Fairy Doctor In Disguise: Fairy Doctor, #2

By Ava Clary

A dangerous game of disguises.
The Baron and Lady Brimclif. He is rich, powerful and a mysterious magus. She is gorgeous, beloved, a former fairy doctor and will become a dazzling villainess. Lillia's 5-step plan is perfect, and it all depends on one thing: the Baron can never ever discover that she is actually a spy.

 

Her first spy job was a disaster. But this time will be different. She has experience. She can tackle fairy invasions, strange masked intruders and even the local kraken. No one will suspect she is in disguise!

 

But the closer she comes to her goal, Lillia finds herself more attracted to her husband than ever before. Will she fall for him, or he fall for her?

Find out what awaits in the newest adventure from Ava Clary, Fairy Doctor In Disguise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ava Clary Books
• Release date: Jul 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201580841

Ava Clary

Ava Clary writes new adult and YA fantasy with romance and ridiculousness. She has published three books in the Fairy Doctor series and posts weekly episodes of The Thorn Path on Vella. Lucianna is attending a monster hunting academy in an alternate world. The newest book is an adventure with the Faeries of the Green Glen in Changeling Fate. She can’t see fairies, but likes to make up stories about them. Someday, she plans to write an epic novel about dragons, she's work on one about love-torn elves and then finally she'll get around to writing romcoms in space! She lives in Seattle, Washington.

Book preview

Chapter 1

NEW YORK, LATE JUNE

Lady Brimclif had a simple job tonight, and it was not going well. She nearly screamed when the baby dragon tried to bite her hand off. No, she said, shrinking. Bad baby.

The slippery teal dragon grumbled. Egg shards and slimy goop lay scattered around the creature, no bigger than a toy poodle with a floppy tail and oversized bobble-head.

And how am I supposed to carry you now? Lady Brimclif asked, flicking a piece of eggshell off the scaled head.

Snap, snap.

The baby dragon kept snapping crocodile teeth at anything in reach, eating the eggshell, and slurping up the leftover membrane. Next it went after her fingers.

Chill, baby. She offered the mythical creature a wooden staff to teeth, and soon enough the magic runes disappeared and little curly shavings hit the floor. So much for the priceless ancient wizard's staff. At least, she assumed the staff was priceless since it was backstage of the Baron’s auction house, which held all kinds of treasures and precious items.

Ten minutes ago, Lady Brimclif had been sent to retrieve the fossilized dragon egg, which she was supposed to model for the crowd. She'd polished it, only to get the dust off, and all of a sudden it hatched.

She searched around for something sturdy. A baby carrier made of iron or a steel handbasket? Nope, no such luck.

Time was ticking.

The auctioneer waiting.

Inside her costume, and she still thought of it as a costume, Lillia sweated. Her dark hair was in an upswept chignon, with dozens of loose tendrils, her makeup dark and sultry, her skin honey smooth and tanned from a weekend spa package and she wore a red dress.

The baby dragon finished turning the staff into toothpicks and still snapped its jaws for more. Are you still hungry? She bit her lip, unsure what else to feed it. (Note to self: carry baby dragon food at all times. Her designer purse would need spell modifications. She wondered if Bellaou, her favorite French designer, could recommend anyone.)

Here, try this. Much better for teething, I’d think. She offered a jeweled egg. Baby curled its tail around the faberge egg and set to work sharpening its teeth.

The little dragon was teeming with magic, a fountain among so many other magical objects in the room. Lillia was about as magic-savvy as a kindergartener, but even she could feel the creature’s overwhelming aura, radiating like steam from a hot bath.

While the dragon was still distracted, Lillia ripped off the bottom of her expensive red silk skirt. At least it wasn’t a Bellaou, just an Italian knockoff that cost several hundred grand. Between the baby dragon gunk and the exploding marshmallow painting from earlier (don’t ask), the dress was never going to survive the night, anyway. She bundled the dragon in red silk and into her arms, then marched toward the stage with her precious cargo. She paused to collect herself, then smiled in anticipation. The Baron would not be happy about the sudden change in his program. That was his problem, not her job.

