Page 108 of The Cursed Fae

Mascara wand in hand, I turned to face her fully. “It might be best for you to just let it go. He’s clearly not your person.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “But what if he is?”

Arguing over this was pointless, so I changed the subject and asked Lena to help me pick out my jewelry. Nana’s necklace lay on my desk, and she pointed to it from the phone screen.

“Wear that. It’ll look good with that neckline,” she said.

I fastened the chain around my neck and modeled it for her inspection. She gave me a thumb’s up and shoveled more ice cream into her mouth.

Laz knocked on the door, signaling an end to our chat. I promised to call over the weekend, and she agreed to step foot out of her bedroom. It wasn’t like Lena to get this hung up on a guy, furthering my suspicion about a love potion. Or compulsion. Nothing else made sense.

We went to a place called Sushi on the Sea, a restaurant near Arcane Pier. After ordering an assortment of rolls to share, the conversation naturally flowed to Lena and the upcoming deadline on her mortality.

“There are other spells we haven’t considered.” Laz dunked an eel roll in soy sauce and then popped it between his parted lips.

I reached for my water glass and washed down a piece of yellowtail sashimi. “I’m listening.”

He swallowed and took a long drink from his Japanese beer. He leaned across the table as though telling me a secret. “You’ve heard of the Seven Supernatural Wonders?”

A slice of barbecue tofu was halfway to my mouth. “Yeah?” My voice pitched higher at the end, as if asking a question.

“Each spot supposedly holds exceptional power.” Laz swirled wasabi into his soy sauce dish. “Fae like your great-grandmother tap into that energy for spell work.”

I placed the chopsticks on my plate and stared across the table at him. He’d lost his mind if he thought travel was an option right now. “Are you suggesting we take a field trip?”

He snagged another bite from the sushi boat between us and settled back in his chair. “Sort of. Arcane Falls is one of the Wonders.” He made a face. “It is wolf territory, though, which makes things tricky.”

I frowned. “Why? What’s the issue with the wolves?”

“The falls are actually neutral ground between Gemini and Virgo wolves. But the packs are at war right now, so the entire area is a bit iffy for fae.”

Warring shifters seemed like something people should’ve been talking about. After Mat stormed the cove, Nana said the Virgo alpha called her a ton. She’d sent my mom to speak with the man.

“What are they fighting about?” I asked.

Laz rolled his eyes. “It’s stupid. The Virgo heir died and the Gemini alpha’s daughter was there. The Virgos want them to hand her over.” He laughed and ate another bite. “The Geminis married her off to some fae prince instead.”

Nothing about the story was humorous. If anything, it was tragic. For everyone involved. Not to mention, Laz either didn’t have the facts or didn’t care enough to get them right. Thanks to Missy, I knew someone murdered the Virgo heir the same night Mat came for me.

I scooted my plate away and rested my arms on the table. “What’s her name?”

His brow furrowed, confused by the question.

“The alpha’s daughter. What’s her name?”

“Oh.” He shook his head. “Not sure. I think it begins with a Z. Why?”

Honestly, I had no reason to ask.

“Is it Zosia?”

Laz shrugged. “Could be.”

I stared down at the mess of rice and seaweed and soy sauce on my plate and wondered why I’d screamed the name of a Gemini wolf in my sleep. What was the connection between us? There had to be one, and I knew just the person with the answer—Archer.

Too bad the asshole stood me up.

Chapter thirty-seven

---