Chapter 4
rune
. . .
The border was distinguished by a large ward disguised as a glowing red line carved into the ground. The trees thinned as we approached, and the scent of magic thickened.
Two small checkpoints sat ahead with two visible guards at each station, a gate, and a concrete shack.
We moved toward the human checkpoint, and Eleanor took the lead.
She stepped forward, flashing her badge. “Eleanor Fawnmere, Diplomatic Envoy for the Supernatural Council. We need to cross.”
One of the guards frowned, adjusting his rifle strap. “You don’t have clearance.”
Eleanor’s smile was polite. “We’re investigating a kidnapping of four supernatural minors. Evidence points to the fact that they were pulled across this border by humans. We have tech fragments, drone footage, and tourmalyke residue tying their origin to your territory.”
“You need Human Council authorization,” the guard said stubbornly. “This is a restricted zone.”
“Then call them,” she said. “I’ll wait.”
It took longer than I had the patience for, but eventually she was patched through.
“We deny involvement,” they said after Eleanor laid out the evidence. “These kidnapping claims are just propaganda. You are mistaken. Our humans wouldn’t—”
Eleanor cut in smoothly, voice sharpening. “We recovered tech fragments, your drone, footage, a tourmalyke syringe, and your tourmalyke-stitched hoods. We have a living witness. If you refuse to cooperate, you will force a serious rift between our territories.”
I loved seeing how far Eleanor had come.
The rep let out a sharp exhale. “You may enter Human Territory under strict conditions. No lethal force and no overt aggression. Please do not shift forms or use your outward powers, as humans consider it aggressive. You’re there to recover your people, not to engage.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Agreed,” Eleanor said, even though I could feel Slater, Zuko, and Dimitri all tense at the ‘no killing’ clause.
I felt the same way about it.
“Conditional permission granted,” the rep bit out before hanging up.
The guard took back the communication device and stepped aside.
The gate rolled open with a clatter.
We walked through, and magic skittered over us as we moved into the humans’ domain.
The Human Territory immediately felt wrong.
There was too little magic in the air, and it was probably because human souls weren’t laced with magical energy. This land was stagnant. I knew the fae handled the seasons here as they did in our territories, but somehow…it felt so much less than our lands.
We walked down the dirt road from the border toward the human facility that was still miles away. Katie’s red dot on her map crept closer at a frustratingly slow pace.
By the time the sun started slipping behind the trees, we realized we weren’t making it to the facility tonight.
“We should camp,” Ivy said finally. “Visibility sucks already. We’re not stumbling into unknown territory half-blind.”
“Agreed,” Solon said. “We’ll set a controlled perimeter here, regroup, and hit the facility at first light.”
“Considering we can’t shift or use our powers in the open, that’s a good plan,” I said sarcastically. “It’s also bullshit.”
“Agreed,” my mates chimed in.
We picked a flat stretch of ground between a couple of thick trees off the dirt road. There were obvious vantage points of the location, but we weren’t in our territory either.
It made me uneasy.
“Okay,” Solon started as we dropped our bags and began setting up. “We need a plan that accounts for them coming back to sweep their tracks. I’m not stupid enough to think the guards didn’t alert them.”
“I thought the same.” I took a breath. “Why not use me as bait?”
Four heads whipped toward me at once.
“Absolutely not,” Dimitri said.
“Nope,” Slater echoed.
“Hard pass,” Zuko added.
Koa folded his arms, jaw locked. “I hate that idea.”
“It’s a simulation,” I reminded them. “And I’ve already been taken once. I’m the only one tourmalyke doesn’t work on. I’m the best option. I can pretend to let them take me.”
Sylver chewed her lip, her blue gaze wary as she looked at me. “From a purely tactical standpoint, she’s right.”
I shot her a grateful look.
“You know damn well we can die in here,” Zuko snarled, reaching out and grabbing my arm.
“Zuko’s right!” Slater’s demon form came out, and his tail swung low behind him. “I don’t want to risk your life again.”
“I’m with them,” Dimitri muttered, his jaw tight.
“I don’t like the idea of you in a human lab again,” Koa said hoarsely. “The sight of you chained to the bed with IV drips pumping into you fucks with me even now.”
I sent reassurance through our bonds as I grabbed Zuko’s hand that was clutching my arm. “I’ll be okay. I’m a spy for a reason.”
“She’s right,” Solon said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “Take the mate aspect out for a minute and look at her capabilities.”
“Unable to be affected by Tourmalyke, supernatural strength, can kill with a single touch,” Ivy listed off. “Oh, and well-trained for undercover work, yeah. She’s fully capable.”
