“Tell us about this necklace,” I suggested. “Why would someone want to steal it?”
“It is Freyja’s necklace; nothing special about it. I don’t know why someone would steal it.”
I made the sound of a buzzer. “Wrong! You know why, I can tell. What aren’t you telling us, old man?”
“You’re better off being truthful, Mr. Longsworth. We can help,” Cas advised nicely.
Phineas looked between us and then his aged eyes landed on me. “I knew I recognized you. You’re the Queen Slayer, aren’t you?”
Shit. “If that’s what you want to call me, sure, we’ll go with that.”
“It’s very brave of you to come here, girl,” he said, hobbling closer to us. “You are not well-liked in the fae realm.”
“I’m not liked anywhere,” I complained.
When I really thought about it, it was the truth. The fae didn’t like me, the vamps reviled me, and the male Lycans despised me. It was true – I wasn’t popular. Not that I truly cared about that. It was just my laundry list of enemies.
“Does that not bother you, Queen Slayer?” His keen eyes narrowed, observing me.
What was he looking at? I really wished they would stop calling me Queen Slayer. I had enough nicknames as it was.
“I do everything for a reason, Mr. Longsworth, whether it’s to free the Lunas or protect my loved ones. But nothing I do is just for kicks. I will always protect those in need, no matter what. So whether people like me doesn’t concern me, because I’m not doing it for accolades. I do it because it’s the right thing.”
“Hm.” He scratched his chin and walked toward the kitchen. “Let me get us some tea.”
“There’s no need!” Cas protested, but the old man disappeared around the corner and we were left alone.
“He’s not going to tell us anything,” I grumbled, leaning back onto the sofa. “What’s up with these items that have all these people spooked? Maximos was the same way when Michaels and I originally met him and tried to help at The Third Eye.”
“These items are connected somehow,” Cas proposed. “They must be, if someone is collecting them.”
“But why, and why are they only giving us half answers?”
Cas shrugged, and just then, Phineas returned with a pewter tray filled with a tea pot and cups. The tray shook in his hands as he tried to carry it on his own. I took it from him and placed it on the coffee table, then Cas and I stood.
“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Longsworth, but we must be going,” Cas declined graciously.
“Please stay for tea.” Both Cassidy and I looked at the tea pot, then at each other, then at the old man and shook our heads. We knew better than to accept any drink or food from a fae. “Very well.” His shoulders slumped.
Phineas walked with us to the door, trailing along behind me. Cas was ahead of us when I suddenly felt a hand slip in my back pocket. I jumped slightly and turned to Phineas. He put his pointer finger to his lips to keep me quiet and I kept walking. Once the door closed, I put my hand in my back pocket and felt the piece of paper he slipped inside. He had written me a note.
By the time we made it back to the station it was evening and everyone had already left for the day except for the night shift. Cassidy and I stayed behind to write up the day’s reports, and when we were done, he offered to take me home.
“Nah, I think I’ll stay and do some work I have left from last week and play catch up,” I said as I fiddled with some papers on my desk.
“I can stay with you.” Cas stopped mid-step and backtracked to my desk. “The squad room will be empty, and I’d prefer not to leave you alone. Bash would have my balls if something happened to you.”
I laughed. “I’ll be fine, Chang. Go home; I’ll be right behind you. I’ll even call an Uber if it makes you feel better.”
“All right, Grey,” he said uneasily. “Text me when you get home.”
“Will do!” I called out when he left the squad room.
I waited a good fifteen minutes to make sure he was gone and no one else was coming in to interrupt me before pulling the scrap of paper from my back pocket. Unfolding it, I quickly read what it said.
Meet me tonight at my house. 9pm. Come alone. Do not trust the SIU.
Well, that was cryptic. If he didn’t trust the SIU, why trust me? I worked for them. Hell, Cas was much nicer to him than I was. He would have been better off slipping the note to him.
