“Feels like an iron burn,” Saoirse gasped out.
Wade moved to block her from Niall’s view, settling his hand over the fire opal ring she still wore. His hand blocked the glitter of magic in its depths, the spell somehow knowing what Saoirse needed in that moment—protection and subtlety. The lines of pain pricking the corners of her eyes eased, but she stayed on her knees, pretending to cower.
Niall didn’t seem aware of Órlaith’s magic, which was odd. For a wannabe god, Wade thought Niall would have sensed the magic. He wondered if Órlaith’s magic was just stronger than Niall’s, which could work to their advantage.
Wade twisted around on his knees, still keeping himself between Niall and Saoirse. “Where’s Casey?”
“The wolf isn’t your concern,” Niall said coolly.
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
“Such bravado. There is nothing you can do to save them. They broke their bargain with me.”
“It’s not a bargain if you force them into it.”
Niall looked down his nose at them like they were bugs. Wade had to resist the urge to bite him in two. “Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it? You confessed to helping Harper flee, which means her husband’s life is forfeit.”
Wade went still at that, staring at Niall. “Did you kill him?”
“Some sacrifices must be made for those beneath me to learn their place. The sea will take him, and I’ll take the land that was his.” Niall turned toward the door, speaking to the fae there. “Is she here?”
“She arrived about twenty minutes ago. She waits for you in the study,” the fae said.
“You can bring her here. We have business to conduct.”
The other fae actually hesitated. “She asked us to bring you to her when you arrived.”
Wade wondered who it was they were talking about that made Niall look that displeased. “Fine. Keep an eye on them.”
Wade watched him go in confusion. “I thought Niall was in charge. Are you telling me he’s someone else’s errand boy?”
The fae on babysitting duty didn’t bother to answer him. Which was fine—Wade didn’t want to have a conversation with him anyway. He turned back around to face Saoirse, catchingher eye. She gave him a fraught smile, shoulders tight. “I’m okay.”
“Can you tell if your skin is nearby?” Wade didn’t bother keeping his voice low, knowing the fae would hear him even if he whispered. The whole reason why they’d let themselves be taken prisoner was to get inside Niall’s home.
Saoirse squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “No, I can’t.”
Wade didn’t want her to take off the fire opal ring, not if it was the only thing keeping her upright between the room they were in and whatever she’d suffered through yesterday before its magic activated. “Okay.”
He closed his eyes and ducked his head, expanding that internal sense he carried within that allowed him to find all manner of magical artifacts and trinkets imbued with bits of magic. It’s what had made him a good pickpocket once upon a time, a knack that had saved his life when he was younger. Right now, he used it to save Saoirse’s.
Wade kept his aura locked down tight as his awareness drifted through a home saturated with fae magic of various kinds. The tang of ozone was stronger here, probably because it was Niall’s home, and it took a moment for Wade to sift through the magic. He concentrated, awareness eventually snagging on the sense of what he could only describe as salt-rusted iron, like the sea was locked away.
Iron hurt fae in the same way silver hurt werecreatures. If Niall had trapped Saoirse’s skin inside iron, it might be enough to hurt her the way it had before he’d put the fire opal ring on her finger.
Wade opened his eyes, seeing Saoirse staring back at him hopefully. He mouthed,I think I found it, at her, and she was smart enough not to react beyond ducking her head and letting out a shuddering breath.
Footsteps and voices from down the hall caught his ear, and Wade stood. Saoirse tried to get to her feet but fell back to her knees with a grimace. He offered her his hand, which she took, and he hauled her against him, keeping her close. He wished they hadn’t had to return the artifact necklace to Gwen because it would’ve come in handy right about then. The fire opal ring was keeping the pain at bay for her, which was Saoirse’s highest need. Wade would have to be her shield.
Niall returned to the holding room, smelling like ozone, but that was because of the fae who followed at his heels. Wade’s eyes went wide as he took in the fae who smelled more like a god than Niall and made him think he had the status all wrong.
The newest arrival was a fae shorter than Niall, wearing a glamour over her skin that Wade’s vision easily penetrated. To most people, she probably looked like an old woman with green-dyed hair. To Wade, her skin was an almost teal color with shimmery scales over her joints. Her eyes were a murky gray with no sclera showing. Her face was wrinkled, dark green hair clumped wetly together around it in a way that reminded Wade of kelp. Everything about her spoke of the sea, but her scent was all prickly ozone, the marker of a god, demi or otherwise.
Wade stared at her. The fae stared back. A heavy sense of somethingbigpressed against his awareness, making his mouth drop open in surprise. “You’re adragon?”
Niall wrenched his gaze from Wade back to the fae. “How did he know, Caoránach?”
Caoránach smiled, revealing sharp teeth. “Because he is not as he seems.”
