Page 60 of Knox

He barely even noticed Knox and Zev slipping away from the crowd, moving toward him and Daniel at the edge of the hall, barely even noticed Knox taking his arm and pulling him away from the entrance hall and the singing.

When the spell finally broke, Adrian had no idea how he got to hall 3.

"That was…" Daniel trailed off, blinking rapidly. "Intense." He stood next to Adrian, a loopy smile on his face.

"Yeah." Adrian’s voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "He’s mesmerizing."

"Lyrian’s magic is fairly potent," Knox said. "But you don’t have to be too enchanted."

Zev shot Knox a look. "Jealous?"

Knox turned to the night fae. "Don’t be silly."

Zev smiled—an expression that quickly faded when Daniel stepped into his personal bubble and did his best to pop it.

"Wow," Daniel breathed, leaning close. "Your eyes really are violet. Wild. "

The night fae’s beautiful eyes narrowed. "I don’t believe we’ve been introduced, human."

Adrian could only watch as Daniel grinned up at Zev, seemingly oblivious to the night fae’s irritation.

"I’m Daniel," he said brightly. "But you can call me puppy."

Zev stiffened, and Adrian cringed inwardly. Puppy had been Zev’s nickname for his ex—who’d been a wolf-shifter. Their relationship had ended in tragedy. "You’re not a puppy," Zev said sharply, "you’re a sparkling nuisance."

Adrian watched in horror as Daniel’s grin faltered for the briefest moment before his resilient spirit kicked back in. "Sparkling nuisance, huh? Yeah, I can see how that suits me."

Zev’s eyes narrowed further, but before he could say anything else, Knox stepped in. "That’s enough, Zev. Daniel’s Adrian’s friend."

While the incubus spoke, Adrian pulled Daniel away from the night fae.

"Let’s focus," Knox continued, addressing all of them. "We need to find Caelen before he gathers more power."

Adrian nodded, trying to get his mind back on task. "Right. The con’s massive. Any ideas on where to start?"

"Let me just check." Daniel pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Here we go." Daniel’s thumbs flew over his phone screen, eyes darting as he scrolled through posts and tweets. "Got it," he said, snapping his head up. "Caelen’s in hall 1, chatting with fans."

Adrian’s stomach churned. "Are you sure?"

"Yup," Daniel confirmed. "We better move."

They threaded their way through the throng of cosplayers and enthusiasts, Knox leading with a determined stride. The air buzzed with excitement and chatter, but Adrian’s focus narrowed to the growing tension in his chest.

Knox glanced back at him. He reached out, taking Adrian’s hand in his. "Everything will be fine," he promised.

Adrian squeezed Knox’s hand, drawing strength from the warmth of his grip. "You can beat him?"

Knox’s eyes flickered with determination. "I can. But I need you to do something for me."

"What’s that?"

"When we get there, I need you to hide in the crowd."

Adrian frowned. "Why?"

Knox’s gaze bore into his. "Because I need you to be safe. If anything goes wrong, I can’t risk you getting hurt."

Adrian’s heart clenched at the concern in Knox’s voice. "But I want to help."