Confessions of a Dangerous Fae (The Supernatural Spy Files Book 1) Read online

  Confessions of a Dangerous Fae

  The Supernatural Spy Files - Book One

  Jenna Wolfhart

  This book was produced in the UK using British English, and the main setting is Edinburgh. Some spelling and word usage may differ from US English.

  Confessions of a Dangerous Fae

  Book One in The Supernatural Spy Files

  Copyright © 2019 by Jenna Wolfhart

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, or events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Covers by Juan

  Map of Castle Wraith adapted from Plan of Edinburgh Castle by Jonathan Oldenbuck under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Also by Jenna Wolfhart

  Map of Castle Wraith

  The Raven Court

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Also by Jenna Wolfhart

  The Supernatural Spy Files

  Confessions of a Dangerous Fae

  Confessions of a Wicked Fae

  The Paranormal PI Files

  Live Fae or Die Trying

  Dead Fae Walking

  Bad Fae Rising

  One Fae in the Grave

  Innocent Until Proven Fae

  All’s Fae in Love and War

  The Bone Coven Chronicles

  Witch’s Curse

  Witch’s Storm

  Witch’s Blade

  Witch’s Fury

  Protectors of Magic

  Wings of Stone

  Carved in Stone

  Bound by Stone

  Shadows of Stone

  Otherworld Academy

  A Dance with Darkness

  A Song of Shadows

  A Touch of Starlight

  Dark Fae Academy

  A Cage of Moonlight

  A Heart of Midnight

  Order of the Fallen

  Ruinous

  Nebulous

  The Raven Court

  Queen of Faerie

  Clark Cavanaugh (The Morrigan)

  The King Consort

  Balor Beimnech (The Smiter)

  Houses within the United Kingdom

  House Beimnech (England)

  Led by Queen Clark Cavanaugh

  House Futrail (Northern Ireland)

  Led by Master Tiarnan Breathnach

  House Driscoll (Wales)

  Led by Master Rhiannon Rees

  House Athaira (Scotland)

  Led by Master Athaira Archer

  Court of Wraiths (Scotland)

  Led by King Lugh Tuireann

  Master is a unisex title that can refer to both male and female fae leaders. They defer to the Queen.

  Solitary fae - a fae who is not a member of the Court and is lacking the full strength of their powers.

  1

  My sword tumbled into the sea.

  “Bollocks,” I muttered to myself. And to the half dozen werewolves sizing me up like I was a raw steak dinner they couldn’t wait to chomp into with their massive canines.

  I stood on the swinging bridge that stretched between the Shivering Sands Fort and the Red Sands Fort, twin hulks of rusted metal that squatted on stilts above the Thames Estuary. It was the home of the Pack, and they didn’t fancy hosting visitors for tea and biscuits.

  To prove that point, they’d shifted into their wolf forms as soon as I’d stepped foot on the bridge. And calling it a bridge was paying the thing a compliment I didn’t think it deserved. With the rotting wood planks and the thin ropes that served as handrails, it was more like a tightrope that would snap at any second.

  “Who are you?” A shifter in the form of a man stepped out through the open doorway at the end of the bridge. Tall and grizzled and built like a tank, Anderson had been the alpha of the Pack for the past two years.

  He didn’t recognize me, even though we’d met before. Thanks to my black wig and pink contacts, I didn’t look much like myself at all: Moira Talmhach with golden hair and matching eyes that lit up even in the dark.

  Normally, I’d hide my identity by getting the assistance of a fae skilled in glamour. But we didn’t have anyone with that ability at Court. Not anymore.

  The loss of Elise, my best and oldest friend, my sister in spirit and soul, still left me with a hole in my heart. Even if we’d found a new fae skilled in glamour, I wouldn’t have agreed to ask for help. It would feel like too much of a betrayal, even though I knew Elise would have given me a bemused smile and then told me I was being a muppet.

  I sucked in a deep breath and shifted my attention back on the task at hand.

  “Name’s...Anna.” Couldn’t very well tell him my real name, now could I? “I’m a shifter, too, and I heard about your place out here. I thought I’d come and check it out…?”

  Anderson’s nostrils flared as he took a long sniff. “You stink of feline. What are you, a cat?”

  I reeked of feline because I’d spent the entire morning at a cat pub in London. I still had their fur stuck all over my jeans. Best way to convince a shifter you’re one of them? Smell like an animal.

  A low growl erupted from a mangy-haired wolf that squatted precariously on the bridge. Shivers went through me, but I stood my ground. The Morrigan, my Queen, had trusted me with this mission, and I would never let her down.

  “Yeah, I’m a cat.”

  Anderson rubbed a beefy hand against his jaw. “You know you just stepped foot into a wolf pack, right? Wolves and cats don’t mix.”

