He tensed. “Excuse me?”
“Your girlfriend heard you talking about her to your security. She spelled a plant in your office.”
He stared at me. “What do you mean?”
I filled him in, and he closed his eyes. “Oh gods. It makes perfect sense.”
“Why did you think she was a traitor?”
“Ineverdid. I told Alwyn what he wanted to hear, but I was furious. Not at Ilayda. At him for suggesting she would do such a thing. But I never once believed him. He’s my head of security. It’s not uncommon for someone with his strategic mind—who was hired to see threats everywhere—to become paranoid over time. I told him what he wanted to hear so he felt as if I was taking him seriously. And I made a mental note to book him some time off, insist he took a vacation. If that didn’t work, I would’ve found a replacement.” Nereus looked like he’d been gut-punched. “This is why Ilayda was terrified? Why she bought a gun?”
“No. That conversation concerned her, but she’d planned to talk to you about it. It was the witch who began working on her at Pilates who messed with her mind. She gave her a spelled key chain and was continually using her powers to fill Ilayda with terror and distrust. It was delicate, Ilayda wouldn’t have caught it, but it began to take hold after a few months.”
Nereus went white. “Is she okay? The baby?”
“We had a healer look at them both. They’re fine. But her mind… Even though she now knows it was a spell, she lived through that distrust. It will take some time for her to trust you again.”
“My fault,” he muttered. “If I’d just bonded with her, she would have felt how much I loved her. She would never have thought such a thing.”
I thought about my instincts, which urged me to bond with Mere. “How did you fight it for so long?”
“I thought I was keeping her safe,” he said. “I was an idiot. No one could protect her like me. A bond is the best possible safety net.”
* * *
Meredith
Vas walked into the bar with Nereus, and Ilayda burst into tears. A moment later, Nereus’s arms were around her, and he was wiping her tears from her face, his hand on her belly.
My eyes burned from both a lack of sleep and the sight of them together.
“Thank you,” Nereus managed to get out, his eyes wet as he lifted his head and looked at us. “Your payment will be wired, but no money can adequately convey what you’ve given me back. I formally gift you each a favor to use at a time of your choosing.”
Ilayda sniffed and pushed out of his arms, getting to her feet so she could give each of us a hug. “I owe you each a favor too,” she said, and I caught Evie’s mouth drop open. A favor from each of them was…unprecedented. From the calculating look on Evie’s face, she was already planning how we could use those favors to steal a certain light fae king’s sword.
“I have no words,” Ilayda said. “Thank you for saving us.”
Evie smiled. “We’re just glad you’re okay.”
I was glad she’d said it, because I couldn’t quite talk around the lump in my throat. The wink Vas shot me told me he knew.
It looked like I’d be consulting for Nelson after all, because there was no better feeling in the world than this. Vas’s eyes darkened, and I smiled. Well, the feeling I got when Vas looked at me like that came close.
Nelson stepped into the bar, nodding to Evie. She’d obviously messaged him.
“I would appreciate an interview at your earliest convenience,” he said to Nereus.
“Tomorrow,” Nereus said. “For now, Ilayda needs to rest.” He carried Ilayda from the bar.
Nelson smiled at us. It was the first time I’d seen a true grin on his face, and I realized he was…cute.
Vas’s arm slipped around my waist, as if he was reading my mind. I glanced up at him, but his gaze was on Nelson.
“Great work,” Nelson said. “This was an exceptional example of what can happen when paranormals and humans work together.” His expression turned somber. “We found more bodies. More humans who had been working with the Wills brothers. All of them with similar wounds.”
Solonia had been busy. I sighed. I’d expected it.
“One more thing,” Nelson said. “Warren Rhodes was dead before he was burned and stashed in your car.”
