The question was, how much was it apart of Kane’s?
“It is what it is,” he said. If he had to make a deal with Kane to save her, he would, whether she liked it or not.
“If I’d managed to get the Seal it wouldn’t be anything.” She fisted her hand over his heart. “And you wouldn’t be thinking about making a deal with the Shadow King behind my back.”
“I’m not—”
She drew back, met his gaze, and raised an eyebrow.
“Fine. Maybe I am. But I’ll get a better deal with Kane than you will.” He tugged her back against him, savoring the feel of her against his body. “We can’t go back and change anything. It’s not even an hour until dawn. We have no clue who hired the thief, and even if the Warlord made the thief talk that doesn’t help you with Rian.”
“Actually, we have two clues,” she said, her warm breath feathering across his chest. “Whoever hired the thief is a full wild mage, and he can shoot a gun.”
“Great. I’ll just get on testing every fae in both the golden and shadow realms for that.” Normally, he’d ask Warren, but given that the techno-fae had barely survived the wild mage’s last trap, Couper wasn’t going to risk it. “You didn’t get a peek at his face when he shot you?” He hated feeling trapped, and with Riley’s situation they were trapped.
His aura flared, and he didn’t bother trying to pull it back. Even if he could charm Riley before, he wouldn’t be able to now that their souls were joined.
She pressed her lips to his throat and inhaled deeply. “I hate that you’re upset, but I don’t think I’ll get tired of smelling this—” She stiffened.
“What?”
“Smell.” She leaned out of his embrace, her wide-eyed gaze locking with his. “I smelled him. Too sweet, like rotting berries.”
“Unless you know where to look, that’s not going to help.”
“But I do. I smelled those pheromones yesterday in the Golden King’s receiving room.”
Chapter Sixteen
Riley picked up her pace toward the Golden Court’s privy council chambers. It was both good and bad that the Transition and Binding Ceremony was about to take place. Good, in that no one was really watching all of the portals and she’d managed to sneak Couper in without incident. Bad, because they only had twenty minutes before the ceremony to identify the wild mage and, if they were really lucky, find the Seal.
A part of her was still stunned that she’d found her other half, even though she could feel him locked into place in the empty part of her soul. There but not there, keeping her open so she could cast spells and yet filling her with a different, more powerful kind of magic. And a bigger part of her was awed and terrified that he’d been planning to risk his freedom to make a deal with the Shadow King for her protection. She’d never had anyone willing to go to such lengths for her. But that was what it meant for someone to find her other half. She would do anything to protect him. She could feel that deep in her soul even though she barely knew the man.
Which meant she had to do everything she could to fix her situation. No way in hell were they starting their new life together as fugitives or bound into the Shadow King’s service. Yes, given how the Golden King would react to her having found her other half, she’d be forced to flee the Golden Court, and while she was more than willing to live in the shadow realm, she wanted to be free from any king’s service.
Lord and Lady, she was going to be free. She just needed to figure out which privy councilor matched the wild mage’s scent.
They reached the chamber. The door was shut, no sound came from inside, and no light bled from under the crack at the bottom. Thank the Lord and Lady. There was a chance, with the Seal missing, that the council would be meeting to figure out what to do. Either they already knew, or the Golden King hadn’t told them about the theft. If Riley was going to bet, she’d pick the later.
She cracked the door open and confirmed. Empty. Inside, the magical light sconces flared to life, revealing a large polished table, without a speck of dust on it and cushioned high-backed chairs.
“Do you know who sits where?” Couper asked, drawing the door almost closed and leaving a crack for him to look out and keep watch.
“There are six privy council members. All high fae. They sit in order of their position in court.” She pointed to the head of the table. “Oisin, Ferris to his left and Yseult to his right. Aednat and Donal next to them, and Eirin at the foot. We can rule out Yseult and Aednat because I’m pretty sure the wild mage was a man.”
