Page 61 of A Hint of Delirium

My smirk widened. “I’ll never tell.”

* * *

GettingSage out of my loft was a headache and a half. She almost didn’t leave. But her visit proved I couldn’t sit idly by. Sage was right. Regardless of my thoughts on the matter, it was my duty to deliver Violet to the Unseelie King. I couldn’t ignore her and pretend I didn’t know she existed. If anyone else found out about her, we would be in deep shit. Taking control of the situation was our best option.

Making sure I wasn’t followed by that hellcat Sage, I opened a portal to Hell’s Kitchen and shot out directly in front of Ansel’s apartment door. I stood in front of his door and banged on it loudly enough to wake the dead. After several minutes with no answer, I twisted the knob and shoved my shoulder against it, quickly breaking the lock and pushing my way inside. The apartment was empty, which was odd since it was seven in the morning. They should still be sleeping.

I searched all over Ansel’s apartment and realized Violet’s bags were gone. They were already gone.

“Son of a bitch.” I whirled around in the middle of the living room. “They ran.”

29

VIOLET

“Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly as we stood at the doorway of a random house in the New Jersey suburbs. Inside, it was fully furnished with modern décor that looked nothing like the outside of the house.

“I’m positive, Vi,” Ansel said as he lugged our bags inside. “My brother will turn on us. It’s only a matter of time. It’s best we get somewhere safe.”

“And where exactly are we?” I walked inside and glanced around at our temporary home.

“This is one of Luka’s safe houses,” he answered. “It’s off the books.”

I plopped down on a black sectional sofa and made myself comfortable. “We can’t hide here forever, Ansel.”

He sighed. “I know. But for now, we’ll stay until we come up with a game plan. Can you handle that?” He sat on the other end of the sofa, lifting my legs and placing them on his lap.

His touch stirred something inside me, reminding me of the other night. I nodded with a blush. “Yeah. Sorry if I’m whining. It just … it really felt like Alec wanted to help us. I don’t want to believe he’s a bad guy.”

“I don’t either, but I know my brother, Vi. Trust me, okay?”

I nodded again. “Of course.”

“Good.” He gave a soft smile and rubbed my legs gently. “I need to visit Luka’s bar for some intel. Will you be fine staying here by yourself?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

I moved my legs and Ansel stood, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. “I’ll be back,” he whispered before disappearing.

I waited a few seconds before releasing a deep breath. I still felt the tingle of his kiss and the warmth it sent throughout my body.

I should have passed the time exploring the house, but the first thing I wanted to do was call my mother. I hadn’t spoken to her in a few days and I missed her more than I thought I would. Plus, she didn’t know what had happened with the Ancient Order of Leviathans. With them gone, it was safe for her to come home now. Except was it really? NowIwas in hiding. If she came back, the fae could use her to get to me. Now that I thought about it, it was probably better if she stayed in hiding just a bit longer.

Grabbing my phone from my back pocket, I pressed the number one on the key pad to speed dial my mom’s number. It rang twice before she answered.

“Violet?” she answered hopefully.

“Hey, Mom!” I said with more enthusiasm than expected. “How are you?”

“I’m good, mija. Missing you, of course. How are you? How are things going? Is he treating you well?” she whispered the last part as if someone was listening in on our conversation.

I chuckled. “Yes, Mom, Ansel treats me well.” I blushed. “Actually, I have some news.”

“Oh?”

I nodded as if she could see me. “Yes. Ansel took care of the Ancient Order of Leviathans. They won’t be a problem anymore.”

There was a long pause. “What do you mean, he took care of them?”

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