Chapter 4

Carrow

The alley wall was rough under my fingertips as I used my magic to try to read the stones.

What happened here last night? Who abducted Beth?

Red exploded in my mind, brilliant and violent, the color so blinding that it made my brain ache. Amongst the swirling bright red fog in my mind, a figure stood. I couldn't see them clearly, but they were there. The power that radiated off the figure nearly sent me to my knees.

Screams of pain and the clash of steel sounded in my head, bringing with it the scent of mud and blood.

War.

A connection formed, something fierce and strong that pulled me toward the figure.

"Come to me." The voice was deep and low in my head, blasting through me. Violence made audible.

Repulsion filled me.

I couldn't go to this figure. Never. It would be the death of me. The death of so many.

Suddenly, the redness faded. Calm descended, white and pure. There was still a figure hidden amongst the mist, but they remained invisible.

"You must resist." The voice was no longer terrifying. Instead, it was desperate. "You must stop this."

What the hell was going on?

Two strong hands appeared on my shoulders, pulling me back. The connection broke. I gasped, stumbling against Grey's strong chest. He clutched me close, keeping me upright.

"What happened?" he asked.

I pulled away, mourning the loss of the connection, and turned to him. "I don't know. I just had the strangest vision. Like I was standing with someone."

"You went totally still, like you went somewhere else."

I turned back to the wall. "Maybe I did."

His hand lightly touched my shoulder. "Your magic has grown."

I shivered, feeling it race through me. Whatever had just happened had been different than the other times I'd used my skills. But why? My power was growing in such a weird, convoluted way. There was no pattern.

I looked at Grey. "I don't what I just saw, but it has to do with the kidnappings."

"And it made your power grow?"

I shivered, worried. "I don't know."

"But this is linked to you, somehow."

"I don't know." My throat felt tight. "It was all so fast. It's all just feelings. How am I supposed to learn anything from that?"

"Powerful magic follows no rhyme or reason, somehow."

The words were no comfort. But I had to get Beth back. If that terrible voice was somehow connected to these kidnappings, I needed to find her soon. I looked up at Grey. "Let's get back to my place. I want to hear what you know."

Together, we hurried through the city. By the time we arrived at the street across from my flat, my skin was prickling with anticipation. The kidnappings and Grey's presence fought to dominate my thoughts. We might have broken the fated bond between us, but we hadn't broken the attraction.

I stepped off the pavement and into the street, my gaze on my flat. The motorbike came out of nowhere, going so fast that it seemed to appear from the blue.

Grey moved like lightning, gripping my shoulders and spinning me around, putting himself between me and the bike.

It nearly hit him, missing by a margin of inches. My heart thundered as I panted, looking up to meet his gaze. Concern flickered in the depths.

"Are you all right?" he breathed.

"I don't know where my mind was." On you.

We stood so close that the heat of him radiated through me, his firelight and whiskey scent wrapping around me like a blanket. Protectiveness radiated from him.

He swallowed hard and stepped back, letting go of my arms. "Come."

He turned and looked both ways. The street was clear, so he crossed. I hurried after him, my gaze riveted to his broad back.

He'd put himself between me and danger always.

I knew it like I knew my own name. The bond between us was broken. It had taken with it some of the familiarity that I felt with him, some of the natural fit that we felt.

And yet, I still wanted him. We were more strangers than we'd ever been, but . . .

I still wanted him.

We reached the green door that led to the stairs up to my flat. As I unlocked it, Mac came careening around the nearby corner, her eyes brightening at the sight of us.

"You're back." Her short blonde hair was messy from the wind and her run. Her gaze flicked to Grey. "Did it work? Why is he here?"

"Third person, Mac." I raised my brows.

"Yeah, yeah. Apologies, Devil. But is the bond broken?"

"It is." His voice was stiff.

Relief flooded her gaze, then it landed on me. She frowned. "You look white as a ghost. What's wrong?"

"Beth was abducted." Just saying it made my stomach pitch.

"No." Mac whitened. "Really? From where?"

I repeated what Mary had told me.