He glanced at her, his expression dark. “I hate that you know who the councilors are because it’s necessary for your survival here.”
“I hate it too, but in this case, it’s going to lead us to the wild mage.”
“I also couldn’t begin to guess who the mage might be. I only recognize Yseult and Eirin from when I was a Golden Court subject, and I doubt Eirin has enough courage to risk channeling the kind of magic the wild mage did.”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t pick him, either. But then before yesterday, I wouldn’t have guessed any members of the king’s privy council would channel wild magic or fire a gun.” And she was positive she recognized the wild mage’s pheromones from the group leaving the king’s receiving room yesterday. “We’re also going to need to come up with a plan once we identify him.”
She strode to the table and sniffed. A myriad of scents battled for attention, drifting over the table and through the room. The council had met recently, probably less than an hour ago, and their pheromones had mixed into a churning invisible cloud. Shit.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Couper said. “I won’t risk your life again.”
“How kind, but you don’t get a say in how I do or don’t risk my life. Besides, the wild mage is just as likely to kill you as he tried to kill me.” She sniffed again but couldn’t discern one scent from another. They were running out of time, and they couldn’t get caught there. If she couldn’t identify which councilor was the wild mage, they needed to flee the Golden Court and never return.
Except she had no idea how she was going to tell one scent from the next. She pressed her forehead to the top of the closest chair and closed her eyes, her heart racing.
“I think I should talk to the wild mage,” Couper said. “Without you.”
“Without me?” Channeling wild magic was the only answer. She didn’t want to risk channeling again, but it would let her see the different threads of pheromones and figure out which one was overripe berries. She needed an edge, something, anything, and she was running out of time.
“He thinks you’re dead. I could say I recognized him from the fight. I’ll compliment him, maybe try to bribe him or something, anything to get him to confess.”
“And how is that going to help me?” The memory of all that wild magic searing through her as she ripped it from Warren and then again from Couper made her shiver. She’d be inviting that into herself again and trying to hold onto it, not just pulling it away from someone. If she lost control, even for a second, she’d be dead. She could sense the wild magic even here in the Golden King’s castle. It wasn’t as strong as in the shadow realm or even in the Sibyl’s garden, but now that she knew what to look for, she could feel a hint of its crackle against her skin.
“It’ll help because I’m going to record his confession on my phone. The Warlord might have a cruel streak, but he can’t ignore proven facts. That’s his fae compulsion.”
“Rare and I’m sure annoying as hell for him.”
Couper chuckle. “You have no idea.”
“Fine. You get the confession,” she said, her eyes still closed, her forehead against the top of the chair back.
“And you’ll take it to the Warlord.”
But that still meant she had to find one scent among a cloud of five others — more if there’d been servants in attendance at the last meeting.
She drew a long breath. Come on. She could do this. Just open herself up. Take in the wild magic
and—
The aroma of honey and clover wafted over her. Thick and full and at the forefront of all the other scents.
Her pulse stuttered.
She shifted closer to the cushioned backrest and drew another breath. The scent was stronger this time, and she could clearly make out the one scent over the others. Fate had to be kidding. This was just embarrassing. When she thought she’d be able to sniff out the wild mage, she hadn’t thought she’d have to look like a bloodhound doing it.
“Don’t you dare laugh.”
Couper raised an eyebrow then realization flashed across his expression. “I won’t tell a soul, either.”
She moved to the next chair and inhaled. Basil. Next chair: mold. Next: cut grass. Next: berries.
Her heart pounded in a wild tattoo. Cloying, overripe, rotting berries.
“That’s the one, isn’t it?” Couper asked, his expression grim.
She stood at the chair left of the head of the table. “Councilor Ferris.”
“Where do you think Ferris is?”
“He could be anywhere, but maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll be in his chambers. It’ll be easier to get him to confess if he thinks the conversation is private.”
