I held perfectly still as Alexis’ friends strolled by, none of them noticing that the orchard was a little darker than usual. Only when they were well out of range did I spin around and smile at the Furie before me.
“You truly do have excellent timing, Cali.” I cocked my head to the side and arched a brow. “Now tell me what the fuck you’re doing here?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rynn
“Here, as in Fervis territory? Or here as in the Dragomir stronghold?” Cali adjusted her wings that were draped over her shoulders like a dark leathery cape.
I narrowed my eyes. Anytime Cali answered a question with a question, it meant she was up to something I wouldn’t like. But it had to be more than just her being in a place she wasn’t supposed to be. There was more going on, and she knew I wouldn’t be happy about it.
“Cali,” I said calmly. “Tell me the rumors about you and Nyx hunting together aren’t true. Tell me you didn’t drag them into your bullshit.”
It was one thing for Cali to be reckless with her own life, but Nyx’s existence was precarious at best. If they got caught in the Velesian realm, I wasn’t sure even Samara could save them.
“Wow.” Cali crossed her arms. “I save you from certain death and this is the thanks I get.”
“It wasn’t certain death.” I rolled my eyes. “If I got caught, it would’ve just been a minor inconvenience.”
And a political disaster.
“Shall I call them back so we can find out?” Cali grinned wide enough to show off her fangs. They weren’t as long as a Moroi’s or even a Velesian’s but they were more than sharp enough to rip out a throat.
My patience started to wane, and I let out a low growl.
“Technically, we’re both hiding and hunting,” a smooth voice said from behind me. I whirled around to come face-to-face with nearly black eyes with jagged blue lines woven in the dark.
My body reacted before my mind caught up, and I jerked back.
The Moroi cocked their head in a way that reminded me of a Strigoi. Those dark eyes watched, not a hint of emotion betrayed on their stunningly beautiful face.
“Nyx,” I breathed and stepped forward, shoving their shoulder lightly. “Next time, make a sound before you sneak up on me with your freaky eyes.”
The emotionless mask crumbled, and they gave me the wide charming smile with just a hint of mischief that brought out their dimples. It was the one I’d always associated with them.
There you are, my friend.
“I don’t know, Rynn.” They smirked. “Your eyes are kind of freaky too.”
Nyx moved to stand next to Cali, and I eyed both of them. Cali was decked out in her brown fighting leathers, and Nyx wore similar ones in black. The way they stood next to each other told me they’d been traveling together for a while, which was interesting. Samara and I had been the closest to Nyx during their brief stay at Drudonia before they’d run off to join the rangers.
I wondered if Vail was aware of Nyx’s whereabouts. The two of them used to be close, with Nyx serving in Vail’s personal unit. But now that unit was dead and Nyx was straddling the line between Strigoi and Moroi. And they blamed Vail for both of those things.
“While I appreciate the save, which I absolutely didn’t need, I’m going to need that answer to what the fuck the two of you are doing here?” Things would be bad if I was caught snooping where I shouldn’t be. But if the Velesians discovered Nyx or Cali . . . it would be a bloodbath. Cali wasn’t the type to let herself be captured, and Nyx’s control over their bloodlust was tenuous.
“It was nice of Samara to set me up another cottage for me on the outskirts of House Harker, but I think we all knew it wasn’t a long-term solution,” Nyx said. “The Moroi are terrified of me. I remind them of what they could be someday. It was better for everyone if I left.”
My heart ached for Nyx, even as I knew they spoke the truth. Those of us who were close to Nyx believed in their ability to control their new volatile nature. But the majority of Moroi were wary of Nyx at best. Others wanted a more permanent solution. Samara had received numerous requests that Nyx be put to death. She’d firmly shut all those requests down and had made it clear that if anyone made a move against Nyx, they would be answering directly to the Blood Sovereign. Nobody in the Moroi realm was stupid enough to go up against them. Not currently anyway.
“I needed a hunting partner, so last time I visited Sam, I stopped by Nyx’s place and offered to let them tag along,” Cali said lightly.
I gave her a sharp look. “You should have told Sam. She’s been worried and has enough to deal with right now.”
Cali had the decency to wince. “I know. But if we told her, she would have known what we were up to. And both Nyx and I wanted her hands to be clean of it.”
And that summed up the friendship Samara, Cali, and I had. One way or another, we were constantly looking out for each other. Sometimes that meant throwing down in a bar fight Cali had absolutely started, and sometimes it meant omitting information so the other two wouldn’t have to lie about it.
That was usually a Cali move too.
