9. Chapter 9
Chapter nine
W hen Arlo had suggested they extend their time in the city with a date, Itri had been delighted. He had not, however, been prepared for floating platforms, high-speed zip lines, and ever-shifting rock walls.
He had also failed to anticipate how absurdly reckless his mate could be.
It didn’t matter that a pit of magical clouds existed beneath the platforms to cushion his fall. When Arlo had missed the jump from one floating island to the next and plummeted toward the floor, Itri’s heart had stopped.
Pink-cheeked and breathless from laughter, Arlo spent a solid minute rolling around in the safety net while Ari flew around his head, chirping loudly. Then the menace made his way to the edge of the pit, climbed the enchanted rope ladder, and did it all over again—only to miss the exact same jump and freefall fifteen feet into the cloud crater.
“This is amazing!” Arlo shouted as he flipped over the padded wall and landed with both feet on the floor. “I’ve heard about places like this, but I’ve never been to one.”
After the Awakening, weres, shifters, and vampires had been thrust into the spotlight. Thanks to the romanticization of their kind in books and movies, their introduction to the world had been well received for the most part.
Demons hadn’t fared as well, especially those like furies who didn’t pass as human. It was the fae and the mages who had borne the brunt of the backlash, though, despite being the closest to humans genetically.
Apparently, people could accept bloodsuckers and men who turned into beasts on the full moon. But almost fifteen years later, the world still struggled with the concept of magic.
While slightly more common in Europe, in the States, few places like Sky’s the Limit existed outside of metropolitan areas. Even then, most were located in cities already infamous for being somewhat eccentric. For instance, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Seattle, and San Francisco all boasted a thriving magical population.
To his credit, Arlo tried to appear interested as Itri explained the history of magic users and their struggles after the Awakening. But eventually, his eyes glazed over, his expression became slack, vacant, and he started chewing his thumbnail as he idly bobbed his head.
“Right,” he said when Itri had finished. “That’s really depressing and all. Can we maybe put a pin in it and circle back later?” His gaze shifted to the side and flickered across the room. “Do you want to try the obstacle course?”
Unoffended, Itri chuckled, sweeping his arm out to indicate that Arlo should lead the way. They had come to indulge in an afternoon of adrenaline-fueled entertainment. He had only meant to explain why his mate wouldn’t have known about the existence of magical places. Instead, he had launched into a full-scale lecture about the complicated political hierarchy of the paranormal world.
Smooth. Not weird at all. He was totally nailing this date.
Shaking his head at himself, he fell into step behind Arlo, following close behind as they wound their way through the crowd. Despite it being early on a weekday, squealing children darted from one colorful attraction to another while adults engaged in shouted conversations to be heard over the din.
Itri wrinkled his nose as they passed by the food court, his stomach roiling at the mingled scents of buttery popcorn, melted cheese, and zesty tomato sauce. The mixture—combined with chemical air fresheners, overstated perfumes, and musky sweat—created a nauseating fragrance that seemed to saturate everything.
Ahead, the adventure course loomed, a centerpiece of glowing vines, charmed clouds, climbing walls, and moving platforms suspended in the air. Judging by the serpentine line that wove through the rope barriers, it was clearly the most popular attraction at the park.
As they neared the end of the line, a distracted guest in a corduroy jacket and a baseball cap walked right into Arlo, knocking him off balance. Instinctively, Itri reached out and grabbed his mate, pulling him close to steady him.
“Thanks,” Arlo said, his voice tinged with amusement. “I guess he was in a hurry.”
The guy needed a lesson in manners, but Itri let it go, choosing to stay close to his dove’s side to prevent future accidents. Despite the length of the queue, it moved quickly, and within minutes, he found himself at the starting line.
“Look.” Arlo pointed to a sign near the entrance of the first obstacle. “If we finish in under twelve minutes, we win a prize!”
Itri’s eyes darted across the course. To reach the finish line, they had to navigate a cloud maze, scale a shifting rock-climbing wall, traverse a series of moving platforms, and swing across glowing vines.
