Tink didn’t end up leaving Monday night. Supposedly, he’d read on the internet that Tuesday was actually the best and safest day to travel. I had no idea if that was true or not. But it’d worked out because I’d spent Monday evening with him and Fabian marathoning the Avengers until one in the morning. We’d only made it through a handful of the million movies, but at this point, I was just grateful that Tink had moved on from Harry Potter and Twilight. Not that I had anything against them. I loved them with all my heart, but I was confident that I could quote at least half of those movies at this point.
I was just happy to spend a little more time with them and Dixon. It really was going to be weird waking up without a cat sitting on my chest or Tink singing made-up songs about eggs and bacon. I was happy for him, though. This trip would be good not only for him and Fabian, but Ivy was also right. It was far past time for Tink to see something other than the Amazon website.
Having them to help occupy my evening had also stopped me from obsessing over what had happened that afternoon—and what hadn’t.
Luckily, Tink and Fabian had been squirreled away in Tink’s room when I returned from Caden’s. Otherwise, it would’ve been hard to explain why I was wearing an oversized man’s shirt with a skirt.
Caden had never answered what came next for us, and that left me…unsettled. I wasn’t naive enough to think that sex—even great sex—equaled a relationship. But for me, well, it sort of did. I didn’t care what it meant or didn’t mean for other people, but for me, that was how I operated. That was why I was so shocked that I had done it at all. Surprised that there hadn’t been a moment where I’d thought we should pump the brakes. It also stunned me that I had been so comfortable with him afterward. In the few previous relationships I’d had, I didn’t lay around naked to chat. I was always quick to cover up. But with Caden, I never felt like I had anything to hide or any reason to.
After he’d dropped that little truth bomb about how much I’d given back to myself after the attack, he’d received a call from Tanner and had to return to Hotel Good Fae. He’d kissed me goodbye, but there’d been no promises of any sort. The only thing I think he finally accepted was that I wasn’t going to quit looking for Aric.
I’d come this far, and I wasn’t going to stop now.
When I finally did go to bed that night, I’d ended up falling right to sleep. The multiple orgasms probably had a lot to do with that, along with the popcorn-induced food coma. But throughout the day, while I searched my mother’s books for anything about Devil’s Breath and headed into the offices to comb through all the papers filed away there, my thoughts kept drifting back to Caden’s apartment. To what he’d done, what I’d done, and I came to a realization. It…it had to mean something. All of it had to. Why he didn’t want me out there looking for Aric. The reason he felt like he needed to protect me. Caden wanted me, whether he liked it or not, and that had to mean something. Because he had only been with me since he came out of the Queen’s spell, and I hadn’t been stroking his ego by stating that he could have anyone he wanted. He could, and he…he wanted me.
As I thumbed through dusty papers, scanning them, I wondered about the traditions he’d spoken of that he wanted to avoid enough to not want to be the King. Part of me still believed that he didn’t feel worthy enough after what he’d done, and I hated that for him because I knew how it felt.
My mind shifted to Ivy and Ren, who I hadn’t seen yet today.
I knew what it was to not feel good enough.
My research was about as fruitful as stressing over Caden and myself. Nothing came out of either. By the time I returned home, I had a headache from sneezing over the dusty papers that no one had looked at in ages.
I passed a small army of fae outside my place loading up suitcase after suitcase as I walked inside. I stopped counting at six bags.
Dropping my keys and purse on the foyer table, I found Tink in the living room with Fabian. Dixon sat on the couch, staring at the carrier with his ears flat. He wore a little kitty shirt that read WORLD’S WORST BACKSEAT DRIVER.
I grinned at that as I walked over, scratching the little guy’s head. “How many suitcases are you guys taking?”
“The better question would be how many suitcases is Tink taking,” Fabian answered with a smile. He looked so much like his brother, except his hair was much longer, and he wasn’t as big. Then again, most people, fae or human, weren’t as big as Caden.
“I need to make sure that I have everything I could possibly want,” Tink defended himself. “Plus, I had to pack Dixon’s toys—”
“And his cat house and cat tree.” Fabian smiled. “Along with a cat bathing suit.”
My brows lifted. “They make cat bathing suits?”
Tink’s eyes glimmered. “I found it on Amazon, and I cannot wait to see him in his swim trunks.”
