“You should go,” he tells me. “I’m sure they’re here for me.”
“No.”
“Stubborn woman.” Despite everything, his mouth twitches. The shadows pull back.
He nods once, rubbing his thumb over the top of my hand.
I nod back, letting go.
One of the bigger hy-weres moves closer. The beast stands slightly taller than Nox.
“Stay back,” Sebastian warns.
I’m ready to use another fireball if need be.
I gasp when its body ripples, bones cracking and reshaping; fur recedes to give way to smooth golden skin. Very soon, in its place stands a fae female. She’s easily taller than me by a full head, probably more. She’s naked and sculpted with lean, hard muscle. Her breasts are high and small, partially hidden by dark hair that falls in tangled waves past her shoulders. Her eyes are the same ember orange they were in her hy-were form.
She’s quite beautiful in a strange way.
One of the six-legged creatures shifts as well. It happens so quickly that you’d miss it if you look away for a beat or two. His shoulders and chest are broad. His skin is dark, his features sharp, his head shaved close to the scalp. He moves to stand slightly behind the female, arms folded, watching us intently.
Neither of them seems bothered by the cold or the wet or the mud beneath their bare feet.
The female straightens to her full height and fixes us with a stare. “Lower your weapons.” Her voice is low, with a roughedge, as though she hasn’t spoken aloud in a while. “Lower them or die.”
Sebastian looks at me. I look at him.
He sheaths his sword.
I let the last of my fire die.
The female walks toward us. Her stride is long and unhurried, and the remaining hy-weres part before her. She stops at Nox’s shoulder. He prances a few times, but Sebastian gets him to quieten down. The female has her eyes locked on Sebastian.
“Get off the horse!” she commands. “Both of you.” She looks my way.
I scramble down, but Sebastian stays where he is.
“I can make you,” she says. “One of my weres can knock you from your seat. It would hurt, and your horse might not survive it.” Her voice has dropped low.
Sebastian dismounts in one graceful move. He takes Nox’s reins in one hand. “Do not harm the horses or the female. What do you want with us?”
“I’m giving the orders and asking the questions. You’re answering me and truthfully. I know when someone is lying.”
Her eyes move across his face, studying him in a way I don’t like at all. It’s as if she wants him and loathes him in equal measure. Like she isn’t sure whether to bed him or kill him.
I grit my teeth to stop myself from launching an attack on her. It wouldn’t end well for us, so I hold back.
“Your eyes are a very interesting color,” she says, tilting her head. “I’ve heard of such eyes. They’re rare indeed.”
Sebastian says nothing. His face is a mask, devoid of emotion.
“Who are you?” she asks him. “I heard that the Shadowfae King had returned. You look very much like him. Are you Sebastian?”
She keeps her eyes firmly on his.
“Cat got your tongue?” she asks when he still says nothing.
“No. I’m not who you think I am. I just happen to have the same-colored eyes.”
