Page 52 of Tasteful Anarchy and Tangled Auras
Chapter 18
Adelaide
The next day, we all head out to visit our retinue’s encampment near the trees. Bryn had already checked in with the head of the Queen’s Guard, but he and Ossy want to check a few things and I want to find Rory.
He’s standing, stirring a large cauldron suspended by three iron legs over a nicely crackling fire. The stew smells incredible. Behind Rory is a natural stone oven with a fire blazing in the bottom.
Bryn and Ossy wave to Rory and head off to do whatever it is they wanted to do. I head directly to Rory and snuggle under his arm and hold my hands out to the fire. The temperature has dropped the last few days.
“Bitch, you need to fill me in,” Rory says. He tosses his head like a show pony.
“Don’t you ‘bitch’ me, bitch.” I chuckle. “Fill you in on what? All the amazing sex I’m having?”
“The plans, of course, but feel free to tell me about getting dicked down too.”
I hesitate. I’ve been keeping Rory as much in the dark as I can. It feels safer. I don’t want to think of what my aunts would do to him if they thought he knew anything useful. “Rory...I don’t know if that’s a good idea. The plans bit, obviously.”
He snorts. “None of this is a good idea. You should have stayed in Boston and I could have come to join you when my debt was paid off in seventeen years.”
Those wereexactlythe words I needed to hear.
“I hope the dick isrealgood to make up for the high likelihood of being killed,” he adds.
“Dicks. Plural. And yeah, they are.”
Bryn
OSSY AND I ARE FOLLOWINGthe small trails—game paths, really—that lead out into the forest from the Temple’s clearing. Things running smoothly during the celebration depend on us knowing these trails like the backs of our hands. We pace them, figuring out times between forks and crossings.
I’m wound tight as hell. We cannot fuck this up. I think seeing how easily the Leprechaun could have killed Adi at the Full Moon ritual has made me more concerned for this next hurdle. I squat and run my hand over a large stone. Trying to slow my heart, I reach for the thread pulling me towards Adi. It’s purple and shimmering with my anxiety. I’m sure she can feel it.
Three days. Three days until the Mabon Festival.
We continue on, walking, running, and timing trails. Suddenly, both Ossy and I turn back towards the Temple.
“Where the hell is she going?” Ossy says in a frustrated voice. I frown. He must be stressed too. I slap him on the back in a kind way.
“You’re the sweet-tempered one, friend. Don’t get pissy now.”
He smiles ruefully at that. “C’mon, let’s go see what’s going on.”
When we come into the clearing, Adi is even further away. I clench my jaw. Rory is wonderful, but he’s not skilled withblades or magic. I don’t trust his strength to keep my mate safe. We hike up to the Temple and quickly head for Adi’s rooms.
We knock—the Temple won’t add our prints—and a very worried-looking Rory opens the door. We hear our mate arguing with someone. A snarl leaves my mouth when I realize it’s Filib. What does that bastard want? I gesture at Rory to stay out of the line of sight.
Adi is facing an oval mirror on the wall near the exterior door. Filib is in his human form and looking displeased.
