Mistral and Gabriel were quietly arguing until finally Mistral won, and Gabriel walked my way, his dark eyes an angry storm. “I will wait with you while Mistral investigates. He does not want to risk any goblins who might feel hostile toward celestials.”

  “He shouldn’t go alone.” I chewed my lip as Mistral did just that, easily vaulting over the stone wall. I wished I was close enough to sense what he might be feeling. He’d barely spoken since we’d arrived.

  Gabriel gripped my shoulder, and I realized I’d taken a step forward without realizing.

  “This is his home realm,” Crispin soothed. “His magic will be greater here. He can take care of himself.”

  I looked the other way at Sebastian to see if he had anything comforting to add, but he simply lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug, his torn shirt gaping.

  Lucas plopped down in the gray grass behind us, not looking at anyone.

  Thinking that it wasn’t the worst idea, I sat and removed my boots, flexing my toes within my sweaty socks. Ringo hopped down into my lap for a closer look at the gray grass, but he didn’t touch it. We had established by this point that the grayness wouldn’t kill us, but I certainly didn’t blame him for not touching it when he didn’t have to.

  Crispin sat beside us, his eyes on the sunset. The orange and pink hues didn’t reflect off the ground, leaving the gray pure and untouched. The contrast was jarring.

  “About what happened back at the Citadel,” Crispin muttered, leaning in toward my shoulder. Gabriel and Sebastian were both turned toward the estate and didn’t react, but I knew they’d hear every word that was said. Talk about awkward.

  I met Crispin’s cornflower blue eyes and waited for him to continue.

  “I believe the magic drew us together to recharge us. It knew what it needed.”

  I frowned, not expecting yet another magical theory to explain why he’d kissed me. Why he’d more than kissed me. My body hadn’t yet let go of the feeling of him pressed hard against me.

  “We need not make a fuss over it,” he pressed.

  Still frowning, I shook my head and looked off toward the estate. “Whatever you say.”

  “Eva—”

  But Mistral was jogging back toward us. He reached the stone wall and climbed over, landing lightly on his feet like a cat. “There is no one here, but there are ample supplies. We can eat, rest, and decide what to do.” Patting Gabriel’s shoulder as he walked past, he moved toward me, offering his hand.

  I reluctantly pulled on my boots, boosted Ringo back to my shoulder, then let Mistral help me stand. My legs and feet were already stiff from the short rest. “There’s really no one around?”

  A flicker of emotion crossed his face, then was gone. “No one, but perhaps they shall return by nightfall.”

  I took my hand from his to dust off my dress. “And don’t you think they’ll be pissed to find a group of strangers eating their food and getting grime on their furniture?”

  He smiled softly, and I realized he really didn’t think anyone was returning. He must have found supplies, but no signs of recent life.

  “Okay.” I forced a smile. “Let’s go.”

  Gabriel boosted me over the wall while the rest of the guys climbed, even Sebastian. I wondered if his impressive shadow magic didn’t work in this realm. I should have asked Crispin about it when I’d had the chance.

  Lucas was grumbling that we should just go back to the portal, but sensing Mistral’s mood, I quietly told him to shut up. To my great surprise, he did, and we all walked through the eerily silent estate. I hoped the ghostly quiet wasn’t a portent of things to come. I hoped Mistral’s home realm wasn’t all just as dead as the gray grass and trees behind us.

  I knelt before a cabinet, shuffling through sealed jars until I found something appetizing. Night had fallen, and only a few candles lit the room. I was glad we’d found them first, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to see a damn thing. Finding something recognizable—hopefully—I held the jar up to the candlelight. Preserved cherries were packed tight, a little less red than fresh, but anything was appetizing after not eating all day. I was dizzy and my stomach was burning. Not to mention the dull headache from only having a sip of my morning coffee before all hell broke loose.

  I straightened with the jar, then walked to where Crispin was looking through another cupboard. The rest of the guys were roaming the estate, searching for signs of what might have happened to its inhabitants.

  I held out the jar. “This looks safe enough.”

