Luca (Veiled City #3)

Chapter Four

LUCA

A s was the norm with most of the palaces I’d read about in fairy tales, there was a wall that enclosed the capital; a tall, impenetrable layer of stone that we thankfully didn’t have to scale. We strolled right out the rear gates with no drama, no questions, and there was even a little bounce in my step because it all seemed so straightforward.

It was the next part that made me regret my life choices.

Typically, the stories also mentioned a moat, or a dense forest, or mountains that enclosed a kingdom, protecting all subjects inside—separating the nobles from the common folk, more like. Well, this place had all three.

Prime location.

We had to cross a bridge, trek three miles through unforgiving undergrowth, then fly over the final hurdle. What fun. We could have skipped the walking part altogether, but Cair couldn’t extend his wings since the gaps in the trees were only just wide enough for us to pass through, and because he’d have the added weight of me—despite his insistence that I was light as a feather—I’d refused his offer of taking us over the top.

I preferred it if he conserved his strength for the mountains.

Though we’d done it before, I was very slightly apprehensive about that part, and having him falter at the peak because I’d been too lazy to do some brisk exercise would totally ruin my day. I wasn’t exactly scared of heights, and flying with Cair was exhilarating and beautiful. I loved it, but keeping it as risk free as possible—even just in my own head, considering Cair was a pro—was preferable.

So, three-mile trek it is.

The journey would take about a week in all, with Cair transporting us over the mountains. That was three days less than if we had to use the path around. I felt kinda bad for all the non-winged creatures or unmated Fae who traveled to the capital whenever they wanted passage through the Veil. Why make it easy and add a portal or some shit when it could be as difficult as possible, right?

We could’ve reduced those seven days by half if I’d accepted Cair’s suggestion of teleporting closer to my father’s homestead, but while that idea suited my impatience, I really wanted to see more of the Otherworld and its people. Well, I did before the forest hike, anyway. We’d see if that desire still stood after the fact, but for now, walking was the plan.

I’d ventured that way once before, but we’d kept to the village close to the bottom of the mountain on the other side, not having had the time to go much farther before Cair was called back. As our destination lay in the lands outside the “borders” of the kingdom—an island the king used to flaunt his power and authority by shipping those who opposed him off to its solitude—we would have plenty of chances to pass through as many towns and provinces as we liked. Reaching my dad was the goal, and because it was in the forefront of my mind, I didn’t want to drag things out. We’d have to stop and rest anyway , though, and I couldn’t travel all that way, through a beautiful land unlike anything I’d seen before, without at least a taste of what it had to offer.

It also might be beneficial for Cair to show his face after so many years in the human realm. The people adored him, but I’d been told that, in the past, lords had become restless with the lack of interest from the royals. They felt neglected, existing outside the walls of the capital, where none of the nobles except Cair ever bothered to go.

It hadn’t surprised my mate that no visits had been made to the people while he was gone—or at least, none he’d learned of—so to prevent tensions rising, he would use this opportunity to give them what they needed.

I was very much on board, as those revolts were half the reason Teighan had battle scars, and we didn’t need to be collecting any of those.

That reminded me.

“Do you not need an armed guard?” I asked, scanning around and noticing no one was following us out the palace gates or into the forest. “A small battalion, even? Whenever we left before, you had people come with us.”

“Rathe took care of it,” Cair said as he guided us through the trees, his hand on my lower back. I’d tripped over a twig within the first three steps, so he was being cautious. “I am a prince, so I will draw attention regardless, but I didn’t want a force of armed Fae trailing along behind us, making even more of a spectacle. I thought being somewhat alone would make you feel less crowded.”

“Oh, yeah. I like that it’s just us.” It was nice that he’d thought of my comfort, though that was standard for Cair, and I supposed he wasn’t wrong. He could never venture across the Otherworld without being spotted—he may as well have had a Royal Blood sign above his head—so an army of bodyguards would just heighten the attention on us by a million percent. “What do you mean by ‘Rathe took care of it’?”

“Once we are over the mountains, there will be eyes on us from the shadows just in case we run into any trouble. You won’t notice their presence unless we find ourselves in need of them.”

“As in… spies ?”

“Of sorts.” He shrugged vaguely. “They are a guild of creatures with specialized abilities called the Shades. Each member was handpicked by Rathe himself, and they have pledged their lives to me. They will ensure our safety.”

