Wade flashed a smile, and for an instant, Riordan thought Wade’s teeth were sharper than they had been. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”
It would be laughable, really, if he didn’t know what pack Wade belonged to.
Riordan put his hand on Wade’s shoulder and turned him around, trying to ignore the firm muscle underneath his fingers and how warm he was, even through the thin fabric of his T-shirt. “This way.”
They crossed in the middle of the street, heading for the red cobblestone pathway between two buildings that were only part of a handful built on neutral ground in the neighborhood. This corner of Beacon Hill held the local and state government buildings. On a Thursday, the sidewalks were busy with tourists rather than government workers simply due to the hour. It wasn’t noon yet, and everyone’s lunch break was still at least a couple of hours away.
Riordan got them past the State House and crossed Joy Street, continuing down Myrtle Street. Redbrick row houses loomed over the one-way, narrow street. It was mostly residential, with a handful of ground floors housing some businesses. The trees were in full greenery, having long since shaken off winter.
“Pretty,” Wade commented when they were halfway down the long block. “By the way, we’re being followed.”
Riordan glanced behind them out of sheer reflex. He got a brief look at two women who appeared mundane human and acting like they were out for a walk. Their expensive athleisure clothes were more for fashion than actual exercise. Both women were exactly a half block away, and if they were wielding glamour to hide their appearance, it was very good. Riordan couldn’t sense it at all if that were the case.
Wade elbowed him in the side. “Quit looking.”
“What makes you think we’re being followed?”
“They have the same pointed ears you do.”
Riordan stared at Wade in surprise. “You can see through my glamour?”
“It’s not like you’re bad at it. Glamour just doesn’t work on me.”
Another quirk to file away and figure out because Riordan knew glamourshouldwork. It was the one kind of magic every fae intrinsically had, no matter their status. It helped them to blend in with a world that would rather they not belong.
“Do you recognize them?” Wade asked.
“No.”
“Then let’s find out if they’re working for Lady Caith or Niall.”
With that, Wade abruptly spun on his feet and retreated back the way they’d come with a speed that wasdefinitelyon the supernatural scale. Riordan didn’t react fast enough, belatedly catching up to Wade a few seconds later as the younger man casually dodged a knife one of the women tried to stick in his gut.
“Hey!” Wade squawked. “You tore my shirt! It was a gift from my niece!”
This close now, and Riordan could sense the cold presence of fae, but that took a back seat to Wade’s protest because that meant he might have been cut. Riordan really, really did not want to deal with the New York City god pack if he sent Wade back harmed in some way.
“Wade—” Riordan snapped, trying to get between him and the two fae.
The knife in one of the fae’s hands was silver, clearly meant to be used against a werecreature. Wade didn’t seem concerned, stepping in close so fast he was a blur the other fae couldn’t escape. Two seconds later and Wade had the woman slammed up against the side of the building with enough force to crack acouple of bricks. He ripped the knife out of the fae’s hand and pointed it at the other one, who froze on the sidewalk.
Something heavy filled the air, pressure like a barometric shift that had Riordan stepping backward out of instinct. The other fae not caught in Wade’s grip did the same.
“Are you Niall’s or Lady Caith’s?” Wade asked, sounding calm even if he looked annoyed. “Don’t make me ask twice.”
The fae squirmed in Wade’s grip, his hand wrapped around her throat and not bothered by the way she kicked at him. She was, Riordan realized, being held at least a foot off the ground, squirming like a pinned bug.
“Lady Caith’s,” the fae still held at knifepoint got out. “You’re trespassing.”
“Yeah, that’s always fun to do.”
Someone walked by Riordan, and he stared in disbelief at the mundane human passing them by without noticing their ongoing altercation. They seemed completely oblivious, and their ignorance wasn’t Riordan’s doing. He doubted it was the other fae’s as well.
Which left Wade.
Wade looked over at Riordan, arching an eyebrow. “Do you think these two are telling the truth?”
“Wearein Lady Caith’s territory. Niall’s is in the northwest corner of Beacon Hill,” Riordan said. He hesitated, eyeing the fae, who were most likely running some kind of patrol. “She’s never usually been so pointed about her borders.”
