by Jayne Faith
With my terry bathrobe on, I went back to my bedroom. I pulled out clothes I might have worn for a job—slim dark-gray cargo pants, maroon scoop-neck tee, black imitation leather jacket that hit just above the hip, and my black Nikes over dark-gray socks. My wardrobe reflected the many years I’d spent creeping around at night on jobs for Katerina—nothing pale seemed to have survived.
I spread my utility belt over my bed and started checking the pouches and holsters, mentally tallying items needed to replace the ones I’d sacrificed at recent jobs. Going to the safe that was screwed into the closet floor, I grabbed replacements. From a little velveteen pouch, I plucked a spell capsule. This one was different than the one I’d used to get away from Albert Joyner. That one worked on human magic, but I wouldn’t need to worry about human magic while Judah and I were in Faerie. The capsule I’d picked contained a nasty combo of Fae magic and an explosive substance and would cause a little detonation when activated. It could be used as a distraction or to bust a hole in a wall for escape. This weaponized magic was a specialty of the Duergar kingdom’s military, and it’d cost me a half-gallon of human-magicked persuasion potion. It’d been worth it. Potions weren’t my thing. I was more a fling-knives-and-run kind of girl than someone who wanted to stick around and wait for the effects of a potion to kick in.
I closed the safe, spun the lock, and then strapped my belt on, snugging it around my hips. When I stepped out of my room, I nearly ran into my mother.
“Tara,” she said, taking in my attire, her gaze snagging on my belt. “Do you have a job tonight?”
I rubbed at the back of my neck. “Uh, no. I’m meeting up with Judah.”
Worry creased her forehead. “You’re helping him?”
I nodded. “He’ll be here any minute. We’re going into Faerie.”
I knew she wouldn’t like it, but it was my decision, and I wasn’t going to skulk around like a teenager caught sneaking out of the house.
Her frown deepened. “I just don’t think you should be putting yourself in danger.”
“I know, but I’m going. I’ll be careful. And I do appreciate your concern, Mom,” I said gently. I leaned in and kissed her cheek and then slipped past her and jogged down the stairs.
Maybe for the millionth time, I entertained a brief fantasy of having my own place, where I could come and go without questions from my family.
I stopped by the kitchen to grab a protein bar and then went out front to wait. I didn’t want the possible delays that bringing Judah inside might bring. Sitting in a chair on the front porch, I pulled out my phone and started munching through the bar.
Ray had responded to my request for more info about Darren Baumgartner, and he’d really come through. He sent a picture of Darren, as well as a text saying the guy was full Fae and part-time errand boy for the Duergar palace—an entry-level position. He’d apparently tried to join the kingdom’s military but hadn’t made the cut. He looked young—maybe twenty. From the way he’d been showing off the sword at the Aberdeen Inn, he didn’t sound very bright. I couldn’t imagine how he’d come to possess a relic such as Balisarde. One thing Ray’s info didn’t include was the location of Darren’s home.
“Hey, Rainbow.”
I jolted in surprise, my gaze whipping up from my phone.
I was so absorbed in my thoughts, I hadn’t realized Judah had arrived, parked, and was standing at the edge of the porch. I hastily swallowed the rest of my protein bar and stood up.
“Hi,” I said, hopping down to the front walk. “Sorry, I meant to watch for you.”
I expected him to turn with me and go toward wherever his car was. Instead, he stepped close and wrapped his arms around me.
Suddenly, my nose was filled with the smell of the laundry detergent still clinging to his t-shirt, a fainter version of the cologne I’d smelled on him the previous day, and something slightly wild, like the forest at night. His pecs were firm against the fronts of my shoulders, his arms strong around me. Everything about him was masculine, muscled, foreign yet also vaguely familiar. All of it registered in my mind in the matter of a split second, and right behind that how overwhelmingly good it felt but that I probably shouldn’t be enjoying it so much.
“Thank you so much,” he said, his voice thick with gratitude.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” I stammered after he let me go.
My heart thumped. I did my best to ignore it, swallowing hard as my throat suddenly felt a bit dry.
“We should get going,” I said.
“Still okay if I drive?” he asked.
He gestured to the black Lexus sedan parked on the curb, and we started toward it. The tint on the windows was almost as black as the body paint.
“Yeah,” I said. “The Faerie doorway isn’t far.”
“I remember it.”
I looked up at him, momentarily forgetting how the feeling of his body pressed against mine had rattled me as an old memory surfaced.
“That’s right,” I said. “You came through the doorway with me to San Francisco.”
“I did,” Judah said.
Back when the Cataclysm-induced illness had put my mother in a coma, I’d set out from home, desperate to find a cure. Judah had found a guy who had Fae contacts in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the guy had taken me and Judah there via Faerie doorway. Then Judah had gone back to Boise to help watch over Mom. In my quest for a cure, I’d met a group of young part-Fae. It’d mostly been a bad experience, but it had ultimately led me to Grant Shaw and the life-saving charms my mother and sister had worn ever since.
If it weren’t for Judah, I might not have found the cure. Despite how things had ended with us, he’d been a good friend. It wouldn’t kill me to loosen up a little with him.