“Are you sure that’ll be enough?” A group of spies sounded pretty solid in the protection department, but I was still a little skeptical. “I know you said we’re avoiding the areas the king’s bigot supporters haunt, but… you don’t want to take at least one guard? Just to be extra sure?”

Cair paused in his tracks, looking down at me with a soft smile. “You do not have to fear for your safety, sweetheart. I may not be a trained soldier, but I will fight for you, if need be.”

“No, no, I’m not really scared of that,” I assured him, taking his hand in mine. “I know you’ll keep me safe, but… I can’t protect you .”

He huffed a small laugh. “You underestimate your abilities,” he said pointedly. I smiled, though it fell flat. “Besides, I am protected by the Royal Blood ward. No subject within our kingdom can kill me.”

“They can still kidnap and torture you,” I reminded him, the words tasting like bile on my tongue. “And we’re going to the Outerlands , beyond the official borders of the kingdom. An outsider could kill you, and just to point out the obvious, if those journals were right, Zadok is an outsider. What if he didn’t move out there of his own accord? What if he was banished by the king and now holds a bloodthirsty grudge against anyone with white hair and a scowl? He could cut us down on sight.”

The only assurance we had was that the loophole on the ward wasn’t really known among the common folk, but would that still be the case? The royals knew, of course; the king relished it. It was a game for him to send anyone he considered a threat to the kingdom’s peace to the one place they could actually be a threat to him. Fucking arrogant asshole. Alex and I were only privy to the information because of mate privileges, but since the guy we were heading off to find used to be the king’s adviser, it wasn’t a huge leap to assume he was aware of it too. Who knew how far a scorned male would share that juicy gossip?

The whole island could know by now.

“He won’t be given the opportunity to get that far,” Cair insisted. “Those who are following us will come out of hiding at the first whiff of danger.”

I chewed my lip, staring down at our joined hands, Maeve’s words whirring around in my head. She had been trying to intimidate me, that much was obvious—it was her MO. But still, I couldn’t shake the horrible image of Cair using himself to protect me. Yes, he would heal, and yes, he was tough, but knowing I wouldn’t be able to do a damned thing to prevent him from getting hurt was unsettling me.

It wasn’t only on this journey either, but in general. I was mostly human. I was weaker and slower. Even with my Fae blood and the sharper senses I’d gained after our mating, it wouldn’t be enough against some of the horrors and skilled warriors of this realm. I had to rely on the competence of other creatures, had to put my mate’s well-being in their hands, because I was effectively useless. And for once, I wasn’t saying that out of self-pity. It was a fact.

I couldn’t wield a sword, couldn’t use a bow and arrow, could barely even swing my own fists without running the risk of punching myself in the face. It was embarrassing. There I was, holed up in a medievalesque palace, in a fairy-tale world, and I hadn’t taken the opportunity to learn how to defend myself or my mate. Hadn’t even thought of it as a possibility until now. But why should Cair have to be the only one who constantly put himself in jeopardy because I selfishly didn’t even think twice about it?

It was just one more way that I’d surrendered myself into the kept husband life. Who needed to learn how to fight when there was a strapping Fae willing to burn the world for me or a force of armed guards at my beck and call? My old self would have been mortified at the level of dependence I was displaying. Well, that was going to change.

Right the fuck now.

“I want to learn to fight,” I said resolutely, and Cair’s eyes widened. I raised my chin high to show I wasn’t taking no for an answer. “And I don’t wanna hear any protests. I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want to always have to depend on others for your safety, and I don’t think it’s particularly fair on you that you’re the only one defending this relationship. A mating is a two-way system, and I want to do my part. That’s all.”

For a beat, there was silence, and I geared myself up for a few rounds of dissuasion table tennis, but none came. In fact, Cair had a fond smile on his face, and he nodded in that graceful, princely way he had before saying, “If that is what you wish.”

I blinked. I’d expected at least a little resistance.

“Oh.” The tension in me loosened and my brows pinched. “You don’t mind?”

“Do you want me to mind?”

“No.” Maybe. “I just… Usually, you try to talk me out of shit like this.”

“And what good has that ever done me?” he said, amused. “I’ll never deny you anything, sweetling—if it’s reasonable and within my power to give—but there is also no point attempting to discourage your fancies. You would find a way to do it anyway.”

