Page 40 of Changeling
My need to act wars with the reality of our situation. Sebastian disappeared through a portal. He could be anywhere.
My search is in vain.
I’ve known that from the beginning, but doing nothing wasn’t an option. “I’ll send word to Wallachia with an urgent request for a witch. And I’ll write to Bettina. She may know someone in Vienna who could help.” My shoulders sag forward. “Beyond that, there’s nothing more I can do, is there?”
Leonas leans in, rubbing his flank along my thigh, his chest rumbling. My old friend. If there was anything more to be done, he’d be the first to suggest it.
I lead us around a corner to a dark alley and shrug our pack off my shoulders. “You may as well shift and accompany me back to The Twig. You must be starving.”
Leonas glances around, arches his back, and drops his weight onto his hind legs to reclaim his human form. He shakes as if to settle his fur, but instead, the sleek ebony gives way to pale, milky skin and tousled brown hair. The transformation is swift and elegant, like the man himself. He crouches for only a moment, then rises gracefully to his feet, arm outstretched for the bag.
I hand it over.
“Thanks.” He retrieves his clothes and dresses. “I’m sorry we didn’t have better luck. You’re right about a witch, but…”
“I know,” I mutter. “Sebastian could be long gone already. By the time we get a witch involved, it may be too late.” My throat tightens as I say the words out loud. As if Sebastian is even more gone for me having spoken them. He didn’t deserve this, the poor lost soul. Wanting safety and companionship isn’t a crime, and neither, as I’m finally coming to admit, is being a faerie. He could barely use his magic to catch a fish, much less damn an incubus.
I stuff my hands into my pockets. When Leonas is dressed, we begin the trek back across town to The Twig.
I can’t believe I’m going back without Sebastian, my charge to keep safe, whom I’ve utterly failed.
“It’s not your fault.” Leonas swears he can’t read my mind, but sometimes I think he’s lying. “I’ve never known a witch strong enough to hold open a portal and force an unwilling person through it without crossing over themselves. We had no reason to suspect such a thing was even possible. You couldn’t have known.”
“I should never have taken him out.”
“Nor could you hold him hostage.”
“But—”
Leonas places a firm hand on my shoulder and halts. “But nothing. You were long past due for an evening away from The Twig, and Sebastian needed a companion. It should have been a lovely night out for both of you. No one could have seen this coming. Do you have any idea what a witch would want with a faerie?”
“None.” We continue our walk. “Witches have magic of their own. They wouldn’t need Sebastian’s. I could see a vampire stealing him for his blood, but The Dozen have enabled legal, willing access to that already. It doesn’t make sense.”
Our footfalls echo loud in the silence. Around us, Pest has gone to sleep, unaware of my crisis, ignorant of my failure. For the townsfolk, this is a night like any other, but for me, it’s a tragedy. I’ve gained and lost a lover between the crowing of the roosters. And Sebastian?
Who can tell what he is facing?
I hope he’s all right and that he’s not scared. If he’s being threatened, I’ll—
Leonas grabs me and freezes.
“What is it?” I whisper. We’re nearly at The Twig, the door merely yards away.
He shushes me, then sniffs the air. “They’re here.”
My heart thuds in my chest. “Sebastian?”
“And the trespassers.”
Criminals at The Twig, and my entire staff is inside! I race to the door, throw it open, and pound down the stairs, Leonas at my heels.
I’m going to get Sebastian back. And I’ll never let him out of my sight again.
* * *
Sebastian
The Twig’scustomers have all either departed or settled into private rooms for the night, leaving the place quiet aside from us and Annais, who watches skeptically from across the room.
