Luka left the highway about twenty minutes later, and quickly the roads became smaller and more deserted until they travelled on nothing more than two tire ruts through fields and forest. Shortly after sunrise he pulled up to a cabin that looked strangely well kept for being so remote. Motioning her to stay put, he got out of the car and stood facing the cabin. She saw his lips moving slightly, then he put out a hand like he was going to catch something. He relaxed after a moment and opened the back door to pull out her bag.
"It's fine. You can come on in," he said with the first thing that resembled a smile.
She got out of the car slowly, noticing an electricity in the air. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was very prominent at the car. It lessened as she neared the wrap-around porch.
"What's the charge in the air?" Erin asked.
"So you can feel magic, if not sense your own," Luka replied with some satisfaction.
"That's the protection on this place I'm feeling?' she probed, taking a step back toward the car and trying to identify what was all around her.
"Yep," was all he said, opening the door of the cabin and stepping inside.
She felt suddenly exposed and rushed after him. The cabin was cool and dim, but she felt a sense of calm as soon as she entered. Luka had set her bag by the only door off the main room, and gone to the fireplace where he was placing wood in a small stack. He clicked his fingers and the fire lit. It was the first magic she'd actually seen performed, and to be honest, it struck her as kind of cheesy.
"Make yourself comfortable," he invited, waving her toward some worn furniture placed around the hearth. "I can make us some breakfast if you like.
"Some coffee would be great," Erin said, smiling that he seemed like a different person since they arrived here. He had been stern to downright scary before, while now he played the pleasant host. She didn't really understand anything so far, so Luka was just another mystery for her to decipher.
He measured out coffee into a regular coffee maker, using no magic Erin could discern. She wondered what tasks warranted magic, while others didn't.
He brought a tray that he placed on the coffee table in front of her, then he took a seat across from her and waited while she put cream and sweetener into her cup. When she sat back, he began, "You aren't human. We placed you in a human family when you were very young to protect you from the rebels who had killed the rest of your family. Our people have been waging civil war ever since."
"Don't try to break it to me easy or anything," Erin said, eyes wide. "How about telling me who 'our people' are?"
"We go by many names, but Fae is probably the most comprehensive, taking in all the magical people that make up our society," Luka said, eying her cautiously, as if expecting her to bolt at any moment.
"I'm a fairy?" she asked, laughing. When he nodded seriously, her laughter stopped abruptly.
"I'm a fairy," she said quietly, with wonder. Looking up she continued, "My family must have been important to be assassinated."
"They were our rulers."
She started shaking her head. Her emotions threatened to crack and send her into hysterical laughter again, but she remembered the dead clerk and it sobered her. "You're telling me I'm a fairy princess?"
"Yes, or more correctly, our Queen," Luka said, leaning forward to look into her eyes.
He continued to stare at her with those silver and green eyes, as if he was waiting for something. When she broke eye contact, he sat back and when she looked up again, he looked disappointed.
"That's a lot to take in," she said, "You realize it sounds absolutely crazy, right?"
"But you believe me," Luka said with absolute certainty.
She thought about everything that had happened the past twelve hours and realized she did believe him. Nothing made any sense, but still she believed him.
"So why are they trying to kill me now?" Erin asked.
"One of the handful of people that knew you survived the assassination attempt recently turned traitor. It was only a matter of time then before they tracked you down."
"And you've been watching me, to keep me safe?" she asked.
She thought she saw him blush before answering, "That is my job."
"Oh." She thought he did his job very well, but wasn't willing to say it for some reason. In the last few hours she had gone from being desperate to be away from him, to wanting to be kept as close to him as possible. She wasn't sure what she felt about him, really.
She sat sipping her coffee and thinking about what he had said. She had so many questions, but no idea where to start, and she got the feeling he had already said more than he was supposed to.
He didn't interrupt her ruminating. When he finished his coffee, he set his cup down and stared into the fire. His head started to bob, and eventually found it's place against the back of his chair. He snored softly.
Erin placed her cup on the tray and quietly rose from her seat. She walked to the door where her bag sat, and turned the knob. Inside was a bedroom with a king-sized bed. Beyond was the only bathroom. This set-up was likely to cause some problems very quickly, because as much as she might appreciate him saving her life, she wasn't planning on sharing his bed.
"I see you've taken the grand tour," he said from right behind her.
She jumped and turned so quickly she stumbled into him. Both hands flat on his chest, she again noticed how warm he felt, and how his muscles seemed to pulse. His face was just a few inches from hers, and he had grabbed her elbows to keep her from falling. His eyes were a darker mix of green and silver, and she noticed his lips were a little on the thin side, but when they pulled back into a smile, her heart skipped a beat.
Pulling away, she said, 'You startled me!"
His smile didn't fade and she was entranced by it.
"I'm sorry. One of my tricks, to move quietly and quickly," he said, aware of how his smile was affecting her.
She pulled her eyes away and turned back to the bedroom. "I hope you had a plan for sleeping arrangements."
