Chapter 16
Zera
Zera dared not move an inch on that balcony as she stared down the face of pure evil incarnate without an answer.
If she didn’t give Kraven a good enough reason why he should listen to her deal, then she was as good as dead.
But then an idea came to her. A sliver of hope produced by a chance moment shared at the gala.
“Are you a man of your word?” she asked, squaring her shoulders with a newfound confidence.
Kraven frowned, clearly confused by her sudden change in topic. “Yes, I believe I am. But what does that have to do with anything?”
“And did you mean what you said when you told me you only provided what was craved? That if there was another way to meet your demand that you’d do it?”
“Supply and demand.” He nodded in acknowledgement. “But you weren’t supposed to remember that little detail. A magic unique to pixies with pixie dust, I suppose.”
A calculating smile spread across Kraven’s face that terrified her to her core. “But what’s stopping me from taking you right now and delivering you to Gareth myself?”
Zera’s heart slammed into her rib cage. She couldn’t afford to show her fear, not when everything was at stake. With a deep breath, she mustered up her courage and met Kraven’s cold stare head-on.
“Nothing,” she said boldly. “But if you do, then you’re ruining your chances of making more money and influence than you could possibly imagine and an opportunity to expand into a new territory.”
“And which territory is that?”
“Havenwood,” she said, her voice steady despite the tremble in her hands.
She knew she was counting her eggs before they hatched, thinking the Haven Wolf Tavern owner would agree to working with Kraven.
But the tavern owner had skin in the game.
His own cousin was a pixie, and bureaucracy hadn’t made their problem any better.
She was sure she’d be able to convince him to get on board.
“Haven Moon Pack turf?” Kraven’s smile faded, replaced by a look of interest. “No one’s been able to establish a foothold there. It would likely eliminate all other competition.”
“Exactly.” She didn’t move an inch while he seemed to contemplate her proposal.
But one never knew for sure with the incubus, and if this went south, she would be dead, and there would be nothing Maverick could do about it, since she’d made him wait at the bottom of the stairs.
“All right, you’ve convinced me,” Kraven said finally, and Zera let out a breath.
“If you can deliver this synthetic pixie dust as promised and secure relations with the Haven Wolf Pack territory, I’ll reject Gareth’s deal.
But know this, Charlotte, if you fail to deliver or try to deceive me, there will be fatal consequences. ”
Zera nodded, understanding the gravity of Kraven’s words. She glanced back at Maverick, who stood watching her intently from the railing, his expression a mixture of concern and rage. But he couldn’t argue with her decision. She was in charge tonight.
“I’ll be in touch.” Kraven waved his hand in dismissal.
He didn’t have to say it twice. Zera turned to leave, but before she could reach the bottom of the stairs, Kraven’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“By the way, Charlotte,” he drawled from where he leaned over the balcony railing, his voice somehow carrying over the loud music and the crowded dance floor. “I should tell you that I already canceled my meeting with Gareth before you made your offer. Now, you’ve given me an even better deal.”
Her stomach twisted into knots as she realized the gravity of her situation.
She’d just promised a dangerous crime lord she would deliver a synthetic pixie-dust drug she didn’t even have, to say nothing of the means to reproduce it in mass, and offered up her tavern boss’s territory as a new turf for him.
The weight of her decisions pressed down on her, making it difficult to breathe.
She was in far deeper than she’d anticipated, and Kraven hadn’t even needed her intervention.
Trying to hide her panic, Zera let her eyes land on Maverick’s muscular build and captivating, piercing eyes. He stood right where she had left him, concern etched on his face. With a burst of adrenaline-fueled speed, she grabbed his hand along with the chain cuff, and they darted out of the club.
Maverick followed without hesitation. His werewolf hearing had probably picked up everything that went down between her and Kraven, and he was pissed. But she couldn’t worry about that right now. She just had to get out.
“Zera,” he said once they were outside.
“Please, save it, okay?” she asked, not breaking her speed when he tried to pull her to a stop. “I know what you’re going to say. That you think I was reckless, that I jeopardized our whole mission, that I—”
“Completely astound me?” he whispered, tugging her toward him, and this time she didn’t resist as he pulled her closer. His other hand cupped her chin, tilting her gaze to meet his. “That was… incredible.”
