Oh yes, that she-demon definitely had something planned for the evening.
I glanced around. Thomas had Eric and Makoto with him as he stood in the middle of the clearing, watching Sarah and her witches as they cavorted with the rest of the Fae, some of the women already half-naked as they danced.
I couldn’t read the look on his face. It could have been desire or hatred as he watched his former lover.
Movement in the crowd drew my attention. Nathan headed toward us, cutting through the party goers as if they weren’t even there, stepping over bodies writhing on the ground or knocking people out of his way.
I started to raise my hand to wave, a smile already on my face.
My hand paused midway and the smile fell away.
There was a small shimmer to the air around him, just barely there. It was kind of like staring at asphalt on a hot summer day. A small mirage, barely noticeable or distinguishable from the rest of the party goers.
“Liam, I think we have a problem,” I said as calmly as I could.
He glanced in the direction I was looking, reading the look on my face correctly.“Impossible. He was there when you checked the rest of us for any sign of compulsion. You would have seen then.”
I shook my head, trying to think as I ran through the sequence of events. Nathan had ducked out moments before I examined the rest. I never checked him.
“He wasn’t there.” I said with dawning horror.“He wasn’t in the room when I looked over the enforcers. You’d already sent him ahead to look over the clearing, remember? He wasn’t in the room with you and Eric that first night either.”
Liam cursed and started to intercept Nathan.
I grabbed his arm and dragged him back.“You can’t. If he causes a scene here and Thomas finds out, he might kill him.”
I stood glued in place, not knowing what to do. This was different than last night. Those had been strangers. This was my friend. The person who had helped train me while Liam had been away, someone who made kickass shakes in an effort to help me drink blood.
And he was a ticking time bomb that our enemy planned to use against us.
“We need to get him away from the rest,” I said softly.
Somewhere we could contain him. If we kept him clear of Thomas and any possible triggers, maybe we could keep the compulsion from completing itself.
If we didn’t, he was as good as dead. Thomas had been very clear on the measures he’d take to preserve his position and reputation. Given enough time, we could figure out a way to lift the geas from Nathan and figure out a way to keep him alive, but not if he attacked the master of this territory.
“Wait, Aileen,” Liam said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop.
Nathan’s smile waned as he looked between the two of us, confusion on his face. He knew there was something going on, but not what. Not yet.
I gave him a wooden smile. Nothing wrong here. Just a lover’s tiff. No reason to be alarmed.
He didn’t look any more reassured.
“Take him away from the clearing but be careful,” Liam said.“I’ll find the other enforcers and meet you.”
I nodded and stepped away as Liam walked past me, speaking into the mic attached to his collar.
Nathan glanced between the two of us as I gave him a radiant smile.“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I lied.
Nathan’s frown deepened as his eyes narrowed.“You know I can sense lies, right?”
I blinked. I did know that.
I came unstuck and gestured for him to follow me.“Yup, my bad. Habit and all that.”
Nathan didn’t follow me asI’d expected, turning in the direction where Liam had headed.
