29. Sam

Chapter twenty-nine

Sam

"So you're not coming back tonight?"

Kieran's sigh is a little tinny over the phone, and I hear Lucien say something in the background. "No. I mean, I can, but Lucien and Adam have to stay here. Vasile asked them to."

"Asked?"

"You know what I mean."

I lean back against the kitchen counter. It's past eleven, and Ophelia and Dante are still here. Dante's poring over book after book—not that I ever found the one on fae magic I was looking for—and Ophelia is torn between adjusting some more charms she's making and looking stuff up on her phone.

No, actually, I think she's texting her dad. He doesn't know much more about mages than she does, and nothing about teleportation magic as far as I know, but he's good with protective spells.

I guess you have to be if you're mated to a wolf.

"Okay, so tomorrow?" I pinch the bridge of my nose. Drew's sitting in the corner of the sofa, acting like he's not paying attention to all of us. I think it's so we don't pay attention to him. I'd believe him, too, only he hasn't turned a page of the book he's been ‘reading' for fifteen minutes. "We need to do something about that mage."

"I'll try to get in touch with Moreau," Kieran says. "He might be able to tell us something. And we can always nip over during the day. I think Elliot's routine is a lot more nocturnal than ours."

Maybe—but only a little. Besides, now we have wolves to worry about; not that Kieran knows that.

"Yeah, okay. Sounds like a plan. Be safe."

"You too." Kieran hangs up and I put my phone on the counter behind me. Dante seems to be onto something—there are at least five books open on different pages—but I can tell he's flagging.

I cross the room and drop onto the floor next to him. "Anything good?"

Dante shakes his head. "Some hints, but nothing… Concrete." He sighs and shuts the book he's been skimming. "I don't know how fae blood would change her magic like that. It's blood, sure, but she's not a vampire."

I hum my agreement. That's what I've been thinking, but there's nothing to it—that's what she believes, at least, so it's the only clue we have.

"And Elliot?"

Ophelia shakes her head. "Best thing I can think of is planting something on him we can trace. Not great, but—"

Yeah, it's not great. That means getting close enough to put something in his pocket and then hoping he doesn't notice it. "Can we shield it?"

"Shouldn't be too difficult," Ophelia replies. "I mean, a spell bag would do it as long as one of us makes it. It's physically getting it on him that would be the problem."

Not to mention, I don't plan on letting him get away the next time I see him. I believe Drew that Elliot didn't want to hurt him, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let him off for getting so close. I watch Drew out of the corner of my eye. He still scared my wolf.

"Okay," I say. "Let's call it a night."

Dante scowls at me, another book in his hands. The bags under his eyes stand out starkly against his skin. "Just one more, I think—"

"Nope!" I snatch the book away and set it aside. "Ophelia, book a taxi. You both need some rest."

Dante's scowl never abates, even when Ophelia chuckles. "At least let me take that one with me."

"No," I say. "I know you'll just stay up and read it and then you'll end up down some online rabbit hole and you'll be no use to anyone tomorrow."

Ophelia nods, not looking up from her phone. Dante sighs. "Fine," he mutters. "But we're picking up where we left off."

"Tomorrow evening," I reply. "Kieran's going to see if Moreau got anything out of our captured mage tomorrow."

When Ophelia stands, so do Dante and I. "You think he will have?" she asks.

I shake my head. "Probably not. We'll see what we can do, though."

We say our goodbyes and I watch from the window as they wait for the taxi, both standing firmly inside the wards. I let out a quiet breath when they get inside and the car drives off—the wards I've left on their place are good enough that I'm sure they'll be safe at the other end, too.

When I turn back to the room, Drew's still staring intently at his book. I sigh and start cleaning up the mess me, Ophelia, and Dante have made, careful to ensure Dante's books are all still open on the correct pages. Drew shifts on the sofa.

"Do you need help?" His voice is so soft. I look up and he's not looking at me, though he's set his book aside.

