Tears stung my eyes, and I slid under the water to wash the tears away. I missed my family like a hole in my chest, but I wouldn’t think of that last day. I couldn’t.

  When I emerged, I wiped water from my eyes and pushed my history back into the recesses of my mind. Whatever my time on Earth had taken from me, it had given me the skills that let me be Declan. Declan was hard, dangerous, and above all, careful. Declan needed to focus on the problem at hand.

  One of the threads from the knot in my belly unspooled and trailed to the east, as if something pulled it along. The knot tingled contentedly. I frowned at my stomach, distorted by the ripples of the bath. The magic had found what it wanted, and it didn’t seem any closer to going away.

  Running seemed like my best bet, especially once I picked up that paste from Slavica. I never liked living off the land, but I’d made this trek before. And once I crossed the mountains into human lands, there would be no more fae around to keep me from getting work.

  With a plan in place, I decided to enjoy the bath I’d paid so handsomely for. I stayed in the tub until the water grew tepid, then a little longer. When the knock telling me I’d run out of time came, I groaned but got out of the tub. My now-clean clothes sat in a basket outside the door, and I buried my face in the warm, soft fabric. Fresh-smelling clothes were much too rare for my liking. I took my time dressing and tousled my hair in every direction. Lastly, I used the cold bathwater to clean my weapons from the battle yesterday.

  Time to face the fae.

  As I exited the bathhouse, someone screamed. I whirled toward a group of scattering people as a mass of black fur barreled toward me. Only long-honed instincts kept me on my feet as over a hundred pounds of dire wolf muscle landed on my chest. His paws easily reached my shoulders. He licked my face.

  Humans and fae gawked. The wolf dropped to all fours and rubbed himself against my thighs and hips. He made the sort of scene that got the guards called. I hurried him along. He ran circles around me, oblivious to the panic he’d created as he yipped excitedly.

  I snorted. “We’ve got to find your owner.”

  Chapter Seven

  Zelimir

  I sat in The Boat House, listening to the chair underneath me complain every time I shifted. My mates and I had procured a corner table in the relative quiet of the mid-morning. My second wedged himself into the place where two walls met so he could keep a wary eye on the room. Teyr stalked toward the unlit fireplace, then spun on his heel and headed back over a creaky board in the floor. His pacing had been slowly driving me insane.

  I ran a hand through my hair and crossed my arms. I’d cut off the human’s ability to get work. Bash had taken his things from the barn and tucked them between himself and the wall. The man had no choice but to come to us. Teyr crossed the squeaky board again.

  “Knock it off,” I growled.

  The ember stopped but didn’t sit. He tapped his foot instead, which grated on my nerves even more. I rolled my shoulders and stared at the watered-down ale warming in its metal tankard on the table in front of me, just another reminder how far we’d traveled. Most metal took too much development so, in the wilds, we used pure metals like gold for decoration and replaced the rest with a plentiful red mineral called cherrystone.

  Teyr put his hands on his hips. “It’s almost one.”

  “We’ll give it another half hour, and if he doesn’t show”—I sighed—"we’ll start looking.”

  Bash grunted. The oldest of us sat still as stone, except for his flickering eyes. Nothing escaped his notice. I relied on his medley of magic, befitting his mixed heritage. Everyone could pick out the dragon in him on sight, and he had many of the dragons’ mental magics, but what other fae heritage he had remained unknown.

  I took a sip of ale and winced. Watered-down human sludge. I pushed the strange metal tankard away, leaned back in my groaning seat, and trained my attention on the door.

  An Anam Cara consisted of five fae. Aptly named twin brothers, Shade and Light, powerful divar mages connected to Thrae itself, had completed our quintet. Light could manipulate sunlight and instill joy in even the darkest of fae, while Shade raised undead armies and scattered darkness in his wake. Divar couldn’t shift naturally, but the brothers had crafted a powerful spell to occasionally take on the forms of dire wolves to turn off their bizarre, ever-circling minds.

  The tavern door swung open, and daylight streamed in. Declan. My Cara warmed with joy. I spent years schooling my force magic under my father, King Zephyr’s, tutelage, and I clamped down on my Cara with the same intensity and precision. I would not allow faulty magic to mislead me. The man had no magic about him. Even the dull static I usually got off humans seemed muted.

