The Ruby Kiss by Helen Scott Taylor

of smoke appeared in the air between them. A man materialized from it, his tawny skin radiating a soft glow.
    Ruby crushed back against Nightshade, her pulse going crazy. “Blimey,” she said.
    “He’s a friend,” Nightshade whispered in reply. “A djinn. He won’t hurt you.”
    The newcomer glanced around, taking in the scene. He brushed back his black hair, revealing the pointed tip of an ear, while dark jewels adorning his ears and fingers glittered in the lamplight. His exotic masculine beauty took her breath away. When his gaze fell on Ruby, he flashed white teeth in a knowing grin, swept back the skirts of his long purple coat, and dipped downward in an elegant bow.
    “I’m Devin, Master of the Darkling Road. You must be Ruby.”
    With a beleaguered sigh, the Unseelie king came forward and rested an affectionate hand on Devin’s shoulder. “I should have known you’d contrive to involve yourself in this, djinn. You have a finger in every pie. You’re too much like your damn father for your own good.”
    The men talked then. Ruby didn’t hear the words. She could only stare with horrified curiosity at the king’s arresting golden eyes and the ridges of scar tissue that slashed his once handsome face as though he’d been savaged. Tiny skulls were worked into his long dark dreadlocks, but they lost all shock value beside his fearful disfigurement. He wore a tooled leather jacket with an upright collar, the garment decorated with an intricate pattern of swirls and symbols burned or carved into the leather, all of the designs finished with embedded gold and jewels.
    Ruby was so busy studying Twister that she only became aware of the grass creeping up her legs when their cold stalks reached the top of her boots. She jumped backward in surprise.
    “Damn and blast!” She’d been standing safely on a rock and not noticed that the grass growing nearby had found her. Nightshade’s arms tightened protectively, but she struggled to get away from him.
    “Let go. I need to move.”
    By the time she managed to extract herself from Nightshade’s embrace, the grass had reached her thighs and was insinuating itself beneath the hems of her pajama shorts. Mortifyingly aware of her audience, Ruby yanked open her dressing gown and tore at the stems. But as fast as she pulled them away, more took their place.
    Nightshade solved the problem by lifting her into his arms and stamping the writhing green strands to mush on the rock.
    “Th-Thank . . . you.” Ruby’s panicked breaths calmed, and she glanced around at Twister and Devin. Twister stared at her with a twinkle of amusement.
    “That was an interesting little diversion,” Devin announced with a wicked sparkle in his eyes. “What do you do for an encore?”
    Nightshade gathered her tighter against his chest and glared. “What in the Furies caused the grass to assault her?”
    Devin held up his palms in denial. “That was a new one on me.”
    Nightshade’s censorious gaze fixed on the Unseelie king, who thoughtfully rubbed a scar on his chin. He sidestepped Devin and grabbed one of the prostrate beak-noses by its collar, hauling it to its feet. The creature’s breath hissed in and out in distress.
    “You claim this is the woman I asked you to find, scavenger?”
    “Sniff her, my king. She is the new Mistress.” A murmur of surprise swept through the watching crowd.
    Ruby had just decided she should explain that it was her own fault the grass attacked her, but the word
mistress
snapped her attention back to the men. How could she have forgotten what the beak-noses said when they kidnapped her?
    She jerked upright in Nightshade’s arms, bracing an elbow against his chest, and glared at Twister. “You couldn’t pay me enough to be your mistress.”
    Devin chuckled, and Ruby rounded on him with narrowed eyes. “Or yours, Mr. Eye Candy. I’m not for sale.”
    “Hey, she thinks I’m eye candy,” Devin crowed, his grin widening.
    Nightshade growled and