A Whisper of Rue (The Trouble With Elves Book 5) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  A Whisper of Rue

  The Trouble With Elves, Book 5

  Decadent Kane

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or

  persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A Whisper of Rue

  Copyright © 2015 Decadent Kane

  Cover Artist: Fiona Jayde

  Editor: Amanda Siemen

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations

  embodied in reviews.

  Books by Decadent Kane

  Trouble with Elves Series

  Ribbon of Darkness

  Tempting Clover

  Steele Your Soul

  A Hint of Cayenne

  A Whisper of Rue

  Dedicated to my father, Stephen.

  Chapter One

  The folded letter resting on the wood floor told Rue two things: first, someone had been in her tree house; second, it was only the beginning. Rue looked around her home to check if anything had come up missing. Upon first glance, everything seemed, as it should be. The bedroom door was still shut, as she’d left it earlier. The kitchen still gleamed, with a single daisy sitting in a vase on the island counter. Even the den looked untouched. Her files were stacked neatly on the corner of her work desk and the hutch that held her mother’s trinkets remained locked and lit up, as always. Rue walked across the room to check the trinkets anyway. There were four total. A cat with emerald green eyes and a white body curled up in a ball and a black dragon spreading its wings sat on the first shelf. A black and silver masquerade mask rested on the middle shelf. The lowest shelf held a small flat-bottomed glass ball filled with petrified fairy dust. Which looked like a rock with crystals infused in it, only it randomly changed colors. None of it was valuable to anyone but Rue, and inside her heart pounded with relief. They were all she had left of her mother and she’d never known her father.

  Rue ran her slender fingers through her short white hair. As a lone elfess living in this particular olive tree, clear out in the middle of Daisy Meadow, she assumed whatever was in that note held significant importance to find its way out here, practically the middle of elfing nowhere. She lived out of town for a reason, being the only female private investigator in the area didn’t make her many friends. Most thought she inappropriately worked a male’s job. Females often found Rue “lacking.” She bent down to pick up the letter and took the seat at her desk. Lacking had never been a word she applied to herself and she took great satisfaction in not being a prissy elfess waiting around for a mate to come along. She didn’t need nor want a mate, she could take care of herself just fine, and she wasn’t afraid of a little self-pleasure.

  When she unfolded the paper, an earpiece fell out along with hand written instructions. Rue did not recognize the writing:

  Rue Devore,

  Put on the earpiece. No matter what happens, don’t take it off. Don’t fail to use it as a life hangs in the balance. Once the person dies, you’re next.

  No signature or name ended the letter. Rue rolled the earpiece around in her hand. Could it be a trick? Who would play a game like this with her? With her curiosity running rampant, she raised a brow at the small black object.

  She’d have to use the damn thing, even if there wasn’t a life on the line. She had to know where it led and why. Who would have left it? How did they get it in her home? Where was the person? One of the things that made her a good P.I. was her intense curiosity. Once a challenge had been given, and the mystery had been set before her, there would be no turning back. She had to know. It was like a curse needing to seek out the answer, to complete whatever test or difficulty lay before her. Perhaps it had been inherited by some long past ancestor, Rue didn’t know, and no matter how this overwhelming curious nature came to be within her, she had to sate it. Every elfing time.

  It appeared to be a standard earpiece. Well, other than a strange voice on the opposite end. While these types of technical objects were mostly found in the human realm several devices found their way to the elven realm out of curiosities by elves, and magic was a great use for many things including electronic. Once the thing was in place, she’d have a mighty hard time getting it out because of the tiny size. It would fall right into her ear and stay there. The letter said death would come if it wasn’t used. Who would want to kill her? Despite being a general outcast, she didn’t have “enemies”. Sure, she’d pissed an elf off a time or two over an affair or some lost valuable, but none had ever wanted to physically harm her. She was just doing her job, the job they’d hired her to do.

  This case wouldn’t be like her work and the payment didn’t result in money, the payment would be living...

  With that final thought mulling around in her head, Rue dropped the piece down in her left ear. She held her breath and waited for some odd voice to come across, but nothing happened. She exhaled with the silence. Perhaps it had all been some elaborate joke.

  “I knew you’d see reason,” a steady voice said. It was masculine and low. Not quite a whisper.

  Rue jumped at the sound. “Who is this?” Rue sat back in her chair. Could she even be heard on the other end?

  “The name’s Gage, Gage Evans. You don’t know me, but I know you.” His voice held a glimmer of amusement.

  Rue crossed her arms. “You left the note. How’d you get in here, and what do you want?” She wished she had someone to stare down instead of talking to air.

  “I didn’t come into your home and if you listen to everything I say, and do as you’re told, then no harm will come to anyone.” Gage’s voice didn’t falter, hitch, or change pitch. It stayed rock steady as if he were talking to a friend.

