Breathless, I ignored the subtle scrape of teeth on my neck. “So you stuck your hand into the bubble and hauled her out?”
“That’s the thing. I could reach into the brownie’s bubble, but only when he held it open for me. They’re supposed to respond to the caster and no one else.”
I placed my hand on his chest and pressed, needing space to clear my head. “So how did you do it?”
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I asked Leon if the caster’s magical imprint could have faded since he left the girl here for so long. He said it’s possible, but púcas can cast no magic, so he’s not one hundred percent sure that’s the case.”
The kid had been stuck in a bubble for months, maybe closer to a year. No wonder she was hungry. It was a miracle—either of her fae biology or the preservative quality of the bubble—that she was alive.
I found myself stroking Isaac’s chest and forced my hand still. “Why would someone leave her behind?”
“The place is wrecked.” Up close, his eyes were clearer than Summer’s skies. “He might not have had the option.”
“That could explain why the bubble didn’t follow him. Have you considered he might not have made it out alive? Maybe the death of the caster is what opened the seal on the aer póca.” I recalled the smoky undertones permeating the bedroom. “He? Are you sure?”
“The selection of books, the scattered tobacco and crushed pipes. The shredded clothes and chewed boots. My best guess is this was a bachelor pad. Right now, I’m not sure if the girl was a servant…” his voice lowered, “…or something worse.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from snarling at the implication.
“I’ve cleared the rest of the house. There was just the one aer póca. She’s the only one who can shed light on what happened here, and right now she’s in no shape for a cross-examination.”
Food, the wolf urged, desperate to help the pup. I promised her we would care for the child soon. First, we needed a game plan. “Do you have any idea what she is?”
One touch was all it required. Any glamour she might have wrapped around herself would dissolve, and he could read her species. I suspected the gift was another means of verifying the identity of potential donors. Whatever the reason the skill existed, it sure came in handy when dealing with creatures able to camouflage themselves.
“She hasn’t let me near her since I pulled her out of the bubble, and then I only touched her sleeve. Not bare skin.” His lips thinned. “Maybe she’s afraid of men.”
“It fits.” I found my thumbs had resumed their stroking of his well-defined chest and lowered my hands to my sides. “I’m just hesitant to take anything at face value.” I peered around him into the living area. “I’ve been snookered once already on this trip. I don’t want to be two for two.”
“I thought you might say that.” A sly grin wreathed his face. “I slapped an anti-magic cuff on her. Whatever she is, whatever she can do, is neutralized until I remove it.”
“Your pack must weigh a ton.” I stared at him, more than a little awed. “You brought everything with you but the kitchen sink.”
“Who needs that?” He chuckled. “I’ve got moist towelettes.”
With one last glance at my mouth, he heaped the room-temperature canned goods onto two generous plates.
“Now that you’ve saved the kid, what do we do with her?” This was a rescue mission, but she hadn’t been the intended target. There was still Tiberius and Enzo to consider. “She can’t come with us. It’s too dangerous. For her and us.”
“Maybe Leon will have ideas.” Isaac glanced over his shoulder. “Can you handle the tea? I’ve got my hands full with the plates.”
“Should she eat so much so soon?” I poured the steaming water into a clay mug, dropped in a bag of tea filled with pressed leaves in rainbow shades and let it steep on the way into the living room. “I don’t want her to get sick.”
“We’ll keep an eye on her.” Concern lined his face, but he wore it well. “Fae are all different. We’ll have to trust she knows what she can handle. Plus, we don’t know her preferences. It might be she won’t eat any of this.”
He needn’t have worried. Once he served her the first plate and put a fork in her hand, she shoveled the contents in without pausing to thank him. Not that she technically could. He switched out plates, and she gobbled the second helping down too. Leon leapt off the couch at that point, as though afraid he might be next. I handed over the mug of piping-hot tea. Milk was out, and we had no sugar, but she didn’t appear to mind the lack. She polished off each cupful and then asked for more until the last drops hit the back of her throat.
