He blinked slowly as I stared at him, stunned by his magnificence, then shifted on his taloned legs in a gentle prompt for me to climb onto his back. A faint scent of fire and smoke reminiscent of a cabin in the middle of winter woods caressed my senses as I approached. I used my werewolf strength to launch upward, hooked one arm on a ridge, then hoisted myself up. A throaty laugh escaped my lips.
I was sitting on a dragon.
Pablo would freak when I told him about this.
Still chuckling, I curved my fingers around the fin-like bone. As far as support went, it wasn’t much, but it at least gave me a—false, I suspected—sense of security.
“All right.” I let loose a breath. “Let’s do this.”
Caz lifted himself, then dipped down again, his muscular body coiling graciously in preparation for flight. I rode the movement, familiarizing myself with the sensation—and decidedly not looking over the edge of the roof. My pulse ratcheted up. But so did the excitement.
Caz flexed his wings, and the next thing I knew, we were fucking free-falling off the building.
Sixteen
I screamed, but the sound scattered over Ljubljana’s skyline as Caz and I whooshed towards the clouds. His wings curbed the air, working the currents with the envious ease of a being crafted to kiss the horizon.
I laughed. Screamed again. Then laughed some more.
Jens and Jürgen always did say you had to find something to be elated about during dark times. Sex, the thrill of the hunt, a nice long bike ride on the open road… Anything, really, that had the potential to combat the gloom and shift the outlook.
Flying over Ljubljana on a Perelesnyk’s back—well, I had to admit, it was certainly a fucking spectacular way to give the morale a boost.
We soared over rooftops, the features of the onlookers down below becoming more and more indistinguishable as we rose towards the gray canopy blanketing what seemed like the entire country. The wind jabbed needles into my skin, but I didn’t care.
For our many differences, Perelesnyks and werewolves had something in common.
We never passed up the opportunity to enjoy primal freedom, regardless of the form in which it came.
The bar Cian had picked was a rustic little thing overlooking a stretch of forest-enclosed fields. A mix of supe and human scents rippled through the air, the threads vibrant enough to reveal that this must be a popular hangout during morning hours. Now, however, just a couple of patrons lingered inside while Caz and I huddled out on the porch by the heater, each of us cradling a steaming cup of coffee as we waited for the Fae to arrive.
Though adrenaline continued to buzz in my veins from the ride, there was something I wanted to discuss with Caz before I was spirited away to Faery. And it was nothing if not a mood killer.
I scanned his robe-clad figure, the relaxed posture as he absently stared into the distance—at least until he picked up on my intention. He trained his amber eyes on me.
Guess it was as good a time as any to bring the rotten subject up.
“Any luck tracking down Kauer?”
A long, suffering exhale uncurled his lips, more than confirming my suspicions.
“The bastard is untraceable,” he spat, then downed a good portion of his coffee in a single breath. “Every avenue we’ve explored so far eventually led to a dead end.”
“Shit.”
I’d hoped the documents ICRA had confiscated in that fucked-up lab would provide at least something solid. Then again, Nill had been an offshoot of Kauer’s vast operation, too, and if that case was any indication, I really shouldn’t have been surprised the man behind the entire damn organization was next to impossible to find. I’d handed ICRA my former boss bound in neat little golden ropes, and still, that hadn’t been enough to hunt down all involved parties, let alone the crime-crowned king. A human at that.
Caz thrust his hand in his brown curls, visibly agitated. “We’re running out of possibilities. Isa is currently investigating a fresh lead that looked promising. At least on paper. I just fucking hope she gets lucky and delivers us something concrete. Otherwise, we’re…well, fucked.”
Ah, so that’s where the Ice Queen of Fang had disappeared to.
“How are you finding the new arrangement, anyway?” I arched an eyebrow. “I know Isa isn’t exactly the easiest person to work with…”
Caz’s amused laugh dispersed some of the tension. “The easiest, no. Dedicated, fuck yes. Pulling police and ICRA resources together is the only way we can even hope to stand a chance against Kauer and everything that asshole concocted over the years. Though Lena disagrees.”
