Page 129 of The Cursed Fae

“I’m impressed, Nicasia,” he said.

“Where’s Lena?” I demanded.

Anger flashed in his crimson irises—no contacts tonight—before he could stop himself. He recovered quickly, eking out a tight smile and looking over his shoulder toward the bedroom.

“Darling, why don’t you join us? Winter is here.”

I sucked in a deep breath as Lena emerged in a pajama set I’d given her two Christmases ago. Mat held his arms open wide, and she walked into his embrace without hesitation. When her smile revealed no fangs, I almost cried thick, relieved tears.

I had to keep it together for her sake.

“Isn’t he the best?” she asked, oddly unsurprised to find me in her living room.

This should have been a clue. I dared a glance at Missy, who shrugged. She seemed as confused as I was.

“No, Lena,” I intoned. “He is not. He’s an asshole. Also, he’s a vampire.”

Her arms tightened around him. “I know, silly.”

Mat grinned at me, flashing both fangs. “I never promised to keep my identity a secret.”

“Why the fuck did you bother with the contacts?” I snapped.

He laughed. “For your friend. The ghost.” His gaze scanned the room. “I can’t see it, but I can certainly feel it.”

“It!” Missy shouted indignantly.

I was pissed on her behalf, but my mind was focused on a single fact: the vampire had been playing with me the whole fucking time.

Just. Like. Laz.

“Careful, Nicasia,” Mat warned. “Don’t summon power you do not understand.” His arm tightened around Lena as he pulled her hair back to expose her throat.

“I did what you asked,” I spat. “You wanted a transcontinental portal, and I made one. What more do you want from me?”

He ran a pale finger down Lena’s neck, right along the vein. She let him, staring up like a lovesick puppy getting a belly rub.

“Your suffering, Nicasia. I need you to understand the pain I experienced when you took away someone I loved, many lifetimes ago.”

He moved faster than my brain could process. Missy screamed. I might have, too, I wasn’t sure. Lena did not.

She moaned and arched back when he sank his fangs into her skin. Her eyes rolled skyward in ecstasy.

I leapt for the duo and tried to wrench them apart. Mat backhanded me without breaking his hold on her. She’d gone silent and limp much faster than I’d imagined possible.

“You bastard,” I hissed, reaching for my magic.

Mat shot fire from his palm, forming a tight circle of flames around me. Then he hoisted Lena’s body over his shoulder. Her blood dripped from his pale chin when he sneered down at me.

“Remember this before you consider crossing me again, Nicasia,” he spat. “Next time, I will go for Ambrose. Even the great Walter Stolly can’t hide your boyfriend forever.”

Before I could ask who the fuck that was, Mat stepped through the flames and out the door, taking Lena with him.

“Winter,” Missy urged, “you need to get out of here.”

As the flames consumed my old couch and the curtains I’d chosen for their cheery yellow pattern, I called my magic and channeled it. Soon, the last vestiges of my life in the human world would be ashes. I stepped through the portal, back to Arcane Landing.

Chapter forty-three

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