Jace curled his body around Evie’s and played with her breasts. Two nights with the woman, and already he couldn’t imagine waking up without her.
She mumbled something in her sleep. Good, she wasn’t awake.
He angled his head so he could bite her nape. A light, teasing cat-bite.
Her breath sighed out. He slid his hand down the curve of her rib cage, stroked her stomach. His fingers were inching lower when his quartz buzzed. He swore under his breath but rolled onto his side and answered in a sub-vocal voice so as not to wake her.
The news from Adric chilled him. Luc had reported in from France that he’d finally found Tyrus’s lair, but Tyrus had left for Paris soon after.
“And he didn’t take a car,” Adric said. “He was running. The man’s a fucking wayfarer.”
“No.” Jace’s stomach dropped. “But it makes sense—the way he pops out of nowhere…”
Wayfaring was a Gift only the most powerful fae had. Some—like Queen Cleia of the sun fae—could ’port from place to place. Others could shadow your footsteps so that you never knew you were being followed, and still others could move freakishly fast. Dressed in his customary black, Tyrus would blend into the shadows. If he was a wayfarer, you’d never seen him rushing by. You’d just feel the chill as he passed.
“Luc and Nash are on their way home.”
Jace nodded. “You think he’s coming to Baltimore?”
“Yep. But why—what the fuck does he want?”
Jace raked a hand over his head. He didn’t like this, not at all. “He hasn’t tried anything for six years—and Merry’s still protected by her father’s ward. So what changed? Why go after me now?”
“Hell if I know. But be on guard. Don’t let anyone in the den until we know more.”
“Got it.”
Adric cut the connection and Jace rolled onto his back. His cat was growling lowly, its tail twitching in agitation. Bloodthirsty visions rolled through Jace’s mind, the jaguar’s way of communication: Kill. Protect. Mine.
The cat wanted to stalk and kill Tyrus—but the night fae lord was Prince Langdon’s only surviving son. If Jace killed him, Langdon would descend on the clan like a nuclear holocaust. It would be the Darktime all over again.
No, Jace told the cat, and it snarled but retreated further into his mind.
But that wasn’t all. Just as he was turning back to Evie, his phone buzzed again. This time it was Merry. Evie was stirring so he slipped out of the room to take the call.
“What’s up, babe?”
“Papa Rui wants to talk to you,” Merry said.
“Okay, sure.” Something was up—Rui almost never asked to speak to him, letting Valeria do most of the communicating.
Do Mar went straight to the point. “You know that female your alpha left on our territory—Nika? She’s gone.”
“What do you mean, gone?”
“That’s what’s fucking strange. Dion and I questioned her, but we couldn’t get much out of her other than that she’s from a Russian clan and that she came with Corban Savonett to Grace Harbor—which I’m sure you already know. Dion told her we’d better never find her making trouble in Rock Run territory again, and then Cleia was going to ’port her back to Russia. But when the guard checked on her an hour ago, she was gone.”
Jace scraped his fingers over his hair. “How is that possible? Your wards—” Queen Cleia herself had made sure that Rock Run’s wards were practically impregnable.
“I assure you, the queen is looking into it. There’s no scent, no sign that anyone was inside. Only a powerful fae could’ve ’ported in and out of here without anyone knowing.”
“Hell. I knew she wasn’t all she seemed.” He expelled a breath. “I’ll inform my alpha. Thanks for letting us know.”
“De nada. You won’t be visiting next weekend.” It was a statement, not a question.
“No. Not until we know what’s going on.”
“I think that’s for the best. Here, Merry wants to say goodbye.”
Do Mar returned the quartz to Merry, who said, “I heard what Papa said.”
“I’m sorry,” Jace told her. “I won’t be coming to visit, but we’ll talk. I promise.”
“Is it because of that earth fada lady?”
He hesitated, but Merry wasn’t stupid—she’d figure it out for herself. “Yeah. It’s for your own safety.” Because if he wasn’t careful, he could bring this right to her door.
“Okay.”
Jace grimaced. Damn, he hated that Merry was so accepting—so fucking adult. She was only thirteen. She should be whining like a normal teenager.
“Love you, sweetheart.”
“Love you too.” She cut the connection.
Jace remained in the hall, hand wrapped around his quartz, still reeling from the bad news. First Tyrus, and now Nika had escaped. Who the hell was she, really?
And why were his instincts screaming a trap was about to be sprung?
He tapped his quartz. “Adric? There’s something you should know.” He relayed the news about Nika.
Adric swore under his breath. “Fuck. The fae who can get past Cleia’s wards can probably be counted on one hand.”
Jace nodded. “The prince,” he said, meaning Prince Langdon, “and the ice fae king.” Sindre, whose name was coming up too damn often these days. “Those are my best guesses. And possibly my Lord Prick, but if he could teleport, he wouldn’t be running to Paris.”
“Agreed. Thoughts?”
