Page 16 of Fallen Court

“Opinion?” Fiona swiped a box of bullets. “That is a fact. What are you going to do, nip to London and just start shooting?”

“I don’t have time to argue with you. Every second I waste in New York leaves Cate at the mercy of that monster.” Had he figured out what happened to his penumbra yet? Was he taking revenge on her for it? The knowledge that she was alive was little comfort when I considered what she might be enduring. “I need more weapons.”

“You’ll get your girlfriend killed, too,” she said quietly.

“Girlfriend?” I repeated. My sister had seen the truth. Why was she pretending otherwise? “She is my…”

“Yes?” Fiona demanded when I trailed away. “What is she, Lach?”

I clamped my mouth shut. The first time I said those words wouldn’t be to anyone but Cate.

“You can’t even say it,” she accused.

“Fi,” Romy called as she appeared from the other room, light shimmering around her like an aura, as if her magic was preparing to intervene. “Let him go.”

She whirled on her. “It’s a suicide mission.”

“Staying in New York won’t be any safer. Not anymore.” Romy turned a calculating stare on me. “It sounds like he made quite a scene.”

“They made quite a scene,” I corrected her. The Wild Hunt had picked the fight; whether or not I’d been asking for it was a different story.

Romy ignored me. “People will have seen him. There are plenty of witches who would rat you out to the Hunt in this city. You should leave.”

“Will you?” I asked her.

“Enough,” Fiona interrupted us. “No, she will not.” She glared at Romy to solidify that it was not up for negotiation. There might be bad blood between us, but we still shared it. My sister and I had never had an easy relationship. We’d both gotten the lion’s share of our mother’s temper. But family was family. “She’s not wrong, though. Magic is awake here. The witches are no longer confined to old spells and parlor tricks. They have their power back, and they aren’t afraid to use it, especially if they think you’re a threat.”

This was no surprise. There’d been very little love between other creatures and our kind before the curse that had stifled their magic. When fae had retained their own magic, it had shifted the power dynamic in our favor. Now?

“I’ve never done anything to them,” I said coolly.

“You’ve never done anything for us, either.” Romy crossed her arms and glared. “Fae treat other creatures like second-class citizens in their cities.”

“I don’t have time for this.” I started to turn away from them. She could prosecute this agenda on her time. I had plenty of my own things to worry about.

“Wait,” Fiona called. “I can’t let you do this.” Something flickered beneath her resolve. The flush of anger drained, leaving her skin even paler than usual, and Romy moved beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

“We shouldn’t fight,” Romy murmured.

But Fiona’s eyes stayed on me. It was only the second time I remembered my sister ever looking so worried. I hoped this time didn’t end like the first. “Wait until we hear from home. Ciara is working on something.”

“There was an uncharted eclipse in the city, according to my sister.” Romy nodded to confirm the theory. “That means powerful magic is being cast.”

“Just give it a few more days,” Fiona pleaded. “Give them time to find a solution.”

But even the thought of waiting deepened the gnawing uneasiness in my gut. We didn’t have time to wait. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Try explaining,” she sniped back.

“I should never have dragged you into this,” I muttered.

My phone vibrated on the bed.

“Don’t you dare answer that,” Fiona warned. “Why is it even on?”

“A necessary evil,” I said, ignoring her. The Wild Hunt had already traced me to New York. I answered it with a clipped, “Yes.”

“According to my pal Gideon, Bain is at the club right now,” Durant drawled on the other end of the line.