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I returned the fragments to the pouch, smiling as a plan began to form. With this knowledge, our mission could be completed far faster than expected.

And the sooner we left this place, the better.

Chapter five

The Forgotten Past

Zayne

I felt Ayla’s approach before I saw her.

She fluttered in my mind, a prickle along my spine, the tether catching me by surprise.Cherry and spice.I tasted her essence, and hungry for more, I turned around as she opened the patio door.

“Ayla,”I rasped at the sight. The dress hugged her chest and hips, the long slit giving me a glimpse of ample thigh.

She looked past me, searching to the left and right. “I can’t see you, but I… sensed you.” Even now, she avoided naming the tether for what it was.

I stepped closer, allowing my shadows to expand, drawing her within my darkness. Curious, she looked around, inspecting the aura of my shadows before meeting my gaze. Her green eyes burned into me, and I took another step, leaving only the barest breath between us.

She looked away, her proud shoulders dropping as she reached down for the skirt, tightening the slit closed. “Is it too much?”

“Absolutely. You look like a royal fae, sensual in every way, and I’ll kill anyone who looks at you wrong.” I reached for her waist, pulling her closer until she arched her back and stood tall again. “And that’s appropriate for tonight. Don’t let the studious sound of ‘trade assembly’ deceive you. Riches are on the line, and the fae will be out for blood. Everyone will be dressing the part.”

She swallowed, and I studied the way her throat bobbed.

“I’ll be watching over you,” I reminded her. “And my shadows are waiting for you.”

“Hopefully that won’t be necessary.”

“Agreed, as much as I’d like to keep you in my shadows forever.”

“So what’s our plan?”

Movement caught my eye through the window behind her as Ninti and Rhett settled in the living room. I took Ayla’s hand and led her back to the balcony door, dropping the shadows. “I have some ideas. We’ll begin by asking Ninti some questions.”

Rhett was laughing at something Ninti had said, but the laughter died as he caught sight of Ayla. “You’re stunning, Ayla darling. The Valterran gowns could never suit you the way fae dresses do.”

Ayla smirked. “Finally, I understand how fae dance the way they do. It was impossible to move in those gigantic skirts, but this” —she reached down, showing off a dagger hidden in her boot— “This was designed for something far more intense.”

Rhett chuckled. It was good to see her confidence, even if it was an act.

But there was work to do.

I reached into my cloak, retrieved the satchel, and dropped it onto the table. “Ninti, did you know Eleanor snuck these into my cloak?”

The firewolf sniffed at the satchel before sitting back on her haunches. “I was the one who told her to do it.”

Typical.

“I thought we’d need it,” she added.

“Did you know I would be able to detect it from the Underworld?”

“I suspected as much. Gloom and the Underworld are never that far apart. At least, it was always that way in the times before.”

I lowered to my knees, sitting so I was eye-to-eye with the firewolf, reminded how eerily similar her green eyes were to Ayla’s. While I trusted the firewolf with Ayla’s safety, Ninti always avoided sharing more than was necessary. “We need to know more about how the black diamond shattered.”

“That’s not something I’m supposed to talk about.”