Page 118 of Love & Heart Braking

The door swung open, and Soleil hurried in, crossing straight to the phone. She threw me an apologetic look. Her Apollo shimmer was going nuts, and I took one look at her connection and smiled. The purple ribbon wasn’t as shriveled. The white ribbon still had that unhealthy gray tinge, but their true love bond was looking better for their nocturnal activities.

I lowered again and winked at the pixie. “Let’s get to it. How did you hear about Yearning Hearts?”

“My cousin sent me here. Said he spoke to you on Mercury’s bend a while back.”

Pixies were always gen two. When referring to their cousins, pixies meant jazz pixies—which were the gen threes of the Mercury line. When Mercury’s power became too diluted in goblins, pixies and imps were born. From there, echo imps and jazz pixies. I personally thought Mercury’s power had been the most creative with the types it spewed out—no matter how fresh my irritation was after the run-in with Desiree BJ Dreams.

Listening to Fiu’s story first, I settled into matching her, finding a superb match on our system. I’d needed a win after the stressful morning. In no time, I was swinging the door open for the happy pixie to leave.

With twenty minutes to spare too.

Soleil ended a call as I walked to her desk.

“I’m so sorry,” she groaned. “Time got away from me.”

Is that what they called it these days? I jerked my head to the kitchen, checking the company. A centaur and an imp. Neither had great hearing. I put on the kettle and lowered my voice. “What happened last night? With Fenton?”

Her Apollo shimmer dulled. “We got a call from Lerome. He said the Dethnels appeared to be gathering to leave in a hurry.”

“He called you when we’d just reached the dungeon.”

“I suppose the twins knew you’d gotten there somehow. They’d been lounging on land, but they got up and charged super sudden. We had no option but to confront them to give you all time.”

“They must’ve had different securities in the dungeon. Gug didn’t mention anything magical though.”

“No idea. Me and Fenton kept our distance at first, playing cat and mouse to stay off the cameras. But Devereaux was right about krakens. They can’t be outsmarted by the same thing twice. I was working on Imosae and it all happened so fast. Develin set a trap with his tentacles and caught Fenton. I couldn’t get to him.”

I couldn’t detect a single trace of guilt in her recount. Which she shouldn’t feel anyway—I just knew I would if our positions were reversed. I also hadn’t been trained in the art of war from the time I could walk and fly.

“He was dead with the first puncture,” she said. “The rest was just Develin playing with his food.”

I shuddered. “Poor Fenton.”

Soleil sighed. “Yep. I hate to think what the fuckers are doing to his body.”

That hadn’t occurred to me. I winced.

“Probably nothing,” she rushed to add.

“What happened after the fight?”

She bit her lip against the huge grin trying to claim her mouth. “Me and Bain sorted things out. In a big way.”

“You had sex?” I clarified. That wasn’t sorting things out, but some physical intimacy had clearly helped their bond. Their friendship and family lines would only heal completely with talking out the hard stuff.

She squealed. “There aren’t words. It was incredible. We’d finished fighting the water slugs, then Bain was shouting at me for breaking my cover. I shouted at him for helping. Then I heard the tank trucks coming with the other Dethnels. We had to make a break for it. After… I’m not sure how it happened. But he told me he loved me, and I must’ve said the same, and,” she exhaled in a rush, “that’s why I was late.”

I grinned and hugged her tightly. “It’s so nice to see you happy. I’m sure Bain is too.”

“I wore him out.” She squeezed me back. “He was still asleep when I left.”

“Devereaux too.”

“You wore him out?”

I wish. “Not quite. Austin escaped to ours after you two started banging pelvises.”

“Oops.” She didn’t look one ounce sorry.

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