Page 76 of Dark Sun (Wicked Lovely 6)

Urian thrashed. “Let me d—”

“It’s Callisto,” Katherine yelled from where she was dangling from another claw. She was fairly sure she was right, although she couldn’t say why.

From below her, Ani waved.

Irial stared up at them.

And in a few moments, they were on the ground in a parking lot of what looked like an abandoned shopping mall. Callisto stood there, watching them.

“You’ll be able to fly by airplane. She’s not going to like it, so hold her hand the whole time to keep her safe from the steel,” Callisto said, sounding more coherent than she ever had. “Now that you’re free of them, you can’t stay on this side of the ocean. No shortcut through Faerie. Go to the Brough House.”

Urian looked at her. “I have so many questions.”

“If you ask them all, you’ll be dead or captive again.” Callisto patted his cheek. “Stay on that side of the sea, or you’ll die.”

Then she looked at Katherine. “I stowed your stuff in Faerie. Shop for something less . . . like my clothes.” She grinned. “Then go. I’ll take you to the airport, and then I have a debt I must go pay.”

Callisto was car-shaped again, almost as soon as the last word was spoken.

“You do that to avoid questions!” Urian shook his head, and then he did some sort of magic that meant that he looked unbruised, and as Katherine looked down, she saw that she looked fine, too.

ChapterThirty-Five

Aislinn

“What the hell, Irial?” Niall stood over Irial like he was facing a dangerous foe. “Do you ever think about anything but yourself?”

“Niall," Aislinn started as she walked through the ruins of her park to see her grandfather and his beloved arguing. In the way they did everything, their arguing was closer to romance than she could explain.

Irial glanced at her and shook his head once. “I think of you.”

“Then you’d stop getting into danger.” Niall’s abyss guardians lashed out like knives, pinning Irial to the ground. “Keenan still hates you, and thatboywants you dead and—”

“I am fine.” Irial smiled through a bloody mouth.

“Well, I’m not! I require your presenceandyour safety,” Niall said as he punched his beloved.

Irial laughed. “You have them, love.”

“I thought I had yourloyalty, too.” Niall growled at his partner and put a boot on his stomach.

And Irial simply grinned. “You want me to retaliate? Or do you want to take this to somewhere more private first?”

“Damn it,” Niall muttered. Then he glanced at Aislinn. “Youmight have decided—unilaterally, I might add—to free him knowing he’s a danger to my court, but--”

“Declare him heir,” Irial suggested from the ground.

Niall swiveled his head and stared at him. “Seriously, Irial?”

“He’s myson,love. Your stepson in—”

“Was there a wedding I missed?” Niall pulled Irial to his feet and punched him almost in the same moment.

Irial wasn’t as quick as Niall with his fists, but he fought with a raw emotion that Niall lacked. Still, eventually, Irial was bleeding on the ground again, and Niall had one boot-clad foot pinning him there. This time, the boot was obviously pressing down.

The former Dark King couldn’t open his eyes fully. His lip was cracked. “Do you want to marry me. then? Make an honest man--”

“You don’t know when to stop.” Niall sighed and looked away. “It’s never enough for you. No matter what I give you, no matter—”

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