Raul glanced from the dagger to her face. No fear showed on his expression, even though Calan wasn’t far away. Annoyance flashed in Raul’s black eyes. “It’s about time you got away from your protectors.”
She considered reaching for Calan, but she didn’t want to distract him. He needed to finish killing the sluaghs before the humans showed.
“All I have to do is call him.”
Raul flicked his gaze to her left hand. He raised a lip, showing off his pointy teeth.
“Yes, your mate would rush to your side, wouldn’t he?”
She sucked in a rough breath. “How do you—”
“I have a motion-activated camera hidden at the warehouse. I don’t want humans stumbling on my fairy rings.” He fisted his hands and took a step toward her. “Did you finish it? Did you bind your soul to him?” Another step. “Or is it still up for grabs?”
She curled her fingers, hiding the incomplete mark. “I am not—”
“I’ll settle for half of you.” He flashed her a wicked sneer. “I can share.”
“Well, I can’t.”
Raul’s nostrils flared. “Why can’t you share, Harley? Did you finish it? Tell me. I need to know.”
Warning bells went off. If Raul knew she hadn’t finished her half of the bond, he might try to enrage her, tip her over the edge. But…he hadn’t wanted to do so before. No, he wanted her to remain Seelie. It was the only explanation for the cat-and-mouse game he’d played with her, and why he’d stopped the other redcaps from tormenting her.
She replayed every conversation they’d ever had and barely stopped her groan from escaping. The last time they’d spoken, he touched his head and said she could fix him. That was the reason—he wanted her to heal him. How, she didn’t know. By soul-bonding to him? No matter how or why, he still wanted her. She didn’t trust what he’d do to claim her.
She raised her chin and lied, “Yes, Calan and I are mated.”
He stared at her hand. “Show me.”
She curled her fingers tighter. “No.”
He grinned, no doubt guessing she hadn’t told the truth. “Fine. Keep the knowledge to yourself. I’ll find out soon enough.”
“Yes, you will.” She narrowed her gaze. “When you die at—”
“Enough, Harley. I have another reason for bringing you here.”
“And that is?”
“To give you a warning. Dar is coming. He wants to congratulate Calan, and”—a rough sound, a cross between a laugh and a sob, escaped his throat—“wish him an eternity of happiness with his fairy mate. He was surprisingly thrilled at the news.”
Ice slithered into her heart, stopping it for a moment before it took on an erratic beat. “You told him?”
Why that was her first question, she didn’t know. Well, she did. She just didn’t understand the emotion. It felt like a betrayal. Still, she waited on his response.
“I had to. Dar owns me.” Raul groaned. “Here I thought I’d find redemption in your arms. Goddamn love. All you’ve done is stretched me between two masters, two opposing sides of hell, when all I want is heaven.”
A roar cut through the night, a familiar one. Calan was closing the distance between them, and his anger beat against her back, whipping her raw. Raul’s words, though, locked her in place. A spark of sympathy rose. She was a fool for allowing it to take hold, but she too was stretched between good and evil. She also believed Raul’s claim that he was her mom’s soulmate. The recognition had gone both ways the night he’d killed her mother.
What would that do to a man? To love a woman for an eternity and know he could never touch her or be with her? To know that she loved another?
Raul glanced past her and took a step back. “Dar has Allie. I had to give her to him.”
Fear rose, chasing away the haunting questions. “Where is she?”
“She’s alive.” Raul’s nails sharpened. “You need me to save her, remember that. Only I know where he’s stashed her or how to get her back.” He took another step back.
Calan roared a second time, louder than the first. He was nearly upon them.
“We’ll finish this game another time, Harley.” Raul turned and ran.
Calan tackled him. They rolled across the grass, swiping clawed hands at each other and snarling. The police sirens in the background grew louder. People screaming added to the melee. Trevor’s voice carried over everything, ordering everyone back. She ignored it all and focused on the fight in front of her and Raul’s words to her.
Dar had Allie.
Calan raised his arm. A flaming sword appeared in it. Harley followed its arc toward Raul’s head and yelled, “Stop!”
Her Huntsman jerked as if her word had frozen him in place. Raul took advantage of the moment. He scooted from beneath Calan and fled. A car started a moment later. Squealing tires pierced the night. She breathed a sigh, but Calan snarled and leapt toward her.
He grabbed her, hands at her waist, and lifted her. Fury burned in his eyes. She pressed her hands to his chest to put space between them. He slammed them together.
Her breath escaped in a rush. She automatically fought his hold, the urge to run too real to ignore.
Calan slid one hand to her neck, the other to her lower back. “Stop fighting me.”
She froze. The guilt rushed up. She knew better than to fear him.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Harley swept her hands over his shoulder blades. “But you can’t kill him.”
Sharpened nails dented her skin but didn’t break it. “Why? Raul needs to die. You know this.”
“Yes, but he told me Dar has Allie. We need Raul to find her.”
“One life is not worth allowing the redcap to live.” He jerked his chin toward the warehouse behind them. “We struck down close to three dozen sluaghs.” He narrowed his eyes. “Did you feel the deaths of your puppets, my flower?”
She stared at him and didn’t know what to say. It had hurt when each