  Declan blinked his wide, blue eyes, adjusting to the dim light of the room. The patter of paws on the straw-covered wooden floor drew my attention down to Shade, who waltzed in practically between the human’s legs.

  My stomach sank. I hadn’t seen Shade’s fae face since Light died. We didn’t even really know if he was still in there. I’d felt him drifting around town all day, but he always seemed to wander aimlessly. I didn’t know he’d found the human. I didn’t know if he’d felt the change at all, even after he refused to relax yesterday. He rubbed his face against Declan’s leg, throwing off the man’s confident stride. I knew he’d taken Light’s death the hardest, but his easy affiliation with the human parasite stung like a betrayal.

  Declan stumbled, regained his balance, and stopped in front of us with a scowl. “Give me my shit back.”

  I ignored the strange way his lilting, husky voice, higher than I anticipated, danced across my flesh, and lifted my hands into the air to show I didn’t have his belongings. Teyr sat down with a grin.

  Declan gritted his teeth.

  “Told you it would work.” Teyr put his hands behind his head and whistled. “Well, not-Dick, you clean up nicely.”

  The human seemed markedly cleaner, and his still-damp hair dangled in his eyes. I couldn’t disagree with Teyr’s assessment. A silence fell, broken only by Shade’s whine. The human slid his fingers into his fur.

  Bash gestured toward Shade. “Your dog?”

  Teyr winced. I studied the human.

  Declan frowned. “This is a dire wolf. I’d think fae would recognize the animal, considering it’s your magic that bastardized a regular wolf into this.”

  Shade whined again and butted his head against Declan’s leg. When Declan didn’t acknowledge him, the dire wolf barked and rammed the man’s knees. Declan sat in the empty chair instead of toppling over. Shade jumped up and draped himself across the human’s lap. Declan cursed and tried to push the wolf off, but Shade licked his face. The human grinned, and some of his worry lines faded away.

  I found a smile pulling at my own lips and quickly lifted my tankard. Thankfully, I remembered at the last moment not to drink. Declan grasped Shade by the scruff and forced him to the floor.

  The pull of the Cara would affect us, but we couldn’t encourage the magic. This human represented a threat to all Caras, to the very magic of Thrae itself. We needed to keep our distance until the Lower Council removed him. I needed to lead by example.

  “Of course, he’s not mine.” Declan sighed. “He snuck into my bedroll last night and spent the day following me around.”

  Teyr leaned forward. “He climbed into bed with you? We found your stuff in a hayloft.”

  “I don’t know how he got up there.” Declan rested his hand on Shade’s head. It looked like a comforting gesture, but I couldn’t tell for whom. “I had to lift him down this morning.” Declan snorted. “He’s too well-trained to be wild, but I can’t keep him—I can’t afford to feed myself half the time.”

  Teyr recoiled. “Well-trained?”

  Although I kept my expression neutral, I didn’t disagree with the ember’s skepticism. Shade was a menace.

  “He’s ours,” I said finally. “He usually doesn’t come into towns.”

  “Oh.” Declan removed his fingers from Shade’s fur.

  I grimaced and pulsed accusation to the wolf for bonding with the mistake we needed to terminate. Shade didn’t react. He hadn’t for the last six years. His fae mind stayed locked inside the beast.

  The human crossed his arms. “Well, you’ve stolen my stuff, blocked me from getting work, and had your wolf tail me all day.” He looked at Teyr. “Do you need a job done, or was this just to screw with me?”

  Teyr leaned forward, eyes bright.

  I spoke before he could make an inane joke. “We need you to come into fae wilds with us and speak to our Lower Council.”

  Declan raised a brow. “What council? What for?”

  Teyr clasped his hands on the table. “We have a Lower Council to oversee daily fae affairs. The Lower Council wants to talk to you about the attack you witnessed on the border.”

  The gold-plated lie rolled off Teyr’s silver tongue.

  “There were a bunch of people involved.” Declan rubbed his chin. “Why me?”