I checked my phone and saw it was just past eight P.M. If I was going to meet Phineas, I needed to leave now or I wouldn’t make it on time. Before leaving, I shot Bash a quick text to let him know I would be home late.
Grabbing my bag, I hurried out of the SIU and practically ran to Central Park. I was out of breath when I finally entered the park and maneuvered my way past civilians to get to the lake. Too much time had passed, and it took me longer than I thought to get there. Luckily, there was no one near the lake and I could open the fae realm unseen.
I placed my hand on top of the lake and watched breathlessly as the water parted. Wasting no time, I sprinted down the middle until I approached the shimmering wall of water and crashed through it, not bothering to admire its beauty against the moonlight. When I stepped into the fae realm, it was covered in darkness and looked nothing how it had during the daytime. There was an eeriness to it that made a shiver run down my spine. The unearthly hoot of an owl echoed in the far distance and seemed to come from all sides. Instead of continuing to freak myself out, I rushed toward the forest.
My bag thumped against my thigh as I ran down the trail, my breathing heavy and the blood pumping in my ears. I felt the trees watching me, but there was no trickery tonight. They let me through with ease, for which I was grateful. Then again, it could all be part of their game.
When I burst out of the forest and into the outskirts of town, I was struck by how quiet things seemed. Only the flickering glow of streetlamps lit the way. I checked my phone and saw it was five minutes past nine. I was late.
I followed the same path I took with Cas to the street with the row of cottages and stopped at the third house. The lights inside were on. I opened the gate soundlessly and crept along the winding path that led to the front door, then paused when I noticed the front door was slightly ajar.
I pushed it open a little further, making it creak in the stillness. “Phineas?” Nothing but silence. The metallic scent of blood lingered in the air. I pushed the door open enough to squeeze through and went inside, walking silently through the hallway, keeping my senses alert.
The bedroom doors were shut, just like when we were there earlier, so I continued down the hallway and entered the living room. That was when I saw him.
Phineas was lying on top of his crushed coffee table with a hole in his abdomen. Bloodshot eyes were wide open, matching the wide maw of his mouth as if he’d tried to scream. His arms and legs were spread over the table. I didn’t know the old man, but he didn’t deserve this. Someone was willing to kill him to keep him from sharing whatever it was he wanted to tell me.
I walked toward him with the intention of closing his eyes out of respect, when my feet crunched some glass from the coffee table. I froze in place when I heard a breath hitch. My reflexes were fast, but not fast enough. Someone came soaring out of the kitchen and tackled me to the ground. Before I could react, he vibrated and stretched into two people instead of one.
It was the Gemini. Fuck.
One punched me in the face while the other jabbed me in the gut before grabbing me by the hair and dragging me across the room. I roared as I managed a half shift and dug my claws into the carpet. I didn’t care about my hair, they could rip it out, for all I cared. The one dragging me by my hair jerked to a stop, and I took that moment to flip around and stand, facing him and clawing him across the throat. He released me and clutched his neck with a startled expression. I kicked my leg back and hit the other one in the gut as he approached from behind, but it wasn’t enough.
He vib
rated again and turned into three, then four. The Gemini knew better than to use magic because it wouldn’t work on me, but they were incredibly strong. If they kept multiplying, there was no way I could take them all on my own.
They came for me at once and I could barely block their blows, much less get a hit in. One hit me in the spine, making me arch my back as a shriek escaped and I collapsed to my knees. Another wrapped an arm around my neck, immobilizing me completely. I wasn’t sure what nerve they hit in my spine, but I couldn’t move. The one behind me geared up to snap my neck, and all I could think was, I’m not a vampire. I won’t come back to life.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. This was it. I wasn’t one to give up, but there was nothing else I could do. I knew when I’d been defeated. I gritted my teeth and hoped Bash could hear my plea. I love you, Bash—
In a flash, my whole body spun around and I was dropped on the ground, lying flat on my back. I opened one eye and realized I wasn’t dead. What the hell? I stared at the ceiling of Phineas’s cottage and turned my head to see what was happening, which was when I saw Úlfur fighting the Gemini. I realized he must have ripped my attacker off me, and the force knocked me to the ground.