I sniffed derisively. “Rude, and very slightly accurate.”

He chuckled under his breath. “Once we return, I will arrange for weekly lessons with Teighan, if he is willing. I would not trust anyone else with the task.”

Nor would I, but… “I was kind of hoping to start sooner.”

“You wish to master the art of self-defense… at this very moment ?” he said, and I shrugged in assent. “We can certainly try. We haven’t made it too far from the palace, and I’m sure the trip to your father’s homestead can wait several years.”

I balked at his airy insinuation. Fuck that.

“Ugh, fine, you’ve made your point.” Cair was radiating a little too much arrogance for my liking, but I let it slide. “I guess I’ll wait.”

This trip was already taking its toll on me anyway, so learning how to use a sword or whatever might be best left until I had all my energy again. Plus, I’d already started this journey, so I may as well see it through before taking on side quests.

“Very well,” he acknowledged as if it were my idea, then there was silence.

I glanced around dumbly, having thought that since the conversation was over we’d start walking again, but we both stood there, rooted to the spot. I met Cair’s gaze—deep and unrelenting as it was—and the smile that raked across his face made my belly swoop. It was a familiar smile, but one he typically reserved for the bedroom, so I was a little confused.

“What?”

Reaching out, he hooked his fingers into the waistband of my pants and tugged, dragging me against his chest. He leaned in to scent me, rumbling into the crook of my neck. “Well, my heart,” he purred. “It seems your determination to defend me is quite arousing.”

Ah.

“Glad to hear it.” I tilted my head to give him better access. “Now you know how I feel.”

He hummed, the sound vibrating against me. His hands trailed over my ass, his fingers grazing under the hem of my shirt, seeking skin. I wanted so badly to melt into it, to let him keep going and potentially end up with my pants around my ankles as he fucked me against a tree, but we had a schedule, and I wanted to stick to it.

If only to be a shit.

“Come on then, big guy.” I tapped his chest, slinking out of his arms before turning on my heel and carrying on walking, ignoring the insistent throb between my legs. “As you said—journey now, sword fighting later.”

The answering growl that came from behind me was totally worth it.

* * *

An hour and a half later, we’d finally breached the tree line, and we wandered the final stretch to the base of the mountain. We would have been quicker had I not missed my footing on a particularly obstructive patch of thin air and nearly face-planted. Thankfully, one of us—not me—was graced with the reflexes of a cat, but even though we’d avoided disaster, I’d needed a second or three to recover.

Being this much of a hazard was taxing business, but someone had to do it.

We stood at the edge of the path, staring up at the imposing summit we still had to overcome. Well, Cair was staring up at the summit. I was too distracted by the wistful smile he wore. It was far more worthy of attention than any scenic backdrop.

“I’m glad we’re finally here,” he said, and I winced.

“Sorry.”

His eyes snapped to mine, wide in mortification. “That was not what I meant, sweetheart. Only that I’ve been hankering to make this journey again since our last visit, as it fills me with a sense of peace. The more I distance myself from the palace, the easier I breathe, and these mountains, much like the Veil between our worlds, signify the final barrier I must cross before I can fully appreciate that feeling of freedom. That was all.”

I nodded in understanding. “Yeah, it’s like the last thing standing in your way, and being on that cusp gives you the high before either relief or disappointment. You’re almost there, but not quite, so it’s exciting but could all still be taken away.”

“Precisely.”

I slotted my hand into his, giving it a loving squeeze. “Then let’s not waste any more time.”

With a nod, Cair brought my fingers to his lips and brushed a kiss over the knuckles before letting go and stepping back. He flexed his shoulders and his wings erupted through the detachable panel in the back of his shirt, the wind they whipped up almost knocking me off my feet. The sun shone through each translucent web, casting rainbow shadows on the ground. They fluttered, and I swore I heard them tinkle like diamonds.

“May I fetch the swathing garment from your pack?”

I nodded, and he moved behind me, unclipping the buckle on my backpack before reaching in to grab what he needed. He closed it up before shifting in front of me again.

“Now, I would prefer to carry you with your face to my chest. It is more secure, especially with your pack, and it will be less taxing on your body.” Yeah, having to fight against the velocity to keep my head back didn’t sound too pleasant. Plus, my legs dangling for an hour would no doubt lead to major pins and needles—a sensation I could not stand. “But if you’d rather have a full view of the landscape, we can find a comfortable way to turn you around.”

