Page 113 of The Mating Quest

She pointed to the diamond. “That?”

“What?”

Exasperated, she pointed again. “That! Thediamond.”

He frowned. “I don’t seeanything.”

Perplexed she picked it up, the radiant glow illuminating the entire cave. Soft blue light shone from her fingertips. Entranced, she waved a hand and blue fairy dust drifted into the cave. “You don’t seethis?”

His jaw dropped. “Where did that comefrom?”

“You see it now, but didn’t see itbefore?”

“Yeah. What is it?” Ethan knelt down by the tworocks.

“Something I’m supposed to obtain, as per Danu.” She glanced at him, shadows playing over the chiseled lines of his jaw. “Something else I didn’t tell youabout.”

“A secret mission forDanu?”

She relaxed a little at the lack of incrimination in his voice. “Yes. Are you upset you didn’t know aboutit?”

Ethan chuckled. “How can I get upset about something I couldn’t even see, sweetheart? It’s your mission, your diamond. Clearly I wasn’t intended to find it, otherwise it would have been revealed tome.”

She’d never thought about it that way. “You think it’s forme?”

He took a deep breath. “There are things of this world, and the next, we aren’t meant to understand, Ilana. Reason why you have to step out in faith once in a while and trust. If Danu wanted it for you, then it’s yours. Why don’t you takeit?”

Faint daylight gleamed from the cave’s other side. She replaced the diamond and the gem’s glow faded. Blue fairy dust glowed in her hands. “It’s too dangerous now. I won’t risk it falling into the wrong hands. After we kill Cormac, I’ll return forit.”

As they continued walking, she wondered about the diamond and Danu’s mysterious instructions that she would know what to use it for. “Ethan, isn’t it odd that the diamond in this cave looks, well, like yourbirthmark?”

Shadows danced over his face as he glanced at her. “Yes. It could be acoincidence.”

“Ornot.”

When they emerged from the dark cavern, she blinked at the sunlight. Ilana craned her neck. “I don’t see smokeanymore.”

Ethan’s nostrils flared. “Let me search as wolf. My senses are moreacute.”

Before she could protest, he shifted. Ilana squeaked. Ethan was large as a Shetland pony. His blue gaze met hers and then he ran off, nose to theground.

Damnit! Ilana groaned, running after him, trying to keep up. Ethan knew nothing about these woods nor who might be living here. If he met Cormac on hisown…

Hearing a shout, she sped in that direction until arriving in a village. Cobblestone paths crisscrossed the grounds. Trees once flourished here, with white and gray birds nesting in the lofty branches. Small dome houses built by fairies and sprites and gnomes peppered thevillage.

Empty now, devoid of the laughter and talk and giggles she had enjoyed while visiting here. Ilana hoped the Others living here had fled to the caves where the canyon gnomeslived.

She ran on, past the village to the meadow near the stream where fairy children used to play in the flowers. The meadow grasses were trampled upon, the delicate flowers crushed. Ethan stood in the middle of the meadow in wolf form, growling at four zombies surroundinghim.

Ilana ground to a halt as four zombies surrounded Ethan in their Skin form. Grayish skin, eyes sunken into their heads, two with torn flesh, they did not move quickly. She gave a relieved sigh overthat.

Until they shifted. Holy banshee, these were zombie shifters. Not Fae, nor Mage, or evenOgres.

Lupine, as big and ferocious-looking as Ethan. And these zombie Lupines were not slow. They moved with the speed of their wolves. Starsong freed of its sheath, she held her sword, ready to act, yet waiting because in close quarters combat, she could end up hurtingEthan.

Two went for his throat, razor sharp teeth sinking into the fur on Ethan’s neck. The others launched onto his hindquarters, trying to bring him down. Blood splashed as Ethan growled, trying to shake off the ones at his throat. He wrenched free, teeth snapping and scoring a gash in the other wolf. But the ones on his hindquarters were slowly bringing himdown.

Ethan didn’t stand a chance. Suddenly he sank down, the wolves going with him and then he shifted into Skin, wearing his jeans and flannelshirt.