Someone—or somethingelse is in here with me.
I dare to venture closer.
Four Seelie men huddle in the corner, one of whom wears black leather with a fiery rose emblazoned on the chest.
The missing Seelie aren’t dead. They’re being held captive in this Unseelie village.
“Nia?”
My head whips to a fifth man on the right, sitting with an arm slung across his ribs and his face speckled in blood.
It can’t be . . . “Nolan?”
37
“You never know where you’ll find a mate.”
— A Seelie Guide to Matrimony
No matter how many times I blink my eyes, the darkness does not ease and the man in front of me does not vanish. What the hell is my ex doing all the way down here?
“Nia?” Nolan wheezes, clutching his side.
He’s hurt . . .
I fall down next to him, a reflex from before. Back when he was mine. When I would’ve done anything for him.
He might no longer be mine to care about, but that doesn’t mean I want him to be in pain. Unless I’m the one inflicting it.
His face, pale as milk, twists with a grimace. “How are you alive? John said you fell off the bridge. What the hell are you doing in this forsaken place?”
Not dead . . . yet. “We can discuss that later.” When we’re all safely back in Rosehill. “Where are you hurt?”
“I think . . . they broke . . . my ribs.”
Bloody Unseelie . . .
“Let me see.” His hands fall away, and I carefully unfasten the hidden straps of his guard uniform.
Hold on. Why is he wearing a uniform when he was suspended?
That’s not important. What’s important is healing him and finding a way to escape this wretched village.
Sure enough, a mottled bruise stretches from his armpit to his hip. If his ribs aren’t broken, they’re sure as hell close to it. If only I had healing water.
“How did you get here?”
“The Unseelie attacked at dusk,” Nolan grits out as I replace his leathers, leaving the straps unfastened so they don’t add pressure to his sore ribs. “Took Joseph and me.” He nods to the other man wearing a guard’s uniform. “I told you they weren’t to be trusted.”
“These Unseelie aren’t part of Everett’s clan.”
From the dark look on Nolan’s face, it appears the distinction doesn’t matter. Who am I trying to convince, anyway? He’s always hated the Unseelie, and nothing I say is going to change that. Especially now that we’re being held captive in one of their cells.
“You’re wearing your leathers.” He always looked handsome in uniform. I remember the day he received his first set, back when he was assigned to guard the prince.
How times have changed.
He nods. “I spoke with the general about being reinstated. He agreed on a trial period.” Wincing, Nolan shifts his weight, his hand trembling as he returns his palm to his side. “Doubt he’ll keep me on after this.”
