It’s my turn to breathe a long, drawn-out sigh. “This.” I wave between us. “Is too difficult to navigate.”
“It does not need to be,” he remarks as he rinses off some vegetables.
“I’m not sure what that means.”
He sets the vegetables on the counter and turns toward me again. “I hurt you very badly, and that can never be erased. There is nothing either of us can do to change the past. But for right now, while I am here, let me in enough to take care of you. I will never ask for more.”
“Honestly, I’m fine here on my own, just as I have been for years. I need to get used to this new way of life if this is permanent. Having you or anyone here is just prolonging the inevitable,” I insist.
“Mayhap, but I am working with Niven to make sure it will not be permanent,” he lets slip.
“What do you mean?”
He tugs on his beard before he explains, “When the fae’s interrogation began this morning, it was primarily a test to see how far we could restore it to consciousness. It went as we expected. But that fae is still extremely powerful despite all their safeguards. It fights him at every turn, but Niven will pry out its secrets by force, no matter how difficult it is. And as quickly as possible to minimize the effect on you.”
My brows raise in alarm. Niven didn’t let on how dangerous the situation was for them. “I wasn’t aware. He told me he me he wouldn’t risk my health just to interrogate it. But I told him that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
“At some point very soon, the council will disband and everyone will return to their homes to enact the new safety and security measures they agreed upon. Niven and his teams will remain until their job is complete. So will I. They need me for my ability to dispel the fae’s magick. The only reason I am helping him is to make sure we force the fae to tell us how to break the spell. I will see you through this, no matter what,” he declares. His eyes alight on me and I can see the weight of his promise in them. A shiver whispers down my back.
“Okay,” I acquiesce, unsure whether it’s wise. But if Niven needs him, I’ll put up with it. “You can stay until this is over.”
“Thank you for this gift, Ada. I will make sure you do not regret it.” His eyes search mine, but I look away, pretending to be distracted by the cats.
Wisely, he doesn’t push me any further. He proceeds to make dinner while the cats and I silently watch. It’s a simple meal of pan-seared fish and roasted vegetables. As we eat, Norrell looks inordinately more pleased with each bite I take.
Guilt and weariness nag me as we sit next to each other in silence, so I force my eyes to his. He immediately puts down his fork and gives me his full attention.
“Thank you for dinner. And for the yardwork. I noticed it earlier. I’m not sure how you managed after the interrogation.”
“Handling the fae this morning was not that difficult. Over decades, I took down dozens of them with my fellow hunters. They are incredibly dangerous, but so am I,” he stresses.
When I finish the food on my plate, a triumphant smile curls his lips, drawing my attention to his tusks, reminding me how he’d run them sensually along my neck. I suck in a shaky breath as I remember the feeling of it.
“Very good, Ada,” he praises in a low voice, sending a spike of arousal through me. Somehow my so-called plan has backfired. Now I’m the unsteadied one.
Chapter 12
Norrell
“Let’s make this quick, team. Ada’s health is on the line,” Niven instructs the room as we ready ourselves. Ada convinced Niven to move forward with questioning the fae. He and his team agreed, albeit reluctantly, that this opportunity is too valuable to pass up. I think they could have come up with something else, keeping her from suffering further. But since it is not my decision, I will do all I can to help Niven keep this session as short as possible.
The fae shrieks an unearthly racket as one of Niven’s team releases it from containment. Even though we heard it before, the unpleasant screeching grinds excruciatingly in our ears.
The fae has been kept in an enchanted lockup that forces it into unconsciousness. Powerful wards surround the containment unit as well as the room, preventing any chance it could break free. Though these efforts still cannot stop the damage it does to Ada while it is uncaged. The fae magick is twined within her. She is in the healers’ safe hands right now as we interrogate it for a second time.
Upon its initial release, the fae seems lethargic, though still ear-splittingly cacophonous in its altered state. Slowly it will fully regain consciousness. My senses are alert, feeling for theintensification of its magick. It is not nearly strong enough yet to strike out at us, but I never let down my guard. That is one of the first lessons taught to hunters in my clan, especially around the fae.
A young female witch from Ada’s clan, Darla Rallis, asked to join us today. Niven told me she is a Seer who has visions of the future. One of them brought Ada’s human friend Cara here last month, who the fae set its sights on. Darla’s magickal talent is rare, much like Niven’s. Unfortunately, she did not see the fae’s involvement. Niven told me she feels tremendous guilt, and so she is here to help however she can. I sympathize with her. She stands silently in a corner, her amber eyes glued to the fae.
The fae’s swirling yellow eyes grow steadily brighter. When its power draws to the fore, spiking alarmingly in strength, I swiftly absorb the magick into the clear crystal attached to my bracelet, rendering the fae’s fight impotent. The explosive screeching starts up again in anger. Its shadowy mass is like a black hole, destructive and hungry. I cannot begin to fathom what this creature would look like in its own realm. It bucks against the magick holding it, trying to break free. The wards remain strong against the fae’s weakened onslaught.
The fae’s incorporeal nature helps it shapeshift, but it also allows the ward to keep it small while Niven interrogates it. According to the witches who were at Ada’s that night, it had ballooned nearly as big as the carriage house before they weakened it enough to place the first of these wards around it.
Maintaining my concentration on the fae’s surges of magickal energy, I siphon an incredible amount from it. Far more than I would believe possible with all the wards containing it. I nod at Niven letting him know he can begin and then return my focus onto the fae once more.
Niven stands a few feet in front of the fae, studying its wispy, undulating shape, taking measure of it and determining wherebest to focus his abilities. At last, he draws himself up, and stares straight into those yellow orbs. Niven’s eyes darken, his pupils expanding wide as he locks into the fae’s consciousness and infiltrating its mind. As he does so, the orbs seem to lock in place and nearly solidify. Niven and the fae look almost equally possessed.
“What spells did you use when you touched Ada Mayweather?” Niven begins.
