Page 20 of Deadly Little Games (Four Ways to Fate #2)

20

I woke in a tangle of vines and arms with soft sunlight warming my bare skin. I panicked for a moment until I remembered where I was, and that the arms around me were Mistral’s and Gabriel’s. And that last night—

Oh holy hells. I wasn’t sure how I had gone from basically celibate, to this.

I tried to sit up, but vines and moss had formed a blanket over the lower halves of our bodies.

Chuckling, Mistral sat up beside me, helping me push the greenery away.

I glared at him. “I suppose this is just a regular morning for you, huh?”

His gray eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and his smile was the most genuine I had seen from him. “Not quite.” He reached toward me, then pulled a leaf from my hair.

I sensed Gabriel sitting up behind me and glanced back at him. “And what about you?”

One corner of his grim mouth curled ever so slightly. “No. I try to not make nearly dying a regular event.” His expression softened. “Although I cannot complain about being saved.”

I looked at my watch—the only article still adorning my body—and groaned. Thirteen missed calls from Braxton. The others must have told him what happened.

I pushed the button to call him back, and we all waited in silence as it rang.

“In the name of all things good, bad, or whatever, Eva, what the hell took you so long to call me back?”

I winced, having no idea what to say. “I’m guessing someone told you what happened?”

“All I know is that Fae attacked the border and some psychopath drove by, shouting like a maniac for them to follow her. Then we found some bodies further down the road next to a freshly felled tree, dragged just far enough for a vehicle to get by.”

I absorbed his words. That must have been Crispin and Elena. Sebastian probably popped out just as soon as I did. He wouldn’t have cared about Ringo, but I hoped the elves would have taken him with them.

“Hellooooo? Care to tell me what’s going on?”

I swiped a palm over my face. “It’s an exceedingly long story, one better given in person. Were any wolves hurt?”

“A few injuries, but no one dead. I’m guessing your devil is just fine, but what about the others?”

I looked at Mistral, then Gabriel, my cheeks burning. “Fine as far as I know. Though I should probably check in with Elena.”

Braxton sighed heavily. “You do that, then meet me at home. You owe me dinner.”

“For what!”

“I don’t know, but for some reason I feel like you owe me for something.”

Considering I had brought the fae to his pack’s doorstep, he was probably right. “I’ll pick something up on my way back from Emerald Heights.”

“Is it really safe for you to be walking around?”

“Probably not, but I need to figure a few things out.” Like why Elena’s father lied about the sword, and why Ivan had sent the fae after me when I was supposed to be protected.

“Watch your back, Eva. I’ll see you at home.”

He hung up, and I slumped limply back against the grass. Mistral and Gabriel both looked down at me with identical expressions.

“I’m going to Emerald Heights. I have to.”

“It’s not that,” Mistral said. “I sense a devil waiting outside our boundary.”

I covered my face with both palms and shook my head against the grass. “Please tell me my clothing survived the night.”

My clothing had not survived the night. At least not entirely. My jeans were torn, but wearable. My shirt, not so much. We at least found both of my sneakers, and Mistral lent me his shirt.

I debated taking a detour to the Citadel to clean up before meeting Sebastian, but I didn’t want him to get tired of waiting and leave.

Not that I wanted to see him, but I wasn’t foolish enough to face the elf king alone. He’d invited Sebastian in once. He could do it again.

With no sinks or streams to be found, Mistral held my face, gently wiping a smudge of dirt from my cheek. His eyes were earnest as he said, “Thank you.”

“Perhaps I should be the one thanking her,” Gabriel’s voice rumbled behind me.

I glance back to give him a wry look. “You were only injured because of me.”

I hadn’t had a chance to tell them what the fae told me the previous night, that my mother hadn’t doomed everyone, that she had in fact saved them. I wasn’t sure what to think of it, and given the person who’d told me had then attempted to slit my throat, I wasn’t entirely inclined to believe him. But he’d believed it. He had believed it enough to want to kill me. And there might be others who thought the same.

Oddly, the person I most wanted to speak with about it was Sebastian. His thoughts wouldn’t be clouded with the desire to keep me safe. He would do whatever needed to be done.

“What are you thinking?” Mistral asked.

I opened my mouth to say nothing , then realized it would technically be a lie. Instead, I just gave him a small smile and shook my head.