  His mouth forming a small oh, Crispin straightened and took the jar. He searched a few drawers until he found a knife, then used it to remove the wax seal before gesturing toward the nearest door with the jar. “Shall we eat outside? It’s creepy in here.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  Ringo’s claws clicked across the floor as he darted out from another cupboard to run ahead of us. We’d only been searching for maybe twenty minutes—my watch was dead, but probably wouldn’t work here anyway—but had found little in the way of clues. All the cupboards were stocked and the linens were fresh. No signs of dust. No signs of anything.

  At the same time, the fireplaces were swept clean, so no one had made a fire lately even though the night air created quite the draft. There was no dust, but there was also no dirt, like whoever had last visited had taken the time to clean up any debris brought in on their shoes before leaving.

  That was, if they wore shoes. There was no clothing anywhere. No shoes or coats by the doors. It was like the entire estate had been prepared for guests, but they never arrived. Even the stables were perfectly clean, with fresh straw waiting for the non-existent horses.

  Out on the landing under glittering stars, Crispin, Ringo, and I sat with our jar of cherries. I could sense the other guys out in the darkness. They wouldn’t go far, and I knew Crispin and I were only allowed to roam on our own because they could sense us too.

  Crispin handed me the open jar. There was a fork stuck into one of the cherries on top. I hadn’t seen him grab it. I took it out and ate a cherry. It was watery and I probably wouldn’t have eaten more had a cheeseburger been an option, but since it wasn’t, I stabbed two more and forced them down before handing back the jar.

  Crispin speared a cherry and offered it to Ringo. “There’s an air of magic to the house, but my senses feel dulled here. It’s nothing I can access.”

  “Just like in the pocket realm,” I thought out loud, extending my hand for the fork as Crispin offered it to me.

  “Yes,” Crispin lowered his voice, his eyes shining in the darkness. “Which makes me wonder if this is truly Mistral’s home realm.”

  I lifted my brows, lowering the cherry I was about to eat. “I would think Mistral would know if it wasn’t.”

  Crispin shrugged. “Perhaps. Or perhaps he believes the gray simply drained the magic in the area.”

  “Isn’t that possible?”

  “It is.” He shrugged again. “I suppose I’m just thinking out loud.” His eyes lifted toward the sky, looking at the stars. “If I returned to my realm, I would recognize it by the constellations. I wonder what made Mistral recognize this place.”

  “We’ll ask him when he returns,” I decided. I shivered, my skin prickling with just my thin dress to protect me from the cold.

  Crispin moved closer, pressing his arm against mine. “I wish I had worn a suit jacket, then I could be gallant and offer it to you.”

  I turned to find him looking right at me, his face only a few inches away. Suddenly our last kiss was heavy in my mind.

  “Eva,” his voice sounded choked.

  My pulse kicked up. I wanted to ask him if it was really just the magic that made him kiss me. I knew I wanted to blame it too, but I had recently started to accept that I couldn’t blame magic alone for my romantic choices.

  “Someone’s coming,” he said softly, still gazing into my eyes.

  I heard the footsteps a moment later, and we both turned. I knew Crispin probably saw him better than I could since elves had excellent night vision, but I didn’t need to see him. I already knew it was Sebastian.

  Once he was close enough to be visible, I put on my best bored expression, as if we hadn’t just been having a tense moment. “Find anything?”

  “Nothing.” Sebastian knelt forward long enough to swipe the cherries with the fork in the jar from Crispin’s hand. “I would state again that this is a waste of time, but my efforts are clearly futile.” He stabbed a cherry, then stuck it into his mouth.

  “You think we’d be better off meeting up with your sister?”

  “I think we’d be better off stealing a vortex from the fairies to use against our enemy.”

  My jaw dropped. That actually wasn’t a terrible idea. “Too bad the Bogs ate the other one.”

  I felt Crispin tense beside me. At first I thought he heard someone else approaching, but his gaze was distant. Slowly, he shook his head. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.”

