I believed him. He’d risked everything to save them, after all, but something was off… Not that he was lying, but I had this feeling that he hadn’t told us the whole truth. Lady Sarhin had sent me here for a reason.
My instincts were never wrong.
Fae magic differed greatly from one to the next. Some had the ability to coax growth where land was infertile, to make the most stubborn of flora bloom. Others wove the defences that protected our realm and the fae within it. There were many nuances to our magic. But mine? I had an affinity for weapons and for seeking the truth the others tried to conceal. Much like Max and his shifter senses, my magic enhanced mine, allowing me to see what others sometimes missed. And right now they were telling me that Zane Collins was hiding something vital to our investigation. Whether he was aware of it or not, I wasn’t entirely sure.
Yet.
“You said that you only dealt with Tombs?” I asked, leaning forward.
Zane eyed me warily. “That’s right.”
“Not the other hunter arrested at Gabriel’s house?”
“No. Tombs was the only Silver Arrows hunter I saw.”
Again, everything about him indicated he was telling the truth, but was it all of it? I sensed that no matter what questions I asked him, Zane wasn’t about to reveal anything other than what he’d told Max and Gabriel previously.
But he was hiding something.
I’d stake my life on it.
“I have nothing further to ask at this time,” I said, sitting back. Now my focus was no longer centred on Zane, I became all too aware of Nick next to me. If I leant slightly to the side, we’d be touching.
I wanted that.
Wanted to feel the warmth of him against me again.
Was it curiosity about his magic pushing me closer to him, or something else? There was no denying Nick Parker was an attractive man. From the tattoos covering those thick, corded forearms, to the dark stubble coating his jaw, everything about him screamed sex.
I had no doubt he’d be a delicious distraction to pass the time with while I was this side of the gateway. But magic-wise, he was as closed off as Zane, and unravelling that mystery called to me on a level I found hard to resist.
There was more to Nick Parker than met the eye, and I wanted to delve as deep as he’d let me.
Something told me I’d have my work cut out.
DATHAL
Axel was satin the same spot at the table where we’d left him.
He looked up from his phone as we entered the conference room. “How did it go?”
I walked straight over to him and drew him to his feet. Setting my hands on his shoulders, I looked him in the eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me that Zane was involved in your kidnapping?”
Axel winced at my word usage, and I gripped him tighter.
“Fuck. I’m sorry,” I whispered. Tombs wasn’t the first person to take Axel against his will, and I hated that I’d reminded him of that. I repeated my question with more delicate phrasing. “Why didn’t you tell me he knew what Tombs was going to do?”
Rage simmered under the surface. It wouldn’t take much for it to emerge again, and by the look on Axel’s face, he sensed it.
Much like Nick had earlier.
Axel was family, though. He knew me better than most people.
What’s Nick’s excuse, then?
If only I knew.
Magic?