“We can do it.”
Arlo snorted. “ You might be able to, but not all of us were born with heightened senses and supernatural speed.”
Okay, he had a point, but Itri wouldn’t let that deter him. While he didn’t care one way or the other about some carnival prize, he could see it mattered to Arlo. Whatever the reward—a stuffed toy, a rubber stamp, or a slice of pizza at the food court—if his mate wanted it, Itri intended for him to have it.
“Come now, dove. Where is your confidence?”
Arlo shrugged, his laughter light and carefree. “Never met her.”
Taking his hand, Itri led him toward the starting point. “We’ve got this.”
While a challenging course, he had every faith they could make it to the end in the allotted time. And he’d be right there in case things went sideways.
Pushing the sleeves of his knit sweater up to his elbows, he gave Arlo a smile and a quick nod. He wouldn’t let them fail.
The buzzer sounded, and a large digital stopwatch on the far wall started the countdown. Together, they darted into the mouth of the maze—a labyrinth comprised of eight-foot-tall cloud walls. While not a physically demanding task, it was time consuming and immune to strategy.
The minutes ticked down as they hit one dead end after another, forcing them to backtrack and try again. At first, Arlo took it in stride, remaining upbeat despite their failed attempts. By the fourth time they found their way blocked, however, Itri could see his frustration mounting.
Coming to a stop in the middle of one of the long, fluffy corridors, he grabbed his mate by the arm and dragged him to his side. They couldn’t keep running in circles and hope for the best. They needed to be smarter.
He linked his fingers together and crouched low, offering his hands as a step. “Up you go, dove.”
Arlo didn’t waste time with questions. Bracing himself on Itri’s shoulders, he stepped into his cupped hands and pushed up from the floor. Itri lifted him easily, watching and feeling for every subtle movement so he could adjust accordingly.
“Left, left, right, left.”
“Nice work,” he complimented. “Ready to come down?”
“Ready.”
Itri dropped his hands, allowing Arlo to fall right into the cradle of his arms. Then he put him on his feet and gave him a gentle nudge. “Lead the way.”
“Left, left, right, left,” he recited under his breath as he navigated through the pastel clouds. “Left, left, right, left.”
Itri should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. With only one turn remaining, the walls on either side of them began to unravel, the clouds dissipating to fill the corridor with a dense fog that obscured their view and brought them to a grinding halt.
“Keep going,” he urged, placing his hand on Arlo’s hip so they wouldn’t become separated in the mist. “One foot in front of the other.”
As they inched toward their goal, Itri blocked out the commotion of the park and called forth his storm magic. Bending the atmosphere to his will, he summoned a gust of wind that howled through the maze.
When the thick fog dispersed, leaving a clear path to the exit, Arlo turned and stared up at him with an arched eyebrow.
“That’s cheating.” Then his face split into a Cheshire grin. “I love it.” He grabbed Itri by the wrist and began running toward the end of the maze. “Hurry!”
Sprinting out of the maze, they came to the next obstacle, one that promised a more physical challenge. Rather than a standard rock-climbing wall, the entire structure floated a few feet off the ground and continuously rotated a full three-hundred-sixty degrees.
“I can do this,” Arlo murmured, but he appeared apprehensive as they approached. “I can do this.”
“Aim for the ledge,” Itri instructed.
An outcropping just large enough to accommodate a grown man extended from the bottom of the wall. It was still a risky jump, but better than expecting participants to cling onto the handholds like spiders.
“Ready? Three. Two. One.”
They made the leap together, landing on the stone ledge where they both tottered for a moment before finding their balance.
“Okay, that wasn’t so bad.” Arlo beamed up at him. “Now, we just have to make it to the top.”
A task easier said than done. Not only was the rotating wall disorienting, but the handholds shifted every few seconds, disappearing and reappearing in a different location. Worse, as they climbed higher, the footholds below them vanished completely, leaving only the smooth rock surface. If they became stuck, there was no turning back.
