"Meeko," I asked slowly. "Do you have a mate?"
He faced me with an expression that was half irritated, half baffled. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Your magic. The sword," I sputtered. "I don't understand how it works."
"What does me having a mate have to do with anything?" Meeko demanded. He sounded angry.
"Well, I know that fated mates can create magic together with their union," I stammered. I was doing a crappy job of explaining this. "Never mind. Let's just focus on getting the sword back."
Meeko kept staring at me for a second before slowly turning to the window. I wished I hadn't brought that topic up at all. I only embarrassed myself and Meeko didn't even answer my question.
I told myself it was none of my business, but that didn't stop the worm of jealousy writhing in my stomach.
"I'm going in," Meeko declared.
"Wait. We don't even have a plan."
Meeko whipped towards me with a glare. "Here's the plan: I'm going to rake his eyes out."
I hesitated. It wasn't that I wanted to stop Meeko, but he'd already lost an altercation with Mistral once before. How would this one go any differently?
But then I remembered Meeko wasn't alone this time. I was here as backup. Whatever he wanted to do, I'd support him.
"Okay," I said. "Let's do it."
As Meeko unlatched the handle, I realized he wasn't just gripping the windowsill earlier. He was silently unlocking the mechanism. He opened it just enough for his mouse form to slip through. Mistral was distracted with his struggles, so he didn't notice the small gap in the window.
"Don't follow me," Meeko ordered. "Go around the other side."
Being told that stung, but I knew it made the most tactical sense. Besides, I could tell Meeko was really in his feelings right now. He only accepted my help for this purpose, and even though he called me a friend earlier, that didn't mean our partnership would live on after we completed this task.
Thinking about that sucked. But there was no time to dwell on my childish feelings. Keeping my head low, I ducked around the opposite end of the cabin where I found a second window. I saw right through to the other side. Meeko must've entered the cabin already, but he was too small to see.
Here goes nothing…
Unhooking the window, I slowly pried it open all the way. Unlike Meeko, I didn't have the ability to shift into something smaller. My two forms were a harpy and a human—not exactly conducive to breaking and entering.
The creak of the window was covered up by Mistral's loud grunts of frustration. He gripped the hilt of the sword tightly in his talons, snarling at it like it was disobeying him on purpose.
"Why won't you work?" Mistral exclaimed. His patience reached its limit. He drew back his arm as if to toss the sword on the ground.
Meeko shifted in a split second, popping out of thin air so suddenly that even I was startled. Meeko snatched Mistral's wrist.
"Don't you dare," Meeko snapped.
This was my chance. With Mistral distracted, I squeezed in through the window.
"Mistral!" I called out.
Meeko looked like he wanted to slap his forehead in exasperation. Shit. Had he wanted me to ambush Mistral? It was too late for that. I'd already blown my cover.
"What the hell are you two doing here?" Mistral asked in a panicked voice.
I had to think fast. Not that I thought Meeko was wrong in his urge for vengeance, but I wanted to solve this without violence if possible. Mistral knew who I was, so maybe he would listen to reason.
"Just relax, okay?" I said. "We're only here to take back what you stole."
Meeko narrowed his eyes, radiating frustration as he clamped down on Mistral's wrist.
