The fae’s gaze swept over both of us, and suddenly I dropped into a myriad of memories.
We were in the club. Music thrummed through me, lights strobing across Hunter’s face as we moved together. His laughter wrapped around me, warm and steady, and for a moment I let myself believe it was enough. His hand brushed my shoulder, our bodies swaying in time, and I felt his thoughts pressed so close to mine I could almost breathe them in.
Then the memory twisted. The warmth slipped. Another man’s hand replaced his—Jason, his cologne sharp as smoke. I twitched with the memory. We were in a dark hallway, his arm braced above me, his body blocking escape. Every muscle in me clenched, music pounding through my veins. Panic hit me, followed by the sour rush of shame. My chest tightened. I had chosen wrong. Jason’s grin, the heat of his body—none of it felt right. I shoved at him but not before I caught the moment that ruined me.
Hunter’s face. His stunned look as he turned away haunted me. I reached for him, but Jason grabbed at me again, holding me back. A quick twist and a push and he was on the floor.
I blinked out of the memory. Hunter was at my side and squinting into the sunshine. Derek strode down the street,already several feet away. I clenched my fists. The fae had spelled us somehow.
“What the hell was that? You okay, buddy?” Hunter asked.
I glanced at him before I nodded. We walked up to Izzy’s house and knocked. When no one answered, he punched a code into the lock and opened the door. “I hope they’re watering the plants.”
“I know you said the people in your house were fae descendants, but he’s powerful.” I was still reeling from both of our memories.
“He’s always nice, but I had no idea he could do that.”
“So you felt it too?” I asked. I couldn’t look away from him. What I’d felt initially were my emotions in the club, but they changed to Hunter’s. When he’d found me and Jason in the hallway, I’d known the incident had hurt Hunter’s feelings, but I hadn’t known how much until now.
He stopped his casual stride and turned back, his brown eyes soft. “Yeah. I felt it too.”
The inside of Izzy’s house was surprisingly neat for someone else living there. “They promised to feed Fermi, but if you could check on him, I’ll head upstairs.” He gestured toward the kitchen.
I found cat food in the dish and the water bowl refreshed. Fermi mewled at me and stretched on the window seat. I scratched his ears. “Hey bud, Archie been to visit lately?”
As if on cue, Archie in crow form flew up and landed on the sill. I opened the back door and let him in. “Come say hi. We’re not staying long.” Archie flew in, transforming on the fly and landing on cat feet in the middle of the kitchen. He jumped on the window seat and nuzzled with Fermi.
I headed upstairs. On the second floor, the attic stairs had been pulled down, and I climbed up to find Hunter hunchedover in front of an old armoire. Izzy had repurposed the huge chest into an alchemy cabinet. He held out a bag. “Found the blackthorne, but you’d think she’d have silver in here as much as it’s used.” His phone buzzed.
“Hey Iz.”
Isabelle’s pleasant lilt came over the speaker. “Hi ya. How’s things? How’s Fermi? Are you at the house? Can you give my roses some water?”
“We’re here. I’ll go take care of them,” I said.
“Izzy, we need some pure silver, you got any?”
I descended the ladder to the second floor, listening as Izzy gave Hunter instructions. Even on the second floor, their voices carried.
“We needed some supplies. And I need advice,” Hunter said.
“Please be yourself and maybe take things slow. You’re staying at Regge’s, right?”
Hearing my name, I hesitated in the hallway, but Hunter had turned off the speaker as he said, “Not that kind of advice, Iz.”
Chapter Eleven
Hunter on how to make camping awkward
Armed with extra camping gear from Izzy’s garage, we drove fifty miles outside of Philly to a KOA campground and set up camp.
Appointing himself in charge of food, Regge brought potatoes, steaks, and a six-pack of my favorite beer. I sat in one of the camp chairs and cracked open a beer while Regge turned the potatoes on the coals and seasoned the steaks. I had to admit, the guy knew his way around a fire.
“This is great. Why haven’t we done this before?”
“I cannot fathom why you folk wish to cook over a fire and sleep on the ground when you have perfectly good ovens and beds at home.”
“It’s a novelty, I guess. Us folk, as you say, don’t get to spend a lot of time outdoors in nature.” I slapped at a bug. “Damn, I forgot bug spray.”