The auctioneer wiped at his sweaty forehead and smiled when Lillia first appeared at the curtains and set off down the walkway. Here she is! Lady Brimclif has our next item, a Tolkienese drag-dragon’s... Lady Brimclif, is that dragon alive? Are you all right? His eyes bulged, and the microphone squealed as he grabbed it. There was a collective gasp from the audience.

The auctioneer glanced at the side of the room where the Baron was watching the proceedings from the shadows.

Lady Brimclif ignored the auctioneer's panic and continued to model. A little twist to show off the torn dress and thigh high slit. The audience was all a buzz, unable to look away. The dragon in her arms made an odd quarking sound, like a duck quack mixed with a flamethrower. The poor thing was upset by the bright lights and sudden flashes of phone cameras. The Baron had only recently allowed cell phones at his auctions — really, the man was so old fashioned. It was one thing to be exclusive and secretive. He was quite good at that, but woefully uninformed about social media. A few tweets and snaps and the entire magus world would want his items — not that many could afford them.

Ladies and gentleman, my fellow magus, the auctioneer began again. We have here, previously Lot 279, a very unusual item already. A former-egg found in northern England by a turnip farmer, his prized pig dug it up one afternoon, and he thought it might be a dinosaur fossil, until the Baron correctly identified it as a fossil-fossilized dragon’s egg. Haha, it’s not any longer. A live dragon. I can’t imagine the beginning price. Or the care requirements for a Tolkienese. They went extinct before the Romans, you know. Sir, sir? Did you want to take this one? He turned helplessly to the Baron.

That is an excellent suggestion, Matthews. The Baron strode purposefully from the shadows and leapt up on stage. He curled his arm around Lillia’s shoulder and gave her a light peck on the cheek. She saw a storm building in his piercing blue eyes.

He looked so much younger than when Lilla first met him. She’d assumed he was in his late 50s, but now he could pass for 42. His hair had lost most of its silver pepper and was just pepper now, ever since the honeymoon, and it wasn’t dyed dark brown either. It made the Baron quite handsome, but there was something unmistakably slick about him. Not just the way he styled his hair. He was a thin man, slender would be the wrong way to put it, because he was not weak-looking. He was athletic, like a professional dancer, wide shoulders and narrow hips and much stronger than he appeared. His presence was hard to ignore. He demanded attention with his rich French-designed suit and his expensive aeromagus watch. They’d been married three months now, since April. Lillia still found it hard to believe she’d actually married him and signed his contract. He carried it all the time, like a memento. Or just paranoia. She couldn’t tell.

We’ll talk about this later, he said through his smile.

Lillia smiled back charmingly, her best face forward. There was an audience still. She kept petting Baby. The teal dragon stood out spectacularly against her red dress. The tail wrapped around her bare arm like an ornate arm bracelet. It was still quarking. The noise vibrated through Lillia’s bones. The dragon magic began to seep into her skin, a slight burning sensation. Then scales began to appear on Lady Brimclif’s bare shoulder and trickled down to her elbows. Hmmm. That was unexpected. And more than a little unnerving, though she didn’t let it show. She was absorbing too much dragon magic. She’d always been able to borrow magic, an innate talent that let her share the healing powers of fairies, or grow fins and gills from a mermaid, but it was usually by necessity, not by accident.

Baby was getting very nervous, she realized.

The Baron must have noticed too, and he tightened his grip. The only hint that he was alarmed. He was calm as ever on the outside, just another day at the auction.

He addressed the crowd with a firm voice. Apologizes, friends. Lot 279 will have to be taken off the docket tonight, but please look forward to it at the next one. When we are better prepared. Now, I had better escort them off stage, before the dragon decides to eat my wife.

Oh, don’t worry about me. Lady Brimclif piped up, purposefully ignoring the Baron’s hints. I’m rather fond of the little one. Isn’t it cute? She rubbed Baby’s new horns. The dragon snapped at her, and the audience laughed nervously.