“Face to chest is fine,” I said. “That’s what we did last time, and I could still see enough. I trust you not to drop me, but being able to hug you makes me feel safer.”

He nodded. “Then prepare yourself, and we’ll get you strapped in.”

What he really meant was “pick your wedgie now because you won’t be able to at thirteen thousand feet,” but he was too posh to say it. It was an important preflight ritual: pull pants out of crack, make sure socks haven’t ridden down, tuck in loose fabric, and adjust pack straps until they no longer dig in . There was nothing worse than being fixed in one position when all you could focus on was your shirt slowly bunching up your back and starting to tickle. It made time go slower somehow. Or maybe that was just me.

With a “done” gesture, I straightened up. “Ready.”

Cair gave me an incredulous, slightly amused look. “Your laces are untied.”

“Oh.” I crouched down to take care of that before standing again. “Okay, ready.”

Cair smiled fondly and stepped forward, crouching to my height. “Arms around my neck, little one.” I obeyed and he lifted me in his arms, guiding my legs around his waist so my ankles crossed behind his back. He wrapped the sheet of cloth around my ass and backpack like a swaddle, around and around, before tying the ends at his back, under his wings. He patted me down, making sure I was fully covered. “Do you feel secure?”

I gave a little wriggle, content that I only budged a fraction. “Yeah. Snug as a bug.”

He made a pleased sound in his throat. “I would tell you to keep the squirming to a minimum, but that would be futile.” Rude . “You can move your arms if you wish, but I’d feel better if you kept them around my neck. I have you, and I won’t let go for an instant, so don’t be afraid.”

I craned my neck to kiss his chin. “I’m not afraid.”

He responded with a gentle brush of his fingers through my hair. “I’ll increase elevation at a steady pace to avoid overwhelming your senses. In case you don’t remember from last time, since you’re not fully Fae, you will feel some discomfort when we reach the crest, but it will be brief. Once we’re over I can bring us down much quicker.”

I recalled that feeling. The strain to catch a breath, the mild disorientation, the popping in my ears. It was unpleasant, but as he said, it would be gone as soon as we began the drop back to solid ground.

It was worth it for the thrill of being as high as the birds, and seeing the world from the best point of view.

“Okay,” I said. That seemed to be all he needed as he braced a hand at the back of my head, the other splayed over my back, before bending his knees. His wings beat against the wind, and between one blink and the next we were shooting into the air.

I screwed my eyes shut against the initial shock and the plunge in my stomach, keeping my face smooshed between my mate’s pecs until we evened out and began to soar. Cair let go of my head once we were a quarter of the way up, enveloping me in his arms as he seemed to drift too close to the mountain face, but I trusted his judgment. There was no reason for me to do otherwise—he would never dream of causing me harm, and he’d done this a million times before. All I had to do was relax in his embrace and watch the trees get smaller and smaller as we rose up and up.

The incline was steep, but we weren’t rushing it. It barely felt like we were moving at all, hovering just below the halfway mark. It was only the scenery that proved we were clearing any distance. Between each flap of Cair’s wings, I spotted a stream running down the cracks in the rocks. It was in my direct line of sight for all of ten seconds before I couldn’t even strain my neck to see it. There were rows of pines that I thought I’d imagined with how they flitted past in my peripheral vision, and the pathway snaking around the shallowest part of the mountain was merely a piece of string by the time I registered what it even was.

There wasn’t much else to see, not yet, not until we reached the other side, so I admired my mate instead. The sheer power in his frame, the concentration on his face, and the billow of his white hair against the backdrop of the cloudless sky. I was entranced by the pale, slightly blue tinge to his skin under the glow of the Otherworld’s sun. It almost looked iridescent, and paired with the stained-glass look of his wings, he was godlike.

I could feel his muscles bunch under my hands, feel each inhale and exhale as his lungs worked. He made it all look effortless, not even a hint of stress on his face or note of fatigue through our bond. It was unbelievably majestic, and I still couldn’t understand what I’d done in this life or the last to deserve the chance to witness it.

To belong to someone as divine as him.

