey at a meeting of the Bordertown Temperance Union.
    “A gift for the child’s family, as my offer of recompense,” Dalriata said. “I would prefer if your lovely companion retrieves it from my desk. You will understand if I’d rather you keep your distance.”
    “Not a chance,” Luke snarled. “You keep your eyes and your thoughts off her.”
    “But you are the one who invited my attention by bringing her with you, are you not?”
    Rio was fed up with being talked about as if she weren’t in the room. She stood, pulling the girl with her.
    “I’m right here, gentlemen. You can talk
to
me, instead of
about
me.”
    She leaned down to whisper in Elisabeth’s ear. “Go stand behind Luke, okay, sweetie? We’ll be leaving and taking you to your aunt in just a few minutes.”
    The girl shuddered once, all over, like a tiny fawn caught in a blizzard, but then she nodded and obediently followed Rio to the center of the room and stopped directly behind Luke. Rio continued until she was even with Luke and then paused to take a better look at the man who could consider abducting a child to be nothing more than an unpleasantry.
    Dalriata wore a suit that had probably cost more than Luke’s Jeep. His bronze hair waved back over a strong face that looked only about a generation away from gracing a golden coin. His brown eyes assessed her coolly, as if measuring her worth and finding her slightly—and only slightly—interesting.
    “Rio of the many and varying last names, I’m assuming?” He smiled at her, and thoughts of earth-burrowing predators with strong, shiny teeth flashed through Rio’s mind. “I must apologize to you, as well. The Grendels and their former supervisor were, shall we say, overenthusiastic.”
    “Not very smart, either,” she pointed out.
    “One takes what one finds, I’m afraid. Good help, and all that.”
    “We’re leaving,” Luke said flatly. “Now. I’m sure that Elisabeth’s family will have their own conversation with you, but this is no longer my business. Stay out of my way, and keep your hands off the innocent people in Bordertown, and we’ll never have to see each other again.”
    “Now, what fun would that be?” Dalriata said mockingly. “After all, now the League owes me a favor.”
    Luke’s head snapped up, but before he could respond, Dalriata held up a basket that had been sitting on his otherwise pristine desktop.
    “Ms.
Stephanopoulos
? If you please?”
    Rio dodged Luke’s restraining hand and crossed the floor to accept the basket. “Since it’s an apology, we should take it. It