"No," I reply. It's almost done, anyway. I fold up the map and pile everything next to the sofa. Drew's still watching me furtively, and I shake my head before I cross to him and climb into his lap.

He lets out an adorable squeak when I straddle his thighs, his hands pausing mid-air like he doesn't know where to touch me.

Like he doesn't know if he should touch me.

"Drew," I murmur. I rest against him, tucking my head in against his throat. "Just… hold me, would you?"

His whole body trembles before his arms come up around me, holding me tight. I wrap my own arms around his middle and close my eyes, waiting for our breathing to sync. I should ask him about the wolves. I should tell him we can solve it, whatever it is, and that he doesn't need to worry.

I want Adam here for that, though. Our vampire can smooth out my sharp edges and help Drew feel better.

"Are you okay?" I whisper.

Drew's arms tighten for a second and then one big hand smooths up and down my spine. I hum contentedly and wriggle against him like I might somehow be able to get even closer. "Yeah," he says. "Right now, I am. Are you?"

"Yeah. Right now, yeah."

I don't know how long we stay on the sofa, but when my mind begins to drift, I know it's time to go to bed. I kiss Drew's throat, the patch of skin just beneath my lips, and sit up.

Drew's hands fall to my hips. He looks knackered, too, and even if I wanted to take things further, I wouldn't.

"C'mon," I say. "Let's go to bed."

Drew frowns. "The sofa's free."

"I want you in my bed, Drew," I say. He opens his mouth again, and I shake my head. "No objections."

His cheeks redden a little, but he nods, and when I stand, holding out a hand to help him up, he takes it. We go, hand in hand, silently into my room, and when I strip down to my briefs, Drew averts his eyes, dragging a T-shirt out of his bag. It's how he's been sleeping the entire time—boxers and a T-shirt—so I don't press him on it, and I'm not at all surprised when he ushers me into bed first.

We face each other and I rest a hand on his hip, stroking over a sliver of revealed skin. "Can I—"

"Yes."

I kiss him slowly, softly, begging him to understand that no matter what, Adam and I will always be here for him. Drew whines and pulls me closer, his hot mouth opening under mine with a shuddering gasp. I keep the kiss gentle. It doesn't need to go anywhere.

Still, I suck on his lower lip when I pull back and when Drew opens his eyes, they're pitch black. He nudges his nose against mine, kissing my cheek.

"Sam…" He sighs, his big body curling around mine. "Do you think Adam will be with us tomorrow?"

I nip his chin. "I hope so," I say. "You miss him, huh?"

"I—You both—"

"I miss him, too."

Drew tucks his face against me. He's not settled, though, and neither am I. I sigh and push him onto his back, leaning over him until I can reach my phone on the bedside table.

"Everything okay?"

"Hm." I lie back down next to Drew and unlock my phone, then dial Adam's number. I put the phone on speaker before I rest it on the pillow between us.

"Hey," Adam says when he picks up. "You all right?"

I take Drew's hand and rub my thumb over his knuckles. "Yeah. We wanted to talk to you before we went to sleep."

"Oh, yeah? You too, little wolf?"

Drew flushes. "Yes." His hand tightens around mine. "Did everything go okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Vasile's worried, and I can't blame him. I think half the vampires might think I did it, but they're not going to do anything, so…"

"They'd better not," I growl.

Adam chuckles. "Yeah, yeah. I know. Don't worry. I'm going to do everything I can to see you both tomorrow."

Drew smiles, his head resting on the pillow now. Each blink is slower, and warmth spreads through my chest at the sight of him.

"We want you here," I say. "They can't keep you locked away forever."

Adam laughs again. "Oh, baby," he says, and I swallow hard. I'm not joking. I understand Vasile's desire to keep his clan close after what's happened, but I'm only willing to indulge that so far. "I know. I'll be back soon, promise."

Drew's half-asleep when he says, "Don't make promises you can't keep."