Smoke started to drift from Baby’s teal nose, and she could feel the tiny body warming up like a teapot. At least by accidentally growing dragon scales she’d be protected from burns. The Baron was not so lucky. His fine white shirt was starting to singe and discolor, so she just tightened her arms around the dragon and posed for a few more pictures. Wolf-whistles rose from the audience.

Baby quarked again and a little spurt of flame came out of its mouth.

Whoops! A burst of nervous laughter came from Lillia.

At that point, the Baron marched Lillia toward the back. His arm tense and tight around her shoulders. He signaled to Matthews, and the auctioneer rapped his gavel on the podium. Regrettably, I’m afraid the auction will be closing early tonight. I ask that you gather your belongings and calmly exit the building. The portals have reopened in the vestibule...

The Baron rushed a little faster. Lillia’s heart began to thud. Her eyes flickered to the Baron’s, but he wasn’t looking at her. His lips were thin and tight.

As soon as they were behind the curtains, the Baron ran toward the fire extinguisher. Head for the alley!

It’s fine! I’ve got this. Lillia spoke in a keep-calm voice, trying not to alarm the dragon any further. Baby was turning white in her arms, losing the tealish blue color as the fire in its belly turned into a furnace. The silk wrapping around the dragon turned into ash. So holding a live dragon was a bad idea. A really bad idea. She didn’t realize they could self combust! Panic flooded her body, churning her insides like an overpowered washing machine. She didn’t know which way to turn first. She nearly dropped the dragon, but everything backstage was wooden. No bathtubs or a tank of mermaids or those exotic, enspelled sea anemones this time around. She moved in circles. The dragon was starting to go nova, brighter and brighter. Lovely. She felt blisters forming on her fingertips and along her inner arms. Everything looked flammable and that included herself.

This time Lillia pulled at the dragon magic. She didn’t normally do this without asking permission, but Baby’s magic was exploding anyway, enveloping her in a searing hot liquid aura. Rather than let the wave expand, Lillia took it deep inside. At once, scales crawled all the way down her arms and legs, completely covering her skin from her nose to her toes, and hiding her hair underneath an armor of dragon scales. Just in time. Flames rippled from the baby. Her red dress went poof. Every lick of fabric and underwear burnt up, which was alarming enough, even if she was covered in scales at the moment. She let out a shriek, and held the flaming dragon out from her body as she fled through the storage room, past shelves and wooden chests. The jeweled egg began to melt in the dragon’s arms and dripped to the floor, burning holes behind them. Upset about losing the jewel, Baby began to whine and quarked louder. Each time it opened its mouth there was a burst of fire. She clamped her fingers on the little flamethrower.

Wait ‘til we’re outside!

Lillia smashed into the emergency exit bar, settling off the alarm as she ran into the alley, still engulfed in flames.

The dragon magic kept pouring into her. A whip-like tail grew from her tailbone and her eyes transformed into slitted pupils. The world narrowed strangely. The colors muted, and she could ‘see’ the heat sources nearby. The brick buildings and pavement had absorbed warmth, though everywhere else looked cold. Baby continued to burn so brightly that it hurt to look.

The dragon squirmed, and despite the fact Dragon-Lillia had claws, she could barely keep hold. Would you stop that! You’re fine. I’m not going to hurt you.

Flames scorched the brick alley around them, and she thought she heard a siren in the distance. They were somewhere in New York. She didn’t know exactly where. The Baron kept his auction houses very secure and private, to prevent thieves or vigilantes from finding them.

Curl your body around it! The Baron stepped closer to the roaring flames. He carried the fire extinguisher and shielded himself with an iridescent magic.

Even protected by scales, she felt like she was standing inside a bonfire. It was getting harder to breathe. She kept coughing. Calm down Baby!

Soothe it. Don’t upset it!

I’m trying!

The dragon kept burning up. She watched in horror as the baby’s scales couldn’t handle the heat and they started to peel, exposing tender dragon skin underneath. No, no. She wrapped her hands over the wounds. Then she dropped down and wrapped herself around Baby, trying to make a cocoon. She tucked the dragon under her chin, even though it felt like holding a flaming rum cake straight out of the oven.

