Page 18 of In The Dark

“Seriously?” Ezra says.

Alec’s voice growls, forcing me to rub a hand over my face inan attempt to control my breathing and subtly scan the area.Gods, what’s happening?

Alec’s accusations had me fighting sleep last night. Perhaps that’s what I need—sleep. Though a prickle of awareness crawls down my spine because that’s not what the evidence shows. Alec isn’t here, and he signed out. So is the voice in my head made-up or real?

Ezra’s brows furrow before he shifts his attention down the hall, eyeing Helga from a distance. As if he’s ensuring she didn’t overhear what I blurted out.

He rubs a hand over his jaw. “Did you get anything from the target’s room?”

I remain quiet as I hand him the written note, letting him take a moment to read it. “I think we can track him once we get there and find the exact meeting spot.”

He nods. “I agree. Let’s check out the son’s room one last time and then check the target’s room again. I’ll have Ren inspect it and see if he can pick up a scent through the stone.”

Stone Shapers have the ability to create weapons of stone by pulling them out of the environment, but they can also pull lingering magical signatures from it as well. So if there’s anything left behind, Ren will find it.

For the rest of the time at the inn, there’s nothing but silence as we search for more information about the male in room eleven. Ren inspects the room after Ezra did a thorough examination while we continue to chat with Helga.

She hasn’t stopped crying, but I give her my sympathies as she talks about her son between tears. We placed blame on Alec, as it made the most sense. Ezra and I excuse ourselves and step outside after saying our goodbyes, waiting for Ren near the horses.

Merchant chatter fills the air as I take one last look around the city, and I can’t help but think of the Fae market. A small part of me wishes to see it, but not when Alec is missing.

Ren steps out, his dark brows lowering as he meets us, looking as if he just found the most disturbing news. He glances over his shoulder one last time before turning back to us.

“What is it?” I ask.

“We’re tracking a Shadovar.”

7

Shadovar,the dark Fae.

Unease coiled in my stomach over Ren’s muttered words earlier and at the realization that Alec is Shadovar.

That must be why he felt so… pushy. Demanding. But even as he showed all of that during our initial introduction, I never felt threatened—I liked it. He never even attempted to kill me when I attacked him at the inn.

A wave of frustration and shame jolts into my chest. Not only did I engage with him at the brothel, I failed to kill him as well.

But that doesn’t explain why he didn’t die.

Because no matter the realm, all Fae die the same. Yet Ren and Ezra fully believe it’s because I killed the wrong person, not that he evaded death by my blade, as there wasn’t a single drop of blood on the carpets.

As if someone cleaned it before we arrived.

We asked Helga about it, but she said no one had come in before us, though I had a feeling she was lying. There wasn’t a single trace of evidence that I was there either—neither Ren nor Ezra picked up my scent, which I find odd.

I also find myself suddenly wondering how Alec is in our realm, as King Elion decided years ago that it was best to keep our borders closed for the safety of Elderheim.

He created strict laws that allowed every race to live in peace, but he banned the discussion or the harboring of the Shadovar. No one is allowed in or out of our borders, and King Elion enforces it, as it’s our only measure of protection to keep citizens safe from their dark magic.

All Fae have the capability to wield elemental magic, but the Shadovar have their own unique power specific to their realm.

Like Elderheim. Our realms are two sides of the same coin—equal in power and long-term rivals.

But I’m not familiar with their magic or their capabilities, as I never bothered to learn since the border was sealed long before I was born.

“We need to stop soon. The horses need rest, and I need to dip in a stream somewhere before I end up melting.” I squint at the sun, hoping it will stop beating down on my face and cool down.

Even though it’s much cooler in the mountains, the afternoon sun bathes me in my sweat. I’m suddenly eager for dusk when the temperature drops thirty degrees.