  “Think of what?” My pulse was racing again. It seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

  He looked up at Sebastian, which annoyed me, but the devil did usually understand Crispin’s ideas better than I did. “The Bogs ate a vortex—an object capable of absorbing great power.”

  Sebastian looked past us, and even with stone and shingles in the way, I knew he was looking in the direction of the gray.

  I gasped. “You think the vortex is absorbing the Bogs’ magic from somewhere below the earth? That’s what’s creating the gray?”

  “The issue did arrive shortly after the vortex incident.”

  He was right, but, “What about this place? Why is the gray here?”

  Crispin shook his head, his eyes pinched. “I should have put it all together sooner. The portal wasn’t open before, and now it is. It must have something to do with the vortex, which means it’s absorbing magic from this place as well.”

  Lucas walked toward us out of the darkness, looking cranky. He stopped by Sebastian, crossing his arms as he waited for the conversation to continue.

  Shaking my head at the fact that we were actually allied with Lucas, I continued, “What will happen if it keeps going? If it continues to steal the Bogs’ magic?” Ringo had climbed back into my lap and was shivering. I lightly wrapped my hands around him. When Crispin didn’t answer right away, I looked up at Sebastian. “Why the hells are you smiling?”

  His smile broadened. He looked like the cat that ate the canary. “If these theories are true, the vortex has absorbed an astounding amount of power. It sounds like a rather useful tool.” His eyes practically sparkled.

  “You want to use it to blow up my grandfather, don’t you?”

  He tilted his head. “Don’t you?”

  Crispin furrowed his brow. “Retrieving it does seem the answer, as long as we can avoid your grandfather long enough to do it.”

  Lucas’ scowl had finally melted. He looked back and forth between us. “I witnessed the vortex Varian used. This might actually work.”

  “If we can get the Bogs to give it back,” Crispin added. He looked at me. “I believe that part will be up to you.”

  “Me? What the heck? Why do I have to do it?”

  He smiled, though it seemed a bit sad. “The wild magic likes you. It has shown us as much several times. And it showed you the issue, hoping you could fix it.”

  I hunched my shoulders, now fully shivering from the cold despite a bit of stolen warmth from Crispin. “I guess it’s worth a try. I like it better than relying on Sebastian’s sister.” I glanced up at him. “No offense.”

  He smirked. “None taken, but if she signs the contract, we’ll have no choice.”

  “Then blow him up with the vortex and with devil magic,” Lucas huffed. “I don’t care how you do it, as long as he ends up dead. Once your mother is safe, I’ll finally be done with all of this.”

  “Well at least we’re all on the same page for once,” I sighed, though we still needed to talk to the goblins.

  I could still sense them, but distantly. Just what in the hells were they doing?

  SEVENTEEN

  When Gabriel and Mistral still hadn’t returned, the rest of us went inside to peruse more jars. The estate didn’t have regular electricity or refrigeration, but there was running water. Crispin theorized that much of the estate was run on goblin magic, and we simply didn’t understand how to work things. There were a few colorful blown glass items that could have been lamps, supporting his theory. Candles were easier to figure out though, and we used long, roughly carved matches to light a few more.

  We set up in a small sitting room with two more jars. I hoped the contents were olives and carrots, but I couldn’t be sure. I was far from comfortable in my dirty dress, but at least I finally had my boots off. My sweaty socks were airing out over the arm of the stiff-cushioned sofa. Sometimes I know shame, but not when I’m trapped in mysterious realms with spooky gray meadows. Lucas could deal with my stinky socks while he peered broodily out the window.

  Sebastian and Crispin were discussing how we might access the vortex within the Bogs. I listened quietly, fascinated. If we could actually retrieve it, it might fix what was happening in the Bogs. Well, not all of it, but the gray. And with such a power-charged item, we could surely fix my great grandfather.

  I popped a carrot into my mouth—they were indeed carrots—and chewed thoughtfully. I sure hoped Marcie was okay. We weren’t even sure if my grandfather was the one who took her. It stood to reason though, considering he attacked us in the Bogs the very next morning.

