Page 19 of Bright Soul

The true Grant, if that was even his name, had light brown skin reminiscent of pinewood, with wood grain striations up his arms and stopping at the bare vee of flesh at his collarbones. What marked him as a changeling were the four faceted dragonfly wings folded down on his back.

And part of what proved that he was a fae of the dangerous Autumn Court was his hair, evergreen at the roots and tarnishing to orange halfway down, and the amber-brown eyes he turned our way, alight with intrigue. He had a handsome, angular face and pointed ears that poked a bit out of his bedhead.

“I’m guessing you all want something,” he said, sounding curious.He tried to call Tank over, but the dog gave him a look of distrust and refused to budge from Roe’s side.

“Myuna destroyed the camera we were using to watch what she was doing,” I said. “I know it would be dangerous, but I was wondering if you would be able to spy on her.”

His green eyebrows rose to his hairline. “Yeah, I suppose I could…” he drew out the moment, and I waited, expecting the “but” that came after that statement. Maybe he wanted something in return, even after striking a deal with Roe to use his talents to help us in exchange for information and our discretion.

“I just have to wait until she has a few minions. Then I can slip in no problem. Think I’d make a good monster?” He swiped his hand through the air as if it were tipped with claws. Instead of growling, he rolled his tongue to purr and grinned over at Roe.

She was looking a little pink around the edges. “Notthatkind of monster,” she protested. “Are you sure? This seems really unsafe.”

Grant’s expression morphed into an easygoing smile. “It’s my job, Roe. I’d much rather use my talents to try instead of standing behind you and hiding from whatever violence is on the horizon. Don’t you worry about me. I’m going to gather up the finest tea that’s ever been brewed and share it all with you.”

Roe sighed. “Fine, but be careful.”

“You know I will,” he answered. “It’s my ass on the line too.”

The tension between them seemed to break when she rolled her eyes. “Right, so, Wren next?” Ben asked, sharing a quick look with me. He was moments away from a smug, knowing smirk, and I tamped down the urge to return that look back to him.

“What about her?” Roe asked.

“She probably isn’t back yet,” Grant put in.

“What do you mean?” she demanded. “Don’t tell me she left the library…without us?”

That spark of interest was back in his gaze as he covered his lips with a finger. “Shh, it’s a secret.”

“It’s probably fine,” I put in when Roe placed her handson her head, her eyes bugging wide as she started to freak out.

“The Hunger is out there unchecked, but sure, leave the library at night,” she said, breathy with panic. Tank whined and nudged her. My heart beat faster in my chest, imagining Wren being wrenched away into darkness. Hana would warn us, right, rather than let us worry over discovering her body out in the streets?

“I think she was trying to prevent this.” Grant circled a hand her way.

“I’m going up to look for her. You guys coming with?” Roe asked. She gave herself a shake and strode for the door without waiting. Ben and I scrambled after her while Grant locked the door behind us.

The stairs were closer, so Roe charged up them. She cleared the door to the ground level floor first, and I found her standinga few feet away from it and motioning for us to be quiet. I heard the faint sound of a woman trying to cry and talk at the same time, making distinctive sobs of distress.

I didn’t realize it was Wren at first. We crept closer when there was quiet for a few moments, before the sounds of crying intensified. “You don’t understand, Mom!” She burst out. “Listen to yourself.”

Another pause. “He murderedanentirefamilyfor that job! What do you mean? Youknewabout it?” She gasped. I felt a twist of dread and fury, realizing they were discussing my family. The death of my birth parents so her father could be voted into his spot on the Crown Coven with my mother out of the way.

Roe made a sound low in her throat and strode forward with purpose. I wished we could’ve eavesdropped a little more, as the naked shock on Wren’s tearstained face morphed into wide-eyed surprise at seeing us before she schooled her expression as best she could. She had a pair of earbuds in and held the edge of her phone close to her face.

Wren and I met gazes, and something passed over hers with the welling of new tears. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” she said, sounding defeated. “Just…please tell the emergency council that we’re going to make a stand against Myuna. They might still listen to you. We just need more—”

She winced, her tears spilling to make new tracks over her face. She wiped them away, then pulled out her earbuds and put them into their case. “She hung up,” she muttered.

My heart tugged, seeing her curled in on herself like this. “Do you want a hug?” I asked. The offer felt wholly inadequate when she was hurting deep enough to show it.

She nodded wordlessly, and Roe intercepted her to pull her into a tight embrace first. “I’m glad you’re okay. We heard you went out after dark without us,” she sighed.

Wren pointed, and for the first time, I noticed that she’d been sitting on a crate that looked like it didn’t belong in a library. There were a few more piled nearby, and her staff was propped up against them, its sunny centerpiece glowing faintly. There was a swirl of magic in a matching yellow underneath the crates, buoying them up by several inches.

Once Roe released her, Wren and I hugged briefly. It was a little awkward, but it was a start. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to be helpful,” she said, sniffing and lifting her shoulders back, speaking more confidently. “I did some adjusting on my magic and got us everything silver I could lift from a weapons emporium.”

“That’s a lot of silver,” Ben commented.

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