A whoosh of cool foam hit Dragon-Lillia and Baby from the side. The Baron unleashed the fire extinguisher, spraying the retardant all over them. Dragon-Lillia clamped her mouth shut as the stickiness hit her face. The white cloud smothered the flames, and the Baron kept on spraying them even after the fire died out.

Lillia gasped for breath, her chest heaving. She kept on coughing as the chemical cloud drifted down the alley.

In her arms, Baby was covered in a thin ashy substance. Patches of scales fell to the ground. It was wheezing, and its eyes barely flickered. As the dragon’s tiny body became limp, she struggled to keep hold. She had to set it down on the scorched pavement.

Since she didn’t need the protection anymore, she released the dragon magic. At once, her eyes lost their serpentine appearance. They watered from the chemicals in the air. Her dragon scales began to peel away, dropping off her skin like petals from a tulip. As they hit the ground, they dissolved into more ashes.

She knelt beside the baby dragon, naked and exposed. The crisp night air cut into her lungs. Her hair was a frizzy, scorched mess. No wonder Catalina, her hairdresser extraordinaire, despised her. She kept ruining Catalina’s best efforts.

Lillia’s body shook as the magic was now expelled, leaving her muscles limp and making her want to puddle on the ground. She was no champion athlete, and a transformation of that calibre was harder than it looked for an amateur magus, which is really what she was. She’d nearly been burned alive by a baby dragon. A whimper escaped her chapped lips. The Baron dropped his tailored suit jacket over her back. He knelt down beside her to examine the baby dragon.

Is it dead? Lillia asked.

No, my dear. They don’t die that easily. It will recover, and then make a very nice profit. He lay his hand on the dragon’s cracked scales. More turned to ash, and the Baron sniffed at it.

Poor baby. I’m so so sorry.

It will have to go to Canada for a while.

Canada?

There’s a facility in the Yukon who would love to study a Tolkienese, and will pay handsomely for the opportunity. In the future, maybe you should think twice before you hatch dragons in the middle of my auction.

Right, like it was my choice. I didn’t hatch it and I didn’t expect it to explode.

The Baron gave her a long look, and Lillia shut up. She didn’t want to talk about it. Her magic was unpredictable at times and if she did have a hand in waking up a fossilized dragon’s egg, well, it was not something she wanted credit for. Not something to repeat ever again. She’d been happy enough to see the Baron’s auction ruined, but not at the expense of the little dragon.

The Baron wrapped his arm around her. Oh my dear, I don’t mind. I will do everything in my power to protect you, but you must not be reckless. I can’t prevent all your injuries.

She nodded.

I’m so lucky to have found you, he said, kissing her shoulder. Thank you for signing my contract.

Lillia shivered.

Chapter 2

LILLIA’S MARRIAGE WAS unfortunate, but not the end of the world.

It wasn’t.

No, really, it wasn’t the end of the world.

At least that’s what she told herself at the end of the day, sometimes in the middle of a stressful job and occasionally at breakfast before she downed a martini. This is fine. I’m just fine. One year married to one of the most ruthless, powerful magus on the planet wasn’t going to kill her, hopefully. She'd pay back her debts and then move on.

Quickly.

Without looking back.

The trick was figuring out how to survive the next nine months and twenty-seven days until the end of her contract. Sometimes she still found it incredible that she married the Baron Amond Brimclif. A man who rarely ever told people his real name, perhaps because it was too similar to the nut. Or perhaps he just preferred to be secretive, since he was secretive about everything. Even married to him, Lillia felt like she barely knew anything about him. He was a mysterious stranger, the kind her mother had warned her about. Never let them buy you drinks, her mother had said.

To everyone, associates, clients, friends and foes, he was the Baron.

In private she gave him other nicknames: John Dapper, when she was feeling generous, when she was pissed off, or drunk, he was the Drapery. He’d never know it, but in her Contacts she set his picture to some old green drapes from Brimclif manor.

How’s the Drapery treating you? her mother asked whenever she called.