He took my hand to guide me to the path, perfectly comfortable without a shirt. And who could blame him? He looked right amongst the lush greenery, the sunlight shining softly on his stone gray skin, his long hair skimming his bare back.

Gabriel fell into step at my other side. He was also shirtless, because his clothing was torn and soaked with blood. I could see the dried stains of it on his pants, making my gut twist. He had come so close to dying, and the idea had pained me so much more than I ever thought it would.

I was getting attached. I knew I was getting far too attached not only to a goblin prince who hoped to return home, but to his loyal vassal, who I knew must be planning to go with him.

I needed to pull back, to gain some distance, but Mistral’s hand felt far too nice in my own. And when he released it for Gabriel to lift me over a massive fallen log, butterflies erupted in my chest.

Gods, this was almost more dangerous than the fae trying to kill me.

By the time we reached the gates, the sun was high in the sky, and Sebastian was still waiting. Even with the dark lenses covering his eyes, I could read his bored expression. An act, I thought. Although, he was a devil. Maybe it wasn’t an act. Maybe the events of the previous day and night had not phased him at all.

His head turned in our direction as we approached. I wished I could see his eyes. I couldn’t quite tell if he was looking at me, or the shirtless goblins on either side of me. Then my heart swelled as I noticed Ringo at his feet. The little goblin perked up at the sight of us.

I ran toward the gate, grinning as Ringo scurried over to meet me there. “Ringo! I’m so sorry I left you. I didn’t mean to. I just—”

He was practically bouncing with excitement. “Sebastian let me ride on his shoulder!” He bit back his words, glancing warily at the devil.

“If only she was that excited to see either of us,” Mistral mused.

I rolled my eyes, but didn’t have time to reply as Sebastian approached. He removed his sunglasses, looking Gabriel up and down before turning to me. “It seems you had an interesting night.”

I bit my lip. “Um. Yes. Where are Elena and Crispin?”

“Emerald Heights. I told them I would bring you as soon as I managed to locate you.” He slid his sunglasses back into place. “Which is much easier when you actually carry your card.”

I rolled my eyes again. “It doesn’t work here anyway.” And he knew exactly where to find me. He knew this is where I would bring Gabriel.

“Are you ready?”

My brows raised. I had really expected more questions. Or at least some mean remarks aimed toward my escorts. “Yeah, I guess I am.” I looked down at Mistral’s too large shirt and my stained and torn jeans. “But a shower and some fresh clothing would be nice.”

“I will escort you.”

Gabriel shifted beside me, ready to step forward, and I put a hand on his arm. “He’s not going to let anything happen to me. The fae who attacked us are dead, and if more come, we’re in the city now. The elves are watching.”

“And the goblins,” Mistral added.

Sebastian waited with his arms crossed, once again looking bored.

I hesitated with my hand still on Gabriel’s arm. I really didn’t want to do anything in front of Sebastian, but—

Last night had been our first night together. I wanted him to know it had meant something, something beyond just saving him. So I stood on my toes and planted a light kiss on his lips. Only the faintest hint of magic flared between us, as if it was still tired and satisfied from last night.

His eyes widened as I pulled away, then he smiled. “I’m here if you need me.”

I smiled back, then looked at Mistral, worried he might be jealous. But he seemed genuinely happy. Glad that I cared enough to reassure his friend. And that… that meant something too.

Gods, what had I gotten myself into?

Sebastian opened the gate, and I shifted to step across the boundary. The shift came so effortlessly that I just stood there for a moment. I couldn’t help but wonder if more had changed last night than just my relationship with Gabriel and Mistral.

I lifted Ringo to my shoulder, then looked back at the guys. “I’ll let you know how it goes with King Francis.”

Worry crossed both of their expressions, but they didn’t try to stop me. They knew I had to go, and they couldn’t come with me. Not unless we convinced King Francis to give Gabriel a free pass as well, but that would take time. And deep down, I felt like I had already asked for far too much.

“Shall we?” Sebastian asked.

I nodded, glancing back at the guys one last time as Sebastian led me away. We walked down the winding path, back toward the city in silence.

Then, just as we reached the street, Sebastian leaned in near my shoulder. “I believe I know who the fae was who tried to kill you last night. And I know why.”