Page 57 of Deadly Little Games
Last night had been our first night together. I wanted him to know it had meant something, something beyond just saving him. So I stood on my toes and planted a light kiss on his lips. Only the faintest hint of magic flared between us, as if it was still tired and satisfied from last night.
His eyes widened as I pulled away, then he smiled. “I’m here if you need me.”
I smiled back, then looked at Mistral, worried he might be jealous. But he seemed genuinely happy. Glad that I cared enough to reassure his friend. And that… that meant something too.
Gods, what had I gotten myself into?
Sebastian opened the gate, and I shifted to step across the boundary. The shift came so effortlessly that I just stood there for a moment. I couldn’t help but wonder if more had changed last night than just my relationship with Gabriel and Mistral.
I lifted Ringo to my shoulder, then looked back at the guys. “I’ll let you know how it goes with King Francis.”
Worry crossed both of their expressions, but they didn’t try to stop me. They knew I had to go, and they couldn’t come with me. Not unless we convinced King Francis to give Gabriel a free pass as well, but that would take time. And deep down, I felt like I had already asked for far too much.
“Shall we?” Sebastian asked.
I nodded, glancing back at the guys one last time as Sebastian led me away. We walked down the winding path, back toward the city in silence.
Then, just as we reached the street, Sebastian leaned in near my shoulder. “I believe I know who the fae was who tried to kill you last night. And I know why.”
21
We waitedat the golden gates of Emerald Heights for Elena to arrive. Sebastian had escorted me to my apartment, and I now was freshly showered and wearing clean jeans, a lightweight blue flannel, and brown boots. I wiped my palms on my jeans again, shifting my weight nervously.
Sebastian had told Elena and Crispin the night before that he would find me and bring me here. Then, instead of waiting for me at the Bogs, he had paid Elizabeta, the vampire master of the city, a visit. Because if Ivan was still sending people after me, he was going directly against her orders, and her alliance with the elf king.
There he had learned one highly important piece of information. Ivan was dead, killed by Elizabeta herself for scheming behind her back.
That left one very important question. Who had actually sent the fae?
Hopefully soon, all would be revealed.
I straightened as I spotted Elena approaching, once again riding the huge buck, with a second creature for Sebastian. She looked a little green around the edges, and I imagined too many beers, plus a battle to the death, followed by a car ride, wasn’tgood for anyone. Let alone an elven princess who likely hadn’t seen many wild nights.
She climbed down from her buck, then opened one side of the golden gates, her oversized gray sweatshirt barely revealing her hands as she did so. Despite her disheveled state, she smiled at me. “Gods, am I glad to see you. When you disappeared like that, I wasn’t sure what had happened. But this one assured me you would be fine.” She nodded toward where Sebastian stood, arms crossed beneath the shade of a tree. “Is Gabriel…”
“He’s fine.”
Another relieved smile. Sebastian didn’t think she was hiding anything from us, and I had to agree. Whatever schemes were afoot, Elena was not part of them. “You must truly be a miracle worker.”
“It was an interesting night,” I said vaguely. No way was I revealing everything that happened, at least not in front of Sebastian.
She reached into the pocket of her jeans and produced another small glass leaf. “Courtesy of my father, although after he got a look at me this morning, he did express concerns over my new… friends.”
“Hey, you’re the one who tried to out-drink a bunch of werewolves.”
Sebastian approached, taking the offered leaf. “We would like to explain things to your father ourselves. Can you bring us to him?”
Her eyes shifted to me, and I gave her an encouraging nod.
“We should get going then. He should be just finishing up his daily game of chess with Zenith by the time we get there.”
I assumed Zenith was the cranky companion I had met previously, but I didn’t ask questions. I merely nodded, nervous about the events ahead.
“Eva will ride with me.” Sebastian walked toward the second buck.
Elena lifted a brow at me, and I shrugged. We didn’t think Elena was in on anything, but we couldn’t be sure. Not that I thought she was going to push me off a moving animal, but Sebastian was being unusually paranoid after all he’d learned.
I followed Sebastian, feeling a little braver than before. If I took nothing else from my recent experiences, at least I was a lot more comfortable around large animals.