Queen of the Fae: Book Two in the Fae Unbound Series (Fae Unbound Teen Young Adult Fantasy Series) Read Free

dangerous to other people since they’d come to London. However, James knew Thomas's interest in traveling to one of the elves’ fortresses to get to know his magical counterparts would be a very bad idea. 
    Thomas was convinced the elves would accept him as one of their own if he became a strong enough sorcerer, but Thomas was only one-fourth fae and one-eighth elf, and neither was by birth. He was one of the half-fae whose magic was the result of the remerge of what the fae called a wisp which  had been created when Faolan split the realms. They consisted of the magic that had been pulled from the bodies of humans who were less than half fae but had some fae blood.
    The fae viewed the wisps as abominations—lost pieces of fae magic that didn't have enough life essence to coalesce into a being. They were considered soul-less, much like the ghouls. They floated across the face of the world searching for the lost part of themselves. Even if the elves didn't hold Thomas responsible for Faolan's actions, they'd never accept a wisp-made fae in their midst. James thought it was unlikely the elves would greet Thomas at their gates with anything other than an arrow through the heart. 

     Stalking prey through a city is much easier than stalking it through a forest. Freoric had no difficulty shadowing Thomas on the busy London streets. So many humans in one place provided more than enough cover. In the forest, it would not be so simple. Silence and stealth would be necessary. Here, it was easy enough to dress human, pull his long hair back tight while making sure his ears were covered, leave his bow behind in favor of a short, sharp knife, and feign disinterest as he walked along behind the human who strode along from shop to shop, making purchases along the way.
    It took him by surprise when a slender young man who almost matched him in height fell into step with him and said, "I knew it would be an elf."
    Freoric looked at the young man and recognized him as the man who shared space with his prey. He had soft blue eyes and brown hair, and his expression made him appear older than Freoric judged him to be. He continued walking.
    The youth spoke again, "Thomas sensed someone had been following him. His magic is strong despite being only one-fourth fae. And who else would it be but an elf?"
    Freoric stopped and turned to face the young man. "Go away. You don't interest me. I don't know you."
    James knew that a geeky American boy was never going to impress an elvin warrior. Freoric had at least two inches on him and the glint of silver in his hair told James that Freoric would have been ready for battle for at least a hundred years. "Your ancestors knew me when I was Myrrdin."
    Freoric stopped and turned to face the man who shared a living space with Thomas. "My ancestors respected Myrrdin, but I don't know you ."
    "Myrrdin respected your ancestors. Me? I'm not thrilled to see you stalking my friend. Faolan has been dead for thousands of years. Thomas has no memories of being Faolan. All of that was wiped out when his amulet was destroyed to free the fae. Leave him alone. He isn't hurting you."
    "He intended to kill all of the fae, the same as he murdered Myrrdin. How can you defend him? He's an abomination."
    "No. Not anymore. He practically worships the elves like he once worshipped the church. He's no danger to you."
    "We'll decide that for ourselves."
    "He's under my protection."
    "As you say. I am only following him, for now. If I meant for him to be dead, he would be."

    James relaxed as he watched the elf round the corner in the opposition direction from the one Thomas had taken. He'd really bigged it up by playing the Myrrdin card. He hoped the elves didn't realize that he had no natural magic. The best he could manage was mixing up herbs for natural remedies like any non-magic-wielding New Age health-food nut. He had all the knowledge, he just didn't have the stuff to back it up the way Myrddin had. He hustled through