Mated Girl (Wolf Girl #4)(9)

Anger flared up inside of me. ‘Fuck Queen Drake, I just stabbed that bitch in the shoulder a few nights ago. Sawyer, I need you to believe in me. I need you to be ready to blow that joint, because I’m coming whether you like it or not.’
He was silent for too long, so long I thought I’d lost him. Maybe our connection was lost and his warlock friend couldn’t bring down the signal jammer anymore or whatever. Just when I was ready to fall back asleep, he spoke again.
‘You’re sexy when you’re plotting prison breaks. I’ll be ready. I love you.’
‘I love you too,’ I said, grinning, and then suddenly the connection was broken. I felt Sawyer leave me, taking his familiar presence with him.
I lay back on the bed, staring up at the peeling plaster ceiling, and sighed.
Love made you crazy, made you do insane things, but if I could rewind to that day at Delphi where Sawyer and I first met, I wouldn’t take it back. I wouldn’t take any of this back. I loved the person that loving Sawyer had made me. I was a strong woman, an alpha, a mother. None of that I would have known if he hadn’t found me and broken me out of my Delphi prison, out of my cuffs. Now it was time for me to return the favor.
SPECIAL_IMAGE-images/svgimg0003.svg-REPLACE_ME
I tossed and turned after talking to Sawyer until finally morning light came. After washing up and having breakfast, I slipped into my troll bridal veil and we set out for Seam’s house. We asked a grumpy female dark fey from South Hill where Seam the Ithaki lived and she just pointed to a tiny blue cabin on the top of the hill and grunted.
The horses made slow work of going up the hill, so much so I was tempted to just tie them up at the bottom and walk up, but I wasn’t sure if they would be stolen. When we finally reached a set of rusted steel gates, I stared at the sign tied to the gate. The paint was peeling, but I could make out the words clearly. Get out, it read.
I looked at Sage.
“I can’t see your face right now, but I’m guessing you don’t like the sign.” Sage tried to peer through the tiny dots poked in the cream cotton veil and see my expression.
“Correct. Don’t like it one bit. We have no idea what kind of dude this might be. Should I have my wolf come out and walk in with us?”
She tapped her chin. “That’s threatening. We need to seem meek. If we get into trouble you can yank your cuffs off and we’ll fight our way out.”
I nodded. That was a decent plan. It would lead the vampires to us, but decent.
“Here goes nothing, then.” I stepped up to the gate and reached out to grasp the handle. The second my fingers touched the cool metal, a shock ripped through my arm and I yanked it back with a yelp.
“Motherfucker!” I screamed.
It was electrified!
“What do you want?” a deep, ominous voice called out from somewhere in the bushes.
Shit.
I spun, looking at the bush, and then relaxed a little when I saw a speaker. It was very untroll-like to have what Marmal referred to as “demon technology,” but I was guessing this Ithaki was more fey-like. Dark fey, I had to remind myself. The bad ones.
I stepped closer to the bush. “I want to give you this fat shiny diamond in exchange for information,” I called back, pulling the ring from my hand and holding it up to the house. I’d moved it from my necklace to my wedding finger this morning. I saw a curtain move and then the gate opened with a loud creak.
Gotcha.
Greed was good. I could work with that.
We left the horses tied to the bottom gatepost and headed up the driveway on foot. The house was in major disrepair, which was a good sign that he needed money. This boded well for him taking my ring in exchange for information. The blue siding was warped and the roof was metal but rusted. The place was definitely not well taken care of, that was for sure.
By the time we reached the front door, it stood open and a tall man lurked in the entryway. His hair was white and hung halfway down his back; he had small cheek tusks and pointy fey ears. He didn’t look like a dark fey. In fact, he looked very much like he was half light-fey. His white hair and crisp blue eyes were telltale signs … but then why live here? Among the evil?
He was slender and tall, definitely more fey than troll in stature. One long arm hung to his side and another shorter arm, missing the hand, he held to his chest.
“Jewel?” He held out his good hand.
“Information first.” I tucked the ring into my palm.
He rolled his eyes. “Obviously, but I need to see the jewel to make sure it’s real.”
I pulled the ring off my finger, saying a silent goodbye, and held it out to him. He reached out and extended a bony finger toward me. The nails were sharpened to points and painted black. Maybe a disguise so he would fit in with the other fey in town.
I was suddenly wondering what he did to land himself in Magic City Prison. Snaking the ring from my hand, he held it up to the light, grinning.
Pointed teeth.
Okay … he was part dark fey … good thing I was under this veil because I couldn’t control my reactions right now.
“Five carats?” He pulled out a magnifying glass.
I stepped forward. “Uh, I guess so. It’s worth at least a hundred grand,” I guessed.
Sage sidled next to me. “Half a million. It’s colorless, flawless, and round cut by a master jeweler in Paris.”
I could see the physical greed come over Seam at Sage’s words. His eyes practically glittered as he rolled the gem in his hand.
Half a million! Whoa. I looked at my bestie with surprise.
“I helped him pick it out.” She winked at me.