“Don’t lie to me.”
I sighed. I’d felt it, of course, the decreased stamina, the bone-deep exhaustion. But I could still function. Could still save his life.
“I need you to trust me.”
He snorted, although his eyes softened minutely. “You can’t be trusted not to put your life on the line when it comes to those you love. It’s up to me to protect you from yourself.”
I eyed him. “That’s not the right approach to take if you want to get laid.”
He smiled, but there was no humor in his eyes. “Come here.”
He led me to his bed. Of course, it wasn’t really his bed, but it was exactly where I wanted to be. I’d thought we’d be stripping each other out of our clothes by now, but Samael merely lay down next to me and pulled me into his arms, stroking my hair.
My eyelids grew heavy. He moved his other hand to the back of my neck, where I stored so much tension. Skilled fingers massaged away the knots until I almost purred. I inhaled his scent and listened to the beat of his heart.
“Love you,” I mumbled.
He brushed his lips over mine. “I will love you until death and beyond, little witch.”
16
DANICA
Kyla and I left early again the next morning. My eyelids were heavy, but if I had any chance of making the next part of my plan work, I needed to talk to Mariam.
Thankfully, she was in her office downtown, so we didn’t need to drive to Hope Valley. I parked on the street and considered my approach as we walked toward the fae representative’s building and took the elevator up to her floor.
I’d already played my hand with her, and I didn’t have any other favors to hand over. But negotiation was overrated.
More of Samael’s body had crumbled away when I woke up this morning. Mariam would help me, or she would regret it.
Kyla gave a low whistle as we stepped inside, her gaze tracking from the white silk wallpaper, accented in gold, to the thick creamy carpet beneath our feet.
“Is she expecting you?” Mariam’s receptionist, Adelina, asked as we approached the long marble counter that served as her desk. Her disturbingly long eyelashes fluttered. Next to me, Kyla went still, her gaze fixated on them as if she’d quite like to trap them beneath her paws.
“She’s not expecting us,” I said. “But it’s important.”
Adelina sighed, well used to dealing with me.
“Her current meeting ends in ten minutes. Take a seat and I’ll see if she can fit you in.”
There were no pixies here this morning, which made the office seem more formal. We sat in the padded white armchairs and waited quietly. I attempted to tear my mind free of the need to fixate on Samael.
Ten minutes later, a light fae guy stepped out of Mariam’s office, nodded at us, and walked out. Mariam appeared, her expression resigned as she gestured for us to follow her into her office.
“I don’t have long,” she began.
“We won’t take up much of your time. I need to know where to find the selkies.”
It wasn’t often that I managed to surprise the seelie woman in front of me, but that question managed to do it. She frowned at me.
“I’m not sure why–”
“It’s personal. One of them was my friend.”
She nodded. “Mella. Yes, it was unfortunate what happened to her, and her case is currently in litigation with the Mage Council.”
I tensed. Next to me, Kyla let out a disbelieving growl. “Want to run that past us again?”
