Page 20 of Hidden

Lila opened the door and stared down the barely lit steps. Last time she’d come this way, she’d been riding a wave of fury over Ademar’s wounds. This time she was attuned to the wave of subtle magic that invited visitors in while never intending to let them go. There was a kickstand on the inside of the door, so she propped it open to safeguard her retreat. Dry-mouthed, she thrust her hand into her pocket, fingered the key fob, and made herself descend the stairs.

As before, the corridors below were empty of guards. Lila went the same way as she had the first time, studying whatever landmarks she could find—a scuffed bit of wall, the number of light fixtures until she came to the right-hand turn. Rafe’s door was the first, halfway along the hallway. There were other cells—Teegar and the vampire had to be there, too—but Lila kept her focus on the wolf.

One problem at a time. She turned her attention to Rafe’s cell.

As before, a steady red light shone from the security panel to the right of the door. Older fae were often slow to adapt to human technology, but if Lord Farras had added modern gadgets to the way station, he was clearly comfortable with modern tech. That made sense. He was acting as a patron to Ademar, whose passion was marrying magic and machines. Maybe it was her brother’s expertise that ensured these locks worked in the presence of so many spells.

Lila swiped the key fob over the security panel and waited for the light to go from red to green. Then she pushed the button that slid open the top panel of the door. With a metallic click and scraping noise, the steel plate slid open to reveal the barred top section of the door. Lila watched as Rafe looked up from where he sat on the bed, elbows on his knees. At the sight of her, his lips curled into a snarl before the cold human mask slammed into place. Lila stifled the urge to step back from the bars.

At least she knew where she stood with him. That kept things simple.

Rafe rose and approached the door, his body language wary. Unlike the first time she’d come, full of fury, she gave herself time to study the shifter. From the first, she’d noticed his long limbs and broad shoulders. Now she saw smaller details. That weathered tan said he spent much of his time outdoors. The dark hair was a lush, heavy texture only a shifter could claim. Her fingers itched to see if it was as soft as she imagined. By the time he reached the door, Lila had to concentrate on the reason she was there.

He folded his arms and regarded her with steady hazel eyes. The color held the possibility of wolf gold, a glimpse of the predator within. It was hard to stand still and meet that gaze. She wanted to shuffle away. He was so—cold.

“Have you been given food and water?” she asked in a flat tone, wondering if her mother’s mysterious servants had been there.

“Yes,” he replied, “although I gotta say, if this is a fae hotel, your concept of fine cuisine needs work.”

“So give us two stars.” She shrugged. “I doubt the manager will care.”

He lounged against the heavy stone that formed the doorframe. There was an insolence to the posture that almost hid his wariness. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to pay for the injury you dealt my brother, but we’ve been over that.”

“I understand.” His expression didn’t change. “You and your brother are pack.”

“You could put it that way.”

“I just did.”

She shifted a little to the left, trying to see his entire face between the bars. “You’re not sorry for biting him, are you?”

“There is a difference between remorse and regret. I regret that it was necessary.”

His calm, cool tone infuriated Lila. “Just like it was necessary to hunt us in our own way station?”

“I told you why we came here. We were hunting someone who is a threat to the pack.”

Lila’s breath hitched. They’d just arrived at the first topic she wanted to explore. “I want to know more about this criminal the wolves are hunting.”

Rafe straightened, something in the fae’s voice putting him on guard. The last time Lila had come here, he’d pushed her too hard, withheld too much. He let emotion outrun reason, which was against every scrap of Silent Wolf training. Be careful. He’d get nowhere if she stormed away a second time.

“I don’t know his real name,” Rafe admitted.

She tilted her head, her gray eyes narrowing. “What do you know?”

Rafe sucked in a breath. He was treading on very dangerous ground. “Whoever he is, he’s popular with the youth of the city’s supernatural quarter. They call him the Magician.”

Lila folded her arms, hugging her ribs tight. “The Magician? Are you serious?”

“He meets them in bars and dance clubs. Within hours, at least some of them have gone mad. Others are dead. No one knows why.”

“And you say he is a fae?” She spat the words out as if they tasted foul.

Rafe stalked closer to the bars. “I’ve seen a surveillance recording. He was light fae, all right, and I recognized one of the victims. What is he doing to them?”

Her brows gathered into a frown. “I don’t know. I’ve heard something about a spate of recent deaths, but never dreamed a fae was responsible.”

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