Afew minutes later, Warwick, Ash, and I stood in Mykel’s office, guards on both the outside and inside ready to shoot us if we made a wrong move, which was hilarious to me. Warwick could take down a giant with his bare hands. These boys would be dead before they got one shot off.
The Wolf himself stood on one side of me with his arms crossed, his expression hard and dangerous, his presence filling up the office more than his actual physique. Ash was on the other in the same stance as Warwick, both slightly behind me, like guard dogs.
Mykel pretended like the two men didn’t intimidate him, but the way his eyes kept darting to them, especially Warwick, told me it was all an act. You couldn’t not react to Warwick, either good or bad. He demanded a reaction... usually to pee your pants and run.
My uncle stood behind his desk, his fingers tapping on the top, his attention going from me to the legend behind me. “I have heard many stories of you, but I will be honest, I thought they were just that. I didn’t even fully believe Kek’s accounts of you in Halálház. Seems I was wrong.”
“Kek’s here?” Warwick’s thick brow arched up, though his tone gave nothing away.
“Yeah.” I glared back at him. “Seems you two have a lot in common.” Both spies. Both got close to me because they were ordered to.
“You said you could prove something to me?” Mykel drew my focus back to him.
I took in a deep breath, feeling Warwick’s form skimming my skin without him moving.
“What are you doing, Kovacs?”His phantom body strolled around me, his breath grazing my ear.
“Telling him about the pills.”
“No. Bad idea.”
“Not your choice.”
“Princess . . .”
Ignoring him, I dug into my pocket, my fingers curling around the capsules. Trust had to be a two-way street, and I knew I had to prove myself first.
“Kovacs...”Warwick growled with warning, his shadow moving in closer to me.
Tugging out the pills, I stepped up to the desk, opening my hand. “The mission yesterday wasn’t a total loss.”
Neon blue pills tumbled from my palm, rolling out onto the desk. Mykel’s eyes latched on to them, his forehead wrinkling with confusion.
“What are these? Drugs?” He picked one up. “If you think I give a shit about drug smuggling?—”
“It’s not a drug.” I rolled my shoulders back. “Well, not in the way you’re thinking of them.”
“You got these from the train?” Mykel rolled it around in his hand, not listening to me. “Leon is sending his own men to obtain this black-market crap? That makes no sense.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “These mean nothing to me. Useless.”
“Listen to me?—”
“You think this will prove anything to me? This is elementary shit.” Mykel tossed it back on his desk, his brown eyes glowering at me.
“Better shut the fuck up.” A deep growl vibrated the room. Warwick’s body nudged mine as he stepped up. “And listen to her.”
Mykel froze, feeling the fury rattle through the room. His eyes snapped to me, his mouth pinning together.
“Look closer at them.” I motioned to them. I could see the color inside thrumming with energy.
Mykel eyed me but picked them up again. Taking out his glasses, he put them on, really examining the iridescent pills. His head jerked closer, and I knew he finally noticed it. They were full of life... of fae essence. The magic swirled and pulsed inside the capsule. Most would overlook it. I did the first time too, but I could feel them in my pocket like a heartbeat.
“What is this?” He peered over at me.
“I don’t know everything in them, but one of the main ingredients is fae essence.”
“What?” He blurted, shock popping his eyes, his spine stiffening. “Fae essence? That’s impossible...” His head turned to the two men behind me, searching for them to concur with him. Neither Ash nor Warwick did.
“They’re the reason I ended up in Halálház, but it wasn’t until I was with Killian—” Another low snarl coiled in my ear. Warwick’s chest pulsed against my spine at the mention of his name, “That I found out what they really did. What’s in them. What they mean. What I think Istvan is trying to do.”
