Panic made Clary stagger back. Her magic had never been brilliant, but it was as much a part of her as sight or hearing. She clenched her fists, fighting a need to scream. Her struggle seemed to amuse the fae even more. Or maybe amusement was the wrong word. While fae had no feelings, they still seemed to enjoy tormenting their prey.
“Who are you, pretty boy?” Clary demanded, mostly to make him stop sniggering.
“I am Laren of the Green Towers.” He waved a hand at the alley. “Or perhaps I should say the back streets. The hunting is far better here.”
By hunting, he meant stealing the life essence of mortals. Drinking mortal souls restored a fae’s emotions, their love of beauty and ability to create—but only for a short while. Those addicted to the rush left a trail of dead or mindless victims in their wake. At least Laren appeared physically healthy, which meant he hadn’t been a soul-eater for long.
“What happened to your witch’s tricks?” he taunted.
“I’m on a cleanse.” She shifted her feet, bracing to run. Fae were incredibly strong despite their slight appearance. Unless Clary found a weapon, she’d lose the fight before it began.
“Afraid to face me, wench?” Laren glided forward, his steps silent. His intent, predatory posture reminded her of the velociraptor’s.
“The name’s Clary. I’d stay and brawl, but my calendar’s full.”
She spun and ran, pumping her legs for all she was worth. She’d made it past a row of garbage cans before Laren tackled her to the ground, his arms wrapped around her waist. Apparently, the fae were as fast as they were strong.
Clary’s knees exploded with pain as she fell, the fae’s weight driving her into the ground. She raised her arms to protect her face, but not before a blur of gravel and straggling weeds filled her view. Her lungs emptied in a rush. Stunned, she lay helpless as Laren flipped her over and straddled her waist.
It was then she met his eyes. They were green like her own, but a vibrant shade unlike any mortal’s. And they were utterly, chillingly void of feeling. The loss of his soul had turned him into something alien. She might as well have been pinned by a shark.
Terror flooded her, robbing the last shreds of her strength. She had no magic and no weapon. She drew in a shaking breath, fighting down the urge to wail.
His lips drew back from his teeth in a mockery of a smile. “What a pretty thing you are.” He placed a fingertip between her eyes and traced downward, over the tip of her nose and the bow of her lips. “You will be delicious.”
Clary shuddered at the naked hunger in his face. It promised a brutal end, and a primitive instinct to live took over. She twisted beneath him, arching her back against his weight. Laren pushed her down again, but not before the knife in his belt caught her eye, its silver hilt gleaming in the alley’s muted sunlight. A fae hunter would need such a thing to finish his victims. It taunted her, promising death or just maybe deliverance.
She widened her eyes, letting all her fear show. Laren’s nostrils flared as if scenting her distress. His knees tightened against her hips and he grabbed her jaw, using one hand to pin her head in place. That was all he needed to control her. Compared with his strength, her arms might have been helplessly beating wings.
Or not. Clary plucked the knife from its scabbard with a quick hiss of steel on leather and drove it toward his ribs. It would have worked, if not for fae reflexes. He twisted with the agility of a cat, his free hand clamping around her wrist in an iron grip.
A chilling sound of regret escaped his lips. “Very good. I see I’m growing careless.” He peeled the knife from her fingers and tossed it just out of reach. Clary heard it fall with a ping of metal on stone. Clearly, he wasn’t a warrior obsessed with keeping his blades in perfect condition.
Then he bent over her again, the smell of his skin and sweat far too intimate. He grabbed her jaw once more, forcing her mouth open with bruising insistence. “Give yourself to me,” he whispered. “Give me your joy and tears and hope.” His lips sealed over hers.
The assault on her soul was far, far worse than she had ever imagined. It felt as if her insides were being torn through her throat, leaving an icy vacuum behind. She pushed against his chest, but he was solid as granite. Her hands fumbled to his face, poking and clawing and finally to his hair, but nothing made him flinch. Sight and sound vanished, leaving only an unholy pain. Finally, Clary screamed, but Laren drank that down along with everything else.
Then something hurled him back. Clary collapsed backward, hitting her head on a sharp rock. The universe swam for an instant before she rolled to her side to see Merlin standing over Laren. She expected Merlin to pound the fae into a pulp, shock him with thunderbolts—something—but the enchanter stood poised and unmoving, a look of naked curiosity on his face.
