Page 70

Dane

Several hours earlier

“T hey’re going to hit Long Island.”

I folded my arms over my chest, leaning back in my chair. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. We have eyes on Yolmar and Larak. They were seen less than an hour ago traveling with an unknown orc along the eastern seaboard. If you plan to stop them, you need to get your men over there now.

Janet showing up at my compound for the first time meant one thing—she was getting too cocky. And I’d had enough of this bitch thinking she could tell me what to do.

I ran a hand over my chin, stubble scraping the calloused pads of my thumb and forefinger. “I don’t like leaving the compound unguarded.”

Janet slid a hand in her pocket, pulling out her phone, a photo on the screen, and set it down on the desk.

I tipped forward, uncrossing my arms as my vision went red. The fae whom I’d learned had taken Jack into Faerie and was pleading her case at the royal courts, was standing in Times Square, her arms wrapped around none other than the orc general.

I sprang to my feet, slamming a hand down on the table.

Janet’s cool voice raked nails over my exposed nerves. “She’s working with them.”

I shot to my feet, fists flexing. My shirt strained across my shoulders as I fought the urge to put my fist through the table. “They have my son?!”

Janet’s glassy eyes met mine, not an ounce of fear in them.

She was showing all the signs of using, but somehow, she hadn’t tipped over into madness.

I’d never heard of a human taking Xcess and not losing themself to it.

My once beloved wife, Aconite, would have loved to study her.

To learn why this human was so unaffected while so many others could only withstand the periods of withdrawal between doses for a matter of minutes near their end.

I shoved the thought down—the sound of her laughter echoing in the kitchen as she poured tea, long before Faerie ever touched our world.

“We believe he’s planning to hit your warehouse tonight and clean out all your extra ammo. He means to split your forces.”

“Fuck the fairy,” I snapped. “Where’s my son?”

Ice crept across Janet’s fingers. She was using Xcess—had to be. Only a human dabbling in stolen fae magic would manifest like that. If she’d been born in Faerie, she’d be some sort of water fairy. But humans got the bastardized version when they dabbled.

I swiped the phone up, holding it to my face.

There was no sign of Jack in the image and no indication he was with her, but every report coming in from my network—and Morgan—said they had been inseparable since arriving in Faerie.

ISHFA had even placed a ridiculous bounty on Jack’s head for claiming he’d broken law number one.

Jack wasn’t dumb enough to fall for one of them. He’d fuck around, sure—but feelings? Emotional attachment? Not a chance. In twenty-five years, he’d never let a woman get that close.

“Stay close to home tonight. What you’re looking for might come knocking.” She leaned forward, plucking her phone from my grasp and turned marching from the room.

I glared at the back of her raven hair as she slid through the door to my office. When she was gone, I stared down at stacks and stacks of papers on my desk. Reports, images, text chains, deep web searches of every known fairy sympathizer’s recent conversations. None of it had told me anything.

Because no one could have pulled off a disappearing act like this but the orc fucking, general.

Let them come for me. I’d welcome them with a blood-soaked stage—and the satyr as my main act.