I chuckled at the tease in his voice. Of course Lena would disagree. She was a bounty hunter. While Caz might support her business regardless of his rule-enforcing profession, the rest of them certainly wouldn’t. Which meant staying on the sidelines. And out of sight.
“She’s grumpy because of all the extra care she needs to take now that my life is suddenly entwined with a shitload of officials,” he explained and finished his coffee. He set the cup down, mock graveness creasing his features. “She’s demanding I make it up to her. With sex. Lots and lots of sex.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Like that’s a problem, my incubus friend.”
Caz didn’t break character. For about three more seconds.
Then a blinding grin wiped away every last trace of his fake contemplation.
“You’re absolutely right,” he drawled, every inch the smug seducer. “That’s one price I’m always willing to pay.”
“Consuming a free snack?”
“You bet.”
Lena truly had hit the jackpot with this one. Though as a particular black-haired demon popped into my mind, I couldn’t help but think I wasn’t that far off, either.
A piercing bout of clarity struck me.
I was lucky.
I’d met someone who understood my needs, who clicked in every possible way. Someone who not only made my blood race but loved it—as he loved every single aspect of me.
My commitment issues couldn’t overcome my desire to spend my life with him.
I knew what I had to do when I returned to Munich. The only thing I wanted to do.
Say yes to the bond.
“Will you pass on my love to your kick-ass mate?” I asked once I was able to speak again, pushing the thought of claiming Afanasiy as my mate temporarily aside. “And that we really should get together for a proper coffee once she’s back? I miss her sassy ass.”
Caz motioned to the waitress who poked her head outside and asked her to put our coffees on his tab, then looked back at me. “Lena misses you, too. I think that’s part of the reason why she’s so pissed that I’m working with ICRA. It was them who stuffed you into quarantine—and away from her.”
“Nah.” I waved my hand. “I was offered a get-out-of-jail-free card,”—which Lena knew all about—“but I wanted to do the tests. Just to be sure.”
“And?” The playfulness was gone from Caz’s tone faster than I could blink.
“I’m fine. The sick fucks tried stuffing something demonic inside me while I was blacked out, but whatever it is, it’s dormant.”
His fingers settled on my shoulder. “So you’re good?”
“I’m good.” I smiled. “Although I’ll be even better when Cian shows up, and I’ll hopefully make some progress on the case.”
“Then let’s not keep the charming werewolf waiting,” a velvet voice sounded from the left.
Caz and I jumped, then swore in unison. A Fae was standing by a heater on the opposite end of the rectangular terrace, his purple eyes even more vivid and imposing than Afanasiy’s violet. Between his warrior physique, the dark tattoos reaching his neck, and carved features framed by jaw-length purple hair, he was almost painfully beautiful. Though from what I’d heard of Melina, that kind of allure went hand in hand with their race. At least in non-Fae eyes. Among themselves, however, they actually considered each other as nothing more than regular
Joes.
Right.
“I’m Cian.” The Fae offered his hand.
Calluses gently scraped my palm when I accepted. “Lotte Freundenberger.”
“A pleasure.” His gaze flickered over to Caz perched on the high chair in his king-of-the-manor robe, and a laugh trickled from his lips. “Good to see you, Caz.”
“I wish I could say the same,” Caz said dryly, “but just thinking about the last time we were together still leaves a slightly burnt aftertaste in my mouth.”
Cian laughed—a deep, full sound that seemed to resonate through the ground. “How the fuck was I supposed to know Perelesnyks have zero tolerance for Fae wine?”
My eyebrows shot up. I whirled around, narrowing my eyes at Caz. “You got drunk?”
While weres had a hard time feeling the effects of alcohol thanks to our metabolism, Perelesnyks were supposed to be near-immune.