“You think so?” she asked, her nerves in overdrive. She didn’t know if he could sense that she’d lied to Kraven about the synthetic pixie dust, but if he did, he didn’t give it away, and she didn’t have the energy to tell him and dampen the mood. Not with the way he was touching her.
“Absolutely,” he said, but there was an underlying tone of worry in his voice. “But what exactly happened back there? You actually did it? You created a synthetic pixie-dust drug?”
She hesitated. She didn’t want to confess her lie in the hopes of not adding to his concerns. She swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah, I got something,” she whispered, hoping her voice wouldn’t betray her.
“That’s amazing!” Maverick’s eyes widened, and he pulled her into an embrace.
Though she knew she should feel safe in his strong arms, guilt gnawed at her insides.
“I know how hard you’ve been working on that in between training.
I’m proud of you,” he murmured into her hair.
“But we need to be careful now. Kraven isn’t someone to mess with. ”
“Trust me, I know,” she muttered, her mind racing through the potential consequences of her decision. She couldn’t help but think about Cole, her precious son who she would do anything to protect.
As they walked to the car in silence, Zera’s thoughts kept spiraling.
She knew she should come clean to Maverick, but the fear of his reaction and the uncertainty of their situation held her back.
They had grown so close, yet there was still so much they didn’t know about each other.
And despite their pasts and differences, the thought of losing him—whether from her lies or from the dangers lurking in the shadows—threatened to shatter her heart into pieces.
She hadn’t realized how far she’d actually fallen for Maverick until that moment. It took all of her energy to keep her thoughts from reeling from this realization as they drove back to the penthouse.
Upon their arrival, the door clicked shut behind them, and Zera went to the kitchen cabinet for a glass of water. She tried to avoid Maverick’s stare as she went to fill up a glass. She sighed, rolling her shoulders as she tried to stretch the tense knot that had suddenly formed on the drive over.
Maverick leaned against the door, his piercing eyes studying her carefully. “Are you okay?” he asked gently. “You seem… off.”
Zera hesitated before nodding, still grappling with her decision to keep the truth from him.
Maverick had been so supportive, standing by her side and even revealing the truth about his past and the Whisper’s staff.
He’d been vulnerable with her in a way she could tell wasn’t easy for him after she made him relive unthinkable hardships because of the Whispers.
How could he still care this deeply when he’d been hurt by her own kind?
How could she be so drawn to him when his kind had tormented her people?
That was when it clicked. They were more than the faen species that made them up. They were more than their own kind. They were different, and how deeply they cared set them apart from everyone else, making them their own.
“You were incredible back there, you know,” Maverick said, his voice soft and earnest. He didn’t move from the doorway, but his eyes lingered on her lips as she sipped her water.
Guilt weighed heavily on her chest as she glanced at him, trying to read his thoughts. She set the glass down, preparing to come clean.
I love you.
The thought drifted through her mind, so clear that it felt like a whisper in her ear. She froze. “What did you say?” she asked, her heart pounding wildly.
“I didn’t say anything.” Maverick’s gaze searched hers. “But what did you hear?”
“You… you s-said,” she stammered, her emotions a whirlwind of confusion, hope, and fear. But she must’ve been mistaken. “Nothing. Never mind.”
She turned away from him, dumping the rest of her water into the sink. She shouldn’t want for him to have said what she thought she’d heard, but she did.
“Zera.” Maverick’s voice was a warm balm against her chaotic heart. She felt him move closer, his breath ghosting over the nape of her neck. The air rushed out from her. She closed her eyes, trying to process the words that echoed in her mind. I love you.
“What did you hear?” he purred against her ear, his hands resting gently on her shoulders, his touch as light as a feather that sent goose bumps in its wake.
Her pulse quickened, fear and hope battling within her as she whispered, “You said that you loved me.”
“Ah, that.” Maverick paused, and she could almost feel the weight of his gaze on her. “I didn’t say it, Zera. I thought it.”