ChapterThirty-Three
I dreamed of a man’s face.
It was unlike any dream I’d had before; there was something strangely intense about this particular dream, almost like it was more of a memory or a vision. I was aware of myself to some extent, though I couldn’t control my actions. I was in a dark room with soft neon lighting, but I couldn’t distinguish where it was. Then, the silhouette of a man stepped in front of the lights. He turned to face me, the garish green and blue neon lights playing over the devilishly handsome contours of his face. He had black hair slicked back, barely tamed, and dark stubble along his chin. His eyes were an electric gray that caught and reflected the neon lights like a mirror. I’d never seen him before, and yet there was something intensely familiar about him.I know him somehow—from where?
“Willow O’Dell,” he whispered, looking straight at me, a sinister curl to his perfect lips.
I awoke with a start, breathing hard. My heart was racing.Only a dream, I told myself, though I couldn’t shake the odd feeling that I was somehow connected to the mysterious man.
The first thing I saw once the dream remnants dissipated was the ocean. It filled the whole of my vision, and I sat up in confusion, my head spinning with the dizzying sensation that I was on a boat. But then the rest of my vision focused, and I saw window frames around the ocean and realized I was on a bed.
I’m in my room in the Bristol.
Lifting the blanket someone had draped over me, I saw that the burned patches of skin on my arm and ankle where the demon had grabbed me were mostly healed now. Only a slight red, shiny mark showed where they had once been.
As I was wondering who had healed me, the door opened.
Coral came in, followed by a fae chef with another room service tray. My stomach lurched.Famished. But I didn’t want to attack the tray and betray any vulnerability to her.
She came over and grabbed my wrist, checking the skin where I’d been burned. She made a satisfied sound in her throat. “Good. Black Ember specifically said you weren’t to be harmed, not a single hair. You did that to yourself, you know. You shouldn’t have run.”
“You seriously expect me to just go along with being kidnapped?” I snapped.
She waved a hand at the magnificent view. “You’re hardly being tortured. A suite in the most exclusive hotel in the city. Gourmet room service delivered to you. New clothes. Healing you with magic when you are hurt. Do you think Severn gives his prisoners the same luxury?” Her eyelids narrowed. “We’ve all heard about the little torture chamber he’s built on the thirteenth floor of his tower.”
I shuddered at the memory of seeing Severn and Locke torture the werewolf on the thirteenth floor. I didn’t like to admit it, but Black Ember’s courtwastreating me far better than Severn treated his captives.
Still, I tipped up my chin. Briar had tried to turn me against Severn and look where doubting him had gotten me. I wasn’t going to doubt him again. He had his own reasons for needing the thirteenth floor. Besides, he was hardly the only ruthless fae. Theyallhad a cruel streak.
“Captive luxury is still captivity,” I said.
She rolled her eyes as she removed the silver tray cover to reveal stuffed dates, a bowl of olives, fresh-baked crusty bread with various jams and cheeses. She plucked an olive and placed it into her own mouth.
“Eat, human. This will be your last chance for a while. After this, we’re taking a trip.”
My spine stiffened in alarm. That devilishly handsome man’s face from my dream suddenly flashed in my memory. It left my throat parched. I licked my lips. “Where are we going?”
“You’ve been asleep three days,” she said, which shocked me and explained my ravenous hunger. “That’s how long it took your wounds to heal, and Black Ember wanted you looking healthy when we meet Severn.”
I said in a rush, “We’re meeting Severn?”
She ate another olive. “Black Ember has arranged a parlay with him. A negotiation with you as the bargaining chip. They’re meeting in the Rockies, on neutral territory. Jack Meruvis’s land.”
“Jack Meruvis is hardly neutral,” I said. “He works for Black Ember.”
“Jack Meruvis works only for himself and his adopted werewolf pack. He made an arrangement with the Sun Court, but that arrangement is over now.”
I supposed that, in a way, Jack was somewhat unaffiliated. A human running a werewolf empire, brokering a deal between rival fae courts, was probably the closest thing to an ally I could think of. And to think that a few months ago, I just wanted a glorified babysitter job.
I was still angry at Jack for his role in my abduction, and I certainly didn’t trust him—and yet, I had hope that he’d do the favor I asked of him to look into my mother’s role in the Sun Court.If I have to see Jack again, I thought,at least maybe he’ll have some answers.
But it was a fleeting thought, soon eclipsed by more pressing concerns.
“Eat,” Coral said, pouring sparkling water into a crystal glass. “Get dressed. We leave in an hour. Your time at the Bristol might have been short, but we hope you enjoyed your stay.” Sarcasm dripped from her hotel manager’s voice. She snapped her finger, and the fae chef followed her out of the room.
The minute the door closed, I tore into the food. Three days unconscious. I couldn’t shovel enough bread and pastries into my mouth, then washed it all down with sparkling water, but for some reason, it didn’t feel satisfying. It only sat in my belly like a lump.
I paced in front of the window, looking out over the ocean. It was a beautiful California day, the sun winking off the waves. A sleek car pulled in in the hotel courtyard below, and a pair of demons climbed out, throwing the keys to the fae valet.