I glanced down at the cat, wishing I could be there when Tink attempted to introduce Dixon to swimming. Poor cat.
“My Prince,” a fae said from the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, but there is a message for you from the King.”
My stomach did a stupid little tumble at the mention of Caden.
Fabian nodded at us as he stepped around the coffee table. “Please excuse me.”
I waited until he was out of earshot. “He’s always so polite.”
“I know.” Tink widened his eyes. “It’s annoying.”
“Shut up,” I laughed. “It’s a breath of fresh air.”
“It is.” Tink scooped up Dixon. “But his politeness makes me feel uncivilized, like I was raised by animals in the wild.”
“Well…”
He shot me a look as he placed Dixon in front of the carrier. The cat seemed to sigh but climbed in. “By the way, I think that’s the first time someone said ‘the King’ around you where you haven’t muttered ‘asshole’ under your breath. Turning over a new leaf?”
“No. He’s still an asshole,” I said without much heat.
Tink looked at me over his shoulder. “He is trapped by duty. That is what he is.”
“What kind of duty?” I asked, thinking of what Caden had said about the traditions.
“Lite Bright, there is not enough time to talk about all his duties.” Locking the door on the carrier, Tink met my stare. “But suffice it to say there are a lot of things that he has to do and say because of that. He had to sacrifice what he cherished most to become King.”
“What would that be? Freedom to do as he pleases?” Which would be a lot.
A faint, almost sad smile appeared on Tink’s face. “In a way, I suppose.”
Fabian returned then. “It is time for us to leave, Tink.”
My heart grew heavy at those words, and as I looked around my living room, it already felt emptier. “Have fun.” I plastered what I hoped was a bright smile on my face. “And take pictures and send them to me.”
“I’ll take so many pictures, it’ll blow your phone up!” My laugh was cut off as Tink all but tackled me with his embrace. We held onto each other for so long, I didn’t think he’d ever let go, but he did, and I saw that his eyes appeared damp when he pulled back. “Tink,” I whispered, sliding my palms down his arms until I reached his hands. I squeezed them. “I’ll see you soon.”
“And you’ll be okay?”
“Of course. Do not worry one second about me.”
He opened his mouth as if he wished to say something, but then he just nodded. “I suck at goodbyes.” He popped forward, kissing my cheek, and then he hurried to Dixon’s carrier, all but running out of the house. “Oh, there’s a package coming from Amazon with the name Peter Parker on it,” he yelled. “Don’t open it! Just put it in my room.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I turned to Fabian. “I don’t even want to know what’s in that package.”
“Strangely, neither do I.” Fabian came forward, hugging me. “You know, you are welcome to join us if you find yourself with free time. I would love to have you there.”
“I’ll think about that.”
“Please do.”
“Take care of him,” I whispered as I hugged Fabian, thinking how strange it was that a few years ago I never would’ve considered embracing a fae.
“Always,” he replied, pulling back. “I imagine you will be heading out yourself, to the meeting my brother called.”
Meeting?
“I do believe Ivy and Ren are on their way,” he added, reaching down and picking up a tote. “They received word that they believe will lead them to the Ancient who wishes to free the Queen.” His gaze caught mine with meaning. “Be safe, Brighton.”
I turned, watching him leave. Something told me that he knew I was unaware of the meeting and was telling me about it. My stomach knotted. Caden had information about Aric and didn’t tell me. I wasn’t exactly surprised by that. While he may be more accepting of me being out there hunting, that didn’t mean he was going to help me find Aric. But it still stung.
The silence of the house settled around me.
Snapping forward, I hurried to the foyer and snatched the keys off the table.
Uninvited or not, I was not being cut out of this meeting.
* * * *
I knew exactly where to find them.
There were several rooms used for meetings on the main level of Hotel Good Fae, and we often moved from one to the other. But the two male fae standing outside the closed door with their backs rigid and their hands clasped was a dead giveaway.
The Knights were always present when Caden was here. I imagined he must stop them from following him when he was at his apartment. Or if they did trail him, they remained well-hidden.
I stopped in front of them, and one of them must’ve seen the look on my face because he stepped aside with a sigh.
“Thank you,” I said sweetly, opening the door.