“That we need to increase security. Corban knows where I live, and if he’s working with the night fae, the look-away spell won’t keep him out of my den.” He glanced over his shoulder at the room where Evie was sleeping. Powerful fae or not, they’d have to step over his cold, dead body to get to her.
“I’ll put the clan on high alert. No one goes anywhere alone, and the young and the old should be guarded twenty-four/seven. We’ll increase our patrols through the city, too. But it’s too damn large of an area to protect.”
“We could gather the vulnerable in one place, but there’s something to be said for keeping the dens scattered around the city.”
They’d had this conversation before. On one hand, the small, scattered dens that earth fada preferred made it easier to eliminate them one den at a time. On the other hand, there was strength in remaining spread out. It had saved the clan in the Darktime—even a crazed alpha like Leron Savonett hadn’t been able to wipe out all the pockets of dissent.
“What do you suggest?”
Jace was already running scenarios in his mind. “So far, Corban has focused on me, but it’s you he really wants. I’m just a means to get to you.”
“So I’ll draw him out of hiding.”
“No fucking way. That’s just what Corban wants. I’ll do it.”
“No—I’ll be damned if I’ll cower in my den while that bastard attacks my best people. Besides, Evie and Kyler need you right there.”
Jace grimaced. Adric was right. While he trusted that his den mates would guard Evie and her brother with their lives, neither he nor his cat was comfortable with leaving them for any length of time. “Then let Zuri do it.”
“It’s not your decision,” Adric said. “Corban wants me, so let him try to take me. I beat him once.”
“He wasn’t working with a night fae then,” Jace returned.
“It’s almost dawn. The night fae will have to go underground. Corban will be forced to deal with me alone.”
Jace blew out a breath. “You’re the alpha.”
Something had been niggling at him ever since yesterday when he, Evie and the others had walked to the park. “Remember when we were teenagers and we tried to track your cousin in Druid Hill Park—but we never could?” Corban would disappear for hours, and he was so good at hiding his scent that even Adric couldn’t find him.
“Hell. You think he has a lair in there somewhere?”
“Makes sense.”
“We went through the park once already, but it’s worth another pass. I’ll head up there at noon when that fucking night walker will be sleeping. If Corban’s somewhere nearby, just seeing me may draw him out. If not, I’ll go over every square foot. If he has a lair, I’ll find it.”
“Don’t go alone.”
“I won’t. So here’s the plan—Horace and Sam are to stick with you, Evie and Kyler. I’ll tell Beau to stay with Suha—she’s valuable enough that Corban may try to strike at her—and I’ll take Zuri and Marjani to the park.”
“Marjani? You think that’s wise? She’s so close to going—”
“Feral? I know. Believe me, I know. But then again, this might be what she needs—someone to protect. She’s been better ever since I asked for her help with this whole Corban mess. Maybe I made a mistake, coddling her this long.”
Jace rubbed his lower lip. “She needed time to heal. But I agree, maybe it’s time to bring her back on duty.”
Marjani had been one of the clan’s best soldiers. What had happened to her could’ve broken anyone—male or female—but it must have been a special hell for a woman who’d never taken any shit from anybody. To be violated in such an intimate way, made to feel so helpless. Like Takira. Jace swallowed harshly.
Adric was speaking. “I’ll contact Zuri, tell him what’s up. You bring Horace and Sam up to date.”
“I will. And Ric? Thanks—for Evie and Kyler.” Because he was wrapping the protection of the clan around the two humans.
“Hey, you’d do the same for me. Besides, I like your Evie and the kid. They’re good people.”
“They are.” He cut the connection.
A moment later, he heard Zuri speaking to Adric. “On my way,” he said. Jace glanced in his room to see the other lieutenant was already up and pulling on jeans and a T-shirt.
“I’m going to spread the word about Corban,” Zuri told Jace, “to those who don’t have a smartphone, and then I’ll head over to Adric’s.”
Jace nodded. Not everyone could use the new technology—it was one of the glitches they still had to work out. “Watch his back. He thinks he’s fucking invincible.”
“Don’t worry,” Zuri replied, “I will.”
Jace nodded and continued down the hall to wake up Sam and Horace. He brought them up to date with a few terse sentences, before heading for the shower, his plans for making love to Evie tabled. He didn’t even want to get near her in this frame of mind.
He knew Corban had to die, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth. It was so fucking senseless. The Darktime was supposed to be over. He was sick and tired of the infighting, of pointless deaths. He wanted to build things—not kill. To be free to explore this thing with Evie and maybe someday, have a cub of his own with her.
His heart squeezed at the thought of a sassy little girl with Evie’s bright hair and dark brows.
And if the clan had a problem with a mixed-blood, well, he’d make his own den with Evie and Kyler and any offspring the gods blessed them with. Adric would support him. Hell, Adric had accepted Merry, the only granddaughter of the night fae prince himself.
But if Corban had his way, it wasn’t going to end until Adric and every last one of his lieutenants was dead.
Jace slammed the heel of his hand against the tiled wall. Then he stood under the shower head and turned it to full.