Page 111 of Fallen Court

“Then live it elsewhere—preferably far away from witches.” His tone left no room for discussion.

Lach turned his gaze once more to the party.

“Come on. We can find ambrosia,” Dante suggested, hustling his friends toward the door. He gave Lach a quick nod.

I stared after them, wondering if I should follow. Channing needed someone to talk some sense into him—not that I’d ever been very good at that. “Should we send them home?”

“Do you think they’ll go?”

He had a point. Still, letting the three of them loose into the night seemed like a bad idea.

Channing’s shoulders remained rigid with unspent energy all the way to the door until Dante slipped a casual arm around them. My brother leaned into him slightly, finally relaxing.

We definitely needed to have a conversation about boundaries when it came to vampires.

But the clock was inching closer to midnight, so it would have to wait.

Turning, I found Lach, his eyes still smoldering with savage anger that only time would subdue. I touched his arm gently. “I need to go. Willow’s expecting me for the séance.”

A muscle strained in his neck as he looked around us. There was no way he could leave, even with the risk of the Wild Hunt.

“They won’t know I’m coming,” I whispered. “I have no magic to track.”

His eyes softened, and he managed a nod. “I might join you later…if this mess gets sorted.”

Translation: he was struggling to let me out of his sight.

“Thank you,” I murmured, sensing how hard he was fighting to do so now. “Your spirit will be with me either way.” I stood on tiptoes, pressing my lips briefly to his in a kiss that both soothed and stoked my own muddled feelings.

Ciara approached us, arms crossed, her glamour now lacking its earlier luster. “They couldn’t behave for one freaking night. Now we have to deal with this shit,” she huffed, eyeing the crowd. Lach’s scowl deepened, but before he could voice his disapproval, Ciara rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. This is worse than an unpaid internship—except, you know, with the added danger element.”

“I have to go.” I jumped in before the next fight that broke out was between them. Looking down, I remembered I was still in my costume. “And there’s no time to change.”

Lach lifted a hand, and I found myself in a T-shirt and jeans from our wardrobe. His own costume had traded with his usual armor—a black suit and tie. He passed me a purse that felt suspiciously heavy. “Stay safe.” He nodded toward the bag. “Just in case.”

I knew better than to argue with him about this point.

“Where are you going?” Ciara asked, but Roark was already guiding her toward a vicious argument happening across the room. Lach closed his eyes and turned to join them, as if he needed extra help letting me go himself.

The temperature had dropped to somewhere between pleasant and cool. After the events of the last few hours, the balmy air felt good on my skin. Willow’s shop was only a few streets away, and I cooled off more with each step, but even distance from La Porte wasn’t enough to stop my thoughts from churning. Channing’s knack for trouble was as reliable as it was alarming, and tonight I hoped to face the one person who would be as worried about him as I was.

“Have I let you down?” The whispered question lingered unanswered in the quiet street.

The thought gnawed at me with every step, any anticipation I’d felt earlier shifting to dread. As Willow’s familiar storefront came into view, the fluttering anxiety in my gut coalesced into a single, sharp point of determination. The veil between worlds was thinning. I would find out soon enough.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Cate

The jingle of the shop’s bell startled me from my thoughts as I pushed open the weathered door to La Belle Dame. The street outside had been deserted, eerily silent as though all life had been siphoned away by the hour. Willow appeared from the back as if summoned by the break in the silence, too.

“A little quiet out there, isn’t it?” I murmured, my stomach clenching as reality began to set in. I was actually going to do this. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted the séance to work or not.

Willow, clad in a fuchsia crop top that clashed with the high-waisted denim shorts and orange leggings layered underneath, waved in welcome. She looked like she’d fallen into her closet and come out wearing whatever had tripped her. “Everyone’s at the party at La Porte,” she said, the sequins on her shirt catching the dim light and casting a kaleidoscope of colors on the walls.

“Guess so.” The unease in my gut deepened at the reminder of the chaos I’d left Lach to deal with at said party.

“Come on. Let’s do this.” She pumped a fist before beckoning me farther into the shop. Behind me, the door swung shut with a thud that vibrated through the room. The lights were out, but several candles had been lit in sconces that lined the walls. Shadows clung to the corners like cobwebs, barely disturbed by their feeble glow. Incense choked the air, charging it with a sense of anticipation that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.