Chapter 18
Chapter
Eighteen
E very two hours, I took to the air to patrol the island’s perimeter. Lionel served as my eyes on the official port of entry, although I highly doubted the fae would use it. Like the most recent trespassers, they’d most likely stage a sneak attack.
At least I wouldn’t be dealing with another Unwoven. Riot had attempted—and failed—to seize a golden opportunity. The next wave would either be Thread-Thieves or Thornborn.
Neither was a welcome prospect.
I reminded myself that Thread-Thieves had been my bread and butter once upon a time. I’d grown strong enough to take down those fae without breaking a sweat.
But that was then, and this was now.
I landed near the Palmetto town square at the end of another patrol circuit.
A few Neighbors looked sideways at my wings.
They weren’t accustomed to seeing me with them.
Although I’d allowed myself to retain Gorgon-like traits, I tried to maintain my human form as much as possible.
It was, after all, what I’d wanted the most. To return to the person I’d been before my mother sold me to the Fates—or to become the person I would’ve been without that life-altering bargain.
I was older now, though, and softer. Yes, I worked out at the gym, but that wasn’t remotely the same as the kind of training I used to do.
And the truth was that I’d wanted to grow old and soft and careless.
I chose to hide in Evermore so that I didn’t sprain my neck from constantly looking over my shoulder.
The sound of “This Land Is Your Land” wafted across the square from where Gerry stood strumming his guitar.
It was one of the few classic folk songs he played that I actually liked.
As I paused to listen to the lyrics, a familiar tangle of scents filled my nostrils—petrichor, wild mushrooms, moss, tree bark.
And a hint of violets.
My gut twisted. I knew this moment would come, and now that it was here, I felt a torrent of old, forgotten emotions.
The anticipatory stress of impending battle.
I sure didn’t miss the heart palpitations.
My father used to say that you were under no obligation to do a thing just because you were good at it.
I wished he had lived, for that reason and so many others.
I patted the hilt of the kopis to reassure myself that I had protection.
I couldn’t risk unveiling my snakes with so many Neighbors milling around.
Although it was possible to reverse the stone curse if an accident occurred, some of them were too old to make a full recovery. I refused to take the risk.
I searched the milling Neighbors until I found him.
Hair the color of sand, handsome, self-assured.
I watched his every move as he mingled with the crowd, acting like someone without a care in the world.
He even whistled a tune, barely discernible over the sound of Gerry’s next song, an acoustic version of “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
I felt a zing from my core to my extremities the precise moment his gaze latched onto me. The faerie stood in the center of the gazebo now, impossibly still. In the afternoon sunlight, his skin glowed with an otherworldly luminescence. His smile was ferocious, devoid of any trace of kindness.
The bastard had chosen the town square deliberately, assuming I wouldn’t want to cause a scene and risk injuring innocent bystanders. His presence here was a threat.
Judd would’ve tried to lure him away from the crowd, but Judd was no longer with us, thanks to the vile piece of shit currently grinning at me like an arrogant fool. And he’d not only crushed Belinda’s hopes and dreams, but he’d also used them against her, to prey on her. To murder her.
Anger simmered under my skin, old and painfully familiar. You could take the girl out of the fury, but you couldn’t take the fury out of the girl.
I strode across the lawn, my hand resting on the hilt of my kopis. The Neighbors were too wrapped up in their merriment to notice. It felt like a standoff at high noon. All we needed were tumbleweeds.
I approached the gazebo. “I’m afraid we don’t allow unauthorized visitors on the island, sir. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
He didn’t bother to deny his trespassing. “I’m here to reclaim what’s mine.”
“I believe you gave away your rights to the comb when you took Belinda’s fate-thread. That was the bargain, wasn’t it?”
Surprise flashed across his jagged features. Good. I had the home court advantage and the element of surprise. My Monday morning vibes were morphing into a Friday afternoon.
The Thread-Thief stepped out of the gazebo. “The trinket means nothing to you. Why not hand it over and spare any more of your flock?”
“Except we both know it’s much more than a trinket, don’t we?” My fingers tightened on the hilt. “Who knows? Maybe I’d like to take a trip to the Sídhe. I hear it’s lovely this time of year.”
Nostrils flaring, my would-be attacker stepped down from the gazebo.
“How did you meet Belinda? Was it through the glashtyn?”