"Shit." Mac frowned..

"Did you find anything?" I asked.

She shook her head, as though to clear it, then held out a little container of dirt. "Maybe, maybe not. This is a sample of the dirt from where the abduction took place, but I doubt it will tell you anything. I took it just because I felt weird leaving empty-handed."

I took the little container, knowing right away that it would be useless. Even a visit to the back garden where the girl had been abducted would be pointless—but I'd still probably go. "Thanks, Mac."

I opened the green door and took the stairs two at a time, Mac and Grey following. The door to my flat was slightly ajar, and I wasn"t surprised to see a hint of Cordelia's tail peeking out of the cupboard where I kept the snacks.

Normally, I'd tell her off. Her diet made me seriously concerned for the state of her arteries, but now wasn't the time.

I left her to it, hearing her crunch her way through a bag of her favorite pickled onion flavored corn snacks, and turned to Mac and Grey, who had followed me into my place. Quickly, I gave Mac an update about my power and the strange, terrifying voice that had called to me. How it had gone from violence to calm, angry to desperate.

"Whoa," Mac said. "That's weird."

"No kidding." I didn't want the attention, so I pointed to Grey. "Grey knows something about the abductions. So spill."

Mac turned wide eyes on Grey. "You do now, do you?"

"You know better than that, Mac. I'm not involved."

"Hmm."

"I've never dealt in people." His voice was hard.

Mac relented, nodding. "Fine, I do know that. You just make me wary because you're a risk to my friend here. I'm on edge."

"No longer," he said. "We've broken the bond."

Her gaze moved between the two of us, brows raised. The relief in her gaze had been replaced with curiosity. "Really?"

"Really." I nodded.

"Hmm."

"Quit with the ‘hmms'." I turned to Grey, vowing to ask Mac more about her knowing noises. "Spill what you know. How do we find the kidnapper? And more importantly, how do we find them."

"It's not that easy." Grey leaned against the door jam and crossed his arms over his powerful chest. "Even if he's the one responsible, he has such a powerful and expansive underground network that finding the people he's taken is going to be nearly impossible. Deadly."

"I'm used to that. I just need a lead. Who is it?"

"Anton the Deceiver. A crime lord out of Monaco."

My heart thundered. A real lead, with a real location. I could so work with this.

"Yikes." Mac grimaced. "I've heard of him. Bad business, that fellow."

"Well, I'm going after him." I met Grey's eyes again. "Any tips?"

"I'm coming with you," he said.

"You can't. You heard what Cyrenthia said. We shouldn't be around each other. It's too dangerous."

"Why?" Mac demanded.

"We can't . . . fall for each other." I hesitated, feeling weird saying it in front of her. "Our bond as fated mates is broken, but fate is powerful. It could override the spell if we . . ."

When I trailed off, Grey interrupted, clearly not liking the train of conversation. "You'll never make into Anton's place alone. You can't just break in. And if you did, you'd be dead if you got caught."

"What do you mean?"

"Anton owns a casino in Monaco, in Monte Carlo. It's worth millions, and security is rivals that on the Crown Jewels."

"I could." I crossed my arms over my chest.

He studied me for a moment, then nodded. "I do believe you could. Perhaps. But once you're in, you wouldn't be able to access him. It'd require more luck than exists in all the world, and if they catch you, there's no trial. There's no eviction. There's just execution."

The chill in his voice made me flinch, and I thought of the mob bosses we'd studied at the police academy. I'd seen what they were capable of, and they were the human ones. What could an evil, magical one do to me?

"I can get you in, and with a bit of luck, we can get an audience with Anton. Then you can ask your questions."

"But Cyrenthia…"

"I know the risks, Carrow. But the alternative is the lives of those who have been kidnapped. Your life if you get caught trying to break into Anton's place."

Shit. He was right.

There was so much at stake. Beth. The young girl. There was no time for me to be waffling about this. I needed his help, and I had the willpower not to fall for him. Especially now that our bond was broken. Half the work was done for me, for fate's sake.