Ivy and Ren sat across from Caden. Ivy was perched on the table, one leg curled up to her chest. Ren was sitting in the chair beside her. They looked over. Ren’s face went expressionless, but Ivy’s lips thinned. Faye and Kalen were also present, both standing by a window. The latter looked uncomfortable, but Faye looked well…annoyed. Like usual.
Caden was speaking. “Even though he was seen alone….” He trailed off, and without even turning around, I knew he knew it was me. “I see my brother has loose lips.”
The rather cold greeting after yesterday did more than sting, even though I told myself that this meeting wasn’t about us. It burned a hole right through my gut, but I lifted my chin. “I figured you just forgot to tell me.”
“Brighton,” Ivy began.
“Nope.” I held up my hand as I stalked across the room. Sitting down in one of the chairs, I calmly placed my purse on the floor. “I’m here. You all have some sort of information, and I’m a part of this whether you like it or not.”
Ivy looked down at Ren as if he were supposed to do something.
“We were discussing a possible lead.” Caden looked over at me, and our gazes met. Nothing could be gained from his expression, but heat bloomed across my cheeks nonetheless. His lashes swept down, concealing the amber hue of his eyes.
“Oh, so now you’re okay with bringing her in on this?” Ivy demanded.
Faye sighed, muttering, “Here we go again.”
Kalen stared up at the ceiling.
“I’m not okay with it,” Caden answered, refocusing on Ivy. “Not remotely. But it does not appear that any of us, no matter what we do, will change her mind.”
Did including having sex fall in the whole no matter what we do equation? My eyes narrowed on him as a seed of illogical and ridiculous suspicion took hold.
“This isn’t okay.” Ivy unfurled her leg. “I won’t be party to you—”
“Stop.” Ren placed his hand on her leg. “He’s right. Nothing is going to change her mind. And at this point, we’re just beating a dead horse, and we don’t have time for that.”
Ivy looked as if she wanted to argue. “Fine,” she snapped, sending me a look that said this wouldn’t be the last time I’d hear about this.
Great.
Kalen stepped forward at Caden’s nod. “We’ve learned that Aric is still in the city,” he explained. I stiffened. “He was seen this afternoon.”
“Where?” I breathed.
Kalen looked at Caden before answering. “He was seen exiting Flux.”
“What?” I twisted in the chair and turned toward Caden.
“Before you ask, yes, we’ve had eyes on Flux. He was not seen going in, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t well-hidden.” He paused. “Like some do when they go to Flux.”
I ignored that. “And where did he go?”
“That, we don’t know,” Ren answered. “They were able to tail him for a couple of blocks, but they lost him on I-10.” Based on Ren’s tone alone, I knew how ridiculous he thought that was. Yeah, depending on the day, traffic sucked, but…come on. “But he’s here. We’ll let Miles know so all Order members are on alert.”
“And we’re increasing our own presence,” Faye added. “Between the two groups, we’ll form a net that can sweep the entire city. We will find him.”
My gaze shot back to Caden, and I knew without a doubt that he would be out there tonight and every night until Aric was found. “I will—”
The door opened, and I looked over my shoulder. It was Tanner and a younger man that I’d never seen before. They weren’t alone. There was a tall, lithe, dark-haired female fae with them. She wore a pretty, off-the-shoulder, pale blue and gold dress that would’ve looked great on a beach and terrible on me—someone who actually had hips. She was gorgeous, with delicate features, and whoever she was, she didn’t attempt to conceal the quicksilver tone of her skin. The male beside her didn’t glamour himself either.
“My King.” Tanner bowed slightly before correcting himself and slipping into a full bow. His gaze flicked to me and then away. He swallowed, probably worrying that I was going to start screaming curse words at his King at any second. “I am sorry to interrupt, but I was sure you would want to know the moment our guests arrived.”
Caden stood, but he did not speak as his gaze flickered across the two standing behind Tanner. A hardness settled across the King’s features, and tiny balls of unease formed in my stomach. I took a closer look at the two new fae, sensing that Caden was either not thrilled with the interruption or not exactly happy to see them.
“This is Sterling,” Tanner advised. “And his sister Tatiana.”
“I am pleased to meet you, my King.” The woman stepped forward, hands clasped under her breasts as she bowed deeply with the grace of a dancer. As she straightened, she smiled. “And I am honored to become your Queen and serve our Court together.”