Chapter 16

Eve

My head spun as I hurried out into London. Lachlan had just growled at Quinn for flirting with me.

Growled.

Even his eyes had gone bright green. His wolf could sense that I was his mate, even though his human mind hadn't caught up. That potion that he drank was helping, for sure. Thank fates he was hooked on it.

But even as I thought it, I felt guilty as hell. It would be terrible to live without emotion. Even more terrible to fight every day to suppress it so that you could do your duty by your people.

I shook the thoughts away. There was no time for sympathy for Lachlan. I needed to keep my head in the game.

The Haunted Hound was located in Covent Garden, a charming part of London full of pubs and shops. Richmond Park was clear across town, however, so I flagged a black cab that went rumbling past.

"This good with you?" I asked as it rolled to a stop.

"It's fine."

We climbed in together, and I made a point to sit as far from him as possible.

The cabbie leaned back over the seat. He was an older man with a shock of white hair and dark eyes. "Where will it be?"

"Richmond Park," Lachlan said.

"Have you there in the blink of an eye."

We rode in silence. Fortunately, traffic was light, and the cabbie drove like a demon. By the time we arrived, my head was spinning from the speed at which he'd taken the turns.

Lachlan paid, and we climbed out. The park itself was massive, a rambling garden with thousands of acres of wild green space.

"Do you know roughly where these flowers are?" he asked.

I pulled the little map from my pocket. "It says here that they should be at the back, in a bed planted by Queen Victoria."

"Lead the way."

The park was quiet as we cut through. There were a few people picnicking and sunbathing at the front, but as we reached the more wooded area, it turned empty. The air prickled with an eerie chill, and I looked at Lachlan. "Magic."

He nodded. "He's trying to keep people away, and it's working."

"He's got some connections if he can manage that."

Generally speaking, shifters didn't do that kind of magic. He'd have to be connected to a sorceress or witch of some kind to get a spell like that.

The shadows in the park grew darker as we moved deeper. We were nearly to the end when Lachlan stiffened. "Do you smell that?"

"No." I sniffed, then caught the faintest scent of copper. My heart rocketed into my throat. "Blood?"

"Not human."

It was too much to hope that it was our murderer.

"This way." Lachlan turned left and cut through the trees, moving swiftly and silently.

I followed, albeit not as quietly. I was no slouch, but I didn't quite have his talent.

We came across the deer a few moments later. The creature had been torn to pieces. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I looked away, up into the trees. "How long ago?" I asked.

There was silence for a moment, before Lachlan answered. "Less than twenty-four hours, I'd guess."

"Was it him?"

"It was a wolf or another large predator. So it was probably our man."

"He's living back here and eating the deer."

"Only a feral wolf would do that."

"Dark Moon curse." I shivered. Would I ever fall prey to it?

Please, God, no.

Lachlan pulled out his mobile, and I heard him make a call for a cleanup team to take care of the remains. The last thing we needed was humans suspecting that a massive wild animal was loose in the park. They did not need to find our guy before we did. Not only was he a threat to Lachlan's wolves, but he could reveal our secret to the humans.

"Let's keep moving." Lachlan pressed on, and I followed, widely skirting the carnage.

I consulted the map once more, then led us through the park toward the flowers. It took a few tries to find it, but finally, we found a small patch of the Helleborensius.

"This is it." I knelt and touched them.

"I'm going to shift. My senses are better in that form."

I nodded, averting my gaze. It wasn't like I could see anything when he shifted—the cloud of green magic obscured him—but somehow, it felt intimate.

Waytoo intimate with Lachlan.

Magic sparked on the air, and a moment later, I looked back and saw the massive wolf. He was truly gorgeous. Absolutely huge, far bigger than any other wolf I'd ever seen, with jet-black fur and brilliant eyes. He looked at me for one long moment, and I shivered.

It was almost as if he could see into my soul in that form. What else could he sense?

"Well?" I asked. "Smell anything?"

