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“I’m headed out to my land now, too. Here,” he said, depositing Maggie in my arms. “You tend to your charge. If Camille asks, I’ll be at my barrow for the evening. I’ve errands to attend to, and those blasted Fae Queens are cluttering up the edges of my land. I need to make sure they don’t tear the place apart.”
He grimaced. Over the past couple of months, we’d all been privy to exactly what Smoky thought of Morgaine, Aeval, and Titania reconstructing the Seelie and Unseelie Courts.
Torn apart in the Great Divide when Otherworld split off from Earthside, the Fae Courts had been decimated, and Aeval and Titania effectively banished. A couple months ago, thanks to Morgaine’s meddling, they’d decided enough with that shit and were now rebuilding their kingdom with a little help from Camille. We weren’t quite sure whether this was a good idea, but one thing was certain: It kept them out of our hair, and it pleased FBHs to no end. The big question now was where they were going to set up their actual court. Titania was trying to claim part of Smoky’s land. He wasn’t budging.
“Just be careful. Those three are dangerous, and I don’t trust any one of them.” I put Maggie in her playpen and made sure she had her favorite toy—Chase had given her a stuffed monkey named River—and her blocks.
“You’re right to suspect them. They’re up to no good. I wish Camille hadn’t gotten herself mixed up with them, but then, I suppose when the Hags of Fate order you around, you listen.” The dragon slipped into his long white trench coat and headed out the door.
He was right about the Hags of Fate, I thought. None of us wanted Camille mixed up with that crew. Although Morgaine technically was part of our family tree, we all knew blood didn’t ensure loyalty. But Camille had had no choice. Grandmother Coyote had seen to that.
One favor the new Queens of Fae were doing for us, however, was taking some of the pressure off with the general populace. Ever since we crossed to this world, we’d been seen through lenses clouded with mystique, and we’d been both despised and revered.
Now, with Earthside Fae coming out of the woodwork, it evened the score. But I wasn’t counting chickens yet. Once the FBHs realized that the Queens of Fae weren’t going to chum up to the ordinary Joe and play footsie, the mood could change in the blink of an eye. And the three Queens were anything but jovial.
I scribbled a note for Iris, who was busy with the laundry, kissed Maggie on the cheek, and grabbed my keys. As I climbed into my Jeep, my thoughts returned to Chase. I really didn’t think he was missing. He’d probably eloped with Erika or something equally asinine. In the back of my mind, I wondered why I was still so upset. After all, I’d spent the night with Zach and had an incredible time. And I was going to tell Chase about it. Not rub his nose in it, but be clear about what I’d done. Maybe I should cut Chase some slack.
Then again, another little voice argued, it wasn’t just the lying that bothered me so much, or the lying by omission. Chase had put up a squawk about me seeing Zach on a friendship basis as well. So I’d focused on Chase, given him my exclusive attention. And then he went out and screwed somebody else.
Thoroughly confused, hot and cold running about equally, I sped along the freeway until I came to the exit leading to his apartment building in south Seattle. He actually lived around Renton, though his zip code still tied him to the city proper.
As I pulled into the parking lot, I looked around for his new SUV, and sure enough, there it was, in the lot. So either he was home and not answering his phone, or he was out with somebody else—namely, Erika. Or, a little voice said, maybe he was home, but unable to answer his phone. I jumped out of the Jeep and took the stairs two at a time. After two knocks, I dug out my key. As I stared at it, I wondered briefly if this was the last time I’d be letting myself into his apartment. If we broke up, I’d have to give it back, and the thought made me unaccountably sad.
But when I went to open it, I found the door was unlocked. I pushed it open, gingerly stepping over the threshold. The lights were on, though it was broad daylight. Chase got plenty of light in his apartment, and he was meticulous about turning off the lamp when he left the room. Bad sign number one.
Bad sign number two was in-my-face big. The living room looked like a tornado had raged through it. Books were scattered everywhere, everything on the desktop now littered the floor: pencils, pens, papers. His laptop computer was open and blinking. Somehow it had survived the fall. My heart in my throat, I slowly made my way through the mess. What the hell had happened?
Panic rising, I ran to the bedroom. No sign of a fight, no sign of suitcases, the closet was full, the bed was still made. Which meant he’d either had time this morning to make it, or he hadn’t slept in it.
The light on his answering machine was blinking, and before I even thought about fingerprints, I hit the button and sat down to listen. The first was from the dry cleaners, telling him his suit was ready to pick up. The second was from Sharah, asking him to call her as soon as possible. The third was from Erika. I stopped short at that one.
“Chase, where the hell do you get off? I thought we agreed that this time, you were going to play things my way. I don’t play second fiddle to anyone or anything—whether it’s work, or that creeped-out cunt you’re sleeping with. Call me as soon as you get this or don’t bother calling at all.”
Whoa. Was this the real face of the woman he’d been seeing on the side? I stared at the machine, wondering what the hell he saw in her. Sure, she was pretty, but her mouth put an end to anything I’d ever find attractive about her. I never—not once—had treated him to that sort of scathing attack. We’d argued, but I never played dirty. The fourth message came on and startled me out of my reverie. Sharah again, and the fifth was also from her, this morning. And that was it for the messages.
As I sat there, I noticed a picture on the nightstand and picked it up. Chase had taken it a few months ago, it was of me, curled up in a ball on the end of his bed, snoozing on his favorite Armani jacket. I’d left him a hairball there. Purely unintentional, but he’d laughed till he cried and wouldn’t let me pay to have it cleaned. Before I could stop myself, I realized I was crying.
I tucked the picture in my pocket and wandered back out to the living room, looking for the phone. As I picked it up and dialed Sharah’s number, I decided to see Erika next. I’d talk to her, because I wanted to face her down. I wanted to face the demon who had come between Chase and me. A demon from his past and from my insecurities.
And I prayed—for once, I prayed—dear Lady Bast, let Chase be there. Let him be safe and sound and with her. Because if he wasn’t, then we really had something to worry about.
CHAPTER 20
I didn’t know where to find Erika, but it didn’t take me long to find Chase’s address book. After that, it was a simple matter to scan through the entries until I came to her address and number. She was staying in one of those furnished hotel suites, which told me she hadn’t fully made up her mind whether to move back to Seattle or not.
I scribbled the address and phone number in my notebook, stuffed it in my pocket, and then headed out. My fingerprints were everywhere, but Sharah knew that I’d been here. As I eased out of the parking lot, I met her pulling in. I waved to her, and she gave me a quick nod.
The route to Erika’s took me ten minutes. She’d settled in as close to Chase’s as possible. How long had she been in town? A week? Two? Four?
When I entered the luxurious hotel, it occurred to me that Erika had to have money. No way Chase could afford this on his salary. I sauntered up to the counter and leaned across the marble top, lowering the masks on my glamour. I usually avoided using the charm from my Fae blood, but right now, I wanted every scrap of insurance on my side that I could get.
While the clerk gave me the once-over—long and leisurely—I flashed him a slow smile. “I need some information,” I said.
“What do you need, pretty lady?” He was breathless in a creepy sort of way, but I wasn’t about to nitpick. I had him hooked.
“How long has Erika Sands been registered here?” I pursed my mouth, offering the promise of a kiss.
He licked his lips as he stared at me. I didn’t even think he knew he was doing it. “She moved in about four weeks ago.”
