Page 111 of What Fools These Immortals Be
Maurice tries to stop me as I unwrap my arm, but I shake my head and stretch it out. It still feels tender, but it will do.
The fae file past and out into the night. “We need to find Reijo’s coat,” Grant says somewhere in the distance, and then Vlad chases off after him.
“Grant, do nottouchanything—”
“I know!”
Maurice doesn’t move any closer, but he doesn’t move away, either. I need to go to the pack house. I need to get up. But I tip my head up and let out a heavy breath, and Maurice’s fingers dig into my thighs like he knows I need to stay grounded.
“They’re out,” Asher says, and I’m certain it’s only a few minutes later, but it feels longer. I lift my head. Maurice doesn’t stand.
“You need to find that fae,” he says. “He’s out to take over this realm.”
“We will,” Vlad replies. Grant sidles into the room next to him, looking a little paler than he did before. “We did not come here for him tonight.”
“You came… for us?” Maurice asks.
“Well,” Grant says and offers me an apologetic smile, “we came foryou, actually.”
“I’m no longer a member of the Wild Hunt, and even if I were—”
“You’re one of us,” Grant replies stubbornly. “Did you think we’d just leave you here?”
“You should have. He’ll be angry.”
“Yeah, and if he keeps revoking his blessing, he’ll be dead too,” Asher says, and from the way Maurice tenses, he’s surprised Asher’s the one speaking. “Whatever is happening with the fae, he needs our help.”
“Are you going to tell him that?” Maurice says. His hands relax, and I sit up straighter, drawing his attention back to me. His expression immediately sobers. “The challenge.”
“What—” Grant begins, but Asher interrupts.
“It’s happening in half an hour. We won’t make it.”
I shake my head. I’ve survived. So has Maurice. So have all those fae down in the cellar.
Quinn will survive, too. I’ll make sure of it.
Chapter Thirty-One
Maurice
Irecognisethatstubbornglintin Njáll’s eye, and it’s what has me moving. The others fall into line when we leave the house behind, and I think he’s surprised when Grant’s the one to order a taxi and they all pile in with us.
He’s even more surprised when Vlad uses his blessing to convince the driver to ignore basic traffic laws—including the fact that there are too many of us in the car—and get to Deacon’s pack house as quickly as he possibly can. I lean heavily against Njáll’s side, running my fingers over his now-healed arm.
I know he’s still in pain. He’ll manage this, though, because he believes he has to—and he really does. We can’t let this challenge happen, but I’m not sure how Njáll will stop it.
His appearance might be enough. Letting them all know that Augustine is working with Meilyr… That’s going to be trickier. I don’t know if Vlad and Asher will approve of telling them allthe truth, even if it is now necessary, what with their world,ourworld, being under threat.
“We’re here,” Asher says as the pack house comes into view. Vlad is sitting up front, and he grunts his thanks at the driver as we all squeeze out of the car again.
Njáll doesn’t hesitate. He rights his shirt—his jacket was a lost cause in the end, after what I’d done to it to help his arm—and strides up the steps, and I exchange a wry look with Asher before I follow him.
He raises his hand to knock, but before he can, the door swings open and the young wolf on the other side stares at us all with wide eyes. “C-crai, we weren’t—I mean, you’re—”
“Let us in, Noah,” Asher says. “Has it begun yet?”
“No.” Noah steps aside, and Asher pats his shoulder gently as he leads us into the pack house.
