Iron Kissed

"Did Fideal know about the collection?" I asked.

Tim considered it. "No. I don't think so. O'Do

"Okay." I took a deep breath. "Look, it might be dangerous to know about that collection. If he did manage to find something that belonged to the fae, they wouldn't want that known. And you, of all people, know how ruthless they are. Don't talk to the police or anyone else about it for now."

"You do think it was a fae who killed him," Tim said, sounding a little taken aback.

"The collection is gone," I said. "Maybe one of the fae sent someone after it, or maybe someone else believed O'Do

"Maybe," he said. "I only saw it the once. How about I do my best to write it down and we can take a look at them tonight?"

I remembered that I'd called him to cancel our di

He didn't give me a chance to say anything. "If I have all day to think about it, I should be able to put together most of it. I'll see Austin at school; we usually do lunch together. He saw O'Do

"Drawings would be terrific," I said. I could compare them to the drawings in Tad's friend's book. "Just remember that this is dangerous stuff."

"I will. See you tonight."

I hung up the phone.

I ought to call Adam and tell him what I was doing. I dialed the first number and then hung it up. It was easier to get forgiveness than permission—not that I should need permission. Getting a list of what O'Do

And Adam angry was really an awesome sight. Was I a bad person that I enjoyed it?

Laughing to myself, I went to work.

Tim opened his own door this time, and the house smelled of garlic, oregano, basil, and fresh-baked bread.

"Hi," I said. "Sorry I'm late. It took me a while to get the grease out from under my nails." I'd taken Gabriel and some chains out to the Rabbit after work and towed it home with my Vanagon. It had taken a little longer than I'd expected. "I forgot to ask what to bring so I stopped and picked up some chocolate for dessert."

He took the paper bag and smiled. "You didn't have to bring anything, but chocolate is—"

I sighed. "A girl thing, I know."

His smile widened. "I was going to say, it is always good. Come in."

He led me through the house and into the kitchen, where he had a small bowl of Caesar salad.

"I like your kitchen." It was the only room that seemed to have a personality. I'd been expecting oak cabinets and granite counter tops and I'd been right about the counters. But the cabinets were cherry, and contrasted nicely with the dark gray counters. Nothing too daring, but at least it wasn't bland.

He looked around with a frown. "Do you think it looks all right? My fiancée—ex-fiancée—told me I needed a decorator for the kitchen."

"It's lovely," I assured him.

A bell chimed and he opened the oven door and pulled out a small pizza. My oven's timer buzzes like an angry bee.

The smell of the pizza distracted me from my oven-envy.

"Now that smells marvelous," I told him, closing my eyes to get a better sniff.

A red flush tinted his cheeks at my compliment as he slid it onto a stone round and cut it with expert speed. "If you'll get the salad and follow me, we can eat."

Obediently I took the wooden bowl of greens and followed him through the house.

"This is the dining room," he told me u

"Out here" was a small circular room surrounded by windows. The shape of the room was i

Tim set the pizza on the small oak table and opened the roman blinds so we had a view of his backyard.

"I keep the curtains down most of the time, or it gets like an oven in here," he said. "I suppose it will be nice in the winter."

He'd already set the table, and like the kitchen, his tableware was a surprise. Handmade stoneware plates that didn't match exactly, either in size or color, but somehow complemented each other, and handmade pottery goblets. His was blue with a cracked glaze finish and mine brown and aged-looking. There was a pitcher on the table, but he'd already filled the glasses.

I thought of Adam's house and wondered if he still used his ex-wife's china the way Tim obviously used the stuff his ex-fiancée or maybe the decorator had chosen.

"Sit, sit," he said, following his own advice. He put a piece of pizza on my plate, but allowed me to get my own salad and a generous helping of some kind of baked pear dish.

I took a cautious sip of the contents of my glass. "What is this?" I asked. It wasn't alcoholic, which surprised me, but something both sweet and tart.

He gri

I sipped again. "Yes, please."

"I noticed you're limping."

I smiled. "I stepped on some glass. Nothing to worry about."

We both quit talking as we dug into the meal with appetite.

"Tell me about your friend," he said as he ate. "The one the police think killed O'Do

"He's a grumpy, fussy old man," I said. "And I love him." The pears had some sort of brown sugar glaze. I expected them to be too sweet, but they were tart and melted in my mouth. "Mmm. This is good. Anyway, right now he's ticked off at me for poking my nose into this investigation." I took a deep drink. "Or else he thinks it's dangerous and I'll quit investigating if he makes me think he's angry with me." Zee was right, I talked too much. Time to shift the conversation Tim's way. "You know, I'd have thought you would be angry with me when you found out I had an ulterior motive for attending your meeting."

"I always wanted to be a private investigator," Tim confided. He'd finished his food and was watching me eat with a pleased expression. "Maybe if I liked O'Do

"Were you able to come up with a list?" I asked.

"Oh, yes," he lied.

I frowned at him and put down my fork. I'm not as good at smelling a lie as some of the wolves. Maybe I'd misread his response. It seemed like an odd thing to lie about.

"Did you make sure that Austin wouldn't talk about it to anyone?"

He nodded and his smile widened. "Austin won't tell anyone. Finish up your pears, Mercy."

I had eaten two bites before I realized something was wrong. Maybe if I hadn't been fighting this kind of compulsion with Adam, I wouldn't have noticed anything at all. I took a deep breath and concentrated, but couldn't smell any magic in the air.

"This was terrific," I told him. "But I'm absolutely full."

"Take another drink," he said.

The juice or whatever it was tasted better with every sip—but…I wasn't thirsty. Still, I'd swallowed twice before I thought. It wasn't like me to do anything someone told me to do, let alone everything. Maybe it was the juice.

As soon as the doubt touched my mind, I could feel it. The sweet liquid burned with magic and the goblet throbbed under my hand—so hot that I was surprised my hand wasn't smoking.

I set the old thing down on the table and wished the stupid book had included a picture of Orfino's Bane—the goblet that the fairy had used to rob Roland's knights of their ability to resist her will. I'd bet it would match the rustic goblet beside my plate.