Page 34 of Vicious Little Vows
He didn’t budge an inch. “You cannot. This attack is meant for you, Eva. If Varian—”
“It might not be Varian. Another fairy is after me, I think because of my grandfather. They must have been waiting to attack, knowing I’d return here for safety.” I tugged against him again, then went limp. The blinding lights and sounds of fighting cut off as abruptly as they had started. I realized too late that I could have simply used Mistral’s power to jump me out to any of the guys.
My breath was shallow as my eyes took their time adjusting to the sudden darkness. It had all happened so quickly, and I had no idea what had ended it. I was able to make out Lucas first by the shape of his wings, but he was pretty much the only one I wasn’t worried about. When I spotted the other three guys, huffing but seemingly uninjured, I relaxed, and in return Mistral relaxed his hold on me. But something was wrong. I didn’t see Marcie.
Sebastian reached us first, and even with only the moonlight to see by, my breath caught at the intensity in his eyes as they locked on my face. One sleeve was nearly torn off his shirt, and he had a bruise forming near his temple, but he appeared otherwise unscathed. “They took Marcie. A vortex absorbed her power, and they used it to flee. They did not seem intent on killing us.”
“You mean they realm jumped? Non celestials?” I looked at Crispin and Gabriel for confirmation.
Gabriel nodded. “It felt like your magic. Marcie’s magic.”
“Shit.” I handed Mistral the takeout boxes that I had miraculously not dropped, then pushed open the gate for them to step through.
Gabriel and Crispin came first, Ringo hopping down from the gate onto Crispin’s shoulder as he passed. Sebastian stepped confidently through next, but I sensed his nerves. He didn’t fully trust that Mistral was actually allowing him entry. That left only Lucas outside, his eyes on me. It was a look that said,You’re totally going to screw me over now, aren’t you?
I took Mistral’s hand in mine. I really hoped I wasn’t going to regret this. “We’ll need Lucas’ help. He’s the only one who knows as much about what’s going on as Marcie does.”
Mistral laced his fingers with mine. “You ask much of me, Eva.”
“Sorry about that.”
He sighed. “Very well. It is not as if things can get any worse.” His eyes met Gabriel’s.
I wanted to ask just how bad the magic in the Bogs was getting, but couldn’t do so with Sebastian around. And now Lucas was cautiously stepping over the boundary.
Nothing bad happened once he did. As out of control as things had become, Mistral was still bound to the Bogs as ruler. His word was law.
Mistral peered out into the darkness beyond the gates, his silver eyes shining. “Let us retreat before we discuss things further.”
Everyone nodded. No one seemed to know what else to say.
It was a first.
FOURTEEN
The cozy sitting room didn’t feel quite so safe and nice with Lucas looming by the crackling fire. I had placed a snoring Ringo in Mistral’s bed, figuring that’s where I’d end up if I actually managed to get some sleep, though I knew it for the pipe dream it likely was. Attempting to have five very different men agree on the same plan was futile. I knew it, and yet I tried.
“She can jump to wherever Marcie is, and with enough power, she can bring us with her.” Lucas extended one hand in my direction, though he was talking about me like I wasn’t there. His white teeshirt was stained with dirt. Crispin had whispered to me that three werewolves had thrown him down and pinned him to keep him from reaching Marcie.
Sebastian leaned against the wall near the window, arms crossed and eyes hooded. He somehow made his torn shirt and dirt speckled pants look intentional. “That is exactly what the kidnappers want. She escaped them earlier today. Kidnapping someone else—someone she will come for—is a logical next step.”
Mistral sat in one of the seats near the fire, ankle crossed over one knee, casual, even though his lands were unravelling andhis sworn enemy was in his sitting room. “If this was all truly orchestrated by Eva’s great grandfather, then following Marcie’s path may take us right to him. Is that not our goal?”
“Our goal,” Sebastian said tersely, “was to obtain her great grandfather’s location before he even knew of her existence. To ambush him when he would never see it coming. Facing him when he is already prepared for us is foolish.”
Crispin stood next to me where I perched on the edge of the small four-seater table. “I agree that following Marcie is foolish, but what other choice do we have? Just wait for a powerful celestial to cross the boundary and steal Eva? If he truly knows about her—”
Gabriel was the only one yet to voice his opinion. He stood near Mistral’s chair, glowering.
I looked at him. “What do you think?”
His gaze softened as he returned my attention. “I think it should be your choice.”
That surprised me, since he was usually so intent on keeping me out of danger. Of course, there really was no keeping me out of danger now, no matter what choice we made.
I thought about it. I didn’t like leaving Marcie alone when someone might hurt her, but it was clearly a trap, and if there were more fairy vortices, my magic could be stolen too. On the other hand, if we gained my great grandfather’s location from Penelope, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to travel there. Jumping to someone I knew might be easier. Of course, I’d only done that with the guys, and our connection was a special case.
I turned to Crispin with an expectant look when I realized he was staring at me, his expression now thoughtful rather than dejected. “I take it you just came up with an idea?”
