Page 132 of The Robin on the Oak Throne

“Of course. Why don’t I help you out of here, then?” Loretta said.

She glanced around the room at the group of avid meditators. All their eyes were slightly glazed, as if they were high on the power they’d drawn from the tree itself. Still alert enough, but not quitehere. Something predatory filled the room. A vibe she couldn’t quite explain.

Only that she wanted no part in this.

This had gone from a very nice charity to probably a…tree cult in a span of a few seconds. Would she have felt the same if she hadn’t been able to feel the tree’s magic? Couldtheyfeel its magic? Did they even know what it was doing?

Her eyes caught on the face of a man in the corner. She furrowed her brow. He looked familiar. Where had she seen him?

He must have noticed her at the same time. Their eyesmet—his were a rich brown with that same glazed look to them. He was maybe thirty, with a goatee and shoulder-length brown hair. His tan skin spoke of a Mediterranean summer. So familiar, and yet she was uncertain.

“Kierse?” the guy said as if sparked to life.

Uh oh. He remembered her a littletoowell.

He took a step forward, and she retreated a step in panic. “Sorry. My name is Shannon.”

Just then a second set of doors opened at the far end of the hall. Standing there was a pair of goblins. She recognized them—at least one of them had been at the auction—which meant…

“That’s her! Get her!” he yelled.

Kierse’s eyes widened in alarm as the group of happy meditators turned as one and rushed toward her. Loretta was closest to her and snatched at her arm, but she was just a human, and a slightly drugged human at that.

Kierse broke her grip with ease and fled from the room. Her cover was dashed to shreds. She needed to get the fuck out of this compound. She kicked off the stupid spa shoes, letting her stride lengthen. Within minutes, she was back through the corridors and into the lobby, the sound of pursuit behind her, as she whispered under her breath, “Please let the door be there. Please let the door be there.”

The doorwasthere, and it let her pass as if she’d been sucked through a vortex. Then she was on the other side. Her feet carried her forward, still at a run—and then she landed in someone’s arms.

“Graves?” she gasped.

“I was about to break the door down,” he snarled. “Are you all right?”

“We’re about to have a cult come down on our heads,” another voice said.

Kierse whipped around to see Vale with an enormous broadsword at the ready. “Vale? You called in Vale?”

“You went into the market alone,” Graves accused.

“I’ll cover your exit,” Vale promised.

The doors burst open behind them.

“Run!” Kierse cried. For once, Graves didn’t ask questions.

He took off after her, leaving Vale to distract the cultists. They raced down countless flights of stairs and across the New York–like streets inside the market. No one seemed to think it strange that they were running at top speed. Just another day in the market.

Kierse was panting and out of breath when they finally burst out of Nying Market and back into the real New York. Laz, George, and Edgar waited impatiently nearby. They all jumped up at Kierse and Graves’s abrupt appearance, barreling toward the vehicles to get them started. Kierse finally looked over her shoulder and saw that the goblin who had blown her cover was still on their tail.

Graves jerked open the back of the limo, and Kierse fell inside. He jumped in behind her, and then the car was screeching away, back onto the Manhattan streets. They turned around and saw the goblin cursing at them.

“Thank fuck,” she gasped. “I think we lost them.”

“Yes,” he agreed. His phone buzzed, and he checked the message. “Vale broke up the cultists. Only the goblin got past him.”

“Good,” she said. She collapsed back against the cushion of the limo, letting her breath return to normalbefore opening her eyes to look at Graves.

He looked paler than usual. “Are you all right? We lost you inside the market, and I was…” He didn’t finish the statement. She could see the fear still on his perfect face.

“I’m all right.”

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