Isaac gawked at her greasy lips and the damp front of her dress where food had dripped onto her chest. I shot him a smirk. The kid was messy, yes, but she had nothing on wargs in puppy form. Or any form for that matter. Our collective favorite hobby was eating, and depending on the shape, we weren’t picky about what we consumed or how dirty we got in the process. I could appreciate a voracious appetite, and she had one.
“Is there somewhere we can take you?” I included Leon in the question.
Morgana’s bottom lip trembled. “I don’t know.”
“There are places where lost children can go,” Leon said with a grimace.
His shuddering reaction made me think of how a human might respond to hearing the child would be left with social services. Unless he, an outcast thief, was in the market for an Unseelie ward, he couldn’t blame me, an escaped prisoner, for not indulging my maternal instincts.
Isaac proved he was on the same page with me. “Where is the nearest location?”
“She doesn’t have the look of Spring or Summer.” Leon scrunched up his face. “Winter can be bitter to those not used to her. Autumn is likely the best fit.”
As we were already in Autumn, I had no argument there. “Have you checked the weather?”
“Not since we arrived.” Isaac strode to the stairs and leveraged open the door. He returned a few minutes later. “It’s sprinkling, but the storm has passed. The skies are clearing. We should be good to strike out in the morning.”
“Why don’t you take the bedroom, Morgana?” I rose with her. “Isaac, I’ll see if there are spare blankets you can use on the couch.”
He didn’t utter a single complaint, though the sofa had lost most of its stuffing and what remained was of an undetermined origin.
“Leon?” I summoned the bunny. “Your presence has a calming effect on her. Why don’t you catch a nap too?”
His gaze darted to the girl, who offered an almost imperceptible nod. With a wriggle of his tail, he followed. I made myself busy collecting linens for Isaac while they settled. As it happened, Leon didn’t need a boost to leap onto the high bed. Morgana tucked him under her arm, climbed up using the empty chest at the foot of the bed, and curled on the blanket with him cozied against her chest.
“We’ll be out here if you need us.” Neither spoke or moved, except for Leon’s twitching nose, so I shut the door and pulled the knob until it clicked, before returning to Isaac. I draped a sheet over the couch then fluffed the spare pillow and dropped it at one end. He flopped down, and I tucked him in with a quilt. “What do you think?”
“Other than you sequestered the two unknowns in our party in a room they can’t sneak out of without getting past the wolf at the door?”
“Yes.” I permitted myself a smile at how well he knew me. “Other than that.”
“Leon has misled us once. It’s in our best interest to cut him loose as soon as possible.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Our single mission objective had not been accomplished, and yet we had managed to create more work for ourselves. “We can drop Morgana off, scout the area for signs of our missing package—” I kept it vague in case púcas possessed super hearing, “—then escort Leon to his den before heading to the Halls of Summer.”
“Good plan. Simple. I like it.” His jaw lowered on a yawn, and he nes
tled into his makeshift bed. “Keep me company?”
“You’re about to nap,” I pointed out in case he had any ideas.
“Maybe I just want to sleep with you, and I’m not picky how it happens.”
I snorted so hard I stirred dust off a nearby shelf that made me launch into a sneezing fit. By the time I had wiped my nose and caught my breath, Isaac had a soft, sleepy look in his eyes that threatened to squeeze the air right back out of my lungs.
“Come here.” He held out his hand for me. “Promise I won’t bite. I prefer leaving that up to you.”
A hard tug low in my gut set my heart galloping. “Isaac.”
“Make you a deal.” He kept his arm extended. “Sit with me, and I’ll let you off the hook for that talk. For now.”
“Fine.” Relieved he would soon be unconscious and therefore unable to force me to reveal any awkward feelings I might have, I sat at the end of the sofa where his long legs folded and pulled them onto my lap. “Happy now?”