"Okay, we do it your way," I said. "What does that entail?"

He thought for a moment, clearly running over the options in his mind. "Anton will be at his casino, though what he'll be doing is anyone's guess. He could be playing a game, watching a show, or torturing a minion."

"Sounds like a delightful guy," Mac said.

"He's unrepentantly terrible." Distaste curled Grey's lip. "I could set up a meeting, but it's unwise. It will put him on the alert, and he never wants to give a competitor what they want. If I had something to offer him, it would be different. But I don't."

"And we don't want to give a bastard like that anything," I said. "Especially not an inkling of what we want. He could hurt the victims if he knows we're after them."

"Precisely. So we need to be subtle. You and I will go to his casino as if we're out for a night on the town. Once there, we figure out what he is doing for the evening and find a way to join him."

"Then we kidnap him and question him?" I asked.

"Not quite, though it's an option. I'd like to avoid it due to the fact that he's bound to have dozens of guards and can lock the place down in a heartbeat. And my mind control powers will be blocked by the casino. The place is imbued with magic that makes him almost impervious."

I frowned. "How do we get him to talk, then? We can't bring him in for questioning legally. I've got no standing with any police." There actually were a few police in Guild City, though not as many as there would be out in the real world.

"And police can't touch him," Grey said.

"Truth serum, then," Mac said. "Or something that will make him susceptible to the Devil's mind control."

Grey nodded. "That's what I was thinking. We get close to him and try to dose him. I know a potion that will lower his defenses so that I can question him. The casino's protections shouldn't be a match against the combined magic."

I grimaced, thinking of how hard it would be to snag his drink and empty something into it.

"I can do it," Mac said.

I turned to her. "What?"

She shrugged. "I'm a bartender. You guys do your plan—get close to him. Get ready to ask your questions. I'll join the bar staff. It won't be hard to blend. When it's time, you signal me, and I bring him a spiked drink."

Grey gave her a considering look. "He's likely to have a specific server who deals with his drinks."

Mac shrugged. "I'll get clothes from the Fae shop that outfits spies. They'll definitely have something to help me blend. And for good measure, Eve can give me a potion to make me look like the server that I need to impersonate."

"That's possible?" I asked.

"Yes," Grey said. "Though those potions don't last long."

"Good thing I'm quick." She grinned. "And I know my way around a bar so well that no one will suspect me."

"It's too dangerous to break in," I said.

"I won't. I'll go to the server's entrance dressed as a server. People don't pay much attention to the staff."

Grey nodded. "I like this plan."

I didn't. It was too dangerous for Mac.

As if she could read my thoughts, she gave me a hard glare. "I've got this, Carrow. Beth was taken, remember? Not to mention the other girl. I'm going to help."

"Fine. Fine." I raised my hands in a placating gesture. "I know you do."

She nodded. "Damn right. And worse comes to worse, you carry a serum on you, just in case I need to bail."

I liked that safety-out. "Okay, it's a deal." I looked at Grey. "We can do this tonight?"

He nodded. "You're going to need clothes like the kind you wore to the speakeasy in Brasov."

I thought of the amazing magical dress that had made me punch harder and the stilettos that had felt like trainers. "I still have those."

"Their magic is dulled. You need new and better. Let me take care of it."

"Still taking care of me?" I hated to admit I liked it. "I thought we weren't bonded."

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Finally, he said, "I insist."

"Okay." I nodded, not wanting to fight.

"I'll meet you when you're done getting ready." He didn't wait for a response. Just turned on his heel and left.

Mac turned to me. "I don't know about this whole bond breaking thing, mate."

"What?" I frowned at her.

"There's still something between you."

I swallowed hard. "Yeah, well. I care for him."

"How much?"

"I honestly don't know."

Mac hovered her hand over my arm. "May I?"

"You want to read my future?"

"As much as I can." She gestured between me and the space where Grey had once stood. "Because I know you broke the mate bond, but things aren't over yet."

My heart began to thunder. If Mac had answers, I wanted them. I thrust my arm out toward her. She rested her fingertips on my bicep and closed her eyes. Her magic swelled, and I waited.

