Page 55 of Deadly Little Games
I wokein a tangle of vines and arms with soft sunlight warming my bare skin. I panicked for a moment until I remembered where I was, and that the arms around me were Mistral’s and Gabriel’s. And that last night—
Oh holy hells. I wasn’t sure how I had gone from basically celibate, to this.
I tried to sit up, but vines and moss had formed a blanket over the lower halves of our bodies.
Chuckling, Mistral sat up beside me, helping me push the greenery away.
I glared at him. “I suppose this is just a regular morning for you, huh?”
His gray eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and his smile was the most genuine I had seen from him. “Not quite.” He reached toward me, then pulled a leaf from my hair.
I sensed Gabriel sitting up behind me and glanced back at him. “And what about you?”
One corner of his grim mouth curled ever so slightly. “No. I try to not make nearly dying a regular event.” His expression softened. “Although I cannot complain about being saved.”
I looked at my watch—the only article still adorning my body—and groaned. Thirteen missed calls from Braxton. The others must have told him what happened.
I pushed the button to call him back, and we all waited in silence as it rang.
“In the name of all things good, bad, or whatever, Eva, what the hell took you so long to call me back?”
I winced, having no idea what to say. “I’m guessing someone told you what happened?”
“All I know is that Fae attacked the border and some psychopath drove by, shouting like a maniac for them to follow her. Then we found some bodies further down the road next to a freshly felled tree, dragged just far enough for a vehicle to get by.”
I absorbed his words. That must have been Crispin and Elena. Sebastian probably popped out just as soon as I did. He wouldn’t have cared about Ringo, but I hoped the elves would have taken him with them.
“Hellooooo? Care to tell me what’s going on?”
I swiped a palm over my face. “It’s an exceedingly long story, one better given in person. Were any wolves hurt?”
“A few injuries, but no one dead. I’m guessing your devil is just fine, but what about the others?”
I looked at Mistral, then Gabriel, my cheeks burning. “Fine as far as I know. Though I should probably check in with Elena.”
Braxton sighed heavily. “You do that, then meet me at home. You owe me dinner.”
“For what!”
“I don’t know, but for some reason I feel like you owe me for something.”
Considering I had brought the fae to his pack’s doorstep, he was probably right. “I’ll pick something up on my way back from Emerald Heights.”
“Is it really safe for you to be walking around?”
“Probably not, but I need to figure a few things out.” Like why Elena’s father lied about the sword, and why Ivan had sent the fae after me when I was supposed to be protected.
“Watch your back, Eva. I’ll see you at home.”
He hung up, and I slumped limply back against the grass. Mistral and Gabriel both looked down at me with identical expressions.
“I’m going to Emerald Heights. I have to.”
“It’s not that,” Mistral said. “I sense a devil waiting outside our boundary.”
I covered my face with both palms and shook my head against the grass. “Please tell me my clothing survived the night.”
My clothing had not survivedthe night. At least not entirely. My jeans were torn, but wearable. My shirt, not so much. We at least found both of my sneakers, and Mistral lent me his shirt.