Rhapsodic (The Bargainer Book 1)

Jesus. He looks like an assassin—a bangable one.

“Why, Des?” The question I always come back to.
He studies me for a long moment. “Eventually, I will tell you,”

I swivel back to him. “You knew,” I say, remembering how he taunted my ex earlier. “You kissed me that first night knowing I was with Eli.”
My anger’s rising.

I stick my tongue at him.
“I saw that,” he says, not turning around.
Eyes at the back of his head, this one.

Kingdom of Fauna, ruled by Karnon, Master of Animals, Lord of the Wild Heart, King of Claws and Talons. Also known in certain parts as the mad king for his reclusive tendencies and his … eccentricities.

“The Kingdom of Flora is ruled by Mara, Queen of All that Grows, and her consort king, the Green Man. She rules over all plant life.” He writes their names out on the sheet of paper.

“There are two additional houses that usually go unrecognized, but are equally powerful—the Kingdom of Mar, which reigns over all bodies of water. And the Kingdom of Death and Deep Earth. These two houses keep themselves apart—Death doesn’t like to dabble in the land of the living, and the Kingdom of Mar likes to stay in its watery depths for the most part.

“These four kingdoms are: Night, Day, Flora, and Fauna.”

“The power players are at the top, none as powerful as the queen and king of fae—Titania and her king consort, Oberon, or the Mother and the Father, as we call them. They’re some of the oldest ancients still living. You don’t need to worry too much about them. Both have gone far Under the Hill, and they have taken the undying sleep.”

“You’re righter than you know, cherub. You did force me to leave you. Seven years is a long time to wait, especially for someone like me. A word of caution: I’m not leaving again.”