Chapter 4
Sylvia
Iwas aware of my breath first, and then the softness that surrounded me. Rolling over, I was tempted to sink back into unconsciousness. The cushioned surface beneath me was far more comfortable than anything I’d ever rested on, and I was too damn tired to let go of the best sleep I’d had in ages.
But as images of winged snakes and homicidal scarves flashed through my mind, I sat up with a gasp.
Dreamlike was the first thing that came to mind as I gaped at my surroundings.
The bedroom I found myself in matched the grandeur of the hotel we’d infiltrated.
White sheets were spread around me like an ocean of silk.
The delicate light fixture overhead was like a miniature version of the one in the lobby.
Sheer curtains hung before a pair of windows like luxurious waterfalls.
Well-polished furniture stood along the walls, accompanied by two shut doors.
The gem still pulsed in the distance, but I forced my attention away from it, relieved that I hadn’t been spirited far away.
Dawn was breaking through the wide windows. Between the curtains, I glimpsed green in the landscaping outside, utterly out of place in the dead of winter.
Wards hummed with energy around the room, a mix of fae and something more akin to the shielding that had taken root around the hotel.
That did not bode well. Perhaps Ben was right about the boys never finding me.
Glamour could keep them from ever tracking me down if they were still in any shape to look for me.
“Jon?” My voice cracked as I staggered to my feet. “Cliff!”
I prayed for their heavy steps to pound down the hall, for them to sweep one of the doors open and fill the frame with relief in their eyes.
But as the seconds stretched, the doors remained shut.
Stars, they could be anywhere. They could be back in that storage room, locked away like those bizarre creatures.
They could have been glamoured into forgetting all about me, going back to the car to drive away forever—
No. I couldn’t spiral. I had to focus on what was real and here.
The sheets rustled faintly on the other side of the bed, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
A cat was by the pillows—the one that had appeared in the storage room before everything had gone fuzzy.
Its white fur nearly camouflaged it against the silk bedding.
It stretched, striking blue eyes peering at me curiously.
There was nothing predatory in its gaze.
I tried to make sense of the last fragments I’d witnessed before falling unconscious. Had the cat fallen prey to the smoky spellwork, same as me? Had it been scooped up by Ben’s human companion and dropped into his hotel room for safekeeping? And if so, why?
“H-Hello?” I tried timidly. The man had spoken to it. In all the chaos, that somehow stood out. “Can you understand me?”
The cat blinked slowly in response, then rose into another stretch and padded toward me with silent paws upon the plush bedding.
Stopping just short of me, it observed with far too much intelligence.
Every Elysian fairy was raised to respect the natural wisdom of all animals, but this was distinctly different.
No malice, but no words, either.
Not an enchanted, talking cat, then, I thought, feeling stupid. Of course it wasn’t.
I inched closer, aching at the memory of Hannah and Gwen’s beloved pets. Was someone missing this one? A thin, diamond-studded collar hung around its neck.
“Did they steal you, too?” I murmured.
My hand trembled as I reached out. The cat closed the distance, brushing its soft fur against my palm. I couldn’t help but smile as a gentle purr thrummed from the odd creature.
But before I could stroke it again, footsteps closed in on the room. The cat and I both flinched our attention to the door. I swore the purring tapered into a huff of annoyance at the interruption.
Launching into a hover above the bed, I whirled to see the man—Lee—opening the left-hand door. He froze when he spotted me, but his hesitation quickly melted into a charming smile.
“Well, look who’s up bright and early.”
Drowsiness still burned my eyes—from the fight, from the strange and sudden sleep—but I pushed past. I hoped to find the cat arching its back and hissing at Lee, but I felt stupidly betrayed when it lay back down without a care.
Glaring at Lee, I whispered a spell and summoned frost that crackled its way up my arms. Frigid air pooled around me threateningly.
“Let me go, now,” I growled.
Lee tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “Seriously, what part of this screams prisoner to you—the luxury sheets? Come on, you’re not tied down. No restraints in sight, actually.”
“You left a cat to guard me.”
“Looks to me like you’re fast friends. We figured you’d have an easier time settling in if you met Delilah first. Animal lover, right? Didn’t even want to kill a screwed-up snake that could swallow you whole.”
My chest tightened at the memory of the serpent taking a bite at Jon’s shoulder.
