Page 85 of Hidden

“Good girl,” her father said. “Lord or not, he is not for you. The longer I knew Farras, the more I saw there is a streak of evil in his soul.”

“I know.” She turned to Rafe. “It was Farras who took the wolves and put them under a sleeping spell. He confessed as much to me.”

“And the dead? The graves we saw?” Rafe demanded.

“The spell is fatal unless someone breaks it.”

Rafe’s eyes flashed yellow with fury. He looked about to speak, but then his jaws clamped shut, the muscles working as if he ground Farras between his teeth.

Her father took a wary step back from the wolf. “The list of his crimes covers more than you know. Trust me on that. It’s rare that he admits to one.”

“He was in a chatty mood,” Lila said, remembering what else the fae lord had said. “I’ll tell you later. Now is not the time.”

“But maybe it is,” her father said. “Maybe the only way to stop him is to tell the truth in front of two hundred high-born witnesses. Violence does not concern him, but shame will.”

Lila’s stomach flipped over with anxiety. Her father was an idealist. If they tried to denounce Lord Farras, it was more likely that none of them would get a chance to speak before the lord cut them down. “How about?—”

She never got a chance to finish the sentence. Commotion erupted outside the window, punctuated by a mighty howling of wolves. Rafe spun, eyes wide. “The pack. They’re here.”

For an instant, Lila was confused. The wolves she’d freed were fit enough to hide, but not to fight. But these—by the spine-shaking sound, these beasts were fresh.

The crowd of fae startled as if the wolves were already inside. A few ran, although Lila wasn’t sure where they thought they could go. Others began shouting for weapons. Still others crowded the windows for a better look.

Lila and Gareth joined the crush at the window, pushing through the silk-and-velvet throng. No one was going to look closely at them now—not with chaos erupting outside. Lila cupped her hands against the glass to see out into the dark.

It looked like a painter’s vision of Hell. Wolves, half-wolves, Undead, and fae were locked in bloody battle. Help had arrived, but it had come with fang and claw. When she glimpsed Rafe’s vampire friend—the one he’d fought so hard to free—Lila knew who the messenger had been. Izetta had survived.

When she turned to tell Rafe, he was gone.

CHAPTER 30

Izetta leaped from one tree to the next, alighting on the branch of a twisted oak. It was well past midnight now, when a human place would be sunk into the peace of sleep. The forest around the way station was anything but that. Tension crept like a mist veiling the air.

Justice would be served that night. The fae were deadly, but in her experience they lacked the imagination—and humility—to properly watch their back. Yes, Izetta would enjoy herself tonight.

The invaders were a tightening noose around the way station. Vampires floated from tree to tree in a ring of silent shadows. The wolves—and one cougar—padded through the soft grass in groups of four and five. One wolf in each hunting party, including the Alpha, remained in human form to communicate with the others. Coordination would be essential to beat an army of fae twice their number.

Izetta sprang again, landing beside Malatest. He looked too tall to balance easily on a branch, but he moved lightly aside to give her room. He was in a three-piece suit and fedora, shoes shining and hair meticulously styled. He looked as if he’d stepped straight from a nightclub a hundred years past.

They’d reached the edge of the trees. Nothing but open ground stretched between them and the way station, where the partygoers wandered in and out through the open doors. A hum of conversation filled the night air, punctuated by snatches of music.

“Is that the banquet area or just the public space of the house?” Izetta asked, pointing to the door where the guests spilled out.

Malatest nudged her finger a few degrees to the left. “There. The banquet room is behind that verandah, if Teegar can be believed.”

The captain claimed he hadn’t spent much time in the way station—outside of the dungeon, of course—so his information wasn’t as useful as they’d hoped. While Teegar knew there were magical wards and secret passages, he couldn’t give their exact location. Izetta believed him, almost. Maybe. It was a shame fae blood wasn’t drinkable.

They’d left Teegar in the care of the wolves, who had brought him along at fangpoint. He might prove useful yet.

Malatest and Izetta watched in silence as the wolves came to a halt beneath the trees. Yellow eyes flashed at even intervals around the property. The noose was complete, with all the players in position.

“Are we ready to start this party?” Izetta asked.

Malatest rose to his full height, waving to catch the Alpha wolf’s attention. At the last moment, Devries’s hand shot up, signaling a halt. There was a rustle in the bushes, as if another group of wolves were moving in a hurry.

“What is it?” Izetta whispered.

“I’ll go see.” Malatest floated to the ground and disappeared into the trees.

---