He turned around and prowled through the garden, his strides long and powerful. Just watching him gave me a thrill and made me wish that I could transform as well.

After a while, he shifted back. "There's nothing out of the ordinary here," he said. "There was a rain recently, and it's covered up the scent of anyone who walked through."

"Let's keep looking, then. There's still quite a bit of park around here."

We set off, moving silently through the woods. Now that we'd reached the killer's turf, tension tightened my shoulders. I reached into the ether and withdrew my bag, then pulled a potion bomb free before stowing my bag away. As Lachlan arched a brow, I shrugged. "I like to be prepared."

He nodded. "You're skilled at that."

"Very."

I crept forward, my gaze alert on the forest around us. The air began to prickle sharply, increasing in intensity until tears sprung to my eyes. "You feel that?"

"A powerful repelling charm."

It looked like there was just forest ahead of us, but there had to be more. There was no way a charm like this would be here unless someone was trying to hide something.

"Wait here," Lachlan said. "I can try to break through."

"No, the pain would drive you mad. I've felt this kind of curse before. Made it myself. It's horrible."

"It's done with potions?"

"It is. Sprinkled on the ground. You need a witch to finish it, though."

"So he's got a witch and a potion master on his side."

"Could just be one very talented witch." I raised my wrist and looked at the leather band studded with vials of potion. "I have something that will help us get through. It's just one dose, so we'll have to share."

"It won't work as well then, I assume."

"It'll be fine. Better than you trying to go alone."

"You take it, and I'll push on."

I glared at him. "You can't make it through without some protection. I'm serious when I say it will drive you mad. And you can't afford that."

His gaze turned dark, and he knew what I meant. The Dark Moon curse.

I didn't know if this kind of protection charm carried that risk, but it really would hurt so badly that he'd go crazy from the pain. No need to tempt fate, especially if his goal was to save me a bit of pain. I could take it.

Quickly, I removed the vial from my wrist cuff and opened it, then swigged back half and passed it over to him. Cold magic raced down my limbs as he drank the other half, staring at me the whole while.

I looked away, staring through the invisible barrier.

Once he'd finished his potion, I stepped forward.

Immediately, the pain made me wince. It felt like tiny daggers stabbing me all over. My breath grew short, and tears sprang to my eyes again. I pushed onward, every inch of me in agony until it was too much. I couldn't go any farther.

But I couldn't step backward, either.

I was stuck, my muscles turned to jelly with pain.

Heat surrounded me, and Lachlan swept me into his arms, lunging through the last of the barrier. The pain disappeared immediately, and I gasped, trying to catch my breath.

"Are you all right?" Concern gleamed in his eyes as he looked down at me.

"Yeah." I pushed weakly at his chest, and he let me down.

We turned to face the clearing, immediately spotting a little cottage underneath a huge tree. It looked ancient, made of stone and thatch. There was no glass in the windows, and weeds grew around the base.

"Whoa." I jerked, surprised. I hadn't seen it at all when we'd been on the other side of the barrier. Was he in there?

"It's empty," Lachlan said. "I can feel it."

Damn it.

But part of me was grateful, too. The brief moment that Lachlan had spent holding me could have turned deadly if the killer had been in the cabin, watching.

Lachlan strode forward, and I followed, my footsteps silent on the grass.

The killer lived here. He had to. There was no other reason for it to be protected like this.

Unless it was the home of the witch who'd helped him.

But wouldn't we know if a powerful witch lived outside Guild City? There were plenty of supernaturals living among the humans in London, and most people in Guild City knew of the most powerful ones, the same way humans knew about movie stars.

"Do you smell that?" Lachlan asked.

"Not another dead body…" The scent hit me then—the powerful stench of rotten eggs. "Sulfur?"

"Likely meant to hide his scent so that no one will recognize him." Lachlan sounded disgusted. "It wouldn't even help if I shifted. It overpowers everything."