  Our lie grew thin here, but Teyr had prepared. “We watched you fight. You felled more SpiderTech than any human we’ve ever seen. You’re competent, so the Council will trust your report.”

  “Uh-huh.” Declan’s eyes narrowed. “And this has nothing to do with the fae bullshit in my stomach that keeps pulling me toward you?”

  Damn it. He could feel the Cara. Bash made a sound between a growl and a sigh.

  “How do you know it’s fae?” I asked.

  Declan looked at me like I was stupid. “Do you know another magic? I’m not an idiot.”

  “Most humans are.” I prodded the man for magic again. Nothing. He couldn’t be fae.

  “Copping a good feel?” Declan leaned back in his chair.

  I pulled my magic back and scowled. I didn’t need another complication. The small wooden chair groaned. It would be just my luck if the human craftsmanship gave out at this very moment. We seemed to have gotten stuck with the only half-intelligent human in Thrae. We wouldn’t be able to keep him in the dark.

  “We cannot divulge the details of our proposition until we’re farther into the wilds.”

  "Sure thing.” Declan chuckled.

  He knew we were lying.

  “Well, I’ve got somebody on this side of the border willing to fix this problem for me, so I’ll pass,” he said.

  I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t imagine what sort of ridiculous con artist would claim they could get rid of a Cara in this human town. Legend said even the Upper Council found the process difficult.

  “They lied.” Teyr shrugged.

  "Doubtful.” He pulled out a golden rune on a loop of leather. “Gave me this and everything.”

  I picked it up. Just like the human, it didn’t have a shred of magic in it, not even static.

  “That rune is useless garbage.” I threw it back down. “And we need the report regardless.”

  Declan scoffed and stuffed the rune into his pocket. “For all I know, you guys called up that rift to force my hand.”

  From the way he looked at the rune before he tucked it away, I could tell we’d worried him at least. Time for the final push.

  I placed my hands flat on the table. “Nobody ‘calls’ rifts. They’re random. And nobody in this town has the power to get rid of this magic for you.” I pulsed to Bash, who tossed a small coin pouch at the man.

  Declan snagged it out of the air and peeked inside. His eyes widened.

  “Ten gold just to accept the job,” Teyr said. “One hundred gold at time of completion.”

  I couldn’t tear my gaze from Declan’s delicate features. He weighed the money pouch in one hand and dropped his other back onto Shade’s head, absently scratching behind his dark blue ear. Shade rumbled a purring noise I didn’t know he could make. The sight of them so happy made my vision go red. I stood, scruffed the wolf, and hauled him roughly away from Declan. Shade looked up at me with hurt in his eyes.

  “It’s a good deal.” Teyr tried to pull Declan’s attention from me. “And the only deal you’ll get this side of the pass.”

  I turned away from the wolf and reminded myself it had to be this way.

  Declan scowled. “If nobody here can help me get rid of this magic, can you?”

  I nodded.

  The man cracked his neck. “I don’t really have a choice here. I mean, the gold is more than I could make in ten years, but this isn’t even subtle coercion, it’s kidnapping.”

  Teyr raised a brow. “Are you a child?”

  Declan gave him a flat look.

  “Are you holding a down payment in your hand?” Teyr leaned forward.

  The human shook his head. “You threw it at me.”

  “Then I think we’re settled.” Teyr brushed his palms together as if removing dust.

  Declan threw the bag of gold down on the table and clenched his fists. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly for a moment. My Cara reached for the man, wanting to help him, but I yanked it back. He had to come with us.

  Declan opened his eyes and pressed his hands onto the table. “No more rifts, right?”

  “No more rifts,” Teyr said. “I’ll get the horses.”

  We couldn’t promise that. My Cara ached. I ignored the feeling.

  Declan gritted his teeth when Bash brought the man’s pack out from behind him. The human accepted it and ran a quick, private inventory before repacking the bag with his new gold. Of course, we’d already been through the contents. Nothing particularly outstanding or worrying.

  “If you’re to survive the trip, we should lay down a few ground rules,” I said. “The wilds are a dangerous place. Don’t accept any gifts, don’t touch anyone, and most of all, don’t make any deals.”

