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“What fucking mission?” I growled.
Nato grinned and chucked me under the chin. “You’re cute when you’re angry.”
“Uh huh. I bet.” When I was angry, I looked like a spitting wet cat. Definitely not the cute kind. “Mission?”
“All right, my love. Remember what I told you when you woke up after the other Mazza attack?”
“That we would do everything in our power to save Fennina?”
“Not that. What else did I tell you?”
What had he said? That whole week after the attack seemed to pass in a haze. “That you really needed a cold beer and chicken wings to appreciate life again.”
Sage snickered.
Yunez sighed. “It pains me that you are not joking. Many years ago, I gifted a stone statue to Aamori for safe keeping. She didn’t know the significance, only that it was a sign of goodwill when she took over as head of her house.”
“The statue in their dining hall?” Sage asked, swiping his hand over his jaw. “I remember that. It vibrated with power.”
“It is power. Actually, it is an amplifier. The other Mazza and her bonds all had a small piece of it around their necks. We need that statue back to level the playing field.”
“And I guess asking for it back is considered bad form?” I chewed my lip. I didn’t see good things happening here.
“We cannot let anyone know that we have it. More importantly, we cannot let anyone know what it is. It is bad enough that the other Mazza have them. If there are others, we need to make sure we are the only ones who have access to it.”
“You act like it’s the only one.” Nato furrowed his brow.
“It is the only one. It is a meteorite that hit Earth close to one of the portals. I smuggled it through when I realized what it was. Someone else must have discovered it, because as far as I know, it is the only one.”
I scanned the woods behind him. Many of the Fennins milled about and chatted with one another. No one was glancing our way and it made me wonder if Yunez, or hell, even Rand or Nato, were making them see things that weren’t real. Or diverting their attention would probably be the more accurate description.
“How are we supposed to carry it? That thing was huge.” Jari pushed his lips to the side. “I’m strong, but I can’t lift that much. It’s not a metal is it?” He looked between Sage and Rand.
“No, it is not. Itisa rock. But I have faith in you all. You will have exactly four hours to get in and out. And not alert anyone that you are there.” Yunez looked between us and a brief flash of worry flashed through his eyes. “Without the sight, I cannot give you any clues on what to do or avoid. Just follow your instincts. My love, your powers are coming in. Listen to them.”
I nodded.
He framed my face with his hands and kissed my lips. “Now, I must go play politics with my other heads of houses. Return. All of you.”
He left and Nato took his place, dropping a toe curling kiss against my mouth, then he spun me into Egan’s arms, who one upped him with a growl of possession.
Without any other words, they left me with my bonds that were going with me. “I guess this means we get to really test out the extent of your powers.” Jari bit his bottom lip as he looked off in the distance, probably toward Aamori’s home.
“Oh goody,” I deadpanned. This was going to be fun.
“Anyone knowhow to call our winged friends back?” Jari braced his fists on his hips as he looked over the treetops, like he was expecting them to appear just from his thoughts.
That would be nice, but it didn’t happen. Sadly.
“No. But there are horses.” Rand pointed at the horses currently munching on grass under the trees.
I groaned. “Please, no. My ass can’t take any more time in the saddle. No more riding for me.”
“I concur. Riding doesn’t agree with Issy.” Sage shook his head vehemently, but when I glared at him, he broke into a grin. It was good to see he wasn’t a grumpy ass all the time.
“Cart and horse?” I asked, too much forced hope in my voice.
They looked around, and Jari sighed. “Yeah, let’s grab the food cart. It has already been unloaded but they haven’t unhooked the horses yet.”