As Lee approached me at an amble, I took him in with fresh eyes.
He was handsome—like, punchably handsome.
With his suit jacket removed, the blue button-up beneath outlined a toned, lean frame.
He had a square jaw peppered with stubble and perfectly coiffed chestnut hair that somehow looked both effortless and expensive.
He carried an easy charm, scanning me with those intense blue eyes like I was the only thing that mattered, like he had experience in using that boyish smile to get everything he wanted.
Get ready for disappointment, pretty boy.
“One more step, and you’ll be frozen where you stand,” I snapped.
That sleek metallic cuff was absent from his wrist now, much to my relief. Though I still wasn’t sure what that thing was, I was confident that my spellwork would reach him this time with it gone.
“Hey, lay off him. He just helped save your life.” Ben glided into view, apparently having been hovering behind Lee’s left shoulder the entire time.
Ben’s timid concealment was entirely out of sync with how he steered his flight in front of Lee protectively.
The gesture nearly softened me with curiosity, but I swiftly stamped it down.
“You idiots, you’ve kidnapped me!” I aimed my hands toward Ben. “The concept of safety is a joke when you’ve got glamour that can keep me in line better than any chains or cages.”
Ben dropped his gaze to the floor, oddly ashamed.
“Hey, now—” Lee started, looking even more offended on Ben’s behalf.
“It’s fine.” Ben’s mouth pinched as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Here, I grabbed this for you.”
He flitted closer and produced my dagger, flipping it around to offer the jeweled hilt. I hadn’t even noticed my weapon’s absence. Shit.
One hand still bearing ice in warning, I cautiously snatched my dagger with the other and turned it over for signs of tampering. There didn’t appear to be fae runes or binding flowers like he’d tried before. Satisfied, I kept a tight grip on it as extra security.
I narrowed my eyes at Ben. “If you try to drain me again—”
“I-I won’t. I’m sorry. I…I panicked. That won’t happen again, I swear.
I understand why you’re scared. There are probably more fairies around here who weren’t as lucky as you.
” A steely glint surfaced in his gaze. “I don’t know what those guns-for-hire said to win your trust. Please, you have to believe me.
They were going to sell you to the highest bidder. ”
More fairies? Highest bidder? I grimaced, tucking this away.
“What gives you the right to assume anything about us?” First Veloria, now this. I was well and truly done with people assuming I was the hunters’ unwilling plaything.
“Because you wouldn’t be the first,” Lee said grimly. “Ben’s been through it, worse than you can imagine. I found him in the hands of people who took advantage of his power in every fucked up way imaginable. People like that will say anything to make you believe you’re not as trapped as you are.”
“So what exactly is he doing here with you, then?” I challenged. “Convenient that he’s throwing himself in front of you, isn’t it?”
Ben and Lee exchanged a soulful look.
“It’s a long story,” Ben finally said, fidgeting with his hands. “I…I don’t love telling all of it. But we’re here because something horrible is happening at this hotel, and—” He halted to study me in confusion. “Surely you must’ve known that by now?”
I pressed my lips into a thin line, frustrated by the disadvantage of being in the dark. What good was their information when they could make anything up to paint themselves in the best light?
“We only just arrived before you decided to jump me,” I snapped.
“You were obviously eager to follow,” Ben said. “You fled those hunters, and I helped you escape. They never would have made it through the door after you found me.” The edge in his earnest tone made me falter, especially when I noticed the muted pain in his eyes.
I was tempted to ask more about how he and Lee found each other. About how the hell a glamour fairy and a… Well, whatever Lee was. A professional model? An accountant to purveyors of rare artifacts?
“Are there really other fairies being held prisoner here?” I asked instead.
“You really don't know?” Confusion and a slow, dawning horror clouded Ben's face. He shared a look with Lee at length. “Unfortunately, yes. We were searching for captives in the storage room when I sensed your magic. You’re sure there weren’t others being transported with you?”
“I wasn’t—”
A nearby thump made me flinch. I turned to the other door, Ben’s question forgotten.
“What was that?” I asked.
Too quickly, Ben blocked my line of sight. “Nothing to worry about. You still need to get your energy back. If you follow me to the other room, we can get you a warm meal. When did you last eat?”
I flitted aside, fixated on the door. My pulse kicked up as a muffled, desperate groan came through.