I have no bleeding crystal, but magic still begins to hum at my fingertips, eager to unleash my strongest defenses as the strange alarms get louder.
Instead of attacking me, the bounty hunter lets loose a string of curses, scrubbing his face before pointing a finger at me.
“Sit here, play with your spell ingredients, and don’t walk out that door until I have time to come back and fix it. It's the only thing protecting everyone from your crazy ass.”
I narrow my eyes, still suspicious. “What’s going on?”
“I don't speak whatever the fuck that was,” he mutters, walking to the door.
Damn it. I spoke in befuddled fae again. I try for English once more. This time, Douglas understands, pausing with one foot out the door to look back at me.
“Urgent message from one of my men. We’re under attack. Looks like I get to deal with another one of you Oakley quintet assholes tonight. Lucky me.”
Leprechaunsareparticularly lucky,the voices in my head agree as he slams the door on his way out.
14
MAVEN
Everett carriesme down the cold corridor while verbally tearing me a new asshole for sneaking out on him and being so reckless. It's such a severe degree of scolding that I'm actually starting to feel almost chastened until a magical alarm begins to wail somewhere outside the castle.
Everett halts. “Shit.”
That must mean this stronghold is under attack. I’m already itching to grab the etherium knife from its concealed pocket at my side to make sure no one comes close to hurting my elemental.
“Put me down. If there's a fight, I can?—”
“If you think I'm letting you anywhereneara fight after the shit you just pulled, you're more psychotic than Silas,” he snaps. “You’re staying in my apartment until this attack blows over.”
I want to remind him that he has approximately zero control over my autonomy and I'll fight whenever I fucking feel like it.
But for once, I don't feel like it, because Silas took alotof my blood.
I’ve been trying to hide how weak and woozy I am, but I’d honestly be screwed if I entered combat in this state. Betweenthe lightheadedness, my untrained holy magic, and the fact that I don't want anyone else to know I’m back yet…
“Fine,” I huff.
Everett is still seething under his breath about my actions until we reach his professor’s apartment. As soon as I'm safely inside the office, he sets me on my feet, kisses me deeply, and then spins me to face opposite him before delivering a firm smack to my ass.
My mouth pops open at the unexpected impact. I can't tell if I liked it or if I should pin him to the floor until he apologizes.
Before I can decide, my livid, scarred elemental snaps, “If you step a single fucking toe outside this apartment's protective wards while I'm gone, I swear I will hunt you down, freeze you up to your neck, and lock you away to keep you from getting yourself killed—again.”
At that, he slams the office door behind him on the way to deal with whatever shit is going on.
I can’t help the grin that spreads over my face.
Gods, my snow angel is sexy when he's so worked up.
I still hear the muffled alarms as I fight through waves of dizziness to search the apartment. Luckily, some standard bandages and ointment are stashed in one of Everett’s semi-frozen desk drawers next to other random odds and ends.
I'm just finishing bandaging the last bite mark near my clavicle when I hear the roar. It's somewhere just outside the castle and completely unmistakable. I heard that very same beast’s distinctive, spine-tingling roar on my first day at Everbound.
Baelfire.
No wonder the alarms are going off. My dragon really did leave the north. Why did he fly here, though? Was he running from more hunters, or…
I touch the grooves his teeth left on my neck once again as my pulse starts to pound. Feral or not, my intuition is screaming that my mate knows I'm back.