  Although— “If my grandfather planned to attack us at the Citadel, why bother taking Marcie the night before?”

  Crispin and Sebastian both turned to me with identical expressions. Sebastian sat on the same sofa I did, while Crispin had pulled up a matching chair. Ringo was sleeping in Crispin’s lap.

  “What do you mean?” Crispin asked.

  I shrugged, not sure if I was really on to something, or delirious from exhaustion. I set the half-eaten jar of carrots onto the floor, my stomach sour. “When they took Marcie, they didn’t try to hurt any of us. And if my grandfather orchestrated it all… I mean, I was right there. Even once I was over the boundary, he could have grabbed me, even if his henchmen couldn’t.”

  Crispin looked at Sebastian. “That’s true. We’ve only been assuming the werewolves and fairies are working for him. They could have simply formed their own pact to retrieve the blade. They may even be working for Varian.”

  “He was the one with the vortex,” I added meaningfully.

  Lucas had turned to observe our conversation, but didn’t comment. I still couldn’t quite tell how he felt toward Marcie. He seemed to dislike her, but he’d also been intent on saving her.

  “But why take Marcie?” Crispin asked. “She’s a full head shorter than you. It’s not as if you’re easy to mix up.”

  That was where my thought trail ended. I couldn’t think of a reason for anyone else to go after Marcie. If it was just to lure me in, one of the guys would have been a better choice. Crispin or Gabriel, since they couldn’t just poof out and escape.

  I held up my hands and stifled a yawn. “You two are the plotters. I made my suggestion, now I leave it to you.” I settled back against the stiff cushions, moving my head back and forth until I found a relatively comfortable position. I closed my eyes.

  Sebastian tsked, then muttered, “Always sleeping when we have things to do.”

  I could hear the amusement in his voice, so I ignored him. Crispin and I had somehow replenished each other’s energy that morning, but I was back to being exhausted. Soft fur brushed my cheek as Ringo abandoned Crispin to curl against my throat. Thoughts of Marcie, my mom, werewolves, fairies, and my scary celestial great grandfather swirled in my mind until sleep took me.

  I woke alone in the sitting room. The candles had been extinguished. Eerie blue light cast by the moon shone through the sole window. Something had woken me, but what?

  I sat up, realizing that even Ringo was gone. Something wasn’t right. Not to sound like a spoiled princess, but the guys wouldn’t have left me alone and vulnerable. I went perfectly still when I realized what had woken me. Someone or something was tapping at the window.

  My body broke into a cold sweat, and I could taste my pulse in my throat.

  Slowly, I slid off the sofa and onto the floor, out of sight of the window. If it was just a branch being moved outside by the wind, I was going to feel ridiculous, but if there was a monster out there watching me…

  I slithered awkwardly behind the sofa, then rose to a crouch. Once I had moved, the tapping stopped. Definitely not just a branch in the wind. And I didn’t remember any foliage that close to the window anyway.

  I rose up enough to peek beyond the couch toward the window. There was now a shadow there, blocking the moonlight. Frozen once more with fear, I tried to sense the guys, but I couldn’t feel anything. It was like the golden cords between us had been severed.

  The window creaked open, the glass panel swinging inward. Holy shit, had there not been a lock on it? I knew I should run, but I just crouched there, paralyzed as a sound like tinkling glass filled the room.

  I blinked, and suddenly I was outside under a sea of glittering stars.

  “What the—” Was this a dream? But it didn’t feel like a dream. The air was cold. Painfully cold. And fear churned my stomach so violently I thought I might vomit.

  I sensed a presence behind me and turned. I was still within the wall protecting the estate from the gray, but something else was in here with me. That something shifted in the darkness between me and the doors of the estate. I heard the tinkling glass sound again as the form grew more solid. It was mostly black, but every so often it shifted and something within it glittered like the stars overhead.

  I thought of the guys, intent on jumping to one of them even if magic was muted in this place.

  You have finally come, a voice spoke into my mind.

 

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