Page 51 of Filthy Fae

“That was the point you endangered your mate,” I said. “That was the point you endangered your whole pack. Now, you’re going to San Francisco until I can clear your name and end this conflict, and if you ever, ever want to be welcomed back, you are going to be the most honest and forthright wolf in the Six Rivers Pack. Am I clear?”

He nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Also, I’m evicting you from Meadows.”

Zane’s eyes snapped up. “What?”

Lance shot an amused look over his shoulder at me.

“You can’t do that,” Zane protested.

I shrugged. “Just did it. You should be glad that I’m not demanding the money you stole from the pack right away. You guys can pay it back the first of the month. After the disgusting mess that you left in the apartment, I’m going to guess that I’m not getting the deposit I paid for that apartment back. I have the feeling I’m—”

“Disgusting mess?” Zane smacked his hand down on the seat. “That apartment was spotless when I left for the party.”

“Your house was trashed,” I said, though my tone reflected the uncertainty I felt. We’d already theorized that maybe the incubus trashed the place looking for Zee. Nothing explained the huge amounts of drain cleaner that had eroded the pipes and caused the mess, though.

“He’s landing,” Lance said. From above, I saw flashing red and white lights illuminating sections of the fog.

“Zane,” I said, grabbing his arm. “I want to ask you one more question.”

“Okay,” he said, his nervousness evident as he patted at his chest and tugged against my arm.

“We found Zeezee’s earring at the site,” I said. “An iron horseshoe.”

I really didn’t want to think Zeezee had worn those planning to attack the queen of the fae, but it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. “I don’t want to believe that Zeezee would do it. But, taking it upon herself to assassinate our pack’s biggest enemy is exactly the type of thing Zeezee might do.”

Zane shook his head and touched his finger. “They were a gift. Some woman gave them as a tip at the strip club. I think Zeezee might have gone home with her.” He lifted his shoulder. “She always brings me little gifts when she goes home with someone. It’s her tell.”

“Um, okay.” I squeezed my eyes closed and counted to three. “You guys do you. But are you saying that Zeezee has sex with people and then steals stuff from their houses to give to you?”

When I opened my eyes to look at Zane, he had a contemplative look on his face for just a second, and then I saw a light of realization in his eyes. Yep. That was what my lovely sister was doing. She was going home with people, fucking them, and pocketing their valuables like a magpie to bring home to her nest. Zane definitely had a very different set of expectations for my sister than he’d had with me.

“Wait, no. Maybe sometimes, but this time, I really doubt it. The earrings and matching ring were in a box. They were a set. Earrings and a big, broad ring for a man, both with horseshoes. Zee said they were a gift from a big tipper named Nancy—”

“Nancy?” I demanded. “Her name was Nancy? Maybe Necro-Nancy?”

“I don’t know,” Zane admitted, sounding hesitant. “Zee brought the jewelry home the night before the party. I was nervous about fulfilling the queen’s expectations. I haven’t had much experience.” He gave me a look.

I pointed into his face. “Don’t you even go close to blaming me for that one, Zane.”

Lifting his hands in surrender, he said, “I just meant that I was intimidated. Queen Titania is ancient and powerful, and she’s had her share of partners from what I’ve heard. I was afraid I wouldn’t perform, if you know what I mean. So... Zeezee brought home the jewelry and told me that they were given to her by a mage.”

“So you thought an iron ring would be like Viagra while you bedded a fae?” Jane asked, her tone making it clear how believable she found this story.

“We didn’t know the jewelry was iron,” Zane said defensively. “This Nancy chick told her we should wear it whenever we planned to have sex and it would bring our pleasure to the next level. We were going to a sex party and thought it was a good time to try it out.”

I exchanged another look with Lance and Jane. Whoever this person was, she was becoming more and more involved. Oxonos had said she was at the crime scene, and she’d clearly had contact with my sister before the party. The only question was how she was involved. Had she set my sister up? And why?

“Scarlet, you ready for the drop off?” Lance asked. Beyond him, the passenger plane had landed and was now taxiing. I would have liked some more time to question Zane, but we needed to move out, the sooner, the better. If Titania found out Zane had been released, she was probably already after us. I glanced around, an uneasy feeling creeping up my spine. All I saw was the same mostly empty lot.

Darrel made another loop around the parking lot on his bike, splitting the low-hanging mist.

“Jane, you wait in the driver’s seat, and be ready to drive,” Lance said as he climbed out his door.

We stepped into the lot, flanking Zane on both sides as we rushed toward the landing strip.

“Shit,” Lance swore, ripping his shirt off, his claws already extending before I could spot anything in the mist.