"We're mates," I explain once we've put some distance between us and the restaurant, glancing down at the brownie who's now perched on my knee. Blood from my already-healing arm has stained his mottled skin and leather clothes. I offer him a napkin from the glove compartment.
"She let us go," Cormac says, disbelief coloring his tone as he maneuvers through evening traffic, constantly checking the rearview mirror. "A GUIDE agent let all of us escape."
"Not just any GUIDE agent," I correct him, unable to keep the pride from my voice. "My mate."
The brownie finally looks up at me, enormous eyes blinking in the passing streetlights. "You're the Viking wolf, one of the knights," he says, his voice high and musical. "You're looking for your soul shard."
"Yes," I confirm, surprised. "How do you know all of that?"
The brownie huffs a laugh, wiping blood from his arm with the napkin. "I'm well-informed. Also, that GUIDE agent..." He glances back through the rear window as Cormac takes a sharp turn. "She hunts our kind, but she's different. Strange powers. Some say she's one of us but hiding."
My heart pounds at the confirmation of what I've suspected since that night. The way she spoke to me in the cave, confessing what she was. The fact that she could see me through Cormac's glamour just now.
"What kind?" I ask, though I already know the answer won't be simple.
The brownie shakes his head, bracing himself as Cormac accelerates through a yellow light. "No one knows. But she heals fast. Moves too quick sometimes. And her scent..." He taps his large nose meaningfully. "Not fully human."
Cormac's knuckles whiten on the steering wheel, his eyes flickering to meet mine in the rearview mirror. "If she's magickal and working for GUIDE..."
"She's living a dangerous lie," I finish for him, staring out at the passing city lights. The thought sends a surge of protective fury through my blood. If they discover what she is, they'll execute her.
The brownie tugs at my shirt. "There's more. The reason they sent her after me." His voice drops to a whisper, nearly lost beneath the hum of the engine. "I overheard things. About the chimera."
My attention snaps fully to the small creature. "What about them?"
"Something is helping it. Someone." His oversized ears twitch nervously as Cormac takes another turn, heading toward the outskirts of the city. "They've killed more GUIDE agents since Rome."
"Who?" Cormac asks sharply, taking his eyes off the road for a dangerous second.
The brownie shakes his head. "Something old. Something forgotten."
"That's not helpful," Cormac says with a harsh growl, slamming his palm against the steering wheel. "Might as well be talking about Baba Yaga. Something forgotten. Bah!"
The brownie's small hand pats my chest as the car settles into a steady pace on a quieter road. "Don't worry, wolf. Soul mates always find each other. It's the way of things. She'll come around."
I look down at him, raising my eyebrows to indicate I’d like more of an explanation.
The small creature nods solemnly, his features softly illuminated by the dashboard lights. "The threads that bind souls together shine like silver in the dark to our kind. Yours glows especially bright, Asguardian. It leads straight back to that GUIDE agent."
My wolf preens at that information. She is ours. We are hers. Now we must convince her of the truth she suspects but won't acknowledge.
"We'll just continue to interrupt her missions until I get a chance to speak with her alone," I say, watching the city recede behind us.
"This is a terrible idea. It's not even an idea," Cormac mutters, checking the mirrors again to confirm we aren't being followed.
“Other than kidnapping her, I’m not seeing another way at the moment,” I shoot back.
The brownie tugs at my shirt again. "I can help. I know where she lives."
I look down at the small creature, surprised. "You do? How?"
The brownie's chest puffs out slightly with pride. "We've been watching her for years. Brownies keep tabs on all GUIDE agents in our territory. It's how we stay alive. But her..." He taps his nose knowingly. "She caught our interest. Moves like them but smells like magick. My clan has been tracking her patterns, her home, watching for signs of what she truly is."
"And?" I press, curiosity burning through me.
His large eyes blink solemnly in the dim car interior. "She lives alone. Comes home at odd hours. Heals from injuries overnight that would take humans weeks. It's not every day one gets to play matchmaker for a wolf and a GUIDE agent. It will make for an excellent story."
"I suppose it might," I say, a smile tugging at my lips as Cormac groans beside me.
