Page 89 of The Evernight Court

Lastly, I took the faerie-bee honey from the box of spicesthe faeries had gifted me because I remembered what the big man at the Faerie Bazaar had said when he shoved his wooden spoon in my mouth—even dragons lay down their claws for this honey.Again—worth a shot, so I put the container in the leather bag with the rest of the food, and Valentine’s book, too.

And…that was it. That was all I had. Gold coins, food, magic.

If that wasn’t enough, I was doomed anyway.

“I either come back with him, or I don’t come back at all,” I told Grey’s portrait. “They’ll kill me if I do.” And I was good at hiding, wasn’t I? I was good at being undetected, just like Valentine said. Just like I proved it to myself once more today, when in the mirror room.

If I couldn’t bring Storm back for whatever reason, and if he didn’t eat me, I wouldn’t be returning to this castle no matter what. I’d live in the woods or in the mountains. I’d keep myself hidden until the day I died.

But Romin, Tristian and Emil werenevergoing to touch me again.

It was earlywhen I left a note for Zane to feed the birds in the cage in my room, and made it out of the back door of the castle. I thought for sure the guards wouldn’t let me through, and I was prepared to unleash my magic on them, too. I was still weak, still hungry, though I’d eaten a little bit on my way out of the tower, but I would still try. What did I have to lose, anyway?

Fortunately, the guards didn’t stop me. They let me through without a word, just like always.

The woods seemed darker tonight. Colder, even though I was wearing thick clothing. The fur coat was hanging on thestrap of the leather bag around my shoulder, but maybe I needed to put it on me even before I reached the mountain.

Quinn wasn’t there, though. It was still only eight p.m., and she wouldn’t be in the woods so early, and I didn’t have the time to wait, either. So, I made my way into the town, wondering if it was a better idea to just find someone else to take me to Mount Agva.

The problem was, someone else would possibly tell Romin on me if they figured out that I wasn’t just a succubi passing by the Whispering Woods. If they learned who I was—whichthey wouldthe moment I told them where I wanted to go—they’d turn me in instantly. I had no doubt about it.

But Quinn wouldn’t because Quinn wasn’t just someone from the town. She’d been sent for me—from Valentine, no less, and right now she was my best bet.

So, I went to town, and I went to Mina’s, and to most of the other shops and bars on the cobblestone street that was the town’s main one, but I didn’t find her for almost an hour.

Instead, she found me.

“Looking for me?”

I jumped back, barely containing a scream when I was just at the edge of the woods. Quinn was sitting on the rooftop of the building to my left, one leg up, elbow resting on her knee as she watched me and grinned.

Heat had gathered in my stomach so quickly. It was becoming easier to separate the magic from my emotions now because it was so much stronger. Like, because I’d already used it on Tristian earlier, it had become more powerful within hours—or so it felt to me.

“You scared the shit out of me,” I said, focusing on taking in a deep breath, on pushing down that magic. I was thankful for it—it was the only weapon I really had, but something told me that it could get out of control really fast if I didn’t learn to pull it back before it did.

Something told me that if I were to let it, it would explode out of me without my needing to focus on what I wanted it to do.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry about that.”

Quinn jumped. As silent as a damn ninja, she jumped off the rooftop so gracefully, like it was the easiest thing in the world to do, and she landed on her feet without so much as a sigh.

“Well, look who decided to show up tonight. Is her highness bored of me already? Or did you just get lazy, is that it?”

Alarms rang in my head as she approached me with that easy smile on her face, perfectly unsuspicious—just like I had been.

“Sure. I got lazy.” I straightened my shoulders, reminding myself once again that it didn’t matter who she was or how we came to meet. “I don’t really have much time right now, but I have a new offer to make you. Keep the money I gave you, and you’ll get another bag of gold if you do something else for me,” I said in a rush.

Her brows shot up and she looked positively shocked. “Wait, wait, hold on,” she whispered. “Holy shit—you’rereallyquitting?!”

“Yes.” She could call it whatever she wanted, but I didn’t need to learn how to fight right now. Grey was alive and I knew where he was, maybe even how to bring him back, and I needed nothing more in the world than to try to do just that.

Quinn shook her head, more surprised than I had thought she would be. “But you were doing so well,” she finally said, and she had the audacity to sound disappointed.

“I want you to take me to Mount Agva, Quinn. I’ll pay you.” She knew the way—she’d said so herself. I needed her, even if I hated it, because I couldn’t afford to die on this trip for some stupid reason I didn’t see coming because I didn’tknow what the hell lurked in the other parts of the Whispering Woods.

A pause.

“You’re fucking with me,” she concluded.

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