  While I’d been so focused on the wolves in front of me, I hadn’t noticed that one behind me had shifted back into his human form. He spoke up in a growl. “Why’d you bring a sword, eh?”

  I shifted on my feet. My mind whirred to come up with an explanation. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell you the truth. Some friends and I were talking about this place, and they dared me to come out here and get inside. A thousand quid is on the line.” I shrugged. “I’d do anything for a thousand quid.”

  Anderson’s eyebrow winged upward. “And the sword?”

  “I’m a cat sneaking into a den of wolves. I’d be a muppet to come unarmed.”

  “You’re a muppet,” the shifter from behind me growled as he stepped closer, “to come at all.”

  Alright. Mission aborted. I wasn’t going to talk myself into their fort after all. My only hope now was getting out of this alive.

  “Actually.” Anderson held up a hand, and my heart restarted. “I appreciate a dare. Takes moxie. Something most cats don’t have.”

  I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Cats have plenty of moxie, evidenced by the deep gashes on my left arm. I’d petted a black kitten for too long, ap
parently, and she had been quick to communicate her displeasure.

  “I’d only need to come inside for a minute.” I tried on a smile, even though a scowl was my expression of choice most of the time. “And take a picture.”

  Anderson spun on his heels and waved for me to follow. Eagerly, I minced across the rest of the swinging bridge, careful not to falter and tumble into the sea after my sword. The wolves skulked through the rusted door, clearly irritated that their night wouldn’t end with a feline snack.

  The alpha led me inside. The dimly-lit hallway shortly ended at a large room that had been fitted as a living area. I glanced around, impressed. They’d done a lot of renovations on the place. Gone were the rusted walls and stained yellow carpets. Instead, a gleaming hardwood floor reflected the wrought-iron sconces that hung along the plastered and painted walls.

  I’d been here once before, hence the disguise and the whole feline shifter story. I didn’t want the werewolves to know that I’m fae.

  Relations between our two factions were…troubled, to put it mildly. That had a lot to do with the fact the werewolves had started dipping their toes into criminal waters. Rumours had been flying for months. No one knew exactly what they were up to, but tales suggested it was nothing good.

  And I was here to find out.

  “Right. You’re inside now. Take your picture.” And get out, were the unspoken words that followed.

  Anderson waved his arms at the living area. The biggest T.V. I’d ever seen hung on the far wall between twin windows. Several leather sofas were clustered around it, along with a few armchairs and neon-coloured bean bags. An antique rug covered that corner of the floor. It was pretty cozy. But it wasn’t what I had come here to see.

  “Wicked.” I held up my phone and snapped a pic. “Mind if I use your toilet? I downed a pint before rowing out here. For moxie. I need a wee. Bad.”

  Anderson let out a low growl, but gave a nod. He pointed at a hallway on the opposite end of the room. “Three doors down to your right. But make it quick. We have some Pack business to attend to, and we can’t have any cats lurking around.”

  My ears pricked up. Pack business. That sounded promising.

  I shot Anderson a grateful smile—fake, of course—and scuttled out of the room. Another dimly-lit hallway stretched out before me. This one hadn’t been renovated like the rest. Rust clung to the sagging walls. Lightbulbs flickered like something out of a horror film. The stench of dirt and salt swirled through the cramped space. I wrinkled my nose and ducked into the loo.

  I kept the door cracked but flicked on the lights. And almost gagged. Mildew spread across the cracked linoleum and a yellowish gunk filled the sink. The toilet lid was shut. I had no intention of opening it. No telling what I’d find inside.

  Instead, I pressed a hand against the doorframe and turned my pointed ear toward the hallway. I slowed my breathing, focusing on the distant murmur of voices. My enhanced fae hearing sparked to life like a rush of adrenaline through my veins. Everything around me dimmed. The feel of the rough wood beneath my hands faded until it was a dull shape against my fingers.

  “We don’t welcome fae here.” The voice was rough and familiar. Anderson. A chill went through me. I thought I’d convinced the alpha of my story. The last thing I wanted to do was vault out of the window and plummet into the churning water below the fort. I’d done it once before, and it hurt like hell.

  Another voice spoke up in response. Smooth and melodic with a heavy Scottish accent. “I was told you’re willing to sell to any bidder, regardless of their supernatural origin. If not, I’m happy to take my money elsewhere.”

  I let out a tiny exhale. So, that was the fae. Not me. I could tell by the strange otherworldly tremor of his voice. Shifters don’t sound like that. Neither do vampires. Humans especially don’t.

  Which begged the question…why was another fae here?

  I turned my attention back onto the conversation.

  “No, no.” Anderson cleared his throat. “Just tell me what you’re after, and I’ll see what I can do.”

