Another twinge of pain hits me alongside another flurry of Castor’s emotions, and I try to disappear into the heat of my warm stuffed penguin. Unfortunately, I think it’s gone too cold, if ever it was even remotely warm enough. “Ugh,” I mutter. “I’m worried about Castor. This was stupid. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Hey, don’t stress yourself out. Whatever you asked for was perfectly acceptable. What is he doing though? He didn’t tell me.”
“He didn’t?”
“Nope.” She settles herself at the foot of my bed. “He just said you were in a crisis and I needed to clear my schedule on your behalf.”
“O-oh. I’m sorry.”
She lifts a shoulder. “I would have cleared my schedule with an explanation, too. This royally sucks, Dani. I’m grateful that I can support you through it. I wish there were more I could do.”
Heat builds in my chest, and I almost thank her before I remember that she’spurple. Fae. And I shouldn’t.
She circles back. “So, what is Castor up to?”
Sinking as well as I can beneath the remaining heat dregs of my penguin, I say, “He’s looking for Frel, my dark pixie.”
Zahra’s brows shoot up. “Your dark pixie? The little wild thing I met when Castor and I dropped you both off at Willow’s earlier this week?”
“Yeah, she’s been missing since then.”
Tone lowering as her expression levels, Zahra murmurs, “Since Willow brought you to…”
I wet my lips and nod. “She got distracted in Cael’s palace, so Castor is probably with Cael…right now.”
“Oh.” Zahra grimaces, then she swears.
Chapter 27
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing like a tiny heist to shake things up.
Castor
The mission was simple.
Painfully simple, even.
It’s rather annoying in moments like these when I forget that Cael is somewhat powerful. Honestly, it kinda pisses me off when I think how he—a common sluagh—became a legend, anadelidae, anerlking, all because one stupid meddling story faerie thought it might becute.
After I recently learned that he wasunseelie, I was too angry to be sensible, so I stomped into Alice’s pathetic little bookstore and demanded answers.
Graciously, she tossed me a manuscript instead of killing me right where I stood. Idiotically, when she asked if I’d be paying with cash, card, orfavor, I paid with my middle finger and marched off to read an insipid tale about a drifting spirit of death who latched onto this idea that he could end suffering, that he could begood.
Repulsive.
Irritating.
Cael.
Snarling, I don’t bother fighting the moth prince’s magic constraints as they bury thorns into my bones, because this is merelyannoying, nothurtful, and it iscertainly nota cruel juxtaposition after Pollux hugged me and invited me to movie night next week. It also absolutely doesn’t add any insults to injury that I’m terribly worried about my soulmate and can sense her constant pain.
As Cael approaches, footsteps light, I mutter, “Oh sure. String up your palace guests like draining meat.Realmature.”
“Why are you here?” he asks, voice low.
The magic chains he has me in tighten, threatening.