Looking up, I saw we were just over halfway. We weren’t yet so high that my senses were starting to falter, but I definitely felt a stir. Cair was climbing steadily as he’d promised, zig-zagging to avoid all the protruding ledges. But my heart was already thudding at an elevated pace, and I was aware of every damp breath that left my lips. The wind was a soothing balm against my skin, which was suddenly overly hot and prickling with sweat. There was an incessant need in my arms and legs to stretch and then stiffen, an irritating clench in my belly that wouldn’t ease, and I couldn’t figure it out.

Until I did.

I was restless, but—delayed realization—it wasn’t from discomfort or fear. My dick was chubbing up, and it was almost comical how fast every part of my system homed in on that fact, my arousal suddenly impossible to ignore. I may have even gripped my mate’s shoulders a little too hard, nails biting through the fabric to try and divert my attention to anything other than the twinge in my balls.

It didn’t work.

Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, and we were glued together with barely a gap for our chests to inflate. It was a sensory overload. Cair smelled warm and sexy, and was showing far too much of his perfect body with that deep vee in his linen shirt and those tight trousers. And don’t get me started on the slutty pirate boots. I couldn’t be blamed, and against my will, my hips rolled forward, a stuttered moan catching on my tongue as my cock met with a slight bulge.

“ Fuck .”

“Sweetheart…” Cair’s menacing growl echoed in my ear, jolting me from my inner turmoil—and from mindlessly rutting against him. “Do you have any idea how distracting you smell right now?”

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled against his chest. “I can’t help it. You’re so fucking impressive, and it’s making me horny.”

His dark chuckle reverberated right to my toes. “It’s alright. Take what you need, little one,” he said before tacking on, “As long as you come before we reach the top. Or you might faint.”

I should have taken that as the warning it was probably intended to be, a reason to settle down and behave myself, but the crossed wires in my head saw it as a challenge. It turned me on even more knowing there was a time limit, and the added danger of possibly blacking out made my cock throb. No self-preservation to be seen. It wasn’t something we’d tried before, fucking in the sky, and I needed no further motivation than that to begin grinding against him with more purpose, chasing the pleasure twisting in my core.

My thighs tightened around his waist, adding to the friction. It was a little painful, the scrape of my pants rough against the sensitive skin, but it was good. So fucking good . And if I weren’t feverish with determination and desire, I’d have been embarrassed by how close I already was to ruining my underwear. There was even wetness pooling under the tip, and I could tell by the way Cair snarled that he could feel and smell it soaking through both of our clothes. It was heady, knowing he was just as affected as I was. The thick steel bar I rubbed against and his bruising grip on my back were proof enough.

And it was even more incentive to take .

It was common sense not to look down from a great height, but at that moment, I was a sucker for torment, and I craved the rush. We were so far from where we’d started that I couldn’t make out the gap in the forest we’d wandered through. The palace was smaller than a dollhouse, and my imagination ran wild. If the cover tying me in place snapped, if Cair’s hands slipped, I’d fall all that way—like Alice diving down the rabbit hole, only Wonderland wouldn’t be my destination. My cock drooled even more.

It wouldn’t happen, and even if it did, my mate would catch me before I hit the ground, but that fake scenario frightened and intrigued me. It had my anxiety flaring but also dialed up my horniness to a thousand and ten percent.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Glancing up, I saw the sharp, rocky peak advancing, faster and faster. I gasped, clinging to Cair’s shoulders, his back, his arms, wherever I could reach to use as leverage for each stilted buck of my hips. My dick would be rubbed raw, but I didn’t care. I dragged the length up and down, pressing in tight and whimpering as the tip grazed every crease in the crotch of my pants. One of Cair’s hands slid from my back down to my ass, steering my hips faster, spurring my movements on with a sense of panicked urgency.

“Almost at the top,” he murmured—a warning, an incitement. A fucking plea. “I need you to come, sweetheart.” He held me tighter, as if preparing for a deadweight. “You can do it.”

I bit a piece of Cair’s shirt, needing another outlet as my nerves buzzed, raw and ready to break. Desperate grunts came through my gritted teeth as I rode him frantically, my rhythm non-existent as he ascended higher and higher. The roar of his wings was like thunder in my ears, the air like a whip against my skin. The change in altitude, even at a gradual incline, had my belly swooping up into my throat and my head drifting, light and woozy, but I didn’t dare stop. I was too close to stop. My dick was throbbing, the knot in my gut was tightening, and I was enslaved by the need to release it.

