Page 9 of Hidden

After what seemed like hours, Ademar squeezed her shoulder. “It’s safe.”

Slowly, she peeled her hands from her face. The smoke had thinned, but she still felt groggy. She gazed up at her brother, studying his expression. “What have you done?”

Wordlessly, he picked up her gun and handed it to her. She must have dropped it—a sure sign the magic had impacted her despite such brief exposure. She snatched the weapon, ashamed of herself, and holstered it.

“Come on,” he said.

Lila straightened almost reluctantly. She’d come here to find out what Ademar was up to, and now she wasn’t sure she wanted the answer. She said nothing as she followed her brother out of the secret passage.

Two uniformed guards sprawled on the marble floor of the entrance hall, Captain Teegar was the tallest, the golden pommel of his massive sword resting in slack fingers. The other guard had crumpled like a stringless puppet, arms outflung.

Lila shuffled to a halt, suddenly light-headed with shock. “You shouldn’t have done this. Self-defense…”

“Is acceptable as long as it isn’t too successful,” he replied, a touch of mockery in his tone. “They aren’t injured, you know.”

“For now.”

Slow, rhythmic breaths echoed through the entrance hall, punctuated by the occasional snore. Fae called this bit of magic the Sleeping Beauty spell. It got the name from a human tale that, as usual, made a fae the villain of the story. While the romantic yarn was simple entertainment, the magic at the center of the plot was real and serious enough to be outlawed. Permanent sleep ended in death, even for an immortal.

“Ademar,” she began, wondering how to erase what had just happened.

“I’ve bought time.” Ademar’s tone grew defensive. “Help will come.”

“Who?”

“They told me this would happen. I prepared for it.”

The numbness flooding her began to recede, replaced by fury. “I can’t speak for your allies, but no friend would encourage this madness. Nor would they tell you to be here and then leave you alone without support.” She pushed past him, picking her way around the sleeping guards.

“Where are you going?” Ademar demanded.

“To the kitchen. The spell can’t be deep yet. A bucket of cold water should wake them.”

“Wait!” Ademar reached for her arm.

Lila broke into a run and prayed the house followed the usual layout of a fae dwelling. If so, the kitchen should be to the right. She ducked down a short hall and through another door.

And came face to face with a wolf-eyed stranger.

CHAPTER 3

The soles of Lila’s boots skidded with her sudden stop. The stranger before her was tall and broad-chested, his shaggy walnut hair framing a lean face. He froze in place at her sudden appearance, knees bent and arms slightly spread, as if he were about to leap away rather than attack.

He was not threatening her—at least not yet—but he was in a location no one but a fae should tread.

Her fingers closed around the hilt of her gun, though she kept the weapon out of sight. Raising the tension between them would be foolish, and she might not win a fight. Shifters had power of their own, and energy hummed around this one like crackling static, raising the hair along her arms.

Wolf. And by the yellow cast of his eyes, a wolf about to shift to animal form. Her stomach fluttered, as if she could already feel fangs sliding into her flesh.

“Let me leave,” he said, raising one hand, palm out, as if to keep her away.

“Who are you?” Lila demanded, keeping her voice sharp.

The stranger took a slow step back, and Lila caught a flutter of cloth behind him. Someone else was there, behind the wolf, but there was no time to get a better look.

“Did Teegar bring a pet?” Ademar caught up with her and moved to her right, hemming the stranger in.

“No.” Her response was instant. The wolf wore stained jeans and mud-caked boots. “A captain’s servant would be clean.”

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