Meaning, the only way forward was up.
Itri took a slow and measured approach, always staying a few feet below Arlo, a strategic distance that gave him both proximity and time to react. A safety net stretched out beneath them, filled with more enchanted clouds, but he wasn’t about to leave his mate’s welfare to the whims of someone else’s magic.
He needn’t have worried, though. Arlo reached the top with little difficulty. Only one of them needed to make it across the finish line within the time limit, but instead of heading into the next obstacle, he immediately reached over the edge, offering his hand to help Itri over the last hurdle.
Completely unnecessary, of course, but also incredibly sweet.
Especially when Ari peeked out from the collar of his jacket to squeak her own encouragement. While Itri knew she was merely mirroring Arlo’s excitement, he found the pair’s dynamic beyond adorable.
At the top of the wall, he chanced another look at the clock, seeing that little more than four minutes remained. Doable with only two obstacles remaining, but they needed to be quick.
First up, they had to cross a bridge consisting of narrow planks stretched across an open pit. Only there were no ropes to connect the pieces of padded wood. No handrails for balance. The distance between each plank appeared minimal, but that didn’t mean much when they never stopped moving, always sawing back and forth from one another.
For this challenge, timing would be everything.
“You first, dove.”
Arlo looked between Itri and the bridge several times. “Yeah. Fine. This is fine.”
Since he already knew his mate had zero fear of falling, he could only assume the guy disliked the idea of failing . A heartbeat later, Arlo confirmed his suspicions.
“If I fall, keep going. Promise.”
With no time for some lengthy pep talk, he did the next best thing. Grabbing Arlo’s face between his hands, he pulled him up on his toes to deliver a brief but blistering kiss.
“We’re going to win.”
Though he looked a little dazed, a bright, happy grin stretched Arlo’s lips. “Hell, yeah, we are.”
He started slow, ensuring each foot was firmly planted on the plank before making the short jump to the next floating beam. But eventually, he found his rhythm and increased his pace, practically flying across the deconstructed bridge. In his haste, however, he misjudged the extra-wide leap from the last board to the next platform.
Itri didn’t have time to conjure another gust of wind. Hell, he didn’t even have time to think—only react. Pushing off hard from the second-to-last beam, he caught Arlo around the waist just as he started to fall. The momentum carried them across the gap, where he stumbled several steps before crashing to the ground.
Not the most graceful landing, but no one was judging him on style.
“Thanks,” Arlo said, his voice tight and breathless. “Last one. Let’s go.”
Scrambling up from the floor, they jogged over to the edge of the platform where several glowing vines hung from the ceiling. Straightforward enough, but with barely a minute remaining on the countdown, they didn’t have any time to waste.
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” Arlo responded. No doubt. No hesitation.
“Okay, get a running start, and swing out as far as you can. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Arlo immediately backpedaled to the far edge of the platform, took a deep breath, and sprinted toward the vines like the hounds of hell were on his ass. Catching the nearest vine about halfway down, he gripped it tight as he arched his back and kicked his feet out, giving him maximum propulsion.
Summoning a gust of wind, Itri took the leap at a run as well, using the slipstream to sail past his mate to the middle of the hanging jungle.
Only thirty seconds left.
With one hand, he grasped onto a vine, while grabbing Arlo around the wrist with the other.
Twenty seconds.
Arlo’s eyes flared briefly before narrowing in determination. Then he let go, trusting Itri to carry them across the finish line.
Ten seconds.
With the momentum of his leap and the wind pushing at his back, Itri soared toward the final landing. On the upward arch of his swing, he flexed his arm, bringing it in front of him to fling his mate across the remaining distance. Only when he was sure he had hit his mark did he finally let go of the glowing vine and follow after him.
He landed only steps behind Arlo, just in time to watch his mate slam his hand against the big red button beneath the clock, stopping it with a scant two seconds remaining.
“Yes!” Arlo launched himself at Itri, grabbing him around the neck and climbing him like a tree. “We did it!”