"He expected that we might find him."

"He was playing it safe, at least."

Damn. I stopped in front of the cottage door alongside Lachlan. We both held our hands over the door, testing to see if we felt any dangerous magic.

"Seems like we made it through the worst of it." Carefully, he gripped the doorknob and turned.

No lock.

It creaked as its swung open, revealing the dark interior of a shabby little cottage.

"Ew." It was a disgusting mess. Like an animal had lived there.

"He probably stays in his wolf form much of the time."

"Then why sleep in the cottage?"

Lachlan frowned. "Maybe he doesn't have connections like we thought. Maybe he stumbled on this place and was so mad already that it didn't matter if he crossed the protective barrier."

I stepped inside, prickling with awareness. There were booze bottles scattered around, along with old clothes and a dirty straw mattress. The fireplace was devoid of wood, and it looked like a family of rodents had set up house in all of the four corners of the cottage.

Lachlan pulled out his mobile and made a quick call for backup. "When we're done here," he explained to me, "they'll guard the place. Our man might not come back, but I want someone waiting for him if he does."

I nodded, continuing my search. Every minute I spent in there made my skin grow colder and my bones feel more brittle. The very walls felt like they were steeped in his madness.

"Under here." Lachlan knelt by the mattress and held it up.

Beneath it lay a dagger stained red with blood.

"Holy fates," I breathed.

"He used it to kill Bill." A grim frown slashed across his face.

"I can track him with that. Maybe."

He looked at me. "Really?"

I nodded. "That's a powerful object. He used it to murder someone. It has enough residual energy that I should be able to make a potion that will turn it into a tracking device."

"It would find him anywhere?"

"As long as he's not on the other side of the world, yes."

He nodded. "Good. That's good."

"Understatement much?"

The corner of his mouth pulled up at the side, one of the very rare smiles I'd ever seen him give.

"Can we touch it?" he asked.

"Maybe not with our bare skin. I don't want to dilute the energy."

Lachlan looked around, no doubt searching for a clean enough cloth that we could wrap it in.

There was nothing, of course. Everything in the place was utterly filthy with dust and grime.

He removed his leather jacket and laid it aside, then stripped off the shirt underneath. I looked away quickly, but not before I got a glimpse of smooth skin and a broad chest.

"Here." He handed me the shirt, and I took it without looking at him.

The shirt was still warm from his skin, and it felt like it burned into me. As I carefully gathered up the knife and stored it in my bag in the ether, he put his jacket back on and zipped it up.

"All right. Let's get out of here." I stood.

We made our way back through the park, reaching Guild City less than an hour later. It was dusk, and the streetlamps were beginning to go on. Shop windows glowed golden and bright.

He escorted me back to the Shadow Guild tower, ignoring me when I told him not to bother. The quickest route was via a narrow alley that led straight to our courtyard, and I led the way.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, a strong hand gripped my arm and yanked me to the side.

I screamed, lashing out as pain flared. Everything happened in a blur.

My attacker yanked me to him, his arm tight around my throat. I struck out with my elbow, nailing him in the gut. He just grunted, and I tried to stamp on his foot as I scrabbled to get one of the potions in my leather cuff.

A growl sounded, and a dark figure lunged, leaping high, right toward us.

The bastard hurled me against the wall so hard that my head crashed against it. My vision went fuzzy as I slid to the ground.

I was barely able to see Lachlan, in wolf form, drag the hooded man away from me. They grappled until his brilliant wolf's eyes caught me lying on the ground. He released the man, who scrambled away and sprinted down the alley.

Lachlan let him go, returning to his human form and racing to me. Gently, he lifted me up, cradling me against his chest. "Eve, wake up, Eve." Fear echoed in his voice.

"Lachlan." My voice sounded scratchy, and my head ached.

The fear in his eyes was stark, worry creasing his face as he gently touched my head. "You're bleeding. Do you have a healing potion?"