He went to the Lexus’s back door and opened it for me.
I snorted. “You want to be my chauffer?”
“Blake’s in the front,” he said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t have time to explain.”
Judah had said nothing about taking anyone else into Faerie.
The front window rolled down, revealing a girl with glossy, nearly black hair, flashing deep blue-green eyes, and tanned skin. She stuck her hand out.
“I’m Blake Moriarty. I work with Judah,” she said. “He’s told me a lot about you. Thank you so much for agreeing to help us.”
My blood prickled. I flicked a glare at Judah and then reluctantly grasped her hand.
“Tara Knightley,” I said. I turned to Judah. “Can I talk to you privately?”
I turned and swiftly walked about fifteen feet away and waited for him to catch up.
Chapter 8
“WHAT THE HELL?” I burst out. “I’m not taking someone I don’t know into Faerie. I’m responsible for anyone I take across the hedge. And I don’t even know for sure that she and her sister aren’t running some kind of con with that sword.”
I’d already regretted saying yes to Judah before he’d shown up. Since he’d sprung a surprise guest on me, I was having serious doubts.
He had the gall to frown down at me. “Blake’s sister is the one who was kidnapped. I wasn’t going to tell her she couldn’t come. And what do you mean, running some kind of con?”
“Why didn’t you tell me she was here?” I asked, ignoring his question.
“I didn’t think you were going to help me, so it was irrelevant,” he said. “Then, when you called me and agreed, I was so relieved, I didn’t think of it at the time.”
“You’re putting me in a difficult position.”
“Please don’t back out, Tara,” he said.
“I won’t back out. I said I’d do it, and I will.” Damn the Fae blood that made it almost physically painful for me to break an agreement—even one with non-Fae. I crossed my arms tightly. “But we have to leave her here.”
He gave me a pained look. “Laine’s her sister. She’s worried sick. And she might be able to help us.”
I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “How so?”
“She’s got contacts in Faerie.”
I glowered at him. “She’s not Fae.” I would have sensed if she’d had any Fae blood.
“No. But she has connections.”
I didn’t love what he was implying—that Blake, a non-Fae, would have more useful contacts in Faerie than I would.
“How useful can her contacts be?” I asked. “They obviously haven’t done a thing toward getting her sister back.”
He winced. “True. But there’s a branch in her family tree with Fae blood. Mother’s second cousins or something like that. She’s got distant relatives on the other side of the hedge. And Blake is good at working her connections. You never know, it might be of some use.”
“Regardless, there’s no cell phone service in Faerie, so she’s not going to be able to work her connections that way.” I was probably being argumentative at that point, but I was annoyed.
“Yeah, she knows that.”
I squinted up at him. “Is she a shifter like you?”
Judah was technically only half-shifter, but he had the fully developed traits of his father’s side of the family.
“She is,” he said.
“Type?”
“Black panther.”
My eyes widened. “A panther shifter wouldn’t need you for protection,” I said, remembering how he’d described his role in in his company.
He gave me a flat look. “Thanks,” he said wryly. “But I am actually a decent trouble deterrent. Plus, she prefers not to shift. Her sister, too.”
I closed my eyes and sighed loudly.
“I know this is serious,” he said. “I understand that by taking us into Faerie you’re our escort and you’re responsible for anything we do on the other side of the hedge. I promise we’ll be on our best behavior, and we won’t make a move without your okay.”
I irritably twisted a few stray strands of hair that had escaped over my temple, tucking them behind my ear, and flicked a look over at the Lexus. It was all well and good for Judah to make such a promise, but I still had no reason to trust Blake. Or her sister. Or any of their supposed Fae relatives or connections.
“It’s not just that,” I said. “Shaw doesn’t like me doing anything without his okay. He’s worse than a jealous lover. ”
“I don’t want to make your life worse, Tara. I really don’t. If you need to back out . . .”
“No, I won’t do that,” I ground out. “But we’re not staying any longer than necessary. We’ll see what we can find about Darren’s whereabouts. From there, it’s my call with Blake. If I say she has to go, she has to go.”
He let out a relieved breath, and genuine gratitude shone in his face. “Thank you.” Then his expression shifted, tensing. “What did you mean about Blake and Laine running a con?”
“If the two of them are working with Killian, he’d know he was making a demand for something you don’t actually have. He’ll wait until the time runs out and you’re really scared and then say you can pay money instead.” I shook my head. “Look, I realize that probably sounds far-fetched. I’m just trying to think of it from all angles.”
His brows lifted. “Damn, Rainbow. I don’t remember you being so untrusting.”
I set my jaw. “Yeah, well, a decade of recovering stolen things and working for a man like Grant Shaw will do that to a girl.”
He held up his hands and inclined his head. “Fair enough.”
I gestured at the Lexus with a loud sigh. “Let’s get on with it, shall we?”
We found Blake had moved to the back seat. Judah got the front passenger door for me and then jogged around to the driver’s side.
“Whose ride?” I asked when Judah got in.
“My stepdad’s.”
“How are your parents?”
