I shot him a dubious look, wondering just what sort of “associate” this Hudson guy was. Did he build catapults? Was he a dragon? How the hell was he going to get us over that wall?
Leaving it for now, I said, “Once we’re in, that’s it? We figure out where Keradoc’s secret warlord hidey-hole is and storm the castle? Make it home in time for Mardi Gras?”
“Not exactly.” Elian capped the pen and tossed it on the table. “Once we’re inside Amaranth City, we’ll need to reassess the situation on the ground day by day. Tracking down Keradoc won’t be easy—he’s not one to leave the city’s protective boundaries, but that doesn’t mean he’s easy to find. We’re talking setting up tails, stakeouts, bribing everyone from house servants to guards.”
“And let’s not forget,brother,” Jax said with a sneer. “Not everyone in Amaranth will be rolling out the red carpet for their three favorite fugitives.”
Elian sighed. “No, they won’t be.”
“Why?” I asked. “What did you guys do?”
When he looked at me, all the confidence drained from his eyes, leaving only sadness and regret behind. In a soft, broken voice, he said simply, “We got out, Haley. And they didn’t.”
Again I wondered what his life had been like in Midnight. What he’d even done to get exiled in the first place. As I understood it, unless you were a pureblood, there were only two ways into Midnight—portal magick from a dark goddess or witch, or committing a crime against the high fae so vile, they had no choice but to banish you from all the decent places of the world.
Which of those two tickets had Elian punched? Or Jax, for that matter? What about Hudson?
I came to New Orleans begging Elian for help—partly because the Goddess ordered me to and partly because I didn’t have any other options for getting into Midnight. Elian was my shot. My one shot.
But underneath all that logic, there was another part of me that’d truly wanted to see him. That wanted to believe, however naive and ridiculous, he’d still have my back.
Now, more than ever, I needed that to be true.
But I was also staring down the prospect of a long-term stay on planet hell—months, from the sound of it—facing more dangers than I could possibly imagine, and my only escorts were a man I hadn’t yet laid eyes on, a battle-scarred, one-eyed demon who’dclearlyseen some shit, and the vampire-fae who’d already betrayed me once.
What if they led me into a trap?
What if things got heavy, and they turned on me to save their own asses?
What if Elian bailed on me again?
I sighed. Legit concerns, maybe. But ultimately, none of them mattered. I needed to get to Midnight, and I couldn’t do it alone. That ship, however rickety, had sailed.
Absently, I rubbed my thumb along the scar on my wrist.
Come on. You’ve survived worse. You’re surviving right now—present tense. Whatever it takes. You’ve got this. You’ve fucking got this…
“Hey.” Jax got to his feet and glanced out the window. Headlights cut a path through the trees. I hadn’t even realized it’d gotten so late. “Looks like Hudson’s back.”
I got to my feet too, nerves tingling down my spine.
This was it. The third guy. My final escort to Midnight.
And quite possibly to my doom.
12
HALEY
Ahuge beast of a man pushed through the kitchen door, arms laden with bags from a local hunting and sporting goods store.
Presumably the promised supplies—I spotted a couple of tent boxes and some sleeping bags, along with some outdoor gear. I didn’t see any ingredients for S’mores, though, which didn’t bode well for our Blackbone camping excursion.
I tried not to show my disappointment.
Sacrifices, girl. We’re all making them.
The guy dropped the bags unceremoniously on the floor, then stood up to his full height, casting a shadow that went on forever. His eyes met mine across the distance, and my stomach dropped into free-fall.