  “Do as I’m told?” Rue huffed. Her anger flared up. “Who do you think you are?” No one ever told her what to do, not since she was a wee elfling, and her mother had been the last to have that ability.

  He sighed in her ear. “Rue, there are things you don’t yet comprehend. I told you who I am and if you don’t do as you’re told, I can’t save you.”

  She cocked her eyebrow. “Before this point, my life wasn’t in danger, and if you know anything about me then you know I’m capable of saving myself should the need arise. What are you going to do if I don’t do it?” Satisfied with herself, Rue walked into the kitchen. She pulled out her strawberries and kiwi and took a healthy bite of each one, savoring their sweet tangy taste. Fruit was a food she would die for.

  “I can’t tell you just yet. But I can make sure you know that if my instructions are not followed, the repercussions will be great.” His voice came out flat, cold.

  “Is that a threat mister?” Rue glared at her fruit, mainly because she had nothing else to glare at.

  He didn’t respond right away. Rue ate three more pieces before Gage finally spoke again.

  “Go to Whisper Waterfall and take the emerald eyed cat with you.”

  Rue stilled. “How did you get in here? Are you still here? Where are you?” She turned in a circle, double-checking the area. Very few people knew about the objects she kept from her mother. Her eyes landed on t
he closed bedroom door. She tip toed over to the room and carefully turned the knob, clenching her teeth in an attempt to calm her thundering heart. The door slowly drifted open. She ducked down and half crawled into her room. A little light came from the small window above her bed, it barely lit the room. She didn’t find anyone there and everything lay just as she’d left it.

  “I told you, I didn’t go into your house.” Rue could hear the amusement in his voice and it pissed her off. “You need to be at the waterfall by sundown.”

  “Again, why am I doing this? You have nothing over me.” Except the creepy way he knew about the personal items in her house, the letter, and the must obey attitude.

  “You’ll have to listen to something horrible happen,” his voice lowered and the amusement disappeared.

  A chill ran its icy finger down her spine, goosebumps chasing it. Rue shook it off and headed back to the kitchen. He was trying to get to her. “I’m so terrified that I have to listen.” Sarcasm dripped from her words. What did he expect? The things he was saying didn’t really make her believe she was in danger let alone anyone else.

  “Don’t worry then, it will hurt me more than it hurts you, this time.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “Guess you’ll either find out or you won’t. I hope for your sake, you don’t find out.” He took a deep breath expelling it in her ear and Rue almost thought she could feel it. She shivered.

  “This doesn’t scare me.” She pulled her boots off and let them fall, one by one to the floor. She needed a shower. Then it occurred to her he would probably hear her shower. He would be able to hear her do everything and that stopped her. “Are you always going to be listening?”

  “I have the same ear piece in my ear, I hear what you hear, and you hear what I hear.”

  “You are one twisted guy.” Great, she had a creepy audience. Did this fall under stalking?

  “At least we’re even.”

  Until I find a way to get the stupid thing out of my ear. She wanted a good mystery as much as the next PI, but not at the invasion of her privacy.

  “You won’t get it out now,” Gage said as if he could read her thoughts.

  “There is no way, no matter whose life is on the line, I’m going to let you listen to me use the bathroom or anything else I don’t want you to hear. I will find a way to get the earpiece to come out.”

  “No it won’t. But you’re welcome to try.”

  Rue stomped over to the desk. There had to be something that could help her pull the earpiece out. Tweezers! She plucked the silver tool from the depths of a drawer and slowly slid them into her ear. She tipped her head to the side as flat as she could make it while standing and wiggled the tweezers, hoping it would just fall out if she moved it around. But nothing came. Instead, a horrible itch took over the inside of her ear. Rue pulled the tweezers out and began rubbing, trying to scratch the internal problem.

  “Did your ear start itching?”

  “How’d you know?” Could he read her thoughts?

  “Cause it happened to me. It’s attached to you now.”

  “What? How?”

  “My magic. I enchanted it so if you tried to take it out, it would attach itself to you. “

  Rue stopped rubbing her ear. Elftastic! The dirty snail. He used magic against her. Rue kicked her chair and it slid over to the other side of the room. “You let me do that on purpose. You coward. You pervert! You—”

  “Rue, you can call me every name in your pretty little head but it won’t change anything. Afraid you’re stuck with me, and your decisions will affect everything. But you’re stubborn and you won’t see things my way instantly. You’ll need proof. I understand. But don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he stated.

  Proof of what? He was playing games with her and she wasn’t in the elfing mood. He had no right to come in her home. No right to make demands on her. No right to invade every inch of her privacy. She wanted the earpiece out. Why’d she have to get all curious and put the stupid thing in to begin with? Her mother always said her curiosity would lead her to trouble one day and Rue had the dreadful sense that today was that day. “I don’t know why you chose me to do whatever it is you need. Probably something horrible. But quit fucking around and remove the spell.”