They rushed out the door and down the hall. The councilors’ residences weren’t far from the various council chambers and, thankfully, in the opposite direction of the great hall which meant they didn’t run into a lot of people. Those they did were servants who gave Couper dark glances or outright stares but didn’t stop them — there were advantages to having a demanding king who terrified his staff.
Ferris’s suite sat on the third floor at the end of a long hall. Riley had been to his door once while the Golden King had demanded her attention then ignored her and required her to follow him to Ferris’s door and wait outside while he conducted his meeting with the councilor.
She grabbed Couper’s arm, stopping him halfway down the hall. “It’s the door at the end.”
Couper’s gaze jumped up and down the hall. “There aren’t any good places to hide here.”
“I’m hoping you’ll block his view in the doorway then encourage the conversation to happen inside.” Since there was no way in hell she was going all the way back to the stairwell to wait. If something went wrong, she wouldn’t know and even if she did, that far back she’d never get to Couper in time to help.
“Deal. The door opens inward. If you stand tight in that doorway there—” He pointed to a doorway a few doors down. “I’ll stand close to the entrance on an angle and try to keep—”
Ferris’s door swung open and the councilor froze, mid-step, one hand on the door handle, the other holding a thick stone disc. The Seal of Morrowen.
“You.” His gaze jumped from Couper to Riley and his eyes widened. “You’re supposed to be dead.”
Riley’s pulse stuttered. Her whole essence stuttered and locked on the Seal. If she could get that, there was still a chance she could win her freedom.
“Couper, the Seal.” She bolted toward Ferris.
Couper ran with her. “Prep a relocation sticker.”
Ferris jerked inside his suite and slammed his door. Couper rammed his shoulder against the heavy wood before it clicked shut, and it flew open. Ferris staggered back, and Couper lunged.
Riley jabbed her finger with a safety pin, smeared blood on three relocation stickers, and stuck them to the collar of her coat. No way in hell was he getting away this time, and she didn’t care what it would look like to have one of the king’s councilors end up in the Warlord’s dungeon.
Ferris yelled. The scent of overripe berries billowed through the opulent sitting room, and the crackle of wild magic bit her skin. Couper grabbed for the Seal, but Ferris jerked away and slammed his fits against Couper’s arm. Lightning exploded on the impact, tossing Couper over the back of an ornate couch and into an antique cabinet. Glass shattered and wood crunched. Debris and broken knickknacks showered Couper, and blood gushed from a wicked gash in his shoulder.
“Couper.” Everything within her screamed to go to him, ensure he was alright, but he wouldn’t be safe until they’d dealt with Ferris.
Couper rose to his hands and knees. Light radiated from his shoulder, and the gash sealed shut.
“So that’s how you survived,” Ferris said. “You made a deal with the shadow fae bounty hunter who has mystic healing. Wait until the Golden Queen hears about that. Her favorite human pet tainted by shadow fae magic.”
Couper stood and rolled his now-healed shoulder.
“I can’t wait for the Golden King to learn that you were the mastermind behind the theft of the Seal,” Riley said, determined to keep Ferris’s attention on her.
“You’re not going to be alive to tell him.”
Ferris barked his words of power and flexed his hand. Lightning shot from his palm. She dove out of the way, and the magical bolt slammed against the partially closed front door, ripped it from its hinges, and tossed it into the hall.
Couper hurdled over the couch and dove for Ferris, who jerked to the side at the last minute. Couper flew past him and rolled to his feet as Riley leapt at the councilor. She grabbed the Seal with one hand and slapped a sticker on the back of Ferris’s hand with the other. He wrenched the Seal to the side, but Riley held on tight and added her other hand to keep hold.
“You can’t have it,” Ferris screamed.
Riley opened her mouth to say the words to power her relocation spell, but Ferris grabbed her wrist and lightning roared up her arm.
Agony exploded through her chest. Her muscles contracted, everything tightening, then went limp. Her knees buckled and she heaved forward, fighting to keep hold of the Seal and lean on Ferris to stay standing.