Only sometimes did Lillia lie.

To her new friends, Lillia confided and complained frequently about the Baron. They didn’t have much sympathy for her. Why should they? She’d married one of the most powerful men in the world: magically and financially. He had residences in every corner of the planet, from Cairo to Seoul, Cape Town to Singapore. Except they weren’t welcome in Singapore, not since the wedding disaster.

After the wedding, she’d quickly axed her old social media accounts, her travel blog and cut off all contact with friends and family. Everyone except her mother. But even with her mother, she was careful. It was safer that way, she told herself. Safer and easier for everyone. She didn’t want them tangled up like fishing wire in her new life, and especially not with the Baron.

All her new acquaintances came from connections to the Baron, eccentric magus, business partners who wanted a taste of the esoteric, before they struck a deal. Or friends of friends who Lillia would meet at exclusive clubs and private parties.

There was Violet Gambino — known as the Italian Princess — she was an influencer, fawned on in the American media because of her rich family and the fact she starred as the titular Italian Princess as a child. Violet would roll her eyes, and you could always tell by her tone of voice she was rolling her eyes. You said, and I quote, he gives you everything you want, bella.

She was right. The Baron did.

Kara Youngcastle was a capable, independent magus, whose family reputation was as ancient and dangerous as the Brimclif’s. Kara scoffed. Even in her texts, she had that harsh sort of vibe. I hope you knew what you were getting into when you married him.

Not nearly enough.

Last, there was Nini Arakani, world traveler and professional one-percenter. She’d wrinkle her petite nose. If you still that unhappy then divorce him.

As if Lillia could.

Lillia hated it when they threw her complaints back in her face. Just because she’d bragged about him during a girl’s weekend in Sicily last month. She didn't know them that well, but was determined to make her own intimate circle of friends. She drank one too many glasses of expensive Italian wine that night and started boasting about the Baron; said he would get her anything she wanted no matter how rare, how obscure, how expensive, or how impossible it might be. They didn’t believe her at first, so she told them to think of something to demand, and they did — an anklet designed by Coco Chanel herself. Only ten were ever made and all of them lost in the wars. They were not even supposed to exist anymore. Lillia snapped up her phone and made a call.

The Baron answered in a smooth tone, even though she knew he was in a business meeting in Rome. My dear wife, to what do I owe the pleasure?

Sometimes he spoke in such an odd old fashioned manner. Lillia’s brain translated: What’d you want now?

She explained about the jewelry. I want it by tomorrow morning. I want to wake up to the slinky feel of platinum on my ankle.

It was nearly midnight in Sicily. The Baron’s meetings always ran late into the night. He didn’t exactly keep regular business hours.

Why? he asked simply.

To prove a point! She hung up on him.

The girls all laughed while Lillia smiled knowingly. They told her she’d be in trouble, and they'd be certain to punish her if the Baron didn't deliver.

In the morning it was Lillia’s turn to laugh, although she didn’t. She woke up with the chain on her ankle and a jewelry box on her bedside, a letter of authentication from an antique dealer who worked exclusively in New York, and a note that said ‘Anything for you, my love’ signed by the Baron. She had no idea how, and didn't want to know the particulars. Kara and Nini exchanged looks that said they'd heard the rumors before and no longer doubted them. Violet, who was ignorant of all things magical and mythical, was clearly spooked that he'd gotten past her security. They never questioned Lillia again.

It wasn’t all bad being Lady Brimclif. There were perks.

Sometimes they outweighed the bad. Sometimes they didn’t.

You know what I need, Lillia said to Nini, when they met up in Greece a few weeks after the baby dragon incident. She told Nini the epic tale — how Baby had hatched, nearly set the auction house on fire and how they’d sent the dragon to live on Brimclif Island to regain its strength. The Baron was eager to ship the dragon out, but Lillia had convinced him to wait.

She had mostly recovered, but still felt uneasy and restless. It was the new way of things. Whenever she had a morning off, like today when the Baron didn’t require anything, she still kept checking her phone and her calendar. She needed something to do with herself. She couldn’t afford