“Not yet.” He tossed the quilt across my lap and shut his eyes with a grin. “But I’m getting there.”
At least one of us was.
Chapter 7
Morning came in the form of Morgana scurrying out of the bedroom in search of the chamber pot. Until I had stumbled across that relic last night, I had never envied a man his equipment. After squatting over the heavy black bucket, I had to admit that Mother Nature had shafted us girls. Or, more to the point, she hadn’t.
Leon bounded out a few strides behind and joined me in the kitchen. “Could you see your way into letting me out?”
Considering the lack of coffee, I was downright chipper this morning. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the silly pleasure I derived from protecting Isaac while he slept. “Are you going to make an attempt?”
That’s what Meemaw had called trips to the bathroom when I was a pup. Ninety percent of potty training had been, for me, attempting to reach the toilet before I remembered I was wearing a diaper and gave up on that whole Big Girl thing. It had sounded like way too much work even back then.
If a black-furred rabbit can be said to blush, he did. “Nature’s call is rather insistent.”
I took the stairs and let him out, pausing a moment to study the landscape while he handled business. Fall was hands down my favorite season. Always had been. And not because football season meant tailgating. Like wargs needed an excuse to grill. Back in Georgia, the fiery reds and oranges had blazed like wildfire across the mountains as the leaves changed. Tennessee, well, she was still winning me over to her way of thinking. Autumn, however, was breathtaking with its burnt gold, vibrant crimson and apricot undertones. The bite in the air invigorated me, and the whisper of the leaves called to my wild spirit.
“Excuse me, Sharpy.” Leon clambered over the foot I had used to prop open the door. “The attempt, I’m afraid, was unsuccessful.”
“That’s too bad.” I battled against laughter when I said, “Better luck next time.”
“Quite so,” he agreed, sounding cheered at the prospect of cleansing his colon.
Shutting out the vibrancy of the outdoors, I went to wake up Isaac only to find him locked in battle with Morgana…and a gleaming butcher knife. As it turned out, the one thing that overrode my drive to protect those weaker than me was the primal imperative to protect my mate.
I lunged for the girl, knocking her to the floor, twisting the knife so it skidded into the kitchen. She was strong for such a frail child, but I wasn’t a warg for nothing. I pinned her down with a hand around her throat while craning my neck to check on Isaac. “Are you okay?”
“She caught me by surprise. Nicked my hand when I raised my arm to fend her off.” He wrapped a corner of the sheet around his palm. “It’s nothing serious.”
Dangerous as it was to turn my back on the threat beneath me, I had trouble letting Isaac out of my sight. The splash of red on his shirt and hand had a growl revving up my throat. My wolf’s fury centered me enough to focus on the girl. “What was that about?”
Her big eyes welled with fat tears.
“Sorry, kid.” The wolf entered my voice. “Isaac is mine, and you hurt him. Either you talk, or we shove you back in that bubble to ride out the trip to the children’s home.”
In a blink, the tears evaporated, and her lips flattened into a mulish line. She glanced away from me, keeping her chin tucked to avoid flashing neck, a sign of submission that would have soothed the wolf. Whatever she was, whoever she was, she recognized a predator when she saw one, and she gave no quarter.
I might have admired that in her had she not spilled Isaac’s blood. That, I was discovering, was an unforgiveable offense.
Since neither of us had command of any restraining Words, we had to truss her up the old-fashioned way. Isaac found twine in the kitchen, and we bound her hands behind her back, leaving a few yards to act as a leash. We took a dishtowel too in case we bumbled into trolls again and needed to keep her quiet. Considering the state of the house prior to our arrival, I felt nothing we could have done short of burning it down would have left it in any worse condition.
Leon, somber since the attack, led the way. The deeper we trekked into Autumn, the more damaged the trees. Many had been split in two by lightning strikes, and at least one copse had burned to the ground. The scents of petrichor and ozone hung in the air. We had left the pinnacle behind, so unless weather in Autumn was unseasonably hostile, we might have lucked into a lead.