  The man rolled his eyes, and I bit back a sigh. Clearly, his parents had done him the disservice of passing on little fae lore. He would be trouble. I pointed toward the door. He stood, and I fell into step at his back. Neither he nor the gold would leave my sight until I had him on a horse, riding toward the Academy.

  The man stopped just outside the door. I stopped in the doorway. He couldn’t get back into the bar past me. A moment of tense silence passed. If he ran, I could pin him with my force magic before he got far enough to be a problem, but I didn’t particularly want to be banned from the Cross Roads.

  “I don’t even know your names,” he finally said.

  Perhaps that would be better. But the councilors wanted him alive, so he needed to be able to call for us.

  I pointed to my chest. “Zelimir. You know Teyr, and my second is Bash.”

  The dragon grunted behind me.

  The human mouthed each name before pointing to Shade. “And the wolf?

  I looked at Teyr, next to the three horses. “Shade.”

  Declan wrinkled his nose. “Not very creative for a black dog.”

  Shade whined mournfully. I almost laughed, but I managed to turn it into a grunt. I knew what needed to be done. These emotions would only distract me.

  Chapter Eight

  Teyr

  My Andalusian glowed in the night as he clopped along the dirt road behind Bash’s and Zelimir’s steeds. Declan warmed my back as he finally relaxed against me. We’d promised him his own mount as soon as we were able to get one, but for now, he had to ride double. Zelly put him with me because our combined weight would strain my horse the least. I let out a tense breath. On the one hand, holding himself away from me as he had for the last half hour had to be uncomfortable. On the other, my mind kept drifting to his big, blue eyes and the fine point of his chin. He might be human, but clean….

  I could already feel Zel’s pulse of disapproval.

  Declan pressed his hands into my sides. “I’m sorry.”

  My fae ears barely caught his quiet words. I flexed my abs—for professional reasons, of course—then said, “For what?”

  Declan stiffened as if surprised I’d heard him. “I’m honestly not sure.”

  I barked a laugh. Declan’s return chuckle rumbled against my back. It would be so easy to turn and kiss him. Zelimir’s purple eyes flashed as he whipped around to pin me with a warning glare. I rolled my eyes. Declan, human, bad—no fun. Only two weeks to the Academy.

  Zel urged his Shire horse into a canter. My horse picked up speed, happy to match pace with the beasts in the lead. I only knew humans from stories, and Declan had already given credence to some of them. His eyes lit up at the mere mention of gold. The night before, at The Boat House, he’d been dirty and drunk and consumed with himself.

  But in front of the guild this morning had been different. The man had told me to piss off when I’d tried to pluck him out of the line of mercenaries. He’d stood his ground, despite my charm, and argued with me. He’d even smirked as he’d told me no. Told me no.

  I rocked into the horse’s rhythm, forcing Declan to adjust as well. He shifted his legs against mine. His honey-and-leather scent drifted into my nose. He smelled good. Really good. I’d enjoyed many lovers over the years, from curvy elves to bark-like treants, of every gender under the sun. Pleasure had to be one of the greatest parts of life, and I saw no reason to deny myself. But I’d not yet had the opportunity to sate my curiosity about humans, and Declan made me very curious.

  I tamped down the urge. Closeness like that would only speed up the Cara connections, and I wanted Declan as a partner in bed, not in life.

  When my mates and I had accepted the bond, our magic—our very essences—fused in a connection that ran deeper than anything I’d ever experienced. The Cara let me live in my mate’s emotions. I loved to feel Zelimir’s frustration with my antics and Bash’s amusement behind his too-serious face. We experienced each other’s heartbreaks and triumphs. It made everything I’d lost to get here almost worth it.

  The Anam Cara had saved me, more than once.

  Light had been my best friend, my lover, my partner-in-crime. After a death, Caras lived half-lives. They never repaired. If not for Bash and Zelimir, I’d still be a mess. Sharing pain lessened the burden. I wanted Declan’s presence to mean something, change something. But Shade still darted through the woods ahead of us on four legs, as he had since Light died, and no human, however pretty, could replace Light.

 

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