Or almost right.
"Ahem," said a high-pitched female voice from a spot above his right ear. "The universe has a message for Magnus Monroe."
Magnus's mood was too good not to smile. Despite the officiousness his invisible visitor was trying to put on, he knew it represented neither the "universe" nor his mother.
"All," he said, closing the refrigerator door. "Are you certain this message doesn't come from a small fairy? Maybe one who's too proud to admit she's deigning to speak to me?"
The air vibrated with a tense silence.
"The reason I ask," he continued casually, "is because if my honored guest were a small fairy, I'd feel obliged to tell her I mean her and her kind no harm. As an emigre myself, naturally I respect her choice to live in the human realm."
The air hummed a little harder. "Titania's blood has been known to lie, Big One."
"True," Magnus admitted. "But many say my father's blood runs truer in my veins." He turned to face the almost-glow in the air, catching an elusive hint of purple wings. "Come on, Rajel. I've seen you already, when you were hovering over Zoe's kitten. Why not show yourself and say what you came here for?"
The queen of Zoe's fairies blinked into visibility with her arms already folded across her chest. "Don't imagine we've forgotten your shameless ploy to suck up to us."
"Careful," Magnus teased. "You stay that grumpy long, and some more mirthful member of your flock is liable to steal your throne."
"As if!" Rajel exclaimed, demonstrating an admirable command of human attitude. "We all think this matter is serious."
"Tell me what it is then, queen, and maybe I'll think it's serious too."
Rajel squinted suspiciously at him, her wings beating so hard her sparkly yellow crown slid over one eye. She pushed the headgear level with one tiny hand. Finally, she huffed and landed on his countertop.
"I hope you think it's serious," she said. "Because if you don't sever your ties to Zoe, your mother is determined to do her harm."
"Zoe told me she showed up at the falls."
"She didn't just show up, Big One, she attacked Zoe with a self-doubt spell. If my flock and I hadn't saved her, Zoe would be a mass of insecurities the Will-Be couldn't do nice things for. Why, she might have gotten so bad she'd forget to believe in us!"
Magnus's face went cold. "Zoe didn't tell me that."
"She didn't know how dangerous it was."
Shaken, Magnus pulled a chair out from his kitchen table and sat. Zoe's confidence was an integral part of who she was. He couldn't imagine her without it and frankly didn't want to try. "We can't let my mother attack again."
"You can't let your mother attack." Rajel flew off the counter to land on his knee. Though she wasn't made of matter, her magic gave the impression that she weighed as much as his cell phone. "You're the reason Zoe is in danger."
"I can't return to Fairy," Magnus said. "And that's the only thing that would convince Titania to back off."
"You wouldn't go home even to save Zoe?"
"It's not that simple. My mother wants me under her thumb to solidify her position with the other nobles. If I refuse, she'll consider it an act of war. I saw what happened when my father tore the realms apart. I don't want our people to suffer that again."
Her Lilliputian size notwithstanding, Rajel understood a ruler's responsibility to protect her own. Her little face was sober.
"Then you need another plan," she said. "Zoe doesn't understand your mother's brand of magic. She won't know how to defend herself."
The answer came to him between one breath and another, no doubt the lingering effect of his recent attunement with the Will-Be.
"I have a plan," he said. "But it's going to require your help."
Zoe was as interested in Magnus's secrets as anyone, but after the night she'd spent, she needed shower time more. Leaving Bryan and Alex to their detecting, she grabbed her purse and shut the door. The solitude was immediately comforting. She'd made a choice tonight, possibly a choice that wasn't going to work out, but just knowing for sure what her heart desired was a relief. If nothing else, tonight proved she could be brave if she wanted to.
She felt renewed by the time she'd rinsed the last of the hotel's spicy soap down the drain—which was when the lovebirds, Samuel and Florabel, apparated in the middle of the spray.
"Hey!" she said, covering her br**sts.
"Outside the curtain!" Florabel scolded, pointing her finger firmly at her new boyfriend. "Remember your boy-girl human etiquette!"
Florabel didn't seem to realize Zoe might want privacy from her. Resigned, she asked the obvious. "Why are you here?"
"We need a curl of your hair. Please cut one off for us."
If this was an example of Florabel's communication skills, Zoe understood why her toaster still didn't work. "Am I allowed to know why?"
"We need it for a private bit of magic we can't talk about."
"A private bit of magic."
"It's very important."
"You're sure you're not going to use it to turn me into a toad?"
"Zoe!" Samuel cried from outside the curtain. His agitated shadow buzzed closer. "You are our human. We wouldn't harm you no matter what."
No matter what suggested their patience might have been tempted these last few days. Zoe supposed she ought to be glad they were talking to her at all.
"Fine," she said. "I guess I owe you for saving me and Alex at Fairy Falls."
"That invokes no debt," Samuel said with chivalrous outrage.
"Saving you was our honor," Florabel added.
"We'll take that curl, though. At least three inches, if you please."
Zoe stifled a sigh. She had a pair of scissors in her sewing kit. She still had no idea why they wanted a lock of hair, but her fairies had done so much for her, she couldn't start doubting them now.
Chapter Sixteen
Alex got his room service after all. He ordered steaks and baked potatoes for him and Zoe and a garden salad for Bryan. Bryan tended to get nervous if he'd recently eaten anything he liked too much. Alex figured he had one more day of watching his partner munch lettuce before his post-pizza guilt wore off.
Alex was looking forward to that. Bryan barely looked up from his laptop when Alex set his plate on the desk. Apparently, a pile of romaine and vinaigrette wasn't worth interrupting his Internet search on Magnus for. He only grunted when Alex asked how it was going, so Alex returned to the white-clothed table the waiter had set up.