Then she realized that the fae writhed on the ground in agony, his grinding moans like nothing she’d ever heard. Taking no chances, Clary fumbled for the knife he’d thrown aside and staggered to her feet, using the filthy wall for support. Slowly she approached, the long blade gripped in one hand.
Laren’s eyes had rolled back into his head until only the whites showed. Foam coated his lips and he trembled with long, violent spasms. Merlin’s face was grim as he took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him, scanning her slowly from head to the scuffed toes of her shoes. He squeezed her gently, angling his arms as if for a reckless moment he might decide to pull her close. After an odd hesitation, he let his hands fall away. “Thank the gods you’re all right,” he said quietly.
For an instant, she saw possessive anger storm over Merlin’s face, lighting his odd amber eyes. The primitive heat stirred an answering call deep in her core. Her response was as inevitable as the autumn flight of birds—or perhaps the rage of earthquakes. It was that deep and mesmerizing.
And then the heat in Merlin’s eyes was gone, buried again—but this time she saw the effort it took him to hide it, as if it was growing harder to smother. But why does he care about me, especially after the trouble I’ve caused? Not that she’d let him see her doubt. That would leave her cracked open like an egg dropped from its nest to the pavement below. And this wasn’t the time for confessions, anyway. She’d just about had her soul snatched. After a long moment, she stepped back, heaving a long breath. She was grateful he’d come and angry he’d stolen her power, and she didn’t have the strength to deal with either of those things right then.
Instead, she pointed at the fae writhing at their feet. “What happened to him?”
“I’m not certain, but my first guess would be indigestion,” Merlin replied drily.
A slightly hysterical laugh escaped Clary. Her world wavered and she gripped Merlin’s arm. Humor aside, the enchanter’s remark made no sense, but the evidence was before her eyes. Still, how could her life energy be toxic to a fae? It was ludicrous, and just a little embarrassing.
She opened her mouth to say so just as she passed out.
* * *
Clary woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom. After jerking into a sitting position, she pressed a hand to her aching head and found a lump where she’d hit the pavement. An involuntary groan escaped her as she blinked the room into focus. She was clothed and lying on a king-size bed. One wall of the room was exposed brick, the floor wide planks of hardwood sanded to a soft sheen. Another wall was a balcony with a view of the sun fading over the distant hills. This had to be one of those trendy lofts in the downtown’s converted warehouses. The furniture was plain but top quality, the bed linens definitely not from a big box store. Whose place was this?
She swung her feet off the bed and took a second look around. The room was nice, but the clutter said a real person lived there. A bookshelf spawned stacks of books around it, like seedlings around a tree. Unfolded laundry was heaped in a chair and spilled over onto the floor.
Slowly, Clary bent and pulled on her shoes, which someone had removed and left beside the bed. Her head throbbed with the change in angle, but it was manageable. When she stood, she caught sight of the T-shirt on the floor by the closet. It was black with a faded logo of a metal rock band, and she’d last seen it stretched over Merlin’s chest. Was this his place? It looked too—she searched for the word—normal.
She left the bedroom, curiosity in full flood. The room opened directly into the main living area, and she caught an impression of more wood, brick and large windows hung with plants. “Anybody home?” Clary called.
Merlin appeared around the corner. “Ah, you’re up.” His usual mask was firmly in place—cool and slightly amused, as if the world were a movie and he’d already seen the credits. The only clue to his mood was the vertical pleat between his brows.
“Do you live here?” she asked.
He nodded, sipping from a glass of something green. “How are you feeling?”
“Not sure yet.” She wrinkled her nose. His drink smelled like lawn clippings. “Is that brew from the Fabrien Spell Scrolls?”
One corner of his mouth quirked. “It’s wheat grass from my juicer. Want some?”
Clary shuddered. “Not unless we’re going for a true exorcism. Why am I here?”
“Medical observation. You’ve been through a lot in the past few days.” His eyes were thoughtful as he sipped his disgusting drink. “Why did you run from your sister’s place? Imagine my surprise when Gawain lumbered in to announce he’d seen you crossing the parking lot.”
She looked away. “I’m putting everyone in danger.”
“The danger won’t vanish with a change in location. You’ll just take it somewhere else.”
Clary heaved a breath. “Vivian wants revenge on you, and she threatened Tamsin so I would cooperate. We’re dealing with more than a slight touch of possession.” There, she’d said it. She watched Merlin’s face for a reaction.