“He drank one glass and ended up flying around Faery in his dragon form, trying to scorch the sky. Thankfully, Liva, Lena, and Lana were present to douse the flames before they formed. A nice Nightwraith fire brigade damage control team.”
“Real nice, yeah,” Caz grumbled, but the light in his amber eyes spoke of a far lighter emotion. “The arcane stopper felt like I was swallowing my own fire. My taste buds were wrecked for an entire week.”
I seriously needed to hear the entire story from Lena once we had a chance to chat. Right now, however, I left the two males to their chuckling, sensing my body lose the tension I hadn’t even been aware had piled up.
Not that it was surprising since Cian was a High Lord of the Court of Earth and had a presence that exuded his status without being shy about it. That would take some time getting used to. After all, Fae royalty was not a crowd I usually hung out with.
“I’ll talk to you later,” Cian said to Caz—which suggested I’d spaced out on a part of their conversation. I hurtled myself back into the here and now just as Cian’s purple eyes locked on mine. “Shall we?”
I accepted the offered hand and let the Fae guide me away from the heater’s warmth. Caz gave me a thumbs-up when I peered at him over my shoulder, but his expression carried something I couldn’t quite read. As if he knew something I didn’t.
“So what now?” I asked Cian who still held me by my hand, a nearly imperceptible undercurrent of comfort trickling from his skin into mine.
“Now, we go to Faery.”
“Just like that?”
He hesitated for a moment, then said, “Caz told me you aren’t a stranger to demonic transportation?”
I shook my head, a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead for some unknown reason, but one I suspected just might make itself known all too soon. “Is demonic particle form similar to your kind of travel? To evanescing?”
Cian offered me a wolfish smile. “The initial disorientation is.”
Not a second later I learned why I spotted that damned look on Caz’s face.
Yeah, I’d grown used to being broken down into particles by Afanasiy’s magic. But evanescing…
Shit, a girl needed a beer—make that ten—to live through that ordeal without losing her fucking mind.
Or her breakfast.
Seventeen
Before I even regained my bearings, a gorgeous busty blonde with an air of magic around her thrust a large glass of ginger ale under my nose. I was dizzy, cursing the ground for its vile spinning, but somehow managed to wrap my hands around the glass and gulp down the drink without spilling it all over the gleaming floor. Or throwing up.
Thank the gods for small mercies.
“Better?” the blonde—Liva, I presumed—asked, while Cian still kept a steadying grip on my elbow. Something in her tone hinted she wasn’t a stranger to the side effects of evanescing, either.
I blinked a couple of times as my eyes regained their focus, then handed her back the glass. “Better. Thanks.”
“The first one is always the roughest. Even for Fae.” She cast a sideways glance at Cian, her kohl-lined eyes sparking up.
Mates.
The word rolled through my mind. Was that how I looked at Afanasiy?
Warmth spread through my chest, but I wiped his dangerously handsome image from my thoughts. Later.
After a reassuring nod to Cian, the Fae let me go. The realm I’d sensed but had been in no condition to appreciate unfurled before me in lazy, smooth increments.
Undiluted sunlight spilled through the windows, the very quality of the air different, comprised of clear notes only capable of existing somewhere where nature reigned. My lungs greedily accepted the rich presence.
I might have even closed my eyes for a moment and let out a satisfied groan.
Faery was foreign, and yet it spoke to the wolf within on an almost primal level.
Mirth sparkled in Liva’s bright eyes when I shook off the haze, a smile tugging on her lips. Again, I had a suspicion she’d experienced firsthand what I was going through. For someone with Kolduny blood like her, the Fae realm was probably paradise.
Still a bit unsteady, I pulled the wool hat off, stuffed it in a pocket, and took a ginger step towards Lena’s sister.
“Hi, I’m Lotte.” I extended my hand.
“Liva.” She beamed and accepted the handshake. “Such a pleasure to finally meet the werewolf Lena can’t shut up about. Caz, too, actually. Seems you thoroughly charmed the Ambrose-Zeman team.”