I couldn’t tell what type of supernatural Úlfur was, but he fought with a grace unlike anything I’d ever seen before. With fluid ease, the Gemini couldn’t get a single hit on him as he swerved out of their way every single time. He grabbed one and snapped its back, causing all of them to drop to the ground. He must have killed the original Gemini.
Úlfur looked around the room at the mess and his eyes landed on me. “Little wolf.” He grinned. “Didn’t I tell you to stay out of it?”
“I’m not good at taking orders,” I said, trying to wiggle but unable to move. “A little help here?”
“What’s wrong with you?” He raised a brow.
“I don’t know. They hit me in my spine and now I can’t move.”
“Ah, no worries.” He walked over and dropped to a knee beside me. Úlfur rolled me onto my side with my back facing him, and then he cracked my back.
I let out a blood-curdling scream. “Son of a bitch!” I yelled as my hands gripped the carpet.
“All better.” He patted my back. “Now, why don’t you tell me what in the bloody hell you were doing here?”
Gasping, I staggered into a sitting position but stayed on the ground. “What do you think? Phineas told me to meet him. When I got here, he was already dead. That damn Gemini must have killed him just before I got here. He didn’t get a chance to leave.”
“What did I tell you, little wolf—”
“I’m not listening to you!” I shouted, not caring about the neighbors. “Phineas died because he was going to tell me a secret, and I’ll make it my mission to find out what he died for. This is my case!”
“It’s not your time to get involved just yet,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
“What does that even mean? You keep giving me vague responses, and I don’t even know who the hell you are. I don’t trust you.”
Úlfur gave me a mischievous smirk that only made me mistrust him even more. “All the items that have been stolen have been kept separate for a reason, and it’s imperative that they stay that way. Someone is trying very hard to put them together.”
My brows rose. He was actually giving me information. “Is that what Phineas was going to tell me?”
He nodded.
“What happens if they’re put together?” I asked, climbing to my feet.
He tilted his head. “How do I know you won’t be tempted if you knew?” His dark eyes drilled into me.
I snorted. “Unless it makes an infinite amount of coffee, I won’t be tempted by anything.”
“Many humans for centuries have said the same, yet have been lured by the promise of these objects. Words are meaningless.”
“Luckily, I’m not human.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Now stop stalling and spill.”
Úlfur sighed as if he were tired of me already. “If the objects are melted together, they make a stone, which transforms into a promise from the gods—health, beauty, wealth, power. All your deepest desires … what many are willing to kill for. With this stone, not only will its gifts be bestowed upon the bearer, but those same gifts will be passed down to future generations of their families as long as the stone stays in their possession. If it’s ever taken away, they lose it all in a horrific way.”
My eyes narrowed on Úlfur. He couldn’t really think I believed that crap. Did I believe it? Were there gods? Was this Odin business real? No way. I refused to even consider it. Although … the book from the archivist about Oracles did say Adaline could hear the whispers of the gods. Was that what it meant? Was it referring to these gods?
“I can see the wheels spinning in your head, little wolf. What are you thinking?”
I shrugged. “I just don’t believe in Odin and all that Norse mythology crap. That’s stuff you see in movies. It’s not real.”
He laughed. “You see werewolves in movies. How come you believe in that?”
“Because I am one,” I deadpanned. “Plus, I’ve never seen Odin.”
Úlfur smirked. “You need to broaden your scope, little wolf. You’d be surprised what the world holds.”
That was easy for him to say. Either way, the problem remained that people were out there killing and stealing for a legend that may or may not be true. I had no problem being the pessimist in this scenario. People who were willing to kill for the promise of a legend were very dangerous. Well, technically anyone who was willing to kill was dangerous, but these people were off their rocker. And so far, they had accumulated two of the objects needed for this so-called ritual. We needed to get to the other two before it was too late.
