Page 2 of Deadly Little Games

His shoulders slumped. “It is only rumor, but some say that when he came here, he left his queen behind, not knowing he would be unable to return to her.”

My stomach sank. Elves were extremely long lived creatures. Who knew how long he and his queen had been together before he came here? And now to be apart, all this time. “That’s awful.”

“It is. But if anyone is to acquire the Realm Breaker, it will be Mistral.”

I furrowed my brow. “But can’t others use it too? Maybe Mistral can use it to go home, and the elf king can use it as well.”

I felt a small squirming sensation in my chest at the thought of Mistral going home. It would mean never seeing him again. I had only known him a short time, but I found I didn’t like the idea.

I shook my head. “Never mind. This is all conjecture. We don’t even know if the sword can actually do what everyone believes. If you would have asked me a few days ago, I would have said it was a myth. So first thing first, I have to go meetwith the elf king. Then Sebastian and I are going to continue searching for my mother.”

Gabriel clenched his fists again at the mention of Sebastian.

“Oh no.” I held up a finger. “I don’t want to hear it. I have a contract with him, and you know what that means.”

“You also have a bargain with Mistral.Twobargains.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I haven’t forgotten. And that first bargain pertains to Sebastian. So tell Mistral I’m just fine, and I will report to him when I’m able.” I gave him a look. “Unless he wants to come here himself.”

His mouth sealed into a grim line. I was pretty sure by now that Mistral couldn’t come here himself, and I was growing increasingly curious as to why that was.

But it was a problem for another time.

I shooed him aside so I could climb out of bed. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to get dressed.”

“You’re being foolish, Eva.” But he went for the door.

I turned to watch him reaching for the knob. “I’m half human. Foolishness is in my blood.”

He hung his head, shook it, then left the room. A moment later I heard my apartment door opening and shutting.

I looked down at my hand. It seemed perfectly normal now, but the glow had beenveryreal. And I had really shifted fully last night. Maybe the Realm Breaker wasn’t even necessary. Maybe I could learn to shift to the near realms on my own, like a real celestial. But could I bring someone with me?

I had no idea, because my mother had left me with so little. I didn’t know anything about my magic. Maybe meeting with the elf king, an ancient being with vast knowledge, could be my first step toward finding out.

2

The days were getting warmer,but luckily not warm enough for shorts, so I ended up in black jeans, black sneakers, and a dark purple crop top. I went out to the living room, glancing toward Braxton’s door. Not a single sound emanated from within.

I tiptoed toward the kitchen to make coffee, and with another glance at Braxton’s door, I started searching through the cupboards for something nice to feed him when he woke up. I was still feeling guilty for getting him kidnapped by vampires, even though I knew he didn’t hold it against me.

I wasn’t sure what I had hoped to find, but I didn’t appreciate every cupboard I opened mocking me with its emptiness. I closed the final cupboard with a sigh. Maybe a trip to the nearby café was in order.

I waited for Ringo to emerge from the bathroom, his fur damp and all fluffed up from his regular bath in the sink. He hopped over to the sofa where he started using his tiny paws to smooth down his fur.

“Mind telling Braxton not to go anywhere if he wakes up? I’ll be right back.”

Ringo blinked his big round eyes at me. “Is it safe?”

I patted the back pocket of my jeans where I had slid Sebastian’s calling card after a short internal debate. “If anything happens, I’ll summon Sebastian. By this point, I’m pretty sure he wants to keep me alive.” That was, while he wasn’t kissing me to summon my elusive magic.

Ringo still didn’t seem convinced.

“I’ll bring you a sweet potato turnover.”

He sat up a little straighter. “I’ll tell Braxton you’ll be back soon.”

Grinning, I went for the door, then hurried down the exterior stairs. It was hotter outside than I had expected, but then again, I had slept a lot of the morning away.

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