I chuckled. “The feeling is mutual.”
“I’ve been looking forward to a proper introduction for a while now, although I’d never thought the circumstances would be so fucked-up.”
The sincerity in her voice sent a pang of hurt spearing through my insides. My gaze drifted briefly from Liva to Cian who came to stand by her side, the bond between them almost tangible.
I offered them a compassionate half smile. “I guess you always meet the best of people at the worst of times.”
The pair exchanged a weighted look as Cian put one arm around Liva’s shoulders and drew her to him. He placed a kiss on the top of her head.
Obviously, my words resonated on an even deeper level than I’d imagined.
Not wanting to intrude on their moment, I used the opportunity to explore the room. Marble floor, high, arched windows that not only allowed a breathtaking amount of light to filter inside, but offered a damn good view. The wolf within itched to roam those rolling green hills and the sprinkling of trees visible in the distance. My winter boots thudded as I crossed the space to get a better look, unbuttoning my jacket along the way. The breeze drifting through one of the open windows might have been fresh, but it was no February wind.
Another room opened up just beyond the archway to my left, spacious and so tastefully decorated it took all my will to stay on my chosen track instead of peering inside to see what other shades of beauty my exploration would uncover.
Liva and Cian’s home was nothing short of a manor, although why that surprised me, I really didn’t know. A High Lord and his High Lady could hardly live in a flat.
If Faery even had any of those.
I frowned and braced my palms on the windowsill. I leaned over until my head poked outside, but all I could see were more hills. No towns or villages in sight.
“So this is Faery,” I said slowly, returning my attention to the couple who’d silently followed me across the room.
First the Shadow World—well, Afanasiy’s lair within it, at least—and now this. I’d never believed I would see more than one realm in my life, but here I was, scratching two additional ones off my list within less than a year. To say I was fascinated by the development would be a serious understatement.
“This is the Court of Earth,” Cian explained, detaching himself from Liva. She propped her butt on the sill beside me while Cian’s gaze brushed the lands spread out behind us.
“There’s also the Court of Fire”—Liva scrunched up her nose—“Court of Water, and Court of Air. Until certain matters…settle…we rule over them all.”
“Sorry to take up your time like this,” I said, but both Liva and Cian shook their heads.
“We’re more than glad to help,” he said in a tone that left no room for arguments. “How do you feel about taking this discussion outside?”
My face must have shown my excitement because Liva snickered and Cian’s mouth twitched in an attempt to not laugh at me out loud.
“I’m a werewolf.” I waved a nonchalant hand. “You basically offered me the equivalent of a candy store to a sweet-toothed kid. So don’t bother holding back on my account. I know I won’t.”
After all, as the aroma of grass, tangerines, and apples wrapped around me, I hardly needed Liva and Cian’s guidance to the patio. We emerged through a lovely set of double doors, then claimed our seats around a delicate wrought-iron table that boasted another glass of ginger ale—as well as a bottle of red wine. My wolf senses all but purred as I sucked in the textured air. Everything about this place was richer, better.
I shrugged off my coat and rolled up the sleeves of my shirt, my skin grateful for the touch of sunlight. Spring in our realm couldn’t come soon enough. I wanted nothing more than to take a breather and recharge, but, unfortunately, I’d enjoyed myself for long enough.
With a sigh, I laced my fingers in my lap. “How much has Caz told you?”
Cian poured himself a glass of imported Cabernet-Syrah. “Aside from the bare bones, only that you need to speak to a certain Fae.”
I shook my head when he offered, then said, “Yes. Niram. He’s my friend’s father, and a member of the Court of Air, I think.”
It had been Bathilda’s text I received this morning that provided the additional information. She was beating herself up for not being able to be of more help, but just the fact that she remembered where in Faery was more than a welcome addition. After all, I didn’t know much about the Fae race, but I was betting there weren’t so few for even a High Lord to know each and every one by name.
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