  “A cauldron,” the fae answered.

  I wrinkled my nose. Like, a sorcerer’s cauldron? What would a fae want with one of those?

  Anderson let out a low whistle, and I winced. High-pitched noises never felt great when I had my enhanced hearing turned up to maximum. Like nails against chalkboard, only ten times worse.

  “The name of this cauldron happen to be what I think it is?”

  “Most likely.”

  “So, it’s true then,” the alpha replied, voice gruff. “The Scotland fae are plotting against the Morrigan. You lot want to steal her crown.”

  A finger of ice slipped down my spine. The corners of my vision went dark. The Morrigan was the Queen of the fae. My Queen. If someone was plotting against her…

  “I’d rather not share what I plan to use it for,” the fae crisply replied. “Can you find it for me or not?”

  “This may take some effort. And time.” I heard the scribble of a pen on paper. “This is my quote for my services.”

  My heart thumped as my brain whirred with this new information. I understood Anderson’s operation here now. He found things and delivered them to the highest bidder. It wasn’t an illegal operation, unless the objects themselves were inherently dangerous.

  And it sounded like this cauldron was.

  I needed to find out more.

  Just as I pressed myself closer to the crack in the door, light splashed on the rusted hallway floor. I sucked in a breath and stepped back but not before a pair of black boots followed the light. Twin ominous shadows stretched out behind them. I dragged my eyes up. A fae unlike any I’d ever seen stood before me.

  He was impossibly tall with jet black hair and eyes that matched. The angles of his face were sharp and strong. Slim but well-muscled, his black shirt clung to him like a second skin. Power radiated off his body and curled toward me, wisps of his magic lingering against my neck.

  I found it hard to breathe.

  He smirked. “Lost?”

  I shook my head and slammed the loo door on his face. My heart raced so fast that I had to sag against the wall to catch my breath. What the hell was wrong with me? So, I’d been caught spying on Anderson’s visitor. No big deal. A nosy shifter kitten would have done the same bloody thing.

  Their conversation echoed in my mind. Forget about photographic evidence. I needed to get back to the Court. That fae was plotting against the Queen. And judging from the look of him, he wasn’t going to be easy to beat.

  2

  I stood in the throne room before the Queen, also known as the Morrigan. Or, in my case, just Clark. We’d been friends before she’d ascended to her throne two years ago, and I rarely followed the protocol of titles. She didn’t mind, and it was one of the things I liked about her. She’d give her left arm—and then her right one for good measure—for any of us, and then she’d buy us a pint.

  “Moira, what’s wrong?” She stood from her place on the fae throne, a carved wooden chair with a pair of raven wings that flared out on either side. It signified her bond with the birds. Clark was half-shifter instead of full fae. Most of us didn’t mind, but some still did. Like this mysterious male I’d run into at the fort.

  I’d tossed the brunette wig in the bin on my way to the throne room, and my golden locks hung in loose waves around my shoulders. “I found out what Anderson is up to. You’re probably going to want to call in the others.”

  She searched my eyes and then turned to the male beside her. Her husband, Balor Beimnech. The two of them were mated, giving them a bond that most fae spent their entire lives dreaming of.

  Not me. I hoped I never met my mate.

  Muscular and brimming with power, Balor was one of the strongest living fae alive. Clark gave him a slight nod, and he strode out of the room without another word.

  A moment later, he returned. With him, he’d brought the “managers” of the royal guard stationed in London. Kyle, a
skinny, wiry male who was our resident computer expert. Ondine and Eoin, who took care of general security matters and paperwork, and Ronan, who wasn’t even a fae. He was full shifter, a wolf like the others, but he’d sworn his allegiance to Clark.

  There were many more members of the royal guard than this, but they were on duty, patrolling the grounds, watching the security cameras. Some were on missions, like the one I’d just done, to keep on top of supernatural activities.

  Clark gave a solemn nod to each of the guard team. “Moira has some news she’d like all of us to hear.”

  I took a deep breath and filled them in on everything I’d heard. It didn’t take long for the team to start peppering me with questions.

  Who was he?

  Is he part of House Athaira?

  What else did he say?

  I threw up my hands. “I don’t know. He was literally on his way out the door, and I couldn’t exactly ask Anderson these questions. He was suspicious enough when they spotted me eavesdropping.”

  “What about the name of the cauldron?” Clark asked. “If we could find that out, Kyle could do some research for us. It is obviously linked to this plot against the crown.”

  I shook my head. “They never said it out loud.”

  “Right.” Clark nodded. “It’s settled then. “We need someone to go to Scotland and find out what they’re planning. Find out what this cauldron is and make sure they don’t get it. And Moira, I would like that someone to be you.”