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“What’s stopping the fae from turning against Beryl?” Ryder asked. “If they want freedom so badly, then why aren’t they banding together to take her down themselves? It seems a bit cowardly to wait for a young woman to come of age. They’ve been resting on their laurels for no perceivable reason.”
A shiver raced down my spine. I shuddered and lifted my head. Ryder’s question faded, falling to the back of my mind. There was another threat on the air.
Delphine had caught up. It’d only been a matter of time, really. I’d wasted it standing out here with Ryder.
“Can’t stay,” I said while dismounting my steed. “I have a princess to protect.”
Ryder’s stance widened like he could sense the threat, too. While he searched for the source of the ominous aura, I stepped in-between.
The rules for stepping in-between were strange. Fae magic never really worked along a predictable format. Since Ryder and I were in the middle of a conversation and at a turning point in it, that counted as standingin-betweenthe same way that doors or highway onramps counted.
Between one breath and the next, I moved from the road to a doorway inside Ryder’s home. The wards on the house recoiled in frustration. They tried to lance out at me, but I ignored their biting presence.
Ahead, Cerridwen slept on a bed, her back turned to me. I rushed forward and scooped her up. She’d had a long day. We’d already survived one fight. All I had to do was get her back to my trailer and we would be safe.
Feri scurried up my bicep and over my shoulders.
Cerridwen roused and kicked out her legs. “What the hell are you doing?”
She tumbled out of my arms and landed on the floor on all fours. Her wince told me that the fall must have hurt. I refused to feel bad for something she’d done to herself…all right, I felt a little bad.
Bending, I brought her back onto her feet. “All right, Princess. It’s time to go. Our friend caught up with us.”
Cerridwen jerked her arm out of my grasp. “Why are you trying to leave then? Shouldn’t we stay here? There are wards all over the house!”
I laughed in her face. It was rude of me, but I couldn’t help it. As we spoke, the wards were trying to throw me out. These boundaries had been made to combat mortal threats. They would keep out all sorts of local problems, but they weren’t going to do anything against the fae.
Immortal creatures didn’t work the same way as mortals. These wards were digging through my body in search of something more, but they were going to be sorely disappointed when they found nothing but magic where my soul should be.
Cerri didn’t know how useless the wards really were since she was always welcome on Pack grounds. The witch’s magic never pinched her skin like an annoyed bug and nothing more. These wards weren’t going to stop an elf older than moonlight. Delphine had no kingdom. She had nothing to lose by stepping on Pack grounds.
“Let’s go,” I said. Now wasn’t the time to argue with the princess.
13
CERRI
The bastard apparated into my life once again. I hadn’t even gotten to sleep before Rhoan stormed into the bedroom and yanked me out of bed. Then he had the nerve to drop me on the floor.
Okay, that part had been my fault. Fight or flight had kicked in. I’d chosen flight and tried to throw myself out of the situation before realizing that it was Rhoan. While I knew I didn’t have to run from the fae warrior, he wasn’t exactly easy on my frayed nerves.
“Why are we running?” I asked, unmoving.
Rhoan whipped around. He towered over me despite my own height. He leaned in close. His eyes burned with that oil slick darkness. When his lips curled, I could almost feel the heat of his frustration rolling off him.
“A mortal witch’s wards aren’t going to save anyone right now. Look at me. Where am I? Huh? I’m inside, where I shouldn’t be. No one invited me in. I wasn’t added to the ward’s list of acceptable visitors. Is that enough to convince you that we’re in danger?”
My breath rushed out of me.
Ness.
She was still here, somewhere. I couldn’t invite trouble into her house while she was pregnant. If something happened and she lost the baby…it was still early in the pregnancy. She was only a few weeks into her first trimester. A lot could go wrong…
“Shit. Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.
I let Rhoan sweep me into his arms. He rushed towards the doorway. Fae magic bubbled in the air around us, but before we could slip away the window behind us shattered. The glass burst inward. Rhoan wrapped himself around me. Shards pelted his back.
Though I shouted in warning, the glass wasn’t a problem. The pieces hit his leather vest and dropped to the floor with a tinkling chime that didn’t fit the urgency of the situation.
