Page 39 of Across an Endless Sea

Wait? Where’s my hat?

I blink back to the infirmary and grimace when I see my poor cap has been put on ahatstand, of all things, and hooked up to a steady drip of donated blood. It’s practically gonepink, and the normally stiff brim is drooping.

Horror eclipses me as I scramble towards it and yank it off.

“Don’t worry,” I whisper to my cap, stroking the limp felt brim. “We’ll get some proper blood soon. Violent blood. None of this namby-pamby freely given shit.”

“Lorcan. I know where—”

Ignoring Kitarni—can’t she see that Rose is missing?—I tug my cap on and head to the farthest reaches of Faerie, landing on the blackened sand of the Winter Court’s northernmost shoreline. My stupid legs give way a third time, and I flop down onto the coarse beach.

Rose isn’t here. The Call says she’sstillfarther north.

The only place north of here… is the one place I’ve never been.

The Fomorian Mountains.

Which means…

They lost her.I’velost her.

I stare at the horizon, wishing it was stabbable.

As strong as my magic is, distance is a problem, and so is iron. If Rose is surrounded by the metal, I can’t get to her. I’d teleport to the mountain and search the old-fashioned way, but that won’t work either. I can only go to places or people I’ve seen before.

But the Endless Sea is as fucking vast as its name, and across it is the one place in this stupid realm that Cressidick never sent me. The only place I can’t go.

Stupid. Fucking. Caed.

The next time I see Rose’s Fomorian, I’m going to string him up by his ankles and slit his throat. He won’t die, but it’ll be messy. Good for my hat, too. Fucker deserves worse for taking away my pet.

Hopefully, Rose uses her pretty thorns on him.

I blink back to my room—because when Rose returns, the last thing I want her to catch me wearing is this. Even though my ass is glorious, the fact that it’s falling out of the loose pyjama bottoms isn’t.

My behind is made for leather—and as a bonus, it’s easy to clean the blood off. Not as easy as if I were nude, but some less endowed fae get intimidated when I do that.

Sissies.

Properly attired, I pause. Do I go back to the infirmary? I suppose not being able to see out of one eyecouldbe a problem…

Nah.

I blink to Jaro, only to wind up in a room full of knights.

Ignoring them—because Rose got upset when I threatened to kill them the last time—I blink into the middle of their table. This time I choose to sit because I don’t trust my legs anymore. They’re unusually heavy, and it’s getting a bit concerning.

“How in the name of Danu’s sacred tits did you manage to lose her?” I demand.

Jaro growls under his breath. “Lorcan, I’m in the middle of a war council.”

I blink at him. Is it possible he hasn’t noticed she’s missing? Why else isn’t he tearing this place apart and demanding that someone find us a way across the Endless Sea?

“Rose is gone.” I make sure to make the words clear and distinct.

That gets a reaction. Every muscle in the wolf’s body goes taut with tension.

“I’maware,” he snarls. “Where’s Kitarni? She was supposed to be in charge of you, and I just don’t have time right—”

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