“I had a male on this door,” Tanya said from behind him.
“Was he mated?” Jacque asked.
“No.”
“A healer’s magic does weird things to unmated males,” Peri explained. “They suddenly want to do whatever they can to make the healer happy. It’s a response to the light within the healers.”
“Dammit,” Tanya muttered.
Dalton ignored them as he stepped aside for Fane to open the door. Then he bolted out, his legs picking up into a trot as he continued to follow Jewel’s scent. He reached a part of the fence that was covered in vines and growled.
Peri walked up to the fence and placed her hands on the vines. “She used her magic here,” the high fae said, then muttered in her own language. The vines receded, revealing a hidden gate.
“Why do I suddenly feel like I don’t know a thing about my pack or the place I’ve lived for decades?” Tanya grumbled.
“Healers are sneaky little witches.” Peri pushed the gate open, and Dalton slipped through. “And with this group, I mean that literally.”
He ran, hearing footsteps behind him, but he wasn’t worried about whether they kept up. He just wanted to see how far his mate had gone into the woods. Suddenly, her scent was gone. He came to a complete stop, backed up five steps, and then it was back. He shifted and was immediately clothed. “Her scent ends here.”
“So this is where she traveled from.” Peri walked in a small circle around the area, her hand in the air as if she could feel something no one else could see. “I feel her magic, but there’s something else, something dark. It’s definitely a type of traveling magic.”
“The portals?”
Peri nodded at Fane. “I can still trace her power.” She laid a hand on Dalton. They flashed.
They reappeared, and he looked around.
“This is her childhood home,” Peri said. “It wasn’t like this when she lived here.”
The house was empty and dusty. Dalton looked around and noticed a spot on the floor by the front door where the dust had been disturbed. He walked over and knelt, taking in a deep breath through his nose, his mate’s scent saturating him. “It hasn’t been long since she’s been gone.” Hope filled him. “Can you trace her from here?” Peri didn’t answer. He stood and turned to look at her.
The high fae frowned, her brow drawn down in concentration. “There’s something blocking it. I’ve felt this magic before, but I can’t follow it. It’s Celise. It’s definitely the sprite, but it’s that damn book. She’s been feeding it, and it’s become powerful.”
“It’s getting more powerful?”
Peri met Dalton’s gaze. “Let’s just say this much power in the hands of a lunatic like Celise is like putting two sharp blades in Jen’s hands and locking her in a room full of our enemies.”
Peri walked over to him, placed her hand on his arm, and flashed them back to where the rest of the group still stood. “She was at her childhood home, but she’s gone now. I can’t trace her from there. The sprite, Celise, has grown extremely powerful because of theNushtonia.”
“If we’re dealing with a sprite,” Jacque said, “maybe we need to talk to their queen and see if she has any insight. Maybe she can tell us something about Celise.”
“Good idea,” Peri pointed a finger at the alpha female. “And that means I won’t have to get Elle and Sorin because they’re already there. Let’s go.”
Each of the fae held out arms, and the group placed hands on whomever was closest. The next thing Dalton knew, they were standing in the large gathering room of the sprite stronghold.
“Momma!” a little voice yelled, drawing all of their attention.
Dalton, like the others, turned to see Thia running through the massive doors into the hall. Titus was, as usual, right behind her.
“Thia,” Titus huffed, “it’s not hunt and prey if you don’t try to hide so I can hunt you.”
“Hunt and Prey?” Lizzy asked.
“Wolf version of hide and seek,” Jacque answered. “But don’t worry, The prey only gets hurt a little and heals up really quick.”
Lizzy’s eyes widened. “Damn. Wolf kids be crazy, too.”
“Your momma’s not here, hellion.” Sally knelt to meet the little girl.
