Page 7 of Beyond the Winter Kingdom (Faeted Seasons #2)

When we stepped into my safe house, the air was stale, and a thin layer of dust had settled over the simple furnishings.

It was a small studio apartment that Sadie and I had set up on the outskirts of the Arcane District in case either of us got into trouble.

As a bounty hunter, I dealt with some unsavory types.

As an MMA fighter with an attitude and penchant for attracting the authorities when the intrusive thoughts won, Sadie needed a place to lay low on occasion.

This was our solution. Registered with a fake identity and some forged documents, it kept the Wylde name unattached from its existence.

Everything looked the same as the last time I’d seen it. The only indication that Sadie had been here to meet me was a smudge in the dust on the counter where she’d tossed her keys.

“Anything?” my mom asked, setting her bat down against the wall as she looked at me with hope.

I reached for my power just as I had back at Farris’s inn and came up short. When I told her as much, the worry lines on her face deepened.

My dad rubbed her back reassuringly. “It’s okay, Molly. Meera will find her.”

She twisted her nose as she sniffed, doing her best to hold back tears.

“I know.” She took a moment and cleared her throat, addressing my brothers.

“Boys, get to the gym—” Darroch opened his mouth to protest, and my mom cut him off.

“Not another word. The gym. There’s a fight tonight.

Darroch, run the betting. Fearghal, call in the Aron family to run security while Cadoc and Atlas are gone.

And for fuck’s sake, stop pouting. You’re grown men. It’s not a good look.”

“Sorry, Ma,” Darroch said, bending down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “We just want to find Sadie too.”

Fearghal kissed her on the cheek as well, his apology silently written on his scarred face. “We’ll call if she shows up at the gym.” He walked by, glaring at Vareck, then squeezing my shoulder before leaving with Darroch.

For all the grief we gave each other as siblings, the boys loved deeply.

They would forever and always protect their sisters, even when protection wasn’t necessary.

I imagined they felt helpless with Sadie missing.

I understood the feeling. Not seeing a line to her was scaring me too.

She wasn’t on Earth or in Faerie. That left seven other potential realms, which felt like seven too many.

The small closet held some emergency clothes and two supply backpacks.

I grabbed one, tossing it over my shoulder and handing the second one to my mom.

I didn’t know where our search would lead, and I wasn’t sure if we would even need the items in the bag, but I’d been a bounty hunter long enough to expect the unexpected .

.. and sometimes the unexpected was just needing a tampon.

The five of us entered the Witching Hour, and several heads turned our way.

It was busy enough and there was a crowd, but it was not yet peak hours.

Atlas wasn’t small by any means, and four Wyldes walking in the door usually resulted in a fight by the end of the night, so naturally, those that knew us were wary.

My brothers had been kicked out on more than one occasion.

To my surprise, several patrons looked past us and straight at Vareck.

Whether or not they knew he was the king was unknown.

Men tried to keep their features schooled as they assessed him.

Quite a few women eyed him up and down, a coy smile curling their painted lips.

An overwhelming surge of jealousy spiked through me, and I bristled, looping my arm through his so they knew he was taken.

The corner of Vareck’s mouth twitched in amusement.

As usual, Amelia was at the bar, working flawlessly while she flirted with customers.

She saw us, and her brows pinched instantly.

Even though I waved in a friendly gesture, her lips pursed as she looked at Atlas.

She pointed to the side of her bar while she stared at us.

I’m not sure she blinked as she followed our every step.

Amelia tossed a bar towel over her shoulder and crossed her arms, shifting her weight onto one leg. “You’re not allowed in here, Atlas. No Wylde brothers.” She looked toward the front door. “Where’s the rest of them, hmm?”

My brother remained stoic. “They’re all busy. It’s just me here.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not going to cause trouble.”

My mother squeezed between Atlas and my dad, bumping them out of the way with her hips. “He won’t do anything, Amelia. I swear it. We’re just looking for Sadie. Have you seen her? Jared said he saw her here with Lou almost a week ago.”

Amelia listened to my mom carefully, finally sighing and loosening the tension in her shoulders. “She pulled a gun in here, Molly. I kicked her out. Haven’t seen her since.”

“Can we just look around? Talk to people and see if they know where she is?” My mother was pleading, and that was something Molly Wylde never did. My dad rubbed his palm over her upper back.

“Please, Amelia. We just need to look and see if anyone saw anything. This was the last place she was seen,” Atlas said, and after a brief pause, Amelia agreed.

“If you break anything, punch anyone, or so much as piss someone off, the hex I’ll put on you will wreak havoc for years to come, you hear?

” She waited until my brother agreed, and my mom breathed a “thank you” while squeezing her shoulder.

Amelia waved a hand, revealing the hidden door to The Black Lounge.

My family rushed through, but something held me firmly in place. I held my arm in front of Vareck, shaking my head slightly.

Amelia turned to me. “Not going with them?” The corner of her mouth twitched.

I ignored Amelia as a whisper of Sadie pulled at my power. Even without tapping into my magic, I felt her. She wasn’t close, but it was like a faint memory. She hadn’t been here in almost a week, allegedly, yet there was an inkling of her presence.

“Meera?” Vareck asked, breaking my thoughts. “Are we following them?”

“No,” I said, swallowing and feeling my mouth dry. An uneasiness settled over me.

Amelia shrugged, turning back to her bar.

“Wait,” I said quickly, and she turned. “Can I look around the rest of the bar ... check in the back room, maybe the portal room? I won’t touch inventory or anything like that.”

Amelia looked at me confused, tilting her head as she considered me. A smile curled up her lips, and I couldn’t place why she felt the need to grin. What about this was amusing?

“Knock yourself out,” she said, pulling the towel down from her shoulder and wiping the counter with it. She didn’t bother looking at us before adding, “Grab me a bottle of gin on your way back. Room number six.”

As we walked away, Vareck spoke softly. “What’s happening?”

“I can feel Sadie.”

“She’s here?”

“No, she’s not here. Her essence is.”

“What does that mean?”

“I can’t explain it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt something like this before. If she was here, I would have known when we were at the safe house. But there was no thread leading to her.”

“Is there now?”

Facing away from the stage, I reached for my power. The tiniest flickering thread pulsed like it was almost out of energy. “I have something. It’s faint. She was back here,” I whispered, mostly speaking to myself as I began to question what was happening. “This doesn’t make sense.”

I followed the thread, using as much power as I could, hoping it would brighten the golden string as I snaked through chairs, passing doors without even bothering to open them.

When I came to a stop in front of a door, a small plastic plaque etched with the number six made me pause, but the feeling of Sadie was stronger. “Six ...” I muttered under my breath.

“Stop,” Vareck said, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Something is wrong.”

I grabbed the handle despite his protests. “The thread leads this way. My powers aren’t wrong, Vareck.”

I pushed the door open without another thought and the room was pitch black, more so than any room should be. That should have been my second warning, but it didn’t stop me from walking in.

“Meera, wait?—”

The tug of him grabbing my backpack wasn’t enough to save me.

The floor dropped from under me, my arms slipping through the straps with ease.

I fell through darkness, my sense of direction lost as I plunged through a void.

Vareck’s panicked voice reached me as he shouted my name, but it was the cold, brittle laugh that followed that truly terrified me.

Amelia.

That bitch.