He huffed out a laugh, but it was short-lived. “Do you want to go back in and tell Nick what’s happening?”
“No. Because if I go back in there, I don’t think I’ll be able to leave again.”
Axel nodded. “I’ll let him know later.”
“Thank you.”
I took one last look at Nick’s house, forcing myself to believe that this wouldn’t be the last time I saw it, then followed Axel back to his bike.
* * *
Nick
Three days.
It’d been three days since I’d woken to find Dathal gone and Axel knocking on my door, telling me he’d been recalled home.
Not for good, though. At least that was what Axel had said, but as each day passed without his return, I was beginning to wonder.
Each time I worried that I might not see him again, it hit me like a knife to the chest, a jolt of pain so sharp it stole my breath.
I missed him.
Missed the way he didn’t give a fuck about a lot of things, but he treated me like I was worth all of his attention when we were together. I missed the feel of his bare skin against mine, the way his magic seeped into my bones, setting me on fire from the inside out while he took me apart with his body.
I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to that.
To him.
The knock at my door startled me out of my thoughts and I rushed down the hall to answer it, already smiling, but that faltered when Axel stood on the other side. “Hey,” I said, trying not to sound as disappointed as I felt.
“He’s not back yet,” Axel said in lieu of a greeting. “I’m sorry, Nick.”
I waved him off. “It’s fine.” It wasn’t. And I tried not to think about how it would feel when he returned to the Fae Realm for good. “What can I do for you?”
“Can’t I just drop by to see how you are?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Sure you can, but since you’ve never done that before…”
Axel chuckled. “Okay, so I’m here on behalf of Max and Gabriel.”
“Since when do you work for the paranormal police?”
“Since the high court ordered Dathal back through the gateway and I became the messenger,” he grumbled.
I scrubbed my hands over my face. “What do they want with me now?”
“There’s been a development and they want to talk to Zane’s coven. They want you there.”
“His coven?” I frowned. “I thought Max said they weren’t cooperating. And why do I have to be there?”
“They aren’t, and I don’t know.” He held out his hands. “Like I said, I’m apparently just the messenger. Max asked me to bring you in with me if you’re willing but said for you to call him if you had questions.”
Oh, I had plenty of questions all right.
But my curiosity got the better of me, and I nodded my agreement, grabbed my coat and keys, and followed Axel outside. Thankfully he wasn’t on his bike, but in one of Rys’s cars.
“Any word from Dathal?” I asked as we got in.
