Page 16 of The Enemy to the Living
No, before that. I never thought he’d leave our pack. I never thought he’d abandon me to face Hale and Tamesis alone.
“I’mfine,” I say, trying to reassure us both, I think. My phone buzzes against my hip and I pull it out of my pocket, glad for the sudden distraction.
The text I have is from Sorrel, which is unexpected and sets my heart racing again. Still, when I open it, all I see is an address.
The fightsaremoving. I’m not quite sure where the street is, but the postcode is Hammersmith, I think. Aside from the address, all he’s written istonight, 20:00.
I’m to fight again, then. I don’t know if this will count as number four or number five, but I don’t care that much. A wave of relief washes over me; I’ve not lost my wolf entirely, at least.
“Let’s go back,” I say, and Drew nods, looking speculatively at my phone. He clearly wants to ask but is giving me at least this tiny amount of privacy.
“Will you come to dinner tonight?” he asks. “I can make whatever you want.”
Guilt flares again, and I push it firmly back down. My wolf is on the line here. And after today, Ineedthis fight. I need to get the emotions out somehow.
So I say gently, “Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow instead.”
Chapter Seven
Asher
Oh,Iknowfullwell that Quinn has no intention of telling me shit. Why would he? He doesn’t trust me—doesn’t trust anyone, from what I can gather.
But I’m not one to leave things to chance. After a brief nap and a shower, I slip out of our base before either Grant or Vlad can stop me and head over to Kieran’s pack building. The wards arebright, merrily shining away, so I slip into the shadows across the road and settle in to wait.
Of course I have no idea if Quinn is in the building. I have no idea if he has a fight tonight. But he’s our best lead for finding where the twins might be hiding, at least until Maurice comes back with some vampire contacts to help out.
Luck blesses me tonight. People come and go from the building, only half of whom I recognise, but Quinn lets himself gingerly outside about an hour after sundown. He moves furtively but quickly, shoulders hunched up around his ears. Somehow, he looks even more wrung out than he did after our conversation this morning, and that observation makes me frown.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about his pack and the man who leads it. Even Maurice has said they seem fierce and protective, that they didn’t hesitate to offer space for the fae who might need it.
But then why is Quinn hiding this from them? How did he find out about the fae and their fights at all?
They are questions for some other time. Some other life, even. For me, now, I need to find these high fae and stop them before they cause any trouble. I fully agree with Maurice that there are fae who need our help, who have been here without causing trouble and should be allowed to stay.
But high fae? They are dangerous. Always. Our Huntsman included.
I shadow Quinn down the street and onto the tube. It is still busy, and he is so caught up in his own thoughts that he does not notice.
That has me frowning, too. Heshould. I am not using my blessing to hide my tracks; I cannot trust it, and I will need to put all my energy into keeping myself hidden should Quinn lead meto the new venue. Quinn has spoken to me before. He was close to me hours ago.
His wolf should have alerted him to my presence if nothing else.
Puzzled, I follow Quinn out of the tube stop and down another street. There are no crowds here, so I am careful to drop back and make myself as unobtrusive as possible. He does not seem paranoid about being followed, at least. If anything, he seems focused on where he is going, checking his phone again and again as he takes strange turns about the place.
We round another corner—me several feet behind—and I come to a stop, ducking into shadows when I see the fae standing at the mouth of an alley.
They are not the same one who was guarding the last place, but they seem to recognise Quinn all the same. The two speak briefly and then Quinn moves past them, into the magical shadows that keep the place from view.
I lean back against the wall, thinking. I should call Vlad or Maurice, but both will insist on coming here, and I don’t want to show our hand right away. Vlad and I were not able to really get close to the twins last time. If they slip through our grasp again, who’s to say that they’ll come back?
If I go in alone, I can get the lay of the land. I know what to expect from Quinn, so I can use my blessing to keep myself hidden from magic, and I am certain not many before got a good look at my face.
I nod and straighten my jacket. I’ll go, and I’ll get out, and I’ll report back to Vlad about what I saw.
I approach the fae slowly, and they watch me with too-dark eyes. They’re wearing a glamour, naturally, but I see their magic seeping around the edges, ready to strike. I’m pretty sure all their previous guards were trolls, more for physical violence than magical, so I wonder if this change is because of us.
I drag my blessing in all the same, making it small and neat, like a witch’s power rather than what the Huntsman gave me. Any fae checking carefully will know the difference, but I don’t think this one will look too hard.
