“She made you do it.”
“Yes, but, Riley—”
Nope. That’s all I needed to hear.
“I want to go back to the asylum,” I say, interrupting him. “Take me back. Now.”
“I can’t.” He says can’t. I know from his demeanor that he means won’t. Now I know where I got it from. “It’s not the place for you any longer. You can’t go back.”
I whirl around, facing Rys. “You.”
Rys arches one of his perfect eyebrows. His smile is playful. I hate him for that. “Yes, my ffrindau?”
Ffrindau. I know what Nine said that meant. Soul mate. Yeah, right. That’s never gonna happen, but I’m not above using this fae to get what I want. “Can you bring me back to the asylum?”
“I’ll do anything you ask of me.”
“She doesn’t need you, Rys. She has me.” Nine bristles, visibly annoyed. That’s… that’s new. He never used to let me see such an emotional reaction. Rys has obviously gotten to him.
“We can’t go back to the asylum, Riley, but we don’t have to stay here.”
Nine’s whole demeanor changes as he turns to me. It almost sounds like he’s pleading—but why would a fae plead with a nobody human like me?
Then he says, “I’ll take you somewhere else to keep you protected,” and I remember.
That’s right. Because of his debt.
Huh. No thanks.
Right now, I don’t want either one of them. My shock’s fading. Blood is rushing past my ears as my heart beats out of control. My vision is dimming; black spots are closing in on the corners. I’m on the verge of a monstrous panic attack. I take a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself. It’s useless. It feels like something inside of me is clawing its way out. I gasp and pull on the collar of my hoodie, trying to get more out of this weak air before I lose it entirely and I can’t go home at all.
Neither Nine nor Rys has noticed that I’m teetering on the edge. Nine is staring at the Light Fae. Rys is wearing a smirk that shouldn’t be half as attractive as it is.
“If you take her, I’ll just chase after her.”
“You can’t follow her in the shadows.”
“No,” Rys agrees. “But plenty of Melisandre’s soldiers can.”
I don’t know who this Melisandre person they keep bringing up is, but I’ve got a pretty good guess. Who seems to have a reason to come after me and has access to soldiers? She’s got to be the Fae Queen.
And we’re currently in her gardens. While Nine and Rys bicker like children, I’m a sitting duck. Nine wanted me to be quiet? Yeah, that ship sailed a while ago.
I don’t want to turn into a statue like Jason.
“Nine,” I say, because if the choice is between my Shadow Man and the golden fae, I know who I’m sticking with, “let’s just go. I don’t care where. I can’t stay here. It’s too hard for me to breathe.”
In an instant, Rys loses the last of his playful nature. He grows deadly serious and, in his golden eyes, I get a glimpse of the dangerous, capricious creature who snapped Madelaine’s neck because he wanted to prove a point.
I choke on another gasp, throwing my hands up as I stumble back. Nine is slender, but he’s tall. If I crouch a little, I can hide behind him.
The way Rys is looking at me all of a sudden, I have to.
“You will stay with me,” he says in a booming voice at odds with its normally smooth and cajoling tone. It’s an obvious command. I shiver and start to stand up straight, though there’s nothing about his words that make me feel like I must.
I hesitate, keeping Nine between us.
Rys glowers. Hate fills his gaze as he glances at Nine before he turns to me. A mixture of lust and desire twists his expression until I know that there’s no way I’m getting out of this without him trying to call me to him again.