Supporting him with an arm around his back, Itri chuckled. “We did it.”
Cheeks pink with happiness and exertion, a sheen of perspiration across his brow, and the biggest, purest smile on his lips—he was the most beautiful thing Itri had ever seen. What had started as a silly race had become a core memory, a snapshot of their life together that he would always keep in his heart.
Even Ari crawled out of the safety of Arlo’s jacket to share the excitement, head bobbing and tail wagging as she tap danced on his shoulder.
“Do you think we’ll get a trophy?”
They didn’t. They did, however, both receive medals, ten-dollar vouchers to the food court, and their picture added to the collage of other contestants who had completed the challenge. It was honestly more than Itri had expected.
They used their vouchers to purchase a couple of hotdogs and two bottles of water, just enough to hold them over until they reached home. Then they left the park hand in hand, with Arlo sporting both gold-plated medals around his neck.
“That was so much fun. I’m glad we did it.”
“Me, too, dove.”
Before meeting Arlo, he never would have set foot in a place like Sky’s the Limit. Yet, he had to admit it had been an entertaining way to pass a couple of hours.
As they crossed the car park, Arlo released his hand and began patting his pockets, a slight frown marring his brow.
“Everything okay?” Itri asked.
“I can’t find my keys,” he muttered, his tone a mix of confusion and mild annoyance.
“Maybe you dropped them on the obstacle course.” Itri slowed and glanced over his shoulder. “We could see if someone turned them in.”
Arlo shook his head, still searching. “Maybe. I don’t—wait.” He took another step forward, then smacked his palm against his forehead. “Oh, my god, I’m such an idiot.”
Itri followed his gaze, his mouth turning down in a scowl. Sitting conspicuously on the back bumper of Arlo’s SUV were his keys, glinting innocently under the security lamps.
Arlo shook his head with a sheepish grin as he rushed over to retrieve them. “I must have left them here earlier when we were loading up Ari’s things.”
Maybe, but Itri distinctively remembered his mate using the fob to lock the doors before heading to the adventure park. Ari had hissed at the sound of the horn, causing them both to laugh.
Still frowning, he reached for the front driver’s side door. It opened with ease.
“I don’t think you forgot your keys, dove.”
“What do you mean?” Arlo asked, now looking puzzled as he came to join him. “It wouldn’t be the first—oh.”
Both the glove compartment and the middle console stood open, their contents scattered across the seats. Arlo’s expression shifted from confusion to concern as he took in the scene.
“I don’t understand.”
Itri placed a reassuring hand on the back of his neck. “Someone was clearly looking for something.”
And he knew exactly who that someone was. Jude’s scent saturated the inside of the vehicle, the stench tinged with desperation and anxiety.
They did a quick inventory, concluding that nothing had been taken. None of Ari’s expensive pet supplies were missing. The interior had appeared disheveled but not destroyed. Hell, Jude could have taken the vehicle, but instead, he’d left the keys for them to find.
Itri thought back to the incident inside the park, the stranger who had bumped into Arlo as they’d made their way to the obstacle course. He had been too overwhelmed with the sounds and smells of the place to notice at the time, but he would bet his Italian villa that the so-called stranger had been Jude.
While irritation and frustration simmered beneath the surface, he maintained a calm outward appearance for Arlo’s sake. In truth, he hadn’t reached the point of true concern yet. Jude was a con artist and a thief, but he didn’t have a history of violence. If he wanted to hurt them, he’d had ample opportunity.
It didn’t take a genius to put the pieces together. Jude wanted the fortune talisman, and since he couldn’t afford it, he had decided to steal it. Not a well-devised plan, but desperation often made people irrational, reckless.
He hadn’t seen any evidence that would lead him to believe Jude was dangerous. In fact, it appeared he had gone out of his way to cause as little disruption as possible. Still, when it came to his mate, Itri refused to leave anything to chance.
So far, he had been playing defense. Maybe it was time to take the fight to Jude.
He just had to find the jackal first.