“This stone was found within Queen Marin’s dress, which came to us after her timely death.”
I wrinkled my nose at her words—timely—but she merely continued.
“I believe,” she said, her eyes flashing, “that this is the object you are looking for.”
Rourke strode forward and frowned down at the tiny little stone. His face betrayed nothing. Even I couldn’t tell whether or not he was impressed by the rock. He let out a light sigh and tsked before glancing over his shoulder at me.
“Could you come closer, please? I can’t be certain this is it.”
“I assure you, this stone could be nothing other than the object you were inquiring about,” the shopkeeper said.
I strode up to Rourke’s side and stared at the stone. Up close, it didn’t look any different. Bland, boring, endlessly gray. With a slight shrug, I said, “I guess this could be it, but it’s hard to say.”
The shopkeeper huffed. “Honestly, this is ridiculous and more than a little insulting. To be accused of lying—”
“Let us test it, just to be sure,” Rourke said.
She narrowed her eyes. “Most certainly not. You cannot touch a Death Object unless you intend on paying for it. Otherwise, it’s worthless to me.”
“I don’t need to touch it,” I said, holding out my hands. “I can use your gloves. There’s no harm in that, right?”
It was a long, silent moment before the shopkeeper spoke again. I could tell that she wasn’t inclined to let us do this, but there’d also been a fact I hadn’t missed. Grim did not get very many visitors. This wasn’t the kind of place to move a lot of merchandise. She was desperate for us to purchase from her, and she wouldn’t turn down a potential customer, regardless of how badly she wanted to say no to our test.
Finally, she set the stone gently on the table and pulled off her gloves. “Very well. You may examine it for a moment. But if there’s any funny business with this object, I’ll be forced to make you pay.”
“Got it.” I grabbed the gloves and pushed the rough material over my hands just as heavy footsteps thudded on the stairs outside the shop.
Rourke twisted toward it, his head cocked. “Let me guess. We’re about to have some Wilde Fae visitors.”
“Oh no. It’s much better than that,” came the steely voice of the shopkeeper. “That will be the Queen’s personal guard, here to take you in. You see, I know who you are, Rourke. You’re a rebel and a traitor, and you and this changeling have been working with the Summer fae.”
My heart thundered in my chest as the realization of what she’d done swept over me. She had alerted the Autumn Court that we were here. How, I didn’t know, but she had. And now, all we could do was wait for them to barge through that door. We were trapped. We had no hope of an escape.
Rourke grabbed my gloved hand, threw it on top of the stone, and pressed his forehead tightly to mine. His skin was hot; his eyes were wild. He’d never looked more fierce.
“Do it,” he hissed in a harsh whisper. “Hide yourself.”
The footsteps grew louder. They were only seconds away from storming inside now.
“Rourke, no. What about you? I can’t—”
His hand cupped my cheek. “You promised you’d do what I said. Hide yourself.Now.”
My heart felt split in two, but I couldn’t ignore the desperation in his eyes. I’d promised him. I couldn’t go back on my word now, even if it meant hiding in fear instead of standing to fight. With a heavy sigh, I closed my hand around the stone and focused on the shadows that caressed Rourke’s face. That uneasy feeling slid over me, cloaking me in darkness, just as the shop’s door blew open.
Four Autumn Hunters strode in decked out in full leather armor, and Rourke dropped his hand from my face at once. He stood facing the Hunters, his hands curled by his sides. He was the perfect image of cold and calculating calm. His face was blank, his eyes focused on the fae before him. Not even the tip of his pinky quivered, even when the four fae raised their swords. He was pure steel, I realized. Pure, unbreakable steel.
“This is him?” the male in front barked, flicking his fingers to the three behind him. They spread out in an arc, easing closer to where Rourke stood in the center of the floor. They were the ones with the swords, but it was almost as thoughtheywere afraid ofhim.
“Rourke, the rebel,” the shopkeeper said icily. “Just as you requested.”
Just as they’d requested? What didthatmean?
“And the changeling?” the Hunter asked, glancing around with a frown. “You said she was here.”
“The changeling is gone,” Rourke said coolly.
The Hunter narrowed his eyes, and he lifted his chin toward the shopkeeper behind me. I hadn’t moved even the slightest of inches since they’d barged through the door, too afraid that if I did, they might hear the floorboards creak beneath my trembling feet.