There's a sharp sound; an inhale that's almost a gasp on Adam's end. My grip on Drew's hand tightens. His eyes don't open again, breathing evening out, and I let out my own sigh.

"Did you ask him?" Adam all but whispers, and I pick up the phone, taking it off speaker before I wedge it against my ear.

"No. I want you with me. With us."

"That's why?"

"Don't be a dick now," I say with a quiet snort. "You know I want you here. You know I want you . I just—It's going to be hard for him, and it'll be harder if you're not present."

Adam hums. "All right. Lucien's said he'll do what he can to get me out of the clan house tomorrow, but I'll make sure of it. Don't care if I have to climb out a window and run away. And then we'll ask him, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good." I hear the smile in his voice. "Go to sleep now. Got to keep your strength up if you're going to boss all of us around all day."

"You like it when I boss you around." I stifle a yawn, but I think Adam hears it.

"I fucking love it, baby, and don't you forget it. Go to sleep now. I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

I end the call and leave my phone on the pillow behind me as I shuffle closer to Drew, burying my face in his chest. His arms tighten around me, and I close my eyes.

I might just have found something I didn't know I was looking for.

If anyone wants Drew or Adam, they'll have to climb over my cold, dead body to get them.

Something's making noise. It's buzzing, too, and even when I make a disgruntled sound, it doesn't stop. A noise rumbles up from Drew's chest and I force my eyes open, moving a hand around until I snatch up my phone and answer the call.

"Hm? What is it?"

"You're still asleep?" Kieran asks. He sounds disbelieving, which is fucking rich, except—

Oh. It's half eleven already. I sigh. "Yeah. Sorry, what's up?"

"Get up and dressed. We've got a meeting with Moreau in an hour."

"I—What?" I sit up, careful not to jostle Drew too much. "We do?"

"Yeah. I'll see you there."

He hangs up, the fucker, and I rest my forehead against Drew's bicep for a moment before I make myself move. The Council building is about forty-five minutes away, which gives me fifteen to dress and—

Shit. I snatch up the nicest outfit I can find before I stumble out and into the bathroom. No time to wash my hair, but one quick shower and some carefully applied eyeliner later, I'm looking as presentable as I can hope for.

I scrawl out a note for Drew and grab his phone before I race back into the bedroom. He's rolled onto his back, and with one arm spread out, he takes up most of the bed. I drop the note and his phone on the bedside table, then lean down and press my lips to his forehead.

"See you later," I murmur and race out of the flat.

I make it to the Council building with two minutes to spare. Kieran's already there, leaning against a lamppost, his hands buried in his pockets. He pushes off from it when he sees me, and the V-neck of his T-shirt does nothing to hide a red mark on his throat.

"He tried really hard on that one, huh?" I say, raising an eyebrow, but Kieran only snorts in response.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll have Adam back at the flat tonight, don't worry."

I roll my eyes when my face heats. Kieran saying it settles something inside me, though. It's not that I don't trust Lucien. It's just—I know Kieran better. When he sets his mind on something, it happens.

"So what's going to happen in here?"

"Moreau wants you to talk to the mage," Kieran says. "Only if you want, but I figured you would."

I nod. The interrogation I subjected her to at the warehouse while I was binding her magic really wasn't enough. "Yeah. Let's go, then."

"Ah, wait."

"What is it?"

"I don't think the other Council members know we're coming. If we run into them, we need to be as civil as we can, okay?"

I narrow my eyes at him. "Did you tell Lucien you were coming here today?"

"Did I—" Kieran throws his hands up in the air and walks towards the building. "Yes, I told him."

"He told you to behave, didn't he?"

Kieran knocks on the door and scowls at me. I swallow a laugh.

The door opens and a hunter I don't recognise peers out at us. "Yes?"

"We have an appointment with Hunter Moreau," Kieran says. The hunter has half a foot on him but seems a little off-put by the fact that Kieran doesn't seem intimidated in the slightest.

