“Let go of me!” I cried. Snatching the dregs of my disappearing magic, I forced crystals to burst along my arm. Ben hissed and snatched his hand away, relieving me of the horrid transfer.
“Leave her!” the stranger called from the door. “Let’s get the hell out of here while we can!”
“I can’t, Lee!” Ben said.
I darted back defensively, glancing from the corner of my eye to see that Jon was sawing through the enchanted scarf with his blade. The fabric finally went limp, and Cliff gasped for a full breath, bracing his hands against the ground as he recovered. Jon was already turning his murderous glare back to the stranger—Lee. Cliff was sure to follow suit.
Suddenly, all-encompassing silence enveloped the room. Not Ben’s glamour. This was different. It was like a blanket, thick and choking, and—was that the scent ofrosesin the air?
The chattering creatures and cursed objects came to a complete standstill, as did I. Somehow, the absence of chaos was even more terrifying than the presence of it.
Something was approaching. My eyes were drawn to the broken door. Whatever it was, even the hunters became utterly quiet and tense, watching. Shivering, I braced myself for the horror that was about to step past the threshold.
An ordinary white cat trotted into the room.
It stopped close to Lee and sat, tucking its fluffy tail primly around its legs as it surveyed the room.
“What the fuck,” Cliff muttered hoarsely. He exchanged a bewildered look with Jon, their grips uncertain on their handguns.
Sighing, Lee regarded the cat. “It’s about time. A little help?”
Before I could puzzle out what I was seeing, black mist rolled into the room like an encroaching shadow. My consciousness wavered and slipped away like water dripping through my fingers.
“J-Jon—” I croaked as he and Cliff both began to slump.
I fought the heaviness, flying for them. Jon reached for me, but we were too far. He went entirely slack, his arm dropping as he sprawled unconsciously on the floor.
As the world grew dark and my wings went limp, a pair of lean arms caught me long before I could reach the floor.
4
Sylvia
Iwas aware of my breath first, and then the softness that surrounded me. Rolling over, I was tempted to sink back into unconsciousness. The cushioned surface beneath me was far more comfortable than anything I’d ever rested on, and I was too damn tired to let go of the best sleep I’d had in ages.
But as images of winged snakes and homicidal scarves flashed through my mind, I sat up with a gasp.
Dreamlikewas the first thing that came to mind as I gaped at my surroundings. The bedroom I found myself in matched the grandeur of the hotel we’d infiltrated. White sheets were spread around me like an ocean of silk. The delicate light fixture overhead was like a miniature version of the one in the lobby. Sheer curtains hung before a pair of windows like luxurious waterfalls. Well-polished furniture stood along the walls, accompanied by two shut doors.
The gem still pulsed in the distance, but I forced my attention away from it, relieved that I hadn’t been spirited far away.
Dawn was breaking through the wide windows. Between the curtains, I glimpsed green in the landscaping outside, utterly out of place in the dead of winter.
Wards hummed with energy around the room, a mix of fae and something more akin to the shielding that had taken root around the hotel. That did not bode well. Perhaps Ben was right about the boys never finding me. Glamour could keep them from ever tracking me downifthey were still in any shape to look for me.
“Jon?” My voice cracked as I staggered to my feet. “Cliff!”
I prayed for their heavy steps to pound down the hall, for them to sweep one of the doors open and fill the frame with relief in their eyes. But as the seconds stretched, the doors remained shut.Stars, they could be anywhere. They could be back in that storage room, locked away like those bizarre creatures. They could have been glamoured into forgetting all about me, going back to the car to drive away forever—
No. I couldn’t spiral. I had to focus on what was real andhere.
The sheets rustled faintly on the other side of the bed, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. A cat was by the pillows—the one that had appeared in the storage room before everything had gone fuzzy. Its white fur nearly camouflaged it against the silk bedding. It stretched, striking blue eyes peering at me curiously. There was nothing predatory in its gaze.
I tried to make sense of the last fragments I’d witnessed before falling unconscious. Had the cat fallen prey to the smoky spellwork, same as me? Had it been scooped up by Ben’s human companion and dropped into his hotel room for safekeeping? And if so,why?
“H-Hello?” I tried timidly. The man had spoken to it. In all the chaos, that somehow stood out. “Can you understand me?”
The cat blinked slowly in response, then rose into another stretch and padded toward me with silent paws upon the plush bedding. Stopping just short of me, it observed with far toomuch intelligence. Every Elysian fairy was raised to respect the natural wisdom of all animals, but this was distinctly different.
