Page 10

Chapter 9

Vareck

Meera stilled, her skin warm against my palm. I held her tighter, breathing her in. She smelled like blood oranges and vanilla. The same as she did in our dreams.

The ones she tried to deny.

Fury coursed through me when I thought about that.

Her device buzzed against the floor, its light casting eerie shadows. It’s how I learned her name, reading the texts as they came in. We didn’t have phones in Faerie, but I understood how they worked well enough from my travels to this realm.

“Don’t move. I’m going to let you go, but you will not compel me. Understood?” Unfortunately, I had to use my own compulsion to ensure she didn't do anything crazy. The minx had already proven herself powerful and it would be a mistake to underestimate her again. A beat passed, then she nodded.

I released her mouth slowly, instead grabbing her chin and turning her head to the side so she looked at me. Fire burned in her hazel eyes.

“Are you armed?” It wasn’t the question I wanted to ask, but it was the one I needed. She’d restrained Damon with a pair of handcuffs that I could only assume were enchanted—otherwise he would have fought back with his own magic. My nephew might be useless in almost every aspect, but self-preservation ran strong with that one. “Answer me.”

“Yes,” she hissed, clearly not thrilled to be on the other end of compulsion.

“Where?”

Her eyes flicked downward, then met mine again, sparking with defiance.

My free hand slid down her thigh, fingers grazing warm, smooth skin. She stiffened, trying to mask both her fear and desire. I found the dagger strapped to her leg, pulling it free. With a flick of my wrist, I embedded the blade into the wall.

“Anything else? Where’s the handcuffs?”

“Gone and no.”

“Good. You were impressive earlier. If I could trust you not to run, I wouldn’t have to do this. Your persuasion is . . . unusually strong.”

“Because that makes it so much better,” she muttered, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“You compelled me first,” I pointed out.

“Would you have let me go otherwise?”

“Before you kidnapped my nephew, yes. I wanted to talk to you. Not . . . this.”

Guilt flashed across her features before she could bury the emotion behind a mask of indifference. “How do you know I kidnapped him?”

“I heard you compel him. Not to mention the small detail that guards saw you push him through the portal. Your exit wasn’t exactly subtle.”

Her lips twisted. “I can’t tell you where he is, even if you compel me. My job was to snatch the prince and get him to the drop location. Nothing more, nothing less.”

My brows drew together. “Do you know who hired you?”

“No.” Something flashed behind her eyes, making me wonder if I was missing something.

“You do know that taking the crown prince of Faerie is a crime, correct?” I didn’t use persuasion. I didn’t need to.

Her lips thinned. “I’m aware.”

“But you still did it anyway,” I said. “Why?”

Her expression shuddered. “Because I’m a fucking idiot and took a job from a broker that I shouldn’t have.”

I tilted my head. Her answer wasn’t what I expected. None of this was. It was strange to think that I knew her so intimately, and yet not at all.

“Then why did you?” I pushed, needing to know more. To know everything.

She laughed without humor. “I’m broke and desperate. Maybe not in that order.”

Her reason for being in Faerie was both understandable and disappointing. Some part of me had hoped that maybe she was there for me. If her shock at seeing me was anything to go by though, Meera had no idea who I was until I barged into that room.

Lost to my own thoughts, I didn’t notice her move until it was too late. Jaw locked tight, she pulled away from my loose embrace and sprinted toward the wall perpendicular. Surprise made me slow to react as she grabbed the handle of the dagger and pulled it from the wall .

She flipped it with a flick of her wrist, catching it by the tip.

I cocked an eyebrow. “Do not?—”

Too late.

I side-stepped the throw, but the edge of the blade grazed my cheek. The cut stung, but I suspected it was superficial at most. I looked from her to the blade. “Was that necessary?”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her lips bobbed as she choked. She was trying to persuade me, but my own compulsion kept her from speaking.

She’d broken through my command to not move, but her energy was draining. Meera teetered on her feet.

“I . . . don’t . . . feel . . .” Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, lids falling shut. Her knees gave out at the same time that I lunged.

Her limp body fell into me, held up entirely by the arms I wrapped around her waist.

Fuck.

I’d spent years looking for this woman, but I never could have guessed how I’d find her. Indecision warred in me as I debated my choices.

Stay here, wait until she wakes up, and then chance how long it took her to break my persuasion—again.

Or . . . I could bring her home.

The device on the floor buzzed again. A picture of her with another woman, both laughing against a backdrop of blue ocean waves. A world she had seen. One I was taking her from.

The decision snapped into place, like a click of a lock.

Kidnapping the prince was reason enough to bring her back. Everything else . . . I shook my head. It didn’t matter .

I picked Meera up, cradling her against my chest while I carried her bride-style. The tension in my body eased when her head lolled against my shoulder, duffel bag swinging with every step away from her apartment.

When I first saw her, I wanted answers.

Now? Something told me I wouldn’t stop there.