It’s big enough to comfortably house a quintet-sized bed, the desk where Luka sits, a small cooking area, a wardrobe, and a few pieces of Kenzie’s erotic art. Mage lights keep it well-lit and cozy.
It’s also warm in here, thank the fucking universe.
After taking an unfrequented path out of the woods, we approached a massive nevermelt wall patrolled by Reformist guards, both legacy and human. Before I could be spotted, Felix used an admittedly impressive cloaking spell to get me into this tent city on the outskirts of Halfton unseen. Felix then went to check on what he called Everbound stronghold’s “shieldingmeasures,” promising he’d rejoin us soon to cloak me and take me to the castle.
Kenzie steps into the tent beside me and gestures at everything with dramatic flair.
“Behold,mi casa!For now, anyway. Even withthousandsof legacies and humans flocking to this area to build it up and make it a safe haven for months, it’s slow going. Resources are limited, winter isharsh, and casters are spread thin, so they can’t use their magic to whip up houses left and right. Anyway, Everett provided these tents for a lot of people, and they’re actually pretty damn nice in the meantime. Felix has been perfecting heating spells to keep everyone as warm as possible—not to mention sound-proofing charms, sincehello, we get extra loud at night. And in the morning. And let’s be real, during the day, too.”
She’s still happily oversharing, and Luka is still staring at me like I’m a gruesome specter when Dirk pokes his head into the tent. He breaks into a huge smile when he sees Kenzie.
“Whoa, are you wearing nothing but a coat? Message received. Let me just slip in here and...” He spots me and startles so hard his voice goes up an octave. “Gah! Oh, my fucking gods, there’s a changeling in our?—”
Kenzie quickly covers his mouth, hissing, “Shh! Not so loud!”
She ushers him inside and zips the tent shut before turning to the vampire and shifter, who both also bear her mating mark on their necks.
“There. Now no one will hear us. Guys, this isn’t a changeling. Go ahead and welcome Maven back.”
They’re quiet for several long beats as I pretend my right leg isn’t throbbing like hell.
“Welcome back,” Luka finally echoes warily.
Dirk looks incredibly disturbed. “Yeah, hi. Um…so is she, like…Undead?”
Kenzie starts to say no and then pauses, glancing at me to make sure.
“At this point, who fucking knows?” I joke.
I nearly laugh at the strained sound Dirk makes before he hastily excuses himself from the tent. Kenzie sighs, turning to me.
“He had an ugly run-in with Undead a couple of months ago, and he’s kind of paranoid about them now. And we’re already all on edge since the world is kind of in tatters thanks to, you know…”
“Me,” I supply.
To my surprise, Luka snorts. “Like you can take all the credit. It wasn’t your fault.”
“Actually, it was.”
He stands from the desk, tossing down the pen he was holding. “Whatever else happened, you were just trying to free Felix and a ton of other people from that shithole. Give yourself a break, Muriel.”
Kenzie puts a hand on her hip. “Hey. Come on. You know her name is Maven.”
“Yeah, I know.”
He must think that messing up my name is an inside joke now, but I’m more focused on the fact that he’s attempting to be…niceto me. What the fuck?
He shuffles uncomfortably when I analyze him, trying to pick up on what I’m missing here.
“Uh, yeah. I don’t have a curse anymore. Mine made me a real dick—more than usual, anyway. Kind of a self-sabotaging, hereditary thing. My birth mom called it the Mean Streak Curse, and it was impossible not to say or do stupid things, and…anyway. Sorry for whatever shit I said back then.”
Huh. I’d never really stopped to wonder what Luka’s curse was.
But so long as we’re clearing the air…
“There’s something you should know before you help me anymore,” I confess.
This is about to get awkward, but I clear my throat and glance from Kenzie to him. I hope she forgives me for this.