His eyes slide to me, and his frown deepens. "One moment, please."

He shuts the door again and Kieran shakes his head. "There wards on this place?"

"Yeah." They're not that strong, though, which is surprising.

The doors open again, and this time Moreau is standing before us. "Come on in."

We follow him through the Council building, heading in the direction of the cells where Nora was held. The few hunters we do pass make sure to get out of our way, showing deference in the face of Moreau's authority.

"Has she said anything else?" I ask quietly when we stop outside a door. She's behind it; I can feel the signature of my own magic, still holding hers.

"Nothing," Moreau says. His jaw is clenched, and his blue eyes narrow when he looks at the door. "She won't even give us a name."

"And you…" Kieran trails off, expression pinched. I frown. He watched me do what I did to her.

"We didn't try much," Moreau says with a shrug. "The Council members have been divided on how far we should go."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Talk to her," Moreau replies. "You got a little out of her before, didn't you? You can do it again."

I slip past him and over to the door. There's no window to see in, but I reach out for her magic, and mine, and it responds. She's alive in there, anyway.

"How far do you want me to go?"

"Whatever it takes." Moreau's voice is low, and when I look at him, he looks… concerned. "I fear she knows far more than even she is aware of."

"All right." I reach for the door handle. It's locked with magic—one of Hunter Helene's spells, by the feel of it—and I tear the spell apart with a flicker of thought before I open the door.

"Be careful," Kieran urges. He's leaning back against the opposite wall and doesn't look like he's in a hurry to move.

I give him a tight smile and slip into the room.

When I was in Nora's room, I didn't take in much beyond the magic I could feel. Now, I peer around. The mage is sitting on a low bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. There's a sink in the corner, and no door on another room that I can see from this angle, which contains a shower and toilet. I pull out the chair that's tucked under a desk and sit on it, crossing one leg over the other.

She's got her head on her knees, dark hair hiding her face. I tap my fingers on my knee. "Do you know why I'm here?"

She jerks her head up, eyes wide. They're red-rimmed, so the blue of her irises is almost startling in its intensity. "Y-You?"

"They said you wouldn't talk to them," I say, waving a hand in the general direction of the door. "So they asked me to come and try."

"Are you going to hurt me again?"

"No." I'm not. Not while she's trapped in this room, and not while her magic is bound. Although… I frown, expanding my sight. I'll need to fix that. Whatever's been done to her magic has made it able to eat away at the binding I wove. She won't be able to use it anytime soon, but eventually… "I'm here to ask you some questions."

"Like what?"

"Like, where's Elliot?"

"I don't know!" She lowers her head and lets out a muffled sob. I clench my jaw. The other mage would have killed Adam, and she'd been right on his heels. If I'd let her get through that door—

"Where might he be, then? You must have some idea."

"He hates us," she spits, and though there are tears running down her cheeks, her eyes are sharp when she looks at me again. "He thinks we're freaks. No, he said abominations . He said he only came to get his sister, and then you killed her anyway."

I don't bother denying it. It doesn't matter if she thinks it's true—if anything, it might make her tell me more.

"Fine," I say. "Was it just the three of you? You, Elliot, and—" The mage I killed.

She shakes her head. "Of course not. She's got three others with her, in case we failed."

"Three other mages? Like you or like Elliot?"

"Like me." She swallows another sob. "I can't—I need help."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

"My magic, it—" She tightens her grip on her legs. "It hurts , please."

"I can't help you with that." I can't. I'm not a healer, and besides, I can't even tell what's wrong with it.

"They gave us fae blood," she says, each word passing her lips like it's forced out of her. "Not Elliot. The rest of us. Called us witches and said we had to have it so we wouldn't be weak anymore."

Witches. I shake my head. "Who called you that?"

"The vampires."

The old vampire isn't just old—if it's him she's talking about. He's spent time with mages, too, to know the difference.