Finally, she opened her eyes. "I wasn't able to see much, but this thing between you . . . this breaking the bond . . .it doesn't mean it's over between you and Grey. Even this feels fated. Like it was meant to happen."

"Is fate really that powerful?"

"You have no idea." She shook her head. "You were trying to divert the course of fate by going to Cyrenthia and breaking the mate bond. But fate can't be tricked."

"Shit."

"Cyrenthia is right, though," Mac said. "If you want any chance at keeping the mate bond broken and saving Grey's life, you should try to stay away from each other."

* * *

Carrow

Hours later, after an amazing—though brief—visit to the Fae dress shop—Grey and I arrived in Monaco using a transportation charm. Monte Carlo, specifically. It was warm here, the scent of the Mediterranean wafting on an ocean breeze. The sound of waves crashing in the distance was audible over the low hum of traffic.

After getting kitted up in a generic bartender's uniform created by the Fae shop, Mac had taken a transport charm right to the casino, where she was currently sneaking in for her "shift."

Grey and I had appeared farther away since we needed to make a specific type of entrance. I turned to study the city. An infinite number of lights glittered all around, the gorgeous city lit up for the evening. Nestled on the coast between France and Italy, it was a dream destination for the likes of me.

Considering the fact that I was with Grey, it could have been a dream—broken bonds or not.

He looked like a million bucks, of course, wearing a tuxedo that had clearly been made especially for him. He was here to play a devilish game, all lethal strength and elegance, impossibly beautiful despite the cruel cast that had shadowed his face as soon as we arrived.

"You look different," I said. "Something about your face. Your expression."

His gaze flicked to mine, the coldness briefly replaced with warmth. "You can show nothing, here. Anton feeds on expressions like a shark."

I nodded, recognizing the same iciness he'd shown me when we'd first met. I'd thought he'd looked like the most beautiful statue I'd ever seen, so cold and hard and impenetrable that it made me want to crack him open even more.

"You look lovely," he said, his eyes warm.

Pleasure flushed through me, then I scowled. "No compliments. I'm a sucker for compliments, and I can't fall for you."

"Of course. You look like a hag."

I laughed, unable to help myself, and turned toward the street. My dress twirled around me, a glittery gold confection that made me feel like a princess. In addition to being gorgeous, it repelled blades and magic. It also enhanced my own powers, making my gift the slightest bit stronger, which I would need for what was to come.

The stilettos on my heels once again felt like trainers, and I knew I could sprint a mile in them. Hell, I could probably leap over a building in a single bound. The gem at my neck was actually a vial of truth serum, though no one would recognize it. Eve and the Fae dress shop owner had worked together to create it, though I might not have to use it. They'd done the same for Mac's uniform, and it would allow her to blend in with the rest of the staff.

As the sound of ocean waves crashed in the distance, Grey and I stood on a bustling city street, not far from Anton's club. An enormous Rolls Royce pulled up to the curb, gleaming brilliantly. It looked like something from the past, all elegance and beauty. The driver leapt out and opened the door for us, and I looked up at Grey. "For us?"

He nodded. "We need to blend in when we arrive."

He helped me into the car, his touch a brand. I barely resisted a shiver, and he withdrew his hands quickly.

"I'm sorry." His voice was low. "That was unwise."

Indeed, it was. Touching was about the dumbest thing we could do right now.

Inside the opulent car, I shifted over on the seat to make room for him. He folded himself gracefully into the vehicle, and the driver took off, whisking us through the glittering streets of Monte Carlo.

"This is a lot different than the life I trained for," I mused, thinking of police college.

"Preferable, I hope?"

"Very." I stole a glance at him, then looked away, unable to bear his impossible beauty.

A few moments later, the sleek car pulled to a stop outside an enormous, ornate building. Golden lights lit up the marble facade, and a fountain shot sparkling water into the air. An aura of incredible wealth and danger gleamed around the place, and my heart raced, hope flaring.

With any luck, we were going to save the kidnapping victims tonight.