Page 9 of White Little Lies (Four Ways to Fate #3)

9

I ran as if my life depended on it, and maybe it did. But I didn’t know what I was running from, just some dark, amorphous shape. My breath hissed through my lungs, my heart pounding. Pounding so loud it was all I could hear. Bang. Bang. Bang . I was choking on my own heartbeat—

I sat bolt upright in a strange bed with silk sheets. As soon as I sat up, a soft glow emanated from the ceiling, showing me the room at Sebastian’s apartment, and Ringo fast asleep on the pillow beside mine.

The banging continued, and I found myself wondering how I had ever thought it was my heartbeat, even in a dream. The realization didn’t stop me from needing to catch my breath for a moment, each distant bang jolting me.

Pushing my sweaty hair out of my face, I threw back the sheets, slid on my boots, then clomped toward the door. I opened it, expecting Sebastian outside doing something irritating, but he was simply sitting on a chair adjacent the sofa, the dark city skyline visible behind him. He had one ankle draped across one knee, and an old leather bound book in hand.

“Don’t you hear that?” I waved my hands to get his attention.

His eyes remained on his book. “Of course I hear it.”

“Aren’t you going to do anything about it?”

“No.”

Shaking my head, I walked past the kitchen toward the sound of the banging, realizing it was someone at the door below. I looked down the stairs, narrowing my eyes. The door outside was hidden, so only someone who knew what to look for would be able to knock, at least that’s what I assumed.

I glanced back at Sebastian.

Bobbing his foot, he turned another page in his book.

“Devils,” I muttered, then marched down the stairs. Whatever charm or illusion had created them must have been made to close the space for sound too, or else the banging shouldn’t have been as loud.

I reached the door. At first it was a solid door, then I blinked, and there was a peephole for me to peer through. I wrinkled my nose, not entirely trusting it. Of course Sebastian would have a place like this. Though I had a feeling this was just a hideaway, not his main home, because there was hardly anything here.

I leaned against the door, looking out just as the knocking resumed. I watched a strong bare arm, its brown skin coated with misty rain, pounding on the wood outside. Attached to the arm was a rather unhappy looking goblin. Gladiola must have told him where to knock.

I opened the door before he could finish his apparent task of pounding it into wood pulp. “Humans do sleep. You know that, right?”

His black hair hung in damp strands around his chiseled features. Even with irritation creasing his brow, he looked downright scrumptious all damp and sulky. A dark green T-shirt strained across his muscled chest, paired with black jeans. “Gladiola told me what happened with the nymph. I didn’t think you would be sleeping.”

I looked out into the alleyway, glancing in both directions. We were alone, but still it probably wasn’t the best place to discuss things. I stepped back, gesturing for him to come inside.

He did, dripping water onto the wood floor as he loomed over me. He shut the door behind him before sliding a palm over the wood, observing it closely.

I wondered if it felt like he had been knocking on brick or a softer wooden door that whole time.

“Why are you here, Gabriel? I told Gladiola to let you know I couldn’t come tonight. ”

His dark eyes were like flex of onyx, his mouth a grim line. “Someone wants this nymph, and you’re harboring her.”

I crossed my arms, not sure whether to be irritated or touched that he was feeling so protective. “I’m in an entirely hidden apartment with a devil. I think I’m fine.”

He lowered his chin, giving me his patented you’re being very silly look.

“I’m really fine,” I pressed.

“After what happened with the fae—”

“You’re the one who got stabbed, not me.”

His chin tipped even lower. “An elf tried to slit your throat.”

I rolled my eyes, then turned to head up the stairs. I knew he wasn’t going anywhere, so we may as well be comfortable. He followed me up, then we both stood there looking at Sebastian in his chair, not acknowledging either of us.

I cleared my throat.

Sebastian lowered his book, giving me a pointed look. “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

I raised my hands. “Yes, I’m going to be useless in Emerald Heights tomorrow, I get it.”

His eyes drifted back down to the book in his hands. “Your nymph has begun to stir. Perhaps you can divine where she would like to be delivered so we can get this over with.”

I looked at Gabriel, then hurried toward the couch. Ringo finally came scurrying out of the room, crawling up onto my shoulder as soon as I knelt down.

Aaliyah had her back to me, and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. But Sebastian was right, she had repositioned herself on her own. I lightly shook her shoulder.

She groaned, then turned over, rubbing eyes that quickly grew three sizes larger as she stared at me, then the big goblin behind me. “W-what happened?” She started to sit up, then winced, holding a hand to her head.

“Take it easy,” I soothed. “We think you were poisoned. We brought you here to recover.”