Almost at the top.

My muscles grew taut, my body wound so tight with arousal and anticipation that I could hardly breathe—or maybe that was the thin air. There was nothing in my head except danger and sex and mate . My legs were trembling, white spots were dancing in my vision, and the dull, chafing ache in my cock was secondary to the taste I had of sweet relief.

Almost.

At.

The…

We reached the top, and the cry that tore from my throat was somehow silent as I came harder than I ever had before. My eyes rolled, tremors of mind-numbing pleasure coursing through me, making me drift in and out of consciousness. I was agitated yet enthralled by the heightened sensation, equal parts yielding to its overwhelming seduction and attempting to escape it. Everything was too much, too dizzying, but also intoxicating. I couldn’t find the perfect balance.

Cair plummeted over the other side, the descent much faster than the rise had been, and the relief was almost instantaneous. The aftershocks became smooth and lingering instead of sharp and achy. I wanted to sag against him, to ride out the euphoric high, but I couldn’t. I had to cling on, to stay tense around him, even if it took the last shred of energy I possessed and had tears welling in my eyes from overstimulation.

I was exhausted and all shivery by the time we touched down, but I hadn’t passed out, so that was a win. Near thing, though. I was just about coherent enough to notice that we’d stopped in a glade beside a river. The glistening, crystal-clear water looked scrumptious. Was that even a word? Skruhmp… shuhsssss. It sounded silly, and perfect for collapsing into.

Face first.

I wondered if I’d float.

“Are you alright, pet?” Cair asked, voice tinged with concern. It hadn’t even registered that he’d unburritoed me or unkoala’d my limbs from around his waist and neck. I was unsteady on my feet as he lowered me to the grass—ah, no, scratch that. I just plonked my ass down because my legs were literal Jell-O and stuck in a bowed position, but I still smiled up at him dopily.

“Mm-hmm.”

He laughed softly. “You are adorable, but your sense of self-preservation needs work.”

“I was’n no danger,” I muttered as I ran my fingers through the tall green blades of grass beside my legs. What would it taste like? It looked tasty.

“You are utterly delirious,” he said, and yeah, fair assessment. I felt drunk, but not unpleasantly so. More like I was sitting on cloud nine.

And if this was what high altitude and an orgasm did for me, we’d be mile-high-clubbing way more often.

Only when the trance had lifted somewhat—and I was no longer in danger of drowning, probably—did Cair guide me to the riverbank, encouraging me to drink. As soon as the water touched my lips, I was suddenly parched, gulping down handful after handful until my thirst was quenched. I splashed my face and neck, sighing as the coolness washed away the worst of the sweat on my skin.

I lounged on the bank, and Cair slid the pack from my shoulders before rifling through our supplies and withdrawing a clean pair of pants. He passed them over to me, and I wasted no time shimmying out of the soiled ones, cringing as the stickiness grazed my legs. Cair gave me a meticulous wipe down, despite my protests that it was fiiiiine , before helping me feed my feet through the holes and drag them into place. That was when I saw that he’d taken out a pair for himself as he stood and began untying the ones he wore.

I frowned, my eyes dropping to his crotch, surprised to see the wet patch seeping through. “You…”

Cair followed my gaze and scoffed, crooking his brow. “Did you honestly expect me to keep my composure when I had my feral mate rutting against me in midair?”

I blushed at his accusation, feeling slightly petulant. “I wasn’t feral.”

“Unhinged, then.”

I glowered at him, much to his obvious amusement. “I prefer feral.”

With his clothes changed and my bag repacked, my mate positioned himself by a tree, propping his back against the trunk and making space for me between his spread legs. I crawled over to him, flopping down bonelessly, my head in his lap, and that was where we stayed for a little while—no clue how long exactly, but when the daze lifted, I was left with a pleasant feeling of bliss and gratification. When I asked, Cair said it was still morning, so it had probably only been an hour or so. He had played with my hair the entire time, the soft scrape of his fingers against my scalp almost making me hum.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, breaking the silence.

As if just waiting on his suggestion, my belly gave a proud rumble. “I could eat.”

Cair smiled and gave my head one last scritch. “Let me take you somewhere.”