Shit,I thought.What do I do now?
I considered trying to break free of the remaining bind, but what use was it? There was a werewolf guarding me, and anyway, we were thousands of feet in the air. Gazing outside, I saw the peaks of mountains rising above low clouds. It was probably the Rockies, which meant we’d already crossed most of the country.
Think. Come up with a plan.
A wash of fear ran through my body when I summoned to mind everything I knew about Black Ember. He’d paid Jack to organize the demon attack against Wilde Tower. He’d spied on me through the eyes of crows. Locke had once told me that Black Ember had been a pirate in the 1700s, infamous for feeding his enemies to sharks. Then in the 1930s, he’d been involved with the American mob in California, switching to feeding his victims to coyotes. I was terrified of him, but another fear nagged in my head:Jack implied Severn was just as cruel.
Severn himself had warned me he was a monster when he’d shown me his torture chamber on the thirteenth floor. I’d been able to overlook that because I believed Severn was just trying to scare me away from getting romantically involved…but what if I was wrong? What if Severn’s greatest crime wasn’t just his arrogance but true cruelty?
Who exactlywasthe man I’d shared a bed with?
Of course, there was a chance Jack was trying to turn me against Severn in the same way that Briar had. Jack was human, which meant unlike the fae, he was perfectly capable of lying. But for some reason, I believed Jack when he said he didn’t care about fae rivalries, so what would he gain by trying to turn me against Severn?
I groaned, leaning back. My head ached. My throat was parched.
A bottle of champagne rested in an ice bucket within reach, but it felt like a cruel joke. The last thing I needed would be to face Black Ember without my wits. I drank the rest of my water instead, staring broodingly out the window as the world rolled by below. From this high, I saw the world as the fae did:It’s all their playground. Humans like me, even Jack, were just pawns to them.
There was no chance of sleeping, so I let my fears play out in my head. Wondering what Black Ember was like. The New Court fae in Manhattan were all so elegant and cold, creatures of ice. They were full of sneers and condescension but ultimately had never harmed me. I felt certain the Sun Court fae would be just as aloof—but would they be more vicious? In New York, I’d had Severn’s protection. In Los Angeles, I’d have no protection at all.
I forced myself to take a few deep breaths and try to think clearly. There were a few lucky breaks in this nightmare.At least Henry and May weren’t taken. And Zara and Kell are safe, as far as I know.
But my list of blessings was laughably short.
Until one more possible source of hope occurred to me.
ChapterThirty
Zara is in Los Angeles.
The thought doused me with hope like a splash of cold water to the face. Zara’s plane was headed to Los Angeles, too, and she’d be there by early evening. If there was just a way that I could get a message to her, she might be able to help me or at least let Severn know who was behind my abduction.
My free hand went to my pocket, but of course, it was empty. And my purse was nowhere to be found.
“My phone…” I started to ask Ulfur but stopped at his stern expression.
The werewolf shook his head as he pulled my phone out of his pocket. “Black Ember ordered us to confiscate it.”
“Why?” I asked in a hollow voice.
He shrugged. “My guess? To pose as you. Send texts or post online, things that could get back to hurt Severn.”
I chewed on my lip as I wondered what was already getting posted online. I could only imagine the headlines:Billionaire Gets Violent at Gala. Dramatic Break Up of Celebrity Couple. Severn Wilde’s Fall from Grace. Black Ember didn’t need to pose as me to ruin Severn’s reputation—I had already ensured that whether I’d meant to or not.
Worries chased one another through my head as I watched the mountains fall away outside, stretching into the desert. We had to be flying over the southwest. After some time, the coastline appeared with the glittering Pacific Ocean beyond it. We’d finally reached California, which only made my stomach churn harder.
Ulfur ordered me to buckle my seat belt as we began our descent. Looking out the window, I could see that we were landing at another private airport instead of LAX. So there was no hope of screaming for help or trying to run away and get lost in a large airport crowd. As the plane tipped sharply downward, my fingers curled around the armrests.
I closed my eyes.What’s waiting for me down there?
Once we landed, Jack emerged from the rear cabin with a bag slung over his shoulder. He had my purse but didn’t offer it to me.
His werewolves opened plane the door, letting bright sunlight flood in. Jack came over and cut through my other bind with his pocketknife. He motioned to the door.
“After you,” he said.
Steeling my nerves, I made my way to the exit. Outside, it was a bright summer day with clear skies, warm but not sweltering. The airport terminal was the tiny kind that you walked up to. A fleet of black cars was parked between the plane and the terminal, with several dozen fae and a few werewolves waiting in the sun.
I suddenly regretted not taking Jack up on the champagne. My nerves were jumping all over the place.
