Page 25 of Vicious Little Vows
When his mouth sealed and his jaw ticked, I realized that wasn’t the case.
“When they already had you and clearly wanted you alive,” he said lowly, “I thought it best to make the most of the situation. To perhaps find a lead on your great grandfather. We’ve not yet signed the contract with my sister.”
I glared at him. “I hate it when you make sense.” I told him about the fairy, and his promise of afamily reunion. “Do you think maybe my great grandfather found out about me?”
“It’s a possibility.” He had stepped back to look up at a window a good twenty feet above the ground. The sound of fighting had died down inside. I wondered if the kidnappers had won, or if they’d all been stomped by gargoyles. I wouldn’t mourn my kidnappers, but the gargoyles could still be a problem.
“Wait here.” Before I could argue, Sebastian disappeared into his cloud of darkness.
With a huff I pressed my back against the wall, glancing around for threats. The alley was fairly clean as far as city alleys went. One end was blocked by a fence, the other spanned to the edge of the building, beyond which I could see some old machinery.
Deciding I was best off remaining where I was, I kept my back against the wall and waited as the last bit of power from the potion drained out of me. The concentrated magic could sure pack a punch, but it didn’t last long.
“Thanks for your help in there,” I said to Ringo. “I owe you a treat.”
“A treat like coming on your date tonight?”
Damn, I’d forgotten about the double date. Ringo had looked at the online menu for the wine bar, and had been enchanted by the image of green tea beignets. “Why not?” I sighed. “That is, if we make it there.” I glanced at my watch. Five hours had passed since I’d been taken, but it felt like longer. Lowering my arm, I silenced my thoughts, listening for any further commotion inside. Sebastian had been gone now a little too long for my liking.
“You promised Dawn.”
Though I knew Ringo’s concern was for the beignets and not for Dawn, he was right. Kind of. I hadn’t promised, per se, but I knew it was important to Dawn. “We’ll do our best.” I straightened as Sebastian appeared beside us.
“Your kidnappers are dead. The gargoyles flew off. I was unable to track them.”
I frowned. So much for getting to the bottom of the kidnapping. “There was a fairy with dusky purple hair. Did you find his body?”
Sebastian matched my frown. “I did not. He must have escaped. The enchantments on the room where you were held reeked of fae magic.”
I had already thought as much. Fairies had more impressive magic than almost anyone else in the city. “He might have been working with Varian.”
“But Varian is not your family. Why mention afamily reunion?”
He was right. Either my grandfather now knew about me, or someone had my mom. Or my aunt, Marcie. They were the only family members I had left. But it was a “he” who was coming for me.
Sebastian stepped closer, looming over me. “Whoever was coming for you may still arrive.”
I sighed, slumping against the sun-warmed brick wall. Maybe I should have let the gargoyles take me. At least then we could have found out whom they worked for, if not who hired my kidnappers. “It seemed like the fairy was in charge. If he’s not in there now, he’ll probably be reporting to his boss as we speak.”
Sebastian sucked his teeth, debating our next step. “I’ll take you back to the apartment, then I’ll search the rest of the building to learn more.”
“I need to go to the Bogs,” I argued.
He lifted a brow expectantly, like I might tell himwhyI needed to go to the Bogs.
When I gave no further explanation, he leaned closer. “Fine,” he huffed near my ear, sending a trickle of heat down my chest and between my legs.
My throat went tight as he pulled back enough to meet my eyes. “I wouldn’t have let them hurt you, Eva.”
They were simple words, so why was I having trouble breathing? Maybe because I had been thinking that if he didn’t save me, it meant he was dead. I hadn’t considered any other options. “I know.”
His eyebrows raised, like he hadn’t expected my honest answer.
“We should talk about what happened between us. What it means.”
His brows remained raised. “Now?”
Okay, standing outside the place I’d been held hostage with a highly pressing need to return to the Bogs was probably not the best circumstance under which to have an important conversation. “No, not now. I need to go to the Bogs. We’ll talk tonight.”