I smiled at them. “See? I’m fully capable.”
“No one was arguing that,” Dimitri assured me.
“We just hate being away from you,” Slater whimpered, pouting.
“And the thought of not being there to protect you,” Zuko growled.
“Not to mention you being taken by humans again—on purpose!” Koa huffed.
“What’s the plan, then?” I asked, glancing at Sylver.
“I’ll cast a regular protection ward around the camp, but I’ll leave a small ‘weak spot’ here.” She pointed to a patch of bushes just outside the ring. “Anyone trying to get in will think they’ve found a gap. Rune will patrol through the night, and they’ll snag her. We track them.”
“Good plan.” I grinned. “You all will sleep, and I will play clueless.”
“As if we’d actually be able to sleep,” Zuko grumbled.
Koa’s mouth twisted. “You’re never clueless.”
“I know.” I winked.
Sylver knelt, drawing a circle in the dirt with the tip of her dagger. She murmured under her breath, and magic flared around the makeshift campsite in a soft violet light that wove into a dome that settled over us like a second skin.
A witch had blessed the dagger with the Fate’s magic, and it’s given to all magical specialists so they could create wards with ease.
“I left a gap,” she said after a moment, slightly winded. “There. It’ll feel thin to them, not completely open.”
As night fell, Ivy created a phoenix fire in the center of our camp.
After about an hour of planning, Ivy, Solon, Sylver, Katie, and Eleanor lay down in their bedrolls.
I sat by the fire, knees tucked up, pretending my heart wasn’t hammering harder than I wanted it to. I could easily handle humans. I didn’t like how my body was reacting to my planned kidnapping.
Dimitri, Slater, Zuko, and Koa lingered around me.
“I promise I’ll be good,” I said, looking between them. “I’ll scream loudly if something goes wrong.”
Zuko leaned against a tree, arms crossed. “I prefer screams of pleasure, pretty little poison.”
“I agree. I don’t like this plan.” Koa crouched in front of me, brown eyes with ember flecks glowing. “We just got you back from the last human kidnapping.”
“It’s been over a year,” I reminded him gently. “And this time, I know what I’m walking into.”
Slater flopped down beside me, leaning his shoulder against mine. “You know, you don’t have to throw yourself into danger every mission, right, venom baby?”
“That’s kind of my job, Havoc baby,” I teased.
He snorted. “You’re impossible.”
“You’re hot,” I countered.
His eyes darkened.
Dimitri moved behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, his chin resting briefly on top of my head. “Make sure we can feel the bond. Please.”
“I’ll try,” I offered weakly. “You know I can’t control that.”
Koa leaned in and kissed my forehead. “I don’t like this,” he said again.
“I know,” I muttered. “But I’m still doing it.”
He huffed, but a small smile tugged at his mouth. “Of course you are.”
“Pretty little poison,” Zuko said, voice tight. “You better make this worth the stress.”
I grinned at him. “Always.”
One by one, they drifted restlessly to their bedrolls, lay down, and closed their eyes. Their breathing slowed, but I could feel the coil of readiness under each of them through the bonds.
The night grew deeper, and the fire crackled softly. A drone of insects sang a lullaby that did nothing to make me tired.
I got up, stretching as if I were bored, and made sure my dagger was hidden within my suit instead of on my thigh sheath.
“Going to do a perimeter check,” I whispered quietly, for my squad, who was only pretending to sleep to hear.
No one responded, but four different bonds flared with protest and resigned acceptance.
They were so cute.
I walked toward the side of the camp where Sylver had left the ward open. To human tech, it would look like a thinned area.
“Let’s do this,” I muttered under my breath, putting my comms device down my suit between my breasts for safekeeping.
I stepped through, and magic fell over me like static as I left the protection ward. The air on the other side was cooler, and the surrounding forest was darker. I moved slowly, deliberately less quietly than I could have been as I walked toward the dirt road toward the facility.
My first warning was a faint buzzing that wasn’t the insects. It was a drone. The second was the almost-silent crunch of boots behind me.
I forced myself to turn as if I were going back to camp, ignoring the two humans sneaking up behind me.
A sting hit my neck, sharp and familiar.
Then, Tourmalyke spread through my veins.
I let my muscles go loose, my body collapsing forward. My magic and instincts snarled in protest, but I shoved them down, pretending the world went black around me.
Anger, fear, and anxiety came through my bonds from my mates as they realized the plan had fallen into motion.
Hands grabbed me roughly, lifting and carrying me with little care.
My head bobbed up as if I were being shaken rather than carried, and voices whispered around me.