  “You want it removed?”

  “Yes.” She hissed the word. Her anger bubbled inside threatening to tear her apart, mainly because she couldn’t see the man attempting to control her.

  “Then come and find me.”

  Chapter Two

  The cocky idiot didn’t know who he was dealing with. Rue investigated people for a living. Finding things out was her gift. If he wanted to play this way, well he had her attention. She’d go to the waterfall and she would find him, one way or another. Rue undressed and jumped in the shower. She quickly washed and changed into a pair of jeans, long sleeve shirt, and her trusty boots. If she planned to go to the waterfall, dressing appropriately would go a hell of a long way in case something disastrous did happen, and Rue expected it would. She grabbed the white cat off her shelf and headed out the door.

  Rue scaled down her stairs and into the meadow. Trees surrounded the open area and just in case, Rue stopped for a moment checking that no one was about to jump her. If he’d already found his way into her house, he could be anywhere; and she didn’t trust him. He threatened her life. Trust was far from what she felt for the slug slime. When nothing stirred aside from the long green grass in the breeze, she moved forward heading for Whisper Waterfall.

  Gage was a manipulator and if he thought he would get away with breaching her little bubble, he was sorely mistaken. What was it with males always trying to control her? The last time she had anything to do, on a personal level, with a guy, it had been Jeffers. He wanted her to quit her job by their third date. Said he’d take care of her like a real male should. She laughed in his face. She could damn well take care of herself and Rue made sure he knew she would never quit her job over some guy. Of course, Jeffers didn’t think he was any old elf, he claimed to be her mate, and that was way off. Rue’s mate wouldn’t try to control her, and even if she found her mate, she was quite sure it wouldn’t feel like someone had mauled her in bed. Rue secretly hoped to never find a mate. She didn’t need the extra crap that came with it. The whole living with someone else, having to rely on and trust someone else. Rue knew people, saw elves everyday who cheated on each other and just outright made fools of the people they claimed to love. Rue didn’t plan on it ever happening to her. Mates were a myth in her book and she wanted to never prove it wrong.

  She took her time getting down to the waterfall. The sun was close to setting and she didn’t see anyone around waiting to hurt her. “Liar.” She finally broke the silence.

  He didn’t reply.

  Of course not, because she was sure it was some dumb setup. People were probably ransacking her home or something like that. She didn’t have anything valuable enough for others to take. Let them look.

  Rue hiked her way down the rocks to Whisper Waterfall. The name made it sound a lot bigger. The waterfall had long since turned from roaring water falling over rocks to a small stream like trickle. Elves talked like it had been this huge deal back in the day. How the little bowl shaped area had been filled to the top with water and elves had to swim to get to the waterfall instead of climb down. But the water remained beautiful, a rich bluish white. As she neared, the sound of water falling over rocks grew louder. The smell, refreshing and clean with a hint of mint. The mint grew up around the rocks and thrived on the constant water supply. She kept a watchful eye, waiting.

  Darkness descended and stars popped out along the backdrop of the blackening sky. Still nothing had happened.

  “I see you finally found,”—Gage paused taking in a breath—”your way, to the fall.”

  “If I want the spell gone then I have to find you, and I have a gut feeling in order to find you I’m going to have to complete whatever task th
is is. What do I do with the cat?” Rue ran her fingers through the cold water. She could imagine it, big and gushing with life. It must have been a beautiful sight.

  “You... you didn’t know much about your dad did you?” His words came out strained.

  “What’s there to know? He abandoned us. I don’t remember him. There’s no point in knowing about him.” Her gut twisted, partially from the mention of her dad and partially at the way his words sounded. It was more than creepy Gage had been in her home, then he knew her dad, should she even trust that he did know her dad? Rue took a deep breath; so far, he’d known things he shouldn’t.

  “Behind that water is a place for the cat. If you don’t want any harm to come to some poor sap, then you should make sure the little knick-knack goes in.”

  “And how would you know if I actually do it?”

  “Magic.”

  “Oh like the ear thing. Great. Is the cat going to adhere to me too?” Rue kicked at a loose rock.

  “No. Just put it in its place.”

  “Or what?”

  There was no answer on the other end.

  “Hey mister I-want-to-control-everything. What happens if I don’t?”

  “I already told you,” his words were clipped.

  In an act of defiance, Rue walked around the area a bit more. She scanned for someone to come out and take her down for not doing his bidding and when no one came, she smirked. Of course, nothing would happen. It had to be a rouse for something else. Though Rue had no clue what that something actually was. It wouldn’t take her long—

  “Aaaah!” A man’s scream interrupted her thoughts.

  Where was it coming from? It came again, only louder and longer.

  “Who’s there? Are you ok?” Rue called out to the darkness.

  Silence.

  Rue ran toward her left. She was sure it had come from that direction. “Hey! Anyone out here?”