But instead, Lora was in the midst of the fae crowd, dressed up and seemingly unharmed.
Relief hit him first. Then confusion.How in Liraen was she here?
Then, as his eyes swept over the slit in her dress and the satin clasping her body, a wave of heat ran through him. She looked different, not entirely herself, but still so damn beautiful.
When Eyden caught her gaze, it was as if an invisible flame stretched between them, tying them together. Her eyes, strikingly fae and utterlyher,seemed to scream a million things at him, and he wanted to answer all of them. Hold her tight, take her home with him,saveher. He had to get her out of here.
Eyden made a move forward when a hand landed on his arm. “What are you doing?” Ilario asked.
Eyden’s gaze snapped to his friend before going back to Lora—and the fae next to her. This whole mission relied on him. Nix, as Ilario called him, turned his head, and Eyden ducked behind a silver-painted pillar as Ilario stepped in front of him to block Nix’s view.
“That was close,” Ilario said. His voice sounded far away. Eyden was barely listening, his focus glued to Lora. From his position, he could only see the back of her head now. He wanted to rush forward, to damn this mission to hell. He knew very well if Nix saw him, their cover would be blown. Nix would recognise him as the fae who had stolen his crystal a few weeks ago.
Why was she with him? Nix handed Lora another glass, his arm brushing hers. He said something that made her laugh, yet her eyes were searching the room, looking for him—he hoped.
“Eyden? Are you even listening?” Ilario’s voice broke through the clutter in his mind.
“Change of plans. You distract Nix. I’ll get Lora.”
“Are you forgetting about the step where we have to actuallyfindher?” Ilario replied, furrowing his dark eyebrows.
Eyden inclined his head towards Nix and Lora. “She’s rightthere.”
Ilario looked back, and shock took over his features. “I’ll be damned, I didn’t even recognise her. She looks different. More…”
“Fae,” Eyden finished. Ilario nodded, looking perplexed. Ilario didn’t know Lora was half-fae, but he knew she wasn’t who they’d said she was. Eyden had considered telling him everything, but it wasn’t all his secret to tell, and there hadn’t been the time or need to fill him in.
“What is she doing here?” Ilario asked, his emerald eyes assessing the situation.
Eyden lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’ll find out. Try to pull Nix away from her.”
Ilario hesitated, fidgeting with the grey button on his simple but elegant jacket.
“What?” Eyden asked.
“What about the…delivery?”
“I had to beg you to help me make this delivery and now you want to go through with it anyway? We came here for Lora. She’s right fuckingthere.” It took everything in him not to rush to her side immediately. He didn’t know how he could have ever hesitated to go after her.
“I don’twantto. I still vote that we give him fakes. But we’re here now. We made it into the palace. Thepalace.” Ilario subtly gestured around the room. “Even if you manage to walk out of here with Lora, we’ll blow our chance with Nix. We can forget about getting invited in again. Whereothersmight be.” His voice had dropped, turning haunting, pleading.
Eyden knew what he meant,whohe meant. Damir’s capture had started their friendship. Eyden had witnessed Damir, Ilario’s lover, being taken by guards at the bar River’s Point. Although Eyden hadn’t known either of them back then, he had pulled Ilario back from the guards before he could get killed or captured right along with Damir. Three years had passed, but Eyden knew Ilario still held a flicker of hope that Damir was alive.
“Okay then, we keep to our plan,” Eyden relented, knowing Ilario was right. “We make the delivery first, then we smuggle Lora out of here without Nix or anyone else realising. At leastyouhave to remain clear of all suspicion.”
“All right, yes. We’ll do both,” Ilario said, an optimistic smile on his face. Eyden gave him a small nod and watched as Ilario headed towards Nix and Lora. Pulling at his black sleeve, Eyden felt the tip of a blade. It was a comforting feeling.
There were about a hundred and fifty fae in the room. Eight grand windows. Three exits if one counted the balcony. The entry from which they’d come had five guards. They had taken their names. If Ilario hadn’t been on the guest list, they would’ve never gotten inside the walls. Eyden couldn’t drift in. There was a spell placed around the perimeter.
The other door must lead further into the palace. It wasn’t guarded from this side, but they had no idea where to go, so it wasn’t a wise choice. The balcony was their best option. He’d seen three guards below when they’d entered. There were probably more of them close by, but with the right aim, he’d take them out before they could even shout for backup. And Ilario could grow the vines on the wall to help their climb.
As Ilario neared Nix, the latter stepped back from Lora, creating some distance between them as he whispered into Ilario’s ear.
Lora focused on Ilario, yet her expression remained passive. She knew how to play a role. Eyden did too. In some ways, it had made them similar; in others, it had made them ruin each other. Those moments when she’d dropped the pretence had been his favourite. Even when she’d been angry with him, it had beenreal,honest. There was a true fire burning within her that he would kill to see again.
A few minutes later, Nix pulled away from Ilario, gave him a wink, and immediately joined Lora again, leaving Ilario no chance to talk to her. Eyden spotted the brief glimpse of disappointment on his friend’s face before he schooled his features into his usual bright smile.
“Did he say anything about Lora?” Eyden asked as Ilario rejoined him by the pillar.
