Page 68 of Immortal Sins
Cole serves himself a drink at the bar. “How did you find us?”
Trent rubs down his face with both hands. Wet hair sticks to his pale skin. “This place is hardly a secret. Mel visited once or twice. My Dad used his connections to get me through to the nearby village.”
Cole glares at Flynn.
The blond looks as guilty as a leprechaun with one hand still stuck in the cauldron. They stare at each other until my skin itches.
I force my attention back to our visitor. “Why?”
Of all the people I imagined might ride into Faerie to knock some sense into me, Trent didn’t make the list.
“Let’s not beat around the bush. My father needed to reach you.” The vampire tilts his head back on the cushions, fingers pressed to his eye sockets. “I’m here because I’m…expendable.”
What kind of father sends his son on a dangerous mission to Faerie without back-up? If Trent had been caught by anyone but Cole’s guards, who knows what could have happened. Drenched to the bone, with his leather jacket and Dark Falls uniform, he doesn’t exactly blend in.
Trent’s arm slices through the space in front of him. “If you decide to keep me here, my father won’t lose a night’s sleep over it. That’s the truth.”
I brace my elbows over my thighs and munch on my thumb. “Why did he send you at all?”
“Dark Falls is under attack. Right after you left, hollows started to slip through an Underworld tear. If the portal isn’t closed soon, they’ll have to evacuate the grounds altogether.”
“Hollows?” I check Flynn and Cole’s faces for traces of recognition.
My dark prince downs his shot glass. “Hollows are ancient monsters that feed on people’s souls.”
“And why do we care? If they evacuate, great! Let them sweat,” Flynn says.
I wet my lips. If the Underworld tear opened again… “What does your father want from me?”
“You can close the portal with infernal magic.” His throat bobs. “Can’t you?”
I walk away and stare out the windows. Small yellow birds quack happily in the trees. Sluggish rain beats on the terrace.
Beth showed me how to open and close the tearonce. She didn’t explain half the things that happened, nor tell me exactly how it worked, but I can’t let that uncertainty show.
I spin around to face Trent. “Your dad needs a favor from me. I want one in return.”
He nods. “I’m sure he’ll agree if the terms are reasonable and make him look good to the press.”
“I want a meeting.”
The vampire approaches me. “If you come back with me, we can—“
Cole dashes over to him, so fast I almost didn’t see him move, and blocks his way, one arm firmly holding the vampire back.
The boys stare each other down, but Trent sits back on the couch, his nostrils wide, his crimson eyes pulsing.
“Not on Earth. Here.” I turn to Cole. “Is there such a thing as neutral ground in Faerie?”
My prince twines our fingers, a clear show of ownership and testosterone. This is not the time or place to assert his superiority over Trent, but I allow it.
Cole bites back a growl. “My guards will take you back. Tell your father to meet us at the inter-realm checkpoint tomorrow at noon, Dark Falls’ time.”
Flynn clicks open his special watch. “That gives us a few hours.”
“Alright.” Trent awkwardly rubs his hand down his pants, and his gaze darts to where the guards were a minute ago like he expects them to appear.
“Come. I’ll walk you out,” I say without giving Cole the chance to argue.