Weakly, I raised my wrist. "Pink one."

He pulled the tiny vial free and held it to my lips. As I drank, the pain began to fade. I could feel my wound knitting itself back together.

I met his gaze, still shadowed with concern. "You let him go."

"The blood around your head. I thought you might be—"

He didn't say it, but I knew what he'd thought.

"You thought I might be dying." So he'd let the killer go.

How had it all happened so fast?

He nodded, staring down at me.

"Did you see him?" I asked.

"No. Not his face."

Full darkness had fallen, and I could feel the silent emptiness of the tower behind us. The Shadow Guild was so small and new that our courtyard was entirely empty. The row of shops across the way was abandoned, not a single one open.

The resulting stillness to the air created a bubble around us. We could have been the only ones in the world, and it was the strangest sensation to be cocooned in the darkness with him.

The way he looked at me…

It made my breath catch in my throat. The heat in his eyes was combined with confusion. Fear.

"Eve." He pulled me to him, as if unable to help himself.

I could stop him. I had a few seconds to push him away. To say no.

But somehow, I'd lost my mind.

Something in me pulled toward him, so hard that it was impossible to resist. In that moment, I had to kiss him.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his.

Sparks flashed between us, bright and brilliant, as desire streaked through me, lighting up my nerve endings.

He groaned low in his throat, his lips parting so that he could kiss me more deeply. His strong arms held me against his broad chest, and he kissed me like it had been years since he'd touched another.

Maybe it had.

All of the pent-up frustration and desire that had been ricocheting back and forth between us exploded. I could kiss him forever.

When he pulled away, I suddenly felt cold. Alone.

Shocked, I looked up at him. Heat still glinted in his eyes, and his breath came heavy with desire.

"Eve." His voice was rough but firm. "Tell me what's going on with you. Tell me why I feel this way."

"I don't know what you mean."

"I have a mate. Had a mate." He dragged a hand through his hair. "I feel like I'm losing my mind. And maybe I am. But you must be her. I can feel it in my soul."

Ice chilled my bones, and I pulled away from him. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"This is your chance to come clean," he said, his voice desperate. "Explain how you're doing this."

I stood upright, backing against the wall. He stood as well, chest heaving.

"You must be losing it," I said. "Because I don't know what you're talking about."

His gaze shuttered, and I saw something unidentifiable in his eyes.

You must be losing it.

I could hear what I'd just said, played over and over in my mind. He had only one fear in the entire world—falling to the Dark Moon curse. I'd just accused him of being crazy. And he wasn't. He was figuring it out, just as I'd feared he would.

But I was gaslighting him.

I was a dick.

Anger clouded his eyes.

Before he could say anything, four figures appeared behind him: Carrow, Seraphia, Mac, and Beatrix.

My friends.

Desperate, I stepped away from the wall and darted around him. It was the coward's way out, but I took it. I probably should have come clean, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. For both of our sakes. He had the potion to keep himself sane. He didn't need me confirming that I was his mate, not when that bond would be the death of us. Of me, at the very least.

"Is everything okay here?" Carrow's expression turned dark as she looked Lachlan up and down.

"No." Lachlan's voice was firm. "Someone just attacked Eve. She can't be left alone."

"I need to go make the potion to track him," I said, ignoring his words and the shocked gazes of my friends. I just had to get away from him.

Now.

I strode toward the tower, but he followed. "I'm not letting you out of my sight. Not while he's out there."

Carrow and the rest of my friends shoved their way in between him and me. He glowered but stepped back.

"We can protect her," Carrow said.

They could, too. They had some pretty incredible magic.

Lachlan frowned, seeming to accept that he wasn't getting inside the tower. "Fine. I'll stand guard out here until my men arrive. There will be a guard on this tower twenty-four-seven."

"Suit yourself," Carrow said. "They just can't come in."

I didn't look at him as I hurried into the tower. From the way his gaze burned into me, this wasn't going to be the last of it.