Ferris grabbed Riley’s shoulder and more lightning sliced into her, but so did Ferris’s wild magic. It raced under her skin, swelling into the empty yet-not-empty part of her soul and shot back into Ferris.
The councilor’s eyes flashed wide and he screamed. “You can’t. You won’t.” He tightened his grip on her wrist and more lightning exploded through her.
Couper rammed his shoulder into Ferris and the lightning jumped from her to Couper who seized Ferris’s hand and twisted it, breaking his hold on Riley.
“You have to die.” Ferris wrenched against Couper’s grip but his gaze bore into Riley. “That was the deal.”
Riley yanked the Seal from him as he slammed another bolt of lightning into Couper. He staggered back, and Ferris aimed his palm at Riley. The wild magic in the room billowed, racing from the floor and walls and ceiling, and sparking in the air. It surged around Ferris’s palm and formed a deadly blast.
He yelled his words of power and time stuttered.
Couper screamed and dove for her.
Riley’s heart froze. She gasped the first two words to power her relocation spell and the lightning erupted from Ferris’s palm. It sliced through Couper’s chest and slammed against the Seal in Riley’s hands. Wild magic exploded from the disc and roared into the room in a ferocious vortex. It swept around Ferris, drawing a howl, and ripped into him. His clothes, flesh, and hair ignited and the vortex turned into a magical fire devil.
Ferris’s screams turned to wails. The fire devil burned hotter, brilliant white and blue, scorching Ferris’s skin. It consumed him and exploded out of existence, showering the room in blood and ash.
Couper collapsed to the floor. Riley’s knees gave out, and she sagged in front of him. His blood rushed over the floor around her knees, stark against the white tiles. Cold panic raced through her, and her heart froze.
“Couper?” Please, Lord and Lady, let him be all right. He could heal this. He had to heal this. Except he had to be conscious and concentrating to use his mystic healing.
The rancid smell of burning flesh filled her nose, and her throat tightened. She couldn’t smell Couper. The explosion should have shocked his control over his pheromones. Why couldn’t she smell him?
“Couper, please.” Her throat tig
htened and she rolled him onto his back. His eyes were closed and his face slack. “Come on, wake up.” If he was awake, he could regenerate. But there wasn’t even a hint of breath from him, not even a flutter of rise and fall of his chest.
This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. She, a half-human, had found her other half and in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Now the space in her soul meant for him didn’t just feel empty, it felt barren, devoid of life, and while she might have the Seal and have won her freedom, she’d lost everything.
Chapter Seventeen
Riley dropped the Seal and pulled Couper onto her lap. She cradled his head and shoulders in her arms and pressed her cheek to his, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat, but she couldn’t. It hurt too much, and she was too empty. She hadn’t realized how much their bond had filled her, how complete she’d felt with him and now—
“Well, don’t just sit there.”
Riley jerked, clutching Couper’s body tighter to her. The Golden King stood in the doorway, looking anything but like her king. He was dressed in black leather, his blond hair tied back from his face, and his usually cold eyes were filled with concern. Gone was the lace and heavy material and the chilly diffidence he had toward her.
The scent of burning cedar wafted over her, rich and sweet. Similar to the pheromones of the Golden King, but not. This wasn’t her king. It was Couper’s.
She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say. How could she explain what had happened? How could she explain that Couper had put himself between her and Ferris’s lightning bolt and sacrificed himself for her? A member of the Golden Court. A half-human.
She could barely get her mind to think the words, and her throat tightened, tears welling in her eyes. She certainly couldn’t get the words to pass her lips. She couldn’t get a sound out.
The Shadow Court King rushed across the room, kneeling beside her. He placed a hand on Couper’s head and closed his eyes, his expression tight with concentration.
“He’s—” Riley swallowed hard and clutched Couper tighter. “He’s—” Say it. She had to say it. It was her fault. If they hadn’t made a deal they would have still been at odds, and she would have never known he was her other half.
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