Slowly, I fed Morgana more rope until she reached the end of her tether. With the kid out of earshot, I leaned in to Isaac. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“That the battery life of her bracelet will only last forty-eight more hours?” The pucker of his forehead ought to have clued me in to the fact he was crunching numbers. We all combated stress in our own ways, and he preferred to battle his in columns with tally marks.
“Look around.” I indicated several charred tree trunks. “Some of this damage is days old, but a few of these strikes are fresh. I can smell the wood burning.”
“The package we were sent to reclaim has no business in Autumn. It’s Unseelie territory.”
“Normally, I would agree. Except the package’s handler is in bed with the Unseelie. She might be seeking refuge here.” I watched our guide, who was acting squirrelly for a bunny. “Are púcas Seelie or Unseelie?”
He appeared to consider the matter for the first time. “The black fur wasn’t your first clue?”
“Unseelie,” I decided. “That means we haven’t bumped into a Seelie yet.”
Bháin and the king were as Unseelie as it got. Despite our trip through Summer, the púca and the trolls were too. So was Morgana. All in all, I was getting twitchy. I couldn’t put my finger on what bothered me about our present course, except it wasn’t the one we were meant to be on, but the wolf paced through my head, close to my skin. Her fur was ruffled, and I trusted her instincts over mine any day.
“How much farther to the orphanage?” I called to Leon.
He turned guilty eyes on me. “Not much farther now, Sharpy.”
A gentle breeze sent a cyclone of leaves whirling across our path, carrying with it the scent of lilac and feathers.
“Isaac—” I wrapped my hand around his forearm, pulling him to a stop.
“Hello, beastie.” Rilla descended in a flutter of gilded wings. Her golden hair, secured in a bun at her nape, shone under the sun. The first time I saw her, I mistook her for an angel. She had nailed the ethereal look, but her ice-cold eyes were pure infernal spite. “Rook said you would come through, but I dared not hope even you could be so ignorant as all that.”
The backhanded compliment stung for reasons I couldn’t identify, and the bottom dropped out of my stomach. What, exactly, had the king expected from us? Our escape? Our recapture? What?
Isaac stepped forward until our shoulders brushed, and we presented a united front. “Not that I don’t appreciate his vote of confidence, but Dell is a superb
tracker. Of course we found you. It was only a matter of time.”
Rilla tossed back her head and laughed until she was forced to land and catch her breath. “You didn’t find me.” She kicked Leon in the side, and he went tumbling. “You were led here by the nose. It is I who have been waiting on you.”
The púca rolled to a stop and flipped onto his feet, head down and ears drooping.
Given that he had already lied to us once, this newest betrayal lacked the sting. “Leon, fair warning. You’re now a menu item. Enjoy whatever reward they promised you for betraying us while you can.”
He curled in on himself, muttering what might have been an apology.
Rilla, amused by the exchange, enlightened us. “He traded you away for a magic ring.” She picked a stick up off the ground, and it blossomed into a head of verdant green cabbage in her palm. “Not quite as fanciful as magic beans, but just as useful.”
The fact that part of his story checked out didn’t make me feel any better. The most successful liars were good at what they did for precisely that reason. They stuck close to the truth so they would remember the details. “I take it the trolls were in on it too.”
“Leon allowed you to wander too far before intercepting you.” She wrinkled her nose at the quivering bunny. “I had to turn you around somehow.”
“Why not let us wander around Faerie?” Rilla, having wings and use of glamour that could render her invisible, could have kept an eye on us undetected. Isaac would have gotten his grand tour, and she would have thwarted our rescue attempt until Faerie killed us for her. “Why bring us here?”
She gave the girl a pointed look. “They have no idea, do they?”
Morgana bestowed a beatific smile on Rilla. “No,” she said, voice as hard as Winter’s heart. “They don’t.”
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