“So why are you so interested in these objects?” I questioned, eyeing him carefully. He might have given me a lead, but I still didn’t trust him. He wasn’t as innocent and disinterested as he tried to portray.
“Let’s just say I have a special interest in a certain object. That’s all you need to know. My goal is to keep them separated, as they should be.”
“And just like you said, how do I know you won’t be tempted by what those objects can give you?”
He grunted. “Because I’m not human, for one, and two, I have everything I want. Do you see this face?” He pointed to his face. “I don’t need beauty. I already have it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Smug bastard,” I grumbled. “So what are you?”
“That’s for me to know and for you to find out when I desire,” he smirked. “Since we’re done here, let’s get out of this dreadful realm. From what I hear, you’re not very well-liked around these parts. I’ll escort you back to the entrance.”
9
It was late by the time I tip-toed into the house. I dropped my bag next to the door and locked it behind me as I crept further inside, just to be stopped by Bash, who was sitting in the darkened living room like a parent. Dressed in only his pajama bottoms, his chest and feet were bare and his right ankle rested on his left knee.
“When you said you’d be home late, I didn’t expect you to come home at two in the morning, Mackenzie.” He sniffed the air and his blue eyes narrowed. “You smell like blood.”
“I’ve heard it can be an enticing aroma.” I bit my lower lip.
“Mackenzie,” he glowered.
“If you’re a vampire, I guess,” I mumbled as I shuffled further into the living room. “Look, I was following up on a lead for a case I’m working on and it took longer than expected. You knew my job would be like this sometimes.”
Bash ran a hand through his ink-like hair. “I can’t sleep not knowing where you are, not knowing if you’re safe or not.” He paused and turned to me with a somber expression. “I got a really bad feeling tonight – a heaviness in my gut, and I thought I was going to be sick. I thought something was wrong with you.”
My eyes widened slightly as I thought about the moment
when the Gemini was about to snap my neck. That was probably when he got the feeling through our bond. If Úlfur hadn’t arrived when he did, I would be dead—forcing Bash to go through agonizing pain until his eventual death. I needed to be more careful. I wasn’t in charge of just one life anymore, I had to think about Bash, too.
Chastised, I walked over to him and dropped to a knee, resting my hands on his thigh. “I’m perfectly okay, Bash. I’m sorry I worried you, but I—”
“What happened, Mackenzie?” His eyes roamed over my face, searching for an answer.
I gave him a small smile. “I told you, I’m working a case.”
“Come here.” He pulled me up and sat me next to him on the sofa. As he wrapped his arms around me, I nestled myself in the warmth of his side, bringing my knees to my chest. “Is this case dangerous?”
I rested my head on his chest. “Everything I do is dangerous, Bash.”
“Do you have back-up? Do you need me or the Pack?”
I shook my head. “I have the team. Don’t worry. Don’t stress yourself out, Bash. Everything is okay.”
There was a pregnant pause before he said, “You only have six months before you have to leave the SIU. Have you told them?”
“No. I think it’s too soon to say anything. They just got me back. I can’t tell them just yet.”
“You’ll be leaving one danger for another,” he sighed, running his fingers through my hair. “When will it stop?”
“Do you understand now why I don’t want any children?” I lifted my head to face him.
He frowned. “I think I do.”
I felt a stinging in my eyes as I watched Bash. I knew it must have taken a lot for him to admit he understood my reasons, because he wanted a family so badly. But my logic was starting to make a lot more sense to him now. The danger would never stop. Not for us, at least.
“There’s something we haven’t really discussed,” I mumbled and sat back, putting some space between us.
“What is it?”
“You’re Alpha of the Brooklyn Pack; your place is here. What will happen to us once I leave for Scotland?”
Stolen Relics Page 8
