Page 43 of The Light Falls
“Kaius is at the palace,” he tells him. “But there’s something strange going on. He refused to answer any of my questions about the new assignment or when he was going to visit Brina. Nothing. We may have our differences, but she’s his twin sister. The first thing they’ve always done is see each other after a long absence.”
Camon paces back and forth. “And to make matters worse, he’s still wearing the light Fae form from his last job. It’s only a matter of time before the wanted posters make their way to the capital.” He stops to look at Fisk. “I need you to call him home.”
Fisk slumps forward with a devastated look on his face. “It’s not Kaius. A chameleon can only hold a form for a limited time. Maybe three or four months. It’s been over six since he did that last job.”
Well, that’s a handy piece of news Kaius should know.
Camon’s face whitens. “Who the hell is it? And where’s Kaius?”
“Dead. My grandson is dead,” Fisk whispers, his eyes turning from light blue to white. “If a chameleon dies in another form, he doesn’t revert to his original.”
“Fuck. Brina’s going to be devastated, and she’s so damn delicate right now,” Camon says, slamming his hand on the desk. He looks at the man in front of him. “Damn, I’m sorry, Fisk. I know how much you loved him.”
Part demon, part cirein-croin, and who knows what else. No wonder Kaius ended up as a chameleon. It’s so rare, I could barely believe it when Vargas told me about his new “body.” Hell, he’s going to be over the fucking moon at this piece of news.
A loud commotion in one of the nearby hallways makes them both jump. Fisk turns and grips Camon’s arm tightly. “Not a word about Kaius. Not to anyone. Not even Brina. Let me figure out what to do.”
Camon nods, his eyes going to the doorway nearest to them. A fierce man with flaming red hair and a warrior’s build strides into the room.
I narrow my eyes trying to place where I know him.
“Caught a damn spy following me here. Can you believe the fucking nerve? Dog has a death wish,” he roars, throwing the animal into the middle of the room.
Fuck me.It’s the hellhound I sent to find Rivan’s family. I study the red-haired man. That’s why he looks familiar. Rivan’s family looks pretty damn alive to me. I wonder if there are more of them.
Unfortunately, the only person who can tell me has been outed as a spy.
Fisk reaches out a hand to grab the animal, and the hellhound immediately turns his body into an inferno. “He’s a fucking hellhound? This got worse in a hurry. Probably a mercenary, but they only contract for the Underworld. Who did you piss off now?”
The phoenix plants his fists on his hips. “I don’t think now is the time to get jealous. If you weren’t such a recluse, I’m sure you’d have your own Underworld spy following you.”
My mind races, trying to figure out how to get Tarquin, the hellhound, Red, Kavi, and myself out of here without incurring the wrath of a Phoenix, a High Fae, and a mythological cirein-croin. I scan the space around Tarquin and see a small shadow under his belly.
Suddenly, a large explosion rocks the hallway. Turning quickly, Brixton and Fisk rush toward the entrance.
Callyx appears across from me. “Go!” he mouths silently.
Gritting my teeth, I glare at Meri’s cousin. He’s going to gloat over this for years.
Callyx throws me an incredulous look and motions for me to get moving.
Flipping him off, I yank Tarquin through the shadow under his belly to the one I’m standing in, but it isn’t big enough to house us both.
“You’re going to need to change for me to get us out of here,” I murmur.
Camon’s head turns in our direction, and I grip the hellhound by the neck and take us through the wall to the other side. An uproar has me swiveling to see who’s behind us.Fucking infernos.It’s an entire squad of Phoenix. One immediately conjures a large ball of fire, and I jump into the shadow with Tarquin and coast to the wall where I left Kavi.
“We’ve got men on both sides,” Kavi quietly informs me when I arrive. “What do you want to do, boss?”
I thrust the hellhound into Kavi’s arms. “For some reason, he can’t change. Let me see if I can get a hold of Ren.” Shoving my cuff up, I touch a ruin on my wrist. “Ren. We need a big diversion. Something to pull at least a hundred men from behind the house. What do you see—”
Callyx appears in the shadow next to us. “We need to get out of here. Now.”
“Hold on, Ren,” I tell the merman. “No shit. I’m working on a plan.”
“No time. The only way we’re getting out of here with our heads still attached is if we are the enemy,” he calmly says, cutting me off with a shit-eating grin. “Fae remember. But not like any Fae here.” In a blink, he wraps the shadows around us and we suddenly turn into four men with varying ranges of blue and green hair. Water Fae.
He glamoured the shadows. I’m impressed, dammit, but hell if I’ll admit it to him. If I still had the ability to steal powers, that would be at the top of my list.
