My advisor worried at her lip. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. The attack was odd. The Summer Court was supposed to be keeping the dark fae at bay, and yet they managed to attack in the hundreds.”
Kade interrupted her: “I’m not sure it was dark fae. They definitely weren’t from the golden court, but the energy was different from the one who ambushed us on Staten Island. I’m not sure they are all from the same court.”
Great! What was going on? How many of the courts were we fighting against now?
“So why do you think they took Violet?” Calista turned to Kade, nailing him with her famous glare. Her computer mind wanted to know everything.
Kade flicked his gaze across to me briefly, before throwing my advisor a mix of grin and grimace. “I think they want Ari. She has an unnatural affinity for the mecca. She can do what no queen has before, and she’s closely related to the Red Queen. We know this all started with the Red Queen, and somehow it’s not over yet.”
“You think it has something to do with me now?” I said, my nails digging into my palms. “That my people died because some of the fae are trying to get to me.” I forced myself to breathe a few deep breaths to calm myself.
The ercho,Finn reminded me. I let out a sigh. Dammit.
“Finn just reminded me that the ercho had been trying to drag me into the shiny water slick it came from. It was acting like it wanted me.” I was starting to believe that Kade might be right. I needed to get into the Otherworld right away. Who knew what they would do to Violet. I was desperately hoping that if it was me they were after, they’d keep her alive until I got there. Give me a chance to save her.
“I’ll never let them take you, Ari,” Kade said as he switched off the cart. Silence descended across the stretch of beach we were on. “You’re under my protection. Do you know what I do to anyone who touches those under my protection?”
The intensity and bristling anger he was exuding actually had the hairs on my body standing up. I didn’t fear much, but right now Kade was all kinds of scary. He was holding my gaze with ferocity.
“What do you do to them?” I murmured, needing to know.
He leaned closer, his warmth and scent everywhere. “My bear takes them apart, piece by piece, and enjoys every second of it.”
The urge to jump him then and there slammed through my body; my lower half clenched in need. I wasn’t a shifter who had ever wanted to be protected by a man – I was expected to do the protecting, alphas and heirs were the strongest – but from Kade it didn’t seem to take from my power. It felt like it built me up. We were a team and it made us stronger.
Before I could open my mouth and let all the emotions leak out, I noticed a beautiful female walking toward us. She was in full battle gear, all black leather and chain mail and holding a sickle that looked like it still had dried fae blood on it. Her skin was the color of caramel and her natural dark curly hair whipped back and forth in the wind. She was stunning, moving with the speed and grace of a shifter. But not wolf.
Kade followed my gaze, and we both watched as the female’s long strides ate up the distancebetween her and our cart in moments. “My king?” she said, her brow creasing.
Kade exited the golf cart and approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder for a brief moment. “All is well, Trixie, but I need you to tell me the truth now.”
She swallowed hard as if she knew she was about to be in trouble. “Yes?”
Calista and I exited also, stopping near Kade. Finn stayed in the golf cart, staring at the ocean. My familiar loved the ocean more than I did; it was a commonality he shared with Violet.
Kade’s fierce expression darkened more, if that was even possible. “I know that some bears have been going to Manhattan to Baladar’s club nights. I know you’ve been at the club, and now I need to know where the vortex is. I will not punish you if you tell me where to find it.”
Her eyes widened and I could hear her heart hammering in her chest. It was clear that Kade knew she was the partying type and would have the answers he sought.
“Y-Your Highness,” she stuttered. “I’m so sorry for keeping it from you. We figured it was innocent and—”
“Trixie, I don’t care about what you’ve done. I have much bigger fae to fry. Just tell me where it is.”
She chewed her bottom lip. “On the corner of Tennyson and Nelson, under the green bench.”
Kade and I exchanged a single glance; he looked satisfied. Probably glad he didn’t have to break any bones to get that information.
“Thank you,” I said to Trixie, even though my wolf was growling inside, trying to force the change on me. She kinda wanted to rip this bear shifter’s head from her shoulders for keeping information of an illegal vortex from her king. I also knew my wolf would be jealous of any female, even Calista, until we were properly mated and she had staked her claim on him.
“Are you going to shut it down?” Trixie asked Kade, and I could see her guilt. She knew she’d sold out Baladar and her friends, but she’d had no choice. When your king asks you for something, you give it to him.
“I’m going to use it,” Kade said.
Trixie’s brows furrowed, and she moved even closer, which really annoyed my wolf. “The vortex? When?”
Kade gave her a look that said he didn’t like being questioned. She hurried on to explain: “I ask because the vortex only works on Wednesday nights after 9pm.”
Crap! It was Saturday. I couldn’t sit on my butt for four days while Violet endured gods-knew-what in the fae lands at the hands of our enemy.
