But then the Summer King had arrived, setting things into motion a bit sooner than Sionnach had planned, causing troubles as court faeries often did. Sionnach’s tail twitched at the thought of the disruption. He’d adjusted, but it made for a more harried plan than he’d have liked. It was messier than it should be. Despite everything, he was finally near to seeing progress. Rika saw the lure and was tempted.

“And what happened?” he prompted his spy.

“She’s with the mortal.”

“Annnd?” Sionnach drew the word out while his hands flitted in the air as if he could gesture his way into bending reality to his will. Sadly, he couldn’t.

The faery who’d carried the report to him was bright enough to know that there was an answer Sionnach sought and that he hadn’t delivered that answer. Still he tried. “They sit on a bench, and they sort of speak to each other.”

“Bo-ring. She’s been watching him for months, and she’s still—” Sionnach cut his own word off with a sigh. He despaired of her sometimes. After all his patience, Rika continued to thwart his plans. He needed her to come out of hiding. He’d set the bait out, all but delivered the boy to her, and still she resisted.

Mortals passed by as he pondered what to do next. There was an answer, and he’d find it. He was as clever as the fox that he resembled, and perhaps also as unscrupulous. Not quite. If he were, he’d have been even less honest with Rika. As it was, he skirted the border of lies in encouraging her interest in the boy.

As he rolled the quandary around in his mind, a mortal caught his attention. She looked a bit like Rika: short hair and a tiny frame, fierce in her posture despite her diminutive size. Unlike Rika, the mortal girl was all wrapped up in jeans and a low-cut top designed to flaunt her body. Perhaps that was what he needed to clear his mind, a mortal who looked like Rika but wasn’t likely to act like her. A flirtation would at least distract him. For all the talk of fey and mortals not mixing, there was something strangely appealing about time with mortals. Regent and solitary alike, faeries tended to be intrigued by mortals. Sionnach himself had dalliance after dalliance with them, none serious, all fleeting, but they fascinated him for long moments.

The girl paused as she noticed his attention. She smiled and then ducked her head.

Sionnach waited, watching as her gaze lifted to see if he watched her. Yes. She’ll do nicely. He didn’t look away from the new mortal as he instructed his spy, “Go threaten the boy. I’ll be along momentarily.”

The faery who’d brought the message loped off across the street, and Sionnach went to meet his newest mortal fascination.