Judah’s mother had never been overly fond of how much time he used to spend with me. I think she saw her son as better than me and my mess of a family. I was certain she’d been thrilled when Judah ended up leaving town without me, even if it was to move in with the shifter pack on Judah’s father’s side. Anything was probably preferable to having Judah getting more entangled with me.
“They’re good,” he said. “Mom had a cancer scare a couple years back, but she’s well now.”
My brows lifted. He’d probably been in town visiting her while she was sick. Maybe even for an extended stay. And I’d had no idea.
“I’m glad she’s okay,” I said. “Does she know why you’re in town?”
He shook his head. Silence stretched out for a couple of blocks.
I’d expected Blake to try to chat, but she didn’t, which helped to lower my level of irritation somewhat.
At a stoplight, Judah eyed my belt with curiosity. “What are you packing?”
“Mostly knives, shurikens, and a variety of magical helpers,” I said. “Typical items I take on a job. I have a Sig, but not on me tonight.”
His eyes met mine, his curiosity deepening. “Do you like your work?”
I shrugged. “It pays well, and I’m good at it. It’s not any kind of pursuit of passion, though.”
“What’s your passion?”
The question was so unexpected, my mouth just hung open for a second or two.
“No idea,” I finally said, my voice faint. “I’ve never had the luxury of considering it.”
“Not everyone gets to enjoy the ease of a single-child, privileged upbringing, Judah,” Blake’s voice, almost a sultry purr, came from the back seat.
Judah glanced at her in the rearview mirror. I arched a brow. I got the sense this wasn’t the first time Blake had made this point.
“So you enjoy reminding me,” he said, confirming my suspicion. His tone was easy, but I couldn’t help wondering whether the comment bothered him, even though he showed no outward signs that it did.
A snippet of a guitar-heavy rock song played in the back seat, interrupted when Blake answered her phone.
“Hey,” she said into the phone, her voice tense. “Did you find anything?”
Several seconds of silence and then she let out a relieved breath.
“You kick ass,” she said, sounding pleased. “I owe you big time.”
She leaned forward to talk to me and Judah. “I’ve got the location of Darren Baumgartner’s home in Faerie.”
I turned to her, surprised. “You do?”
There weren’t databases of names and addresses in Faerie. There was no phone book, no internet service. Letters were carried by ravens whose magic gave them the ability to know to whom and where to deliver their messages. The only real records that existed were for the lineages of the royal families in each kingdom. Houses in Faerie usually didn’t even have proper addresses.
“Duergar kingdom,” she said, her tone clipped as she looked down to read off her phone. “ Aerwyn township. I have a street name, too.”
“I know that town,” I said. “Care to reveal your source for the information?”
“My mom’s second cousin’s kid’s wife. She frequently goes back and forth between Faerie and the Earthly realm. She’s a tracker. She can follow people’s trails.”
“She’s Fae?” I asked, assuming the distant cousin probably had some Fae blood. If not, she’d need a very accommodating Fae to take her across the hedge all the time.
“Sub-quarterling. She specializes in tracking down people between realms. Her talent is extremely rare because she’s able to sense trails in either realm and regardless of what species the target is. She can track humans, Fae, shifters, vamps, whatever. Most trackers, not that there are many, can only track certain species. Almost none can track on either side of the hedge.”
“That’s impressive,” I grudgingly admitted. I began to wonder who else Blake knew, and whether any of her contacts might be able to tell me something about the big prize Grant Shaw was keeping me from pursuing. “I’m surprised she isn’t helping you find your sister.”
“There’s got to be a starting trail for her to track,” Blake said. “
And we don’t know where Laine was taken from.”
Blake remained quiet the rest of the ride, and I could sense her anxiety over her sister hanging around the back seat like a heavy fog.
We reached the overpass. Judah found a place to park, we got out, and he locked the car and armed the alarm.
I led them over to the arch scratched into one of the freeway support columns, and then I turned to face Blake.
“You may have overheard us back there,” I said to her. “If not, I’ll fill you in. I’m not happy about taking you into Faerie. Judah didn’t tell me you were coming, and I don’t know anything about you. It’s a risk, and not one I prefer to take.”
She managed to control her expression, but not before I caught the twitch along her jaw and the tightening around her eyes.
“I understand that I’ll be a guest in a foreign realm,” she said. “And that you’re assuming responsibility for us while we’re there.”
“That’s right,” I said. “And if you turn out to be someone other than who Judah thinks you are, it could have very grave consequences for me. I have no idea how much you know about my situation, but I don’t have any flexibility. I don’t get to screw up. Especially not in Faerie.”
Judah stiffened, and I knew he thought I was being too brusque. Tough shit.
“I get it,” she said, managing to keep her tone even. “I just want to get to my sister before it’s too late. Anything you can do, I truly appreciate.”
“Right, and I sympathize with your concern for your sister’s safety. Judah says you’re well connected, and your ability to get info on Darren Baumgartner certainly backs that up. So I’d like to know if there’s something you can do. For me.”
Her eyes were guarded. “What?”
Judah crossed his arms, and I felt him staring hard at me. I ignored him.
“I need information,” I said. “Are you familiar with Grant Shaw?”
Her gaze flicked to Judah and then back to me. “I’ve heard the name.”