To her disappointment, he just shrugged, hard to read as ever. “That’s Vivian.”
“I’m serious.”
“I know.” For an instant, his composure slipped and she saw lines of tension bracket his mouth. “I suspected as much about halfway through the show at Medievaland. Not even demons are typically that skilled at conjuring, but she is.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Her tone grew sharp.
He tossed back the rest of the wheat grass, making a face as he swallowed. “What would Vivian have done if I’d confronted her?”
Clary swallowed, not liking the truth. “She’d have lashed out.”
“And that would not have ended well for anybody, especially you.”
Clary buried her face in her hands. Of course Merlin had figured it out. He’d just kept his cards hidden from his ex-lover. She hated him for it, but knew her life depended on his skills. “Vivian will come back, you know.”
Merlin put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Yes, but now we have time to figure out a solution.”
Clary caught the scent of him: clean soap and cotton and the faint spice of herbs. She realized how familiar it had become to her and how badly she’d come to crave it. She was as addicted as the soul-craving fae. She turned her face away, needing to keep her wits about her. Nothing had changed just because he’d rescued her again. “I can’t stay here.”
“You’re too vulnerable to leave. Your magic doesn’t even work.”
Her stomach tightened as she struggled between needing Merlin and wanting to punch him. “You took it!” She pulled away from his touch. “You could have asked permission.”
“And what would Vivian have said? We’ve already had that conversation.”
Clary all but growled. “You’re right.”
“Of course I am, which is why you’re staying here. Tamsin is getting some things from your apartment.” Merlin waved a hand. “Shall I show you around?”
Reluctantly, Clary nodded. She wanted to know what Merlin’s home said about him. The kitchen was large and sunny, the dining room dominated by a farm table big enough to seat a dozen people. Instead of dishes, it was covered by a scatter of books and an expensive-looking laptop. In the corner was a telescope with a stand. Another balcony ran on this side of the suite, this time with a view of the downtown. They stepped out to watch the purpling dusk and leaned on the black iron rail, side by side.
“Are you working on a project?” Clary asked with a backward glance at the books on the table.
“Always.”
The reply didn’t give her much to work with, but she persevered. “What?”
Merlin looked up at the dusky sky. “I’m searching for a cure for the fae. It’s my one goal. You saw up close what they’ve become.”
“Yes.” She shuddered, feeling again the fae’s power draining her soul.
He waited a moment as if to let the memory take full effect. “That’s my doing.”
The simple statement said so much. Everyone knew the story of how Merlin defeated the demons at the expense of the fae. His battle spell had broken the magic of the witches, too, but at least they had eventually recovered. The accident, in truth an unexpected side effect, had defined him. Many still hated him for it, saying the disaster was a punishment for his pride.
He turned so his back was to the view. He frowned. “Did I tell you that during the ritual one of the demons said their magic could cure the fae?”
The revelation was so unexpected, Clary’s mouth dropped open. “Really?”
“I will find out how.”
There was no conceit in him now, just a quiet determination. He had vast power, the ear of a king and centuries of wisdom. None of it had helped him until this one thread of hope had come his way. She reached out, brushing his arm with her fingertips. He finally met her gaze, and she finally understood the deep sense of responsibility he carried. It left no room for anything else. No joy, no plans of his own. All those emotions he locked away.
“If you find the cure,” she said slowly, “it will erase what happened.”
“No,” he said, sounding tired now. “It won’t erase the past, but it will make the future something I can live with.”
His words had brought an ache to the back of her throat. She let her hand drop, suddenly overwhelmed with the need to touch more of him, but uncertain if that would be welcome. “How are you going to get this cure?”
“Come with me.” He pushed away from the balcony, leading the way back inside.
The rest of the condominium consisted of a small library, the usual storage closets and a guest bedroom. He paused at the door to the bedroom, holding up a hand to indicate Clary should stay where she was. He opened the door slowly, revealing a small chamber with the bed pushed against the far wall. An elaborate spell circle was chalked on the remainder of the floor. She’d been Merlin’s student long enough to recognize the containment spell that would keep just about anything within the boundary of the chalked lines.
Laren of the Green Towers hunched in the middle of spell circle. The fae had his knees drawn up to his chest as if cold, his expression pure misery. Clary didn’t care if he wasn’t happy about captivity. This was the creature who had tried to devour her soul.
She rounded on Merlin. “What’s he doing here?”