Page 22 of Immortal Sins
A note bursts into existence on the back of the couch, and Oz unfolds it quickly.
His gaze flies from the windows back to me. “Wait for me here. Do not move from this couch until I return, okay?”
I plaster a dreamy smile on my lips. “Okay.”
His hot thumb glides across my cheek. “You will not remember this moment, but I do look forward to kissing you for the first time again.”
With that, he barrels out of the cabin. The door thunders shut behind him, and I start to count to twenty inside my head.
When I reach nineteen, I gulp in a heavy, disgusted breath.
My hands tremble, but I shake off the slimy, oily memory of Oz’s goodbye and wipe his manipulative kiss off my lips with the back of my hand.
I wrench open the cabin door and signal Flynn.
The tall Fae sneaks past the wards without setting them off. As expected, Oz left in a hurry and didn’t bother to arm them properly. I’m not even sure he could have managed it with me still inside. I blow air out of my mouth. One thing about this stupid plan worked, at least. Flynn passes me my bag and dashes to the bedroom with a crowbar in his hands. To access the safe, he removes five or six pieces of hardwood. The display of grace and stamina quickens my heart, and I wish the Fae garments didn’t enhance his angelic traits—or my pesky fascination with them.
We both kneel to peek at the blue metal box.
Chills scatter across my neck, and I grip Flynn’s upper arm. “Wait. It’s still here. The nether being Lydia and I saw the other night.”
He pauses and searches the room. “That upside-down spell pulled a number on you. There’s nothing here but you and me.” Flynn twirls his right hand over the safe. His magic carves a temporary hole into the thick metal. A pristine, pearly-white horn lays inside. The sight of the severed end wrenches my insides.
Flynn’s blue eyes flutter shut for an instant. With extreme care, he grabs the horn and wraps it in a dark piece of cloth. “Let’s go.”
We double back into the main room.
A black tarp covers the tall, old-fashioned mirror that doubles as a Faerie portal, and I tear off the fabric. “Where does it lead? To the beach like last time?”
Flynn shakes his head. “This is Oz’s portal. It’ll take us to where he went last.”
Adrenaline chases the elation in my veins. “Isn’t that a problem?”
The golden frame gleams in the night. Inside the mirror, I see myself as a Fae. The luscious black curls and heart-shaped mouth of this otherworldly beautiful Julia raise every single hair on my arms. I slip the cherry wood necklace I brought over my emerald pendant, hoping it’ll protect me from the mind-numbing luster of Faerie.
“Last chance to turn back, mortal.” Flynn offers me his hand, and I clasp it without thinking.
We both stare at our entwined fingers for too long.
Flynn stretches his arms and cracks his neck. “Don’t worry, if an Unseelie attacks us, you will probably die quickly, given your constitution.”
A dry chortle pops out of my mouth. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Yes. Being eaten sucks more when you’re alive for most of it.” With that horrific joke, Flynn pulls me into the glass.
I clasp the cherry wood necklace with my free hand and hold my breath.
9
THE DIM WARLOCK
“The damn Fae put me out of service right when it counted.” Olson Lewis slams his fist on the mattress. “I could have thwarted his plans.”
A chilly wind flows into the private room of the infirmary, and I get up to close it. A half-crescent moon illuminates the night sky. “Just chill, Olson. You’re lucky enough to be alive.”
The warlock’s hair has grown during his hospital stay, his usually polished half-buzz cut shaggier than usual. The roots of his blue hair betray the true color underneath—a dark, dirty brown that robs him of his edgy look.
Mouth dry, I consider his lean muscle mass and try to concentrate on anything but the fact that I’m responsible for his presence here. Daniel and I had to test the angel dust on Cole. It worked flawlessly, too, and the prince sent his demon cat after Olson without a hitch, as though it had been his own intention.