"The vampires?"

"He sent Adelaide with us," she says. She's not looking at me as she speaks, as though that'll make it easier. "I don't know his name. But I know they fought about her bringing Elliot. She wanted him to make her stronger."

My stomach twists. "By drinking his blood?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Why are you all here, anyway? What's the point?"

She frowns and finally looks at me. "I told you. The vampires."

"What?"

"He wants to ruin Vasile. He wants us to hurt the vampires close to him, and then he's going to—"

Her mouth snaps shut, and she goes suddenly pale. Is she going to be sick?

"I-I can't—"

"Yeah, okay." There's a spell on her, then, or a curse. Not one I can see, and I wonder if it was threaded into the fae blood she took. "How much blood did you drink?"

"Didn't drink it," she says. Her fingers are so tight on her legs, her knuckles have gone white. "They injected us with it. Got Elliot t-to do something to it first, and then—" She lets out a panting breath. "I don't think I—"

"Okay, okay. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

She shakes her head. "Will you help me?"

"I'll—" I tap my knee again. I want to rub my face, but I'm not going to smudge my makeup. "I'll see what I can do."

"Please! I can't—I won't—"

I sigh. "What's your name?"

She stares at me, and just when I think she's not going to speak at all, she says, "Faye."

"I'll ask, Faye. I'll do what I can."

Her eyes are wet, and when I reach out with my magic, I feel hers flare again, beating at its bindings.

I shake my head and get to my feet, leaving the room without looking back. When I step outside, Moreau locks it, and I let out a heavy sigh.

"Her name is Faye. Whatever they've done to her magic is going to kill her," I say.

Moreau shrugs. "And?"

" And with what she's given me, you need to help her."

"I can't—"

"Try." I cross my arms over my chest and catch Kieran's half-smile. It's gone when Moreau looks at him, expression exasperated. "You're going to have to do something, anyway. They gave her fae blood. I don't know exactly what it's done to her magic, but I'm going to have to keep re-binding it if you want to keep her immobilised."

Moreau pinches the bridge of his nose. "Explain."

I tell him what I can about the vampires, about what she said about the fae blood she was injected with. Moreau's expression darkens, but I'm not sure if he's angry at her or what's been done to her.

"So, Adelaide," Kieran says. He shakes his head.

"That's less worrying than this other vampire," Moreau replies. He shakes his head. "I wonder…"

"What?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "I'm not certain. Not yet."

"But you'll tell us when you are?" Kieran asks. We both know the answer is no, and Moreau's shrug is enough of a reply.

"Right," I say. "Anything else you need from us today?"

"Thank you, of course," Moreau says, and I think he almost means it. "Let me know if you run into any further issues with the mages—or Adelaide."

We say our goodbyes and Moreau walks us to the door. Once we're out on the street, Kieran turns to me with a sigh. "This is all fucked, huh?"

"You need to tell Drew what's going on."

He looks at me for a moment. "I know. But I-I need you to tell me something first."

"What is it?"

"What did you sense outside last night?"

"Kieran…"

He frowns. "It wasn't mages, was it?"

I really, really don't want to betray Drew's trust. But if the wolves are a threat to him, they're a threat to all of us. "No."

"It was wolves."

"Yes."

Kieran nods. He doesn't look surprised. His jaw flexes, though, his brow furrowed. "How many?"

"What?"

"How many did you sense?"

"Three." Two were less powerful than the other, but I don't tell him that. What can we do, anyway? They've not come near the wards, and they were long gone by the time I got out there.

"Three," Kieran repeats. He nods to himself. "Okay. Yeah, that's okay."

"Wait, what? What do you know?"

"I saw someone when I was up there. Another alpha." He shakes his head. "I knew Dad wouldn't come all the way down here. Whatever Drew's caught up in—"

"They won't get to him," I say, and Kieran smiles faintly.

"Oh, no. There's not a chance of that."