Page 40 of Back in the Hunt

“Sounds like you’re scared,” Hugh said as his gaze pinned Merlin’s.

Bryn grunted and shook his head. “I think we’re good,” he said with a glance at Nox.

He nodded, putting an arm around Merlin. “About time we were leaving. I wanna swing by that bog and bless it,” he said, wiggling his brows at Hugh and causing his lip to curl.

“Get that trash of yours out of here, Merlin.”

Nox answered with a cocky smirk as his arm shot out to catch Merlin before he could charge at Hugh. “When the time comes, I’m going to make you eat those words. Literally!” Nox vowed with an ecstatic gasp. “And you will see the light. Until then, I’m going to take my friends back to Georgetown and let the others know we were right about you.”

That got a reaction out of Hugh. He went to leap at Nox, but drew back when Merlin held out his cane. “They are waiting to hear from us. Did you think you could trap us or kill us and no one would notice?” Merlin laughed, then waved at Nox. “He isn’t justmygolden child. He’s the Attorney General’s as well and he will give Nox’s beloved, Agent Grady T. Nelson of the FBI, carte blanche to turn your life and this compound inside out. If you are not concerned about the other witches who will come for your ass when they find out I’m missing,” Merlin added, his perfectly drawn brows rising expectantly.

“Get the hell off my property,” Hugh muttered through clenched teeth.

“Gladly,” Bryn said and gave Nox a nod, signaling that it was time to grab Merlin by the arm and steer him away.

They calmly strolled back the way they had come, pretending to enjoy the scenic afternoon. “That was very well done, gentlemen,” Merlin said out of the side of his mouth once they were on the other side of the pasture. “He would have had me at the end if you hadn’t held me back, but I think we managed a dignified retreat.”

“We did, but what the hell was that?” Bryn asked once they reached their camp by the creek.

Merlin pushed out a disgusted snort. “Exactly what I had feared, an undead changeling.”

“I kind of assumed,” Bryn replied. “But why is he so different from Everly? Why isn’t he regenerating? What happened to his soul? Everly has a soul,” he said but Nox shook his head.

“Everly didn’t really die. His soul had let go because it was tired. But his heart didn’t stop long enough for his body to start decaying before you brought his soul back.”

“That child was a corpse,” Merlin agreed with a shiver, looking thoroughly repulsed. “Its soul left it long before it was resurrected and I fear that may have been intentional on Hugh’s part. All that was left were the traces of fae mischief, no pesky soul to tame to his will.”

Bryn scrubbed his face, worried. “You mean hedug upa changeling child so he could make that?” he asked and Merlin gave him a hard look.

“I pray that is the case because the alternative is—” he swung back to the cabin and looked like he was ready to storm across the pasture for another go at Hugh. “We must find out where that child came from.”

Nox nodded in agreement. “After we get back to Georgetown. I doubt Hugh would have let us leave if you hadn’t mentioned the Attorney General or Nelson and the FBI. But he knows we’re after him now and he’s probably already found my address,” he predicted and Merlin scoffed.

“You are LennoxMacIlwraith, for gods’ sake. Every witch on this side of the country can tell you where the MacIlwraiths live. You’ve only ever lived in one place, and it’s no secret who you live with and who Nelson works for. The internet does work out here and he probably has Netflix.” He rolled his eyes, gesturing for them to gather their bags. “IremindedHugh because Isuspect he’s figured out who else might be staying under your roof. I wanted Hugh to know that we hadn’t left the place unguarded.”

Bryn made the connection and swore as he threw a backpack over his shoulder and grabbed Merlin’s bag. “We have to get back! He knows about Everly.”

Thirteen

Getting left behind and having to wait wasn’t as lonely or boring as Everly had anticipated. In fact, the twenty-nine hours since Bryn had left with Nox and Merlin had been surprisingly intense and Everly was exhausted. He had barely slept.

Everly had kept his promise to waitright thereand hadn’t moved from the spot in the foyer Bryn had pointed at before saying goodbye, the afternoon prior. He had raced to the bathroom under the stairs four times and had taken a brief nap in the study while Nelson kept an eye on the door. But other than that, Everly hadn’t moved until all hell broke loose.

He had never really understood that expression or experienced anything that could qualify as hell breaking loose. But that was exactly what happened after Nelson answered the door, just after noon, and a tall, handsome, young man stumbled over the threshold. He had dark, floppy hair, a scruffy beard, and olive skin, and a messenger bag was slung across his chest. Everly guessed he was an academic, but the sleeve of his blazer was torn and his khakis were dirty.

“Tony? What happened?” Nelson demanded as he caught him.

Tony’s eyes rolled behind his glasses. “Not sure,” he slurred, then sagged in Nelson’s arms.

“Hey, Arawn? Fletch? I need a hand out here,” Nelson called and grimaced at Everly as they came racing from upstairs and the study. “Grab the first aid kit from under the kitchen sink.”

“Got it!” Everly dashed to the kitchen to find it. Nelson had carried Tony to the sofa in the study and Arawn and Fletcher were checking his vitals and assessing him for injuries. “What happened?” Everly asked as he handed the kit to Nelson.

“I can’t find anything,” Fletcher said, giving Tony’s ankles a gentle turn but he remained unconscious.

Arawn was holding Tony’s wrist and watching the clock on the mantle. “His pulse and his temperature are elevated and he’s flushed and shaking like he has a fever, but I don’t see any wounds either.”

Tony was taken upstairs to the room Bryn had used and Arawn ran an IV for fluids, in case he was dehydrated. But Tony wouldn’t wake up and his phone started ringing shortly after he arrived.

---