Another flicker of shock, so brief I could’ve blinked and missed it. If I could keep him distracted, I might be able to encourage him out of the square and away from the crowd after all. Judd would be proud.
“Is the glashtyn your middleman?” I pressed. “Or an independent agent who finds you potential targets in exchange for money?”
“What does it matter? He’s long gone. You’ll never find him again, certainly not from your ivory tower.”
“He’s not the one I’m interested in,” I said. “I’ll tell you what I think happened, and you tell me how accurate it is on a scale of one to ten.”
“Scale,” he said, his laughter tinkling like bells. “You are amusing.”
“Belinda spent a lot of time swimming in the water by herself. One day she meets a fellow aquarian, your buddy the glashtyn. They swap stories. The glashtyn recognizes fresh fish when he sees one. He reports back to you. You reel her in, hook, line, and sinker.”
The faerie had the audacity to look smug about it. “It wasn’t difficult. She was very eager to leave this sad prison. We arranged to meet on the Saturday evening. I arrived on the ferry.”
“And wore your special cloak so you wouldn’t be noticed. Tell me, why bother to sign in as Rory Bell if you were wearing an invisibility cloak? You could’ve simply gotten on and off the ferry without detection.”
The Thread-Thief sauntered closer to me. “There was a snag at the dock. An unexpected wind blew back my hood, exposing me. I had no choice but to register.”
“Why claim you were going to see Laurel Oakes?”
“I couldn’t very well say Belinda, could I? Belinda had mentioned the old hermit that lived in the marshlands. I thought it would be an entertaining misdirection.”
I unsheathed my kopis.
“An ancient blade,” the faerie said with begrudging admiration. “A worthy opponent for a change.”
“Wish I could say the same.” I rolled my wrist, warming it up.
I struck first. A testing blow—quick, controlled—aimed at his center mass. He sidestepped with infuriating ease, twin blades materializing in his hands like they'd been waiting in the folds of reality itself. The silver gleamed wickedly in the bright afternoon light.
“Eager,” he observed. “But sloppy.”
I didn’t take the bait. Instead, I pressed forward with a series of strikes—high, low, diagonal—forcing him to engage. Our blades met in a shower of sparks. He was fast, unnaturally so, his twin blades working in perfect synchronization. One parried while the other sought openings.
I overcommitted on a downward slash, putting too much weight behind it.
He deflected with one blade and spun inside my guard.
He seized the advantage and struck me on the side of the head with the blunt end of his blade’s handle.
I’d never once missed my powers as much as I did in this moment.
Five years ago, this guy would’ve been flat as a pancake and begging for death’s sweet release.
I would’ve obliged him.
But that was then, and this was now. I had to get my act together soon or I’d be the one praying for mercy, knowing full well the gods wouldn’t answer. They never did.
I shook off the dizziness and planted my feet. Blood dripped from my temple, warm against my cheek. Focus. I'd fought through worse.
“You got Belinda’s fate-thread. Why kill Judd? Why not take what you wanted and leave?”
“Because I need the key.”
“Then I guess you shouldn’t have traded it.” I edged closer with my blade drawn. “What happened? Judd interrupted your little trade before you could complete it?”
“Your precious hound followed me from the party. Apparently, invisibility cloaks are forbidden on your island. Did you know?”
“HOA Rule 17(b).”
The faerie grimaced. “Such ridiculous rules for ridiculous mortals.”
“Why hide him in the barn?” I asked. “Why not dispose of him in the water where he was likely to be found?” Then I remembered Zach’s theory. “Judd shifted into his werewolf form.”
The faerie’s eyes blazed with anger and indignation. “The dog bit me.”
“He wasn’t biting you. He was trying to keep you from running off, except you escaped and ran anyway. Probably made it as far as the barn. ”
“He was frightening the livestock, so he turned back to his human form, which was his fatal error.”
Shifters weren’t allowed within thirty feet of the barn in their animal forms for that reason. Damn Judd and his stickler tendencies.
“What about the chickens? Why kill them?”
“Collateral damage in the scuffle.”
“Why not go back to the fountain?” I asked. “Belinda was still there, wearing the comb.”
“The last ferry was about to leave,” he said.
“I had to be on it, or I’d be stuck on this godsforsaken island until Sunday.
I couldn’t afford to wait, knowing the bodies would be discovered.
I’d already sold the fate-thread. If I was a no-show for my buyer on Sunday, the deal would’ve fallen through. ”