Page 89 of Elven Lies

The genuineness was written there all over his face.

At the same time, Rebecca was still acutely aware of the fact that every bit of what he’d just said also aligned with the requirements of his job.

“Thanks, Hannigan, she said and dismissed him with a nod.

He looked surprised at first but pulled it together, opened the door, and disappeared.

When the final lingering tendrils of Maxwell’s presence faded from her awareness and he was gone, she could breathe again.

Of course Maxwell had picked up on something else—a fairly big issue, too, and one she had to deal with as soon as possible. But deciding how to get Rowan out of the picture didn’t feel like a Shade decision. This was personal.

Rowan just didn’t belong here, and he didn’t want to try. His only mission from the start had been to take Rebecca back homewith him. After today, if Rowan thought ruining her entire life in Chicago would be necessary to get what he wanted, she knew now he would absolutely do it.

She had to get rid of him, To send him away and make it permanent without permanently endinghim. Manufacturing a scenario and therefore a viable reason to exile him from Shade would be hard, but it had to be done. Rowan would only further endanger the entire task force that much more with every day she allowed him to remain among them.

The understanding of what she had to do next was more painful than anything she’d felt in a long time. Rebecca didn’t know anyone the way she’d once known Rowan. She’d never let herself know anyone else. That only made this more dangerous, not less.

But she’d made her choice. This couldn’t go on, and yes, she was choosing Shade over the Bloodshadow Court. Choosing Shade over her old best friend—the one good thing in her life before she’d finally committed to leaving it all behind her forever.

Forever just didn’t last long enough in this case.

So Shade’s Roth-Da’al had to take matters into her own hands and try one more time to throw the Blackmoon Elf out of Chicago for good, Only this time, it wouldn’t be a bit of her magic mixed into a potion before he entered The Striving.

This time, she had to make it look likeRowan’sfault. Like his shortcomings and eccentricities, his recklessness and disregard for the chain of command, had finally become too much of a liability to keep him on. Preferably without killing him.

Rowan would stop at nothing to achieve his purpose in Chicago. Could Rebecca be just as committed to her own?

At the very least, if shehadto hurt him badly enough to force him out, she could live with that. So could Rowan. His loyaltieshad revealed themselves, and they lay with the Bloodshadow Court. With Rebecca’s past. With her enemies.

Her loyalties had changed too, and with them, her willingness to do whatever it took to protect the task force she’d come to value more than any family of blood had ever valuedher.

Even if it meant making the most difficult, most agonizingly painful choice since the day she’d left him the first time.

26

Rebecca stood behind the Shell gas station, away from the exterior lights and the streetlamps illuminating the gas pump and the station’s front doors, with darkness all around her. She could have executed this mission on her own with no gear, no backup, and her Bloodshadow spear the only necessary weapon.

But this wasn’t about her anymore. Not tonight.

Shade was finally on to Kordus Harkennr and the intricate workings of one vital component to his larger grotesque operation. Tonight, this was about her teams getting the job done and doing itright.

The overwhelming energy and heat tingling through her for the last thirty-five minutes spluttered and halted for a split second when Maxwell moved beside her. Complete with that painful tug at her core that now appeared every single time the shifter moved, turned, stepped, or even looked away from her, easing again whenever he returned.

She’d been keeping track.

Her breath caught in her throat, but she forced it back out again and tried to ignore the sensations so Maxwell could do his job—likely while feeling the same thing.

Weren’t they just a pair?

He’d only moved toward the corner of the building to peer around it into the darkness stretching down the highway, but it felt like he’d turned away forever. She sighed with relief when he returned to their position and the pain disappeared, as if it had never been.

“Anything?” she whispered.

“No visual yet, but they’ll be here.”

“And you reconfirmed and double-checked every data point Rick brought us?”

His silver eyes glinted beneath the stars when he fully turned his gaze toward her. The soft pulse of brighter silver within them made her want to drown in that light.

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