And there it is again. That soft, vulnerable, painfully sweet emotion that makes my stomach flip and my hands feel suddenly sweaty in the gloves. I finally can't take any more and pull away—and thank the fucking universe, that's the exact time that Baelfire turns his phone around to share the map he has pulled up.
"Okay, cutie pie. Crypt went to scout, but we're right here?—"
His phone is on silent, but the map on the screen abruptly switches to show that "Mama Dragon" is calling before he swipes something on the screen to get rid of it. He goes on with a sigh.
"We're about six miles from some tiny-ass town called Tall Pine, Washington. Pretty damn rural. Actually, I'm not sure this even counts as a town. More like a municipality with a gas station that doubles as the local market."
"Is there a hotel?" Everett asks.
"There's a place called Auntie Ethel's Finest Motel and Grill. Pretty sure they'll let us use their old outhouse if you say please with sugar on top without turning your snobby-as-fuck Frost nose up at them."
"Outhouse?Tell me you're kidding. There is no way in hell I am ever stepping foot in an outhouse thatyouhave access to, you dragon-sized piece of shit."
I sense Crypt just before he appears directly beside me, gently dusting snow off my hair and shoulders and wrapping me in a surprisingly luxurious plaid throw blanket. He stole this, too.
He's thoughtful like that.
"I found an uninhabited cabin at the edge of the little human town. It seems a decent enough place to lay low, so long as Douglas doesn't track the transportation spell we just used,” he murmurs.
Shit. I forgot about Douglas.
Part of me wouldn't mind if the bounty hunters caught up. It's been days since I was in a good fight.
Still, we're short on time. The longer it takes me to find etherium, the longer it will be before I can hunt down and kill the next member of the Immortal Quintet.
Not to mention the ticking clock Amadeus has set for each of my "tasks." If I'm taking out the Immortal Quintet too slow for his liking, he'll begin threatening Lillian and the humans again.
"Even though we won't be here long, we'll need a powerful concealment spell," I say, turning to trek in the direction we need to go. "If I don't reach that demon soon, we'll track down my next lead in Argentina."
Everett sighs as he walks along beside me. It's bitterly cold in these woods, but the blue moonlight lends an uncanny glow to this wintry, barren scene, making it both chilling and beautiful.My ice elemental fits right in, seeming utterly oblivious to how fucking cold it is.
"I know you said demons are useful, but can we please try my connections first?"
"Depends. Are your connections legacies who will turn around and report us to the council?"
"They're black market dealers. Of course, they won't go to the council—that would endanger their business."
"Think, Frost. What need would they have for any more business if they got the bounty on Maven's head?" Crypt drawls. "Your father has clearly pitched in loads for the reward money. Anyone who turns on us will live like the gods."
"You mean like vain, overhyped, apathetic assholes?" I clarify.
Call me bitter. It's true.
Crypt bursts into laughter, but Everett shoots me a disapproving frown. For an ice elemental, he's absurdly hot when he's scolding.
"Don't blaspheme."
"But it's such fun."
"Oakley, I'm being serious. I want to help you get whatever you need from the black market, and the people I know are trustworthy in their own way." He pauses, frowning as the perfectly intact snowflakes on his hair and skin glisten in the moonlight. "By the way, whatareyou trying to get?"
I wrap the blanket tighter around myself, walking around a taller snowdrift. “Etherium."
"Isn't that like…glass from Paradise?" Baelfire asks.
"You've heard of it?"
He shrugs. "My caster dad, Ivan, loves to study rare magical shit. He's mentioned etherium once or twice but said that substance is always confiscated by the Legacy Council as soon as it turns up, so he hasn't gotten to learn much about it."
