“I—Where are you?”
“I-I had to leave. He—” Grant’s voice breaks. “Vlad,please.”
I would never say no to him, not when he truly needs me, and now it sounds as though he does.
“Are you at the hotel?”
“Nearly there.”
“Get inside. Through the wards. I will be with you soon.”
He moves faster than I do, and besides, he sounds scared. I have no doubt he will run, and I can worry about the consequences of that later.
“Okay. See you soon.”
Grant hangs up before I can reply, and I make sure I am out of sight of any humans before I break into a run. Luckily, it is late enough, and Margate is quiet enough tonight that I do not encounter anyone along the way. I straighten my suit before I walk into the hotel lobby, though the young man working at the reception does not give me so much as a second glance.
The stairs are faster than the lift, but CCTV exists, and now I am certain I can feel the faint pulse of the bond that exists between Grant and myself, which calms me enough to wait. When I reach our floor, the wards are still intact.
He is in there. He is safe.
Only, when I open the door, I do not come face-to-face with my turn at all.
Two fae stand in our room. Only one is a true threat, but I am caught off guard, expecting neither of them, and she strikes before I can even call my blessing to the surface. Her magic captures me, holding me tight. The other fae darts past to push me more firmly into the room before he shuts the door.
“That’s better,” the high fae says. She tosses her blond hair before she perches on the edge of the bed, crossing one leg over the other. The other fae prowls around me. He is a redcap, I think, something vicious flaring in his eyes. “I did not anticipate how much the young vampire might mean to you.”
“What have you done with him?” I strain against the invisible bonds that have me tight in their grasp. Where is he? Why is he not here? I do not for a second believe that Grant has joined her, joinedthem. So, how did she lure me here?
Another fae slips out of the bathroom, pale eyes flicking around the place. Those eyes narrow when they land on me, and a whip of magic lashes out, searing through me.
“Enough,” the high fae snaps. “His shape will be of no use to you.”
“Oh, no? The little vampire was useful in bringing him here.”
My stomach sinks. A high fae, a redcap who appears to have separated from his clan, and a puca. And Grant is not here. Has been taken by whoever she is, for whatever purpose.
“What will you do with him?”
She does not do me the dishonour of intentionally misinterpreting what I am asking. Instead, she gracefully shrugs one shoulder and rests her hands on the duvet. “Same as the others. Well,similar. I am hopeful for a different outcome, but not optimistic.”
“I… What? A different outcome?”
“The other experiments have all been dreadful failures, I am afraid. And if I am to achieve my goals, I need a suitable subject.Sadly, this”—she encompasses the redcap and the puca in a single wave of her hand—“is not enough.”
“Why Grant?”
“Grant.” Her eyes flare wide, and I swallow down my mistake. I have failed him. I failed him the moment I allowed him to come on this job, and Iknewit then, but I allowed it anyway.
Even Asher warned me. If nothing else, I should not have let him follow Jakob through that door.
The high fae gets to her feet and approaches me slowly. The redcap growls, but she raises a hand, and the growl trails off, but his scowl remains. She tilts her head to one side, studying my face.
“He really does play it safe,” she says.
“Who?”
“Iagan.”
