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“You’re staying here.”
“I’m not.” I jerked my head at the ivy-covered wall curving behind the back of the palace. “There’s a door down there that…Em and I used before. A shortcut onto the grounds, we’ll end up by the north wing.”
I pushed the ivy-covered gate open, both of us slipped through and by the time Zor closed the latch, my little melt down over being Tavion Montgomery’s wife had passed, thank the gods.
“Barely in time.” Zor muttered as an enormous shadow darkened the stones below my feet.
I looked up and a golden owl soared overhead, wings outstretched unbelievably wide. Zor was already moving and we raced along the outer terrace, up a flight of steps just as the thing flapped its wings to slow down, then vanished through an open window.
I scanned which wing, which floor of the building we were on, my feet tripping over themselves when I realized which window he’d flown into.
I started running.
Torin’s head snapped up when I burst into her room, just as she unfastened the glass cannister from the owl’s leg. She stroked her fingers over the creature’s tawny head and the bird closed its eyes and leaned into her touch.
“What in Hades are you doing here?”
I don’t know what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t for the owl to transform into a Fae male—a very handsome, very naked Fae male—with golden hair, glittering eyes of the same color. He and Torin stared at me in shock before the seer waved her hand at him, her milky eyes staring right through me.
I wondered if she even knew the male was naked.
“Get some clothes on.” She gripped the scroll in one hand, power thrumming through the room as she stared me down.
“Are you mad? Why would you come back?”
I shrank beneath her fury and her magic. “The messenger…the note…I thought you were in danger.” Obviously, my fears were unfounded, because the Fae male emerged in a robe that fit him perfectly, his golden gaze darkly possessive as he crossed to Torin, nuzzled against her neck.
“As you can see, I can take care of myself.” Her smile turned serpentine, and clearly said,get the hell out, I have things to do.
She appeared unharmed, no sign that Solok had tortured her a week ago, and she’d intercepted the note, so we were all safe for the moment.
“I see that.” Zor sheathed his knife and moved closer to me. “That message is a death sentence. Anaria’s fears were not unfounded, Torin.” The seer waved her hand in the air and the scroll vanished.
“Trubahn and I have an understanding. Any messages that leave the Keep come straight to me. Especially the ones meant for Solok, then I decide if he gets them…or not.”
“That would have been good fucking information to have an hour ago.” Zor muttered beneath his breath.
Her furious gaze landed on me with all the weight of an anvil. “I didn’t think I needed to explain the note should be destroyed. Obviously, an oversight on my part.”
“Obviously.” I glanced at Zor. “Did you know about this?”
“No. I thought she was in danger, same as you. But Torin has always loved her games.” Zor and the shifter sized each other up the way all Fae males did, the shifter dropping his gaze first.
“The only reason I’m still alive is because ofmy games, Zorander.” Torin crossed to the door, muttering a spell beneath her breath. “Gods help us all if anyone catches you here. We went to an enormous amount of trouble to get you out of Caladrius. You must be a special kind of fool to come back.”
“Perhaps if you didn’t keep everything a secret, we would have known not to come.” Zor muttered. “We’ll return to the Keep; I doubt there’s been time for anyone to notice her absence.”
“Only if you’re incredibly lucky. How long did it take you to bring her here?”
“Just a couple minutes. One jump.” I murmured, watching the owl shifter make himself comfortable on Torin’s throne, as if he’d sat there many times before. “We’ll be back just as fast, I suppose.”
Torin went still. “How is that possible?”
“I fed some of my magic into Zor.” I moved closer to him, not liking how Torin gawked at me, nor how the Fae male sat straighter, his tawny eyes unblinking.
“I told you not to touch it. You wereneversupposed to touch it.” She was hardly even breathing. “Why can’t I sense the magic?”
“Because nobody can. Her secret is safe. Anaria is bound with Paelonius iron.” Zor explained, moving us closer to the window. “We keep some lying around the store rooms of the Keep, in case we needed to secure any…of the ancient Fae from the northern regions.”