She lowered her hand, though she still looked pained. “Poison? No, it’s a curse. They caught my uncle outside of our territory and that’s what happened to him—punishment for leaving our realm.” She pinched her brow, taking a few deep breaths, and when she looked up at me, her eyes were clearer. “I didn’t think anyone had followed me, but once I reached the park, something hit me. I couldn’t tell what happened, but I was suddenly horribly weak, and I could barely think straight.”

“Well a poison antidote is what saved you.”

Aaliyah stared at me, clearly not comprehending what I was saying.

I sat crosslegged on the floor, scooting a little closer to the couch, trying to look harmless. “Maybe you could start from the beginning and tell me exactly what happened.”

Aaliyah looked past me at Gabriel again.

“No one here is going to hurt you,” I said calmly. “Just start from the beginning. We’ll help you figure this out.”

Sebastian snorted, earning him a sharp look from me, which he didn’t seem to care about in the slightest.

Aaliyah gave him a wary look, but finally, cleared her throat and began her tale.

Gabriel, Sebastian, and I walked back down the stairs, leaving Ringo with Aaliyah. Magic popped in my ears as Sebastian made a barrier around us, preventing any eavesdropping.

Gabriel’s expression was grim as he glanced back up the stairs. “Her story sounds like a child’s tale.”

“Yeah, well so does my life lately,” I sighed. “It doesn’t mean it isn’t true. At the very least, she believes it. Something happened to her.”

“She was likely poisoned earlier.” Sebastian stroked his chin in thought. At some point during her story, he had finally become interested in the mystery of it all. I knew he didn’t care what happened to her, but he enjoyed a good puzzle. “It hit her in the park, so she believes she was attacked by a curse at that time, but it could have simply been a slow-moving poison. If she came from her family’s dwelling, it may have even happened there.”

“That still doesn’t tell us who did it,” I said.

He lowered his hand from his chin, waving me off. “Nor is it really our concern. Return her to her people so we can get on with our day.”

“If you simply drop her off,” Gabriel grumbled, “someone else might try to kill her.”

Fire flashed in Sebastian’s eyes. “She now knows she was poisoned. She can tell her family what happened and they can protect her. Nymphs look after their own. It is an absolute necessity when they choose to live in the city.”

“You have no concern for what’s best for her. Nor what’s best for Eva.”

Sebastian lifted a brow. “And you know what’s best for Eva?”

I threw up my arms before they could go any further. “We can’t keep doing this! We all need to be able to work together, and not just in regards to Aaliyah. We have the same goal. It only makes sense to tolerate each other.”

Sebastian tilted his head, his dark eyes still on Gabriel. “I tolerate Crispin admirably.”

“Yeah,” I huffed, “but the contract with King Francis also involves a goblin. Once we have the Realm Breaker, one goblin can go on an exploratory mission to their homeland. To see if whatever this darkness King Francis was talking about has spread. ”

Sebastian crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. If he was worried about the big irritated goblin potentially grabbing him and throwing him out the door, he didn’t show it. “Just because a goblin will be allowed use of the blade does not mean they must help prior to that point.”

Annoyed, I put a hand on Gabriel’s chest, focusing on my emotions for him. It wasn’t hard with everybody all worked up, and him looking sexy as hell with those brooding, angry eyes. He relaxed against my touch, and my palm began to glow against him.

Sebastian watched us blandly.

“With Mistral,” I said, “it’s stars. I don’t know what’s going on with me but it’s like you said.” I stared Sebastian down with my hand still on Gabriel‘s chest. “What happened with Mistral made my magic grow. I don’t know why it has chosen each of you, but it has, and it scares the hell out of me.” I took a deep, steadying breath. “But I want to find my mom before someone kills her. So we are all going to work together to figure this out.”

Sebastian studied us, calculating.

Long moments ticked by, Gabriel’s heart beating steadily beneath my palm.

Finally, Sebastian gave a slight nod. “Very well. I will speak with King Francis.” With that, he disappeared in a cloud of darkness, taking his eavesdropping bubble with him.

I opened and closed my mouth, trying to get my ears to pop at the sudden pressure change, then removed my hand from Gabriel to rub the side of my jaw. “Well, that went over more easily than expected.”

“He wants you to be more powerful, Eva.” Gabriel’s voice was a low rumble. “He will do whatever it takes, whether it’s something you prefer, or not.” He turned and started up the stairs, clearly irritated.

“And why are you mad now?” I asked after him. “I’m trying to get you a free pass into Emerald Heights.”

Just a few steps up, he paused and looked back at me. “Have you thought, perhaps, that it is not your magic that has chosen each of us,” he gripped the railing to lean closer, “but you?”

He met my eyes for a long moment, then turned and continued up the stairs.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I muttered.

But there was no one around to answer.