Robert swayed a little faster. “Friend.”

I blew out a slow breath, forcing myself to face Corb. At least he had the balls to meet my gaze.

“It wasn’t like that, Bree,” he said. “I didn’t think she would attack you. I was weeks away from breaking this case with Annie. I didn’t think she’d confess that she was going to continue their work to you. I meant only to get your cards read, to help you tonight. I put that extra layer of protection on you, just in case.” His eyes pleaded with me to believe him. Maybe he believed himself even.

Sarge, who’d joined him, made the slightest of faces. Like he didn’t believe Corb any more than I did.

Who could I trust? Who should I take with me to save my friends?

Because the clock was ticking, and if I chose wrong, we were all as good as dead and buried six feet under.

22

I stood in front of the fountain in Forsyth Park, the portal that led to the land of Faerie, and hopefully to Crash. Robert swayed behind me, and Skeletor pawed the water at our feet. I patted the horse’s neck. Bridgette rode in front of me, quiet as a mouse. Sarge, who’d ridden over on his motorcycle, stood to my right.

“What about the time difference?” Sarge reminded me. “We won’t know just how long you are in there; you could miss the midnight deadline completely.”

I gave him a tight nod and grimaced. “I’m throwing all my cards in with Crash right now. He’s here; if I can get to him in time, then he can help me get the others out. I don’t see any other way, do you?”

We’d already been through this, but hell, why not one more time?

Sarge sighed. “Yeah, I know, but I’m worried is all.”

“Me, too, but jabbering here is just wasting more time.” I took a breath and looked them over. “Okay, here we go.”

“Why again do I have to be here?” Jinx grumbled. She stood in her spider form to my left.

“Isn’t Crash your boss?” I asked. “Shouldn’t you try to help me find him, seeing as you buggered off when you were supposed to be guarding the house?”

“Finding him while he’s boinking his ex is not part of my job description,” she said. “He can jump on all the women he wants. My job is to keep him apprised of the goings-on in Factors Row.” She rubbed two front legs together.

“Apprised is a big word. Did you learn it from the book I got you?” I asked.

Her beady eyes blinked up at me. “I did, actually.”

“And you remember that another book is your payment for this?” I reminded her of the conversation when I’d gone to ask her for help. Come with me to find her boss, and another book on editing was hers.

A hand patted my leg. I glanced down at Sarge. “You good to wait for us here?”

He gave a quick nod, saying, “For what it’s worth, I do think Corb cares for you.” He sighed softly. “I just don’t think he’s good at real relationships. Very few sirens are, Bree.”

“No shit,” I muttered. “But you agree that I can’t trust him. I saw your face in the shop. He was lying to me about Annie. He knew I’d draw her out, or at least that it was a potential outcome.” Which Corb adding a protection spell of sorts on me only made more likely.

Sarge gave a reluctant nod and a sigh. “Yeah. I could smell it on him. But that doesn’t mean he wanted things to go down that way. I know he wouldn’t intentionally put you in danger.”

I patted his hand. “You’re a good friend, Sarge.”

He shrugged. “So are you, Bree.”

“Enough mush. Let’s get this done. I want my book.” Jinx splashed water at us.

Skel stomped his foot closest to her, sending a spray of water over her head. I rubbed his neck again and bumped my heels against his sides.

We trotted forward, under the fall of water, and through the fountain into the land of Faerie.

It looked different than it had the last time, but I wasn’t here to study the scenery.

“We have to hurry,” I said. “Skel, find Crash.”

And just like that, the horse lunged into a flat-out gallop that had me bouncing on his back and hanging on for all I was worth with hands and legs. It didn’t amount to much, apparently, because Bridgette and I started slipping sideways. I was not a natural horseback rider and the speed was not helping. I squeaked and tried to claw my way back upright.

Robert grabbed me by the back of my shirt and yanked us both back onto Skel’s back.

“Thanks!” I yelped, and then we were skidding to a stop, a spray of flowers floating up around us as if they were dandelion fluff. I blinked and wiped a hand over my face, finally seeing the landscape. The ground was covered in a thick carpet of springtime moss and flowers, all in hues of pinks and creamy whites, like a teenage girl’s bedroom. Ahead of us was a gazebo with a massive bower of woven flowers around it, a curtain of the same flowers hiding whatever—or whoever—was in that gazebo from my gaze.

But it didn’t do a damn thing to muffle sounds that were definitely not sleeping.

I looked at Jinx, who blinked her beady eyes up at me. “You know he might not want to be interrupted.”

“I need his help,” I said. “And no matter who he might care for, I . . . I think I can trust him.”

“Think? That’s not the best word for this situation,” Jinx said. “Ruminate might be better. Or ponder.”

“I ponder that I can trust him?” I slid from Skel’s back, and Robert followed, his bones clacking as he landed. “That’s not good editorial advice.”

“I think it’s fabulous advice,” she muttered.

“I’d stet it,” I threw back as we walked toward the flowery bower.

I looked back at Skel and Bridgette waiting. She was staring around as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then again, she might never have visited the Seelie side of Faerie before. I motioned for her to keep her eyes on us and she gave a quick nod.

The sounds from the bower seemed less sinful the closer we got, more like someone talking in their sleep. “I don’t think they’re getting it on,” I whispered.

“Coitus. Humping. Banging. Roll in the hay. Bow-chick-a-wow-wow,” Jinx said.

“Stop it,” I hissed and took a swing at her, a back-handed swat.

“I’m showing off my skills with synonyms.” She scuttled sideways.

I pointed at the bower. “You go up top, see what’s going on.”

She glowered at me. “You want me to look at the Boss porking his ex?”

I closed my eyes. “That is the worst synonym, don’t . . . just go look, damn it!”

The spider scurried forward and I waited about ten feet away from the bower, staring at the curtain of flowers. Knowing that Crash was in there. I could just call to him. Maybe that was what I should do, but what if he was in trouble?

Part of me hoped he was in trouble. Because what if Crash was sleeping peacefully with her? What if it was obvious that they were . . . back together? Her note had said she missed him. What if he’d taken one look at my body, and gone running back to his ex-wife?

My ego wasn’t quite ready for that blow.

Jinx’s long legs took her up the side of the bower in a jiff, and she crept to the center and peeked through.

A wave of one feeler and I moved forward, pulling my knives. I motioned for Robert to stay outside. Just in case. Because gawd in heaven, my last encounter with Karissa, queen of the fae, here in her realm had gone just . . . okay. We’d parted on terms of reluctant understanding, but she’d seemed displeased with the thought that Crash might have any sort of interest in me.

Maybe he didn’t.

I swallowed hard and lifted a knife to the flowers, cutting through them as if they weren’t even there. I stepped through into the candle-lit room, if it could be called that. Karissa was in the middle of the bed, her young lover to the left of her, and Crash . . . Crash lay to her right, hands above his head under his pillow, a flash of his tats showing with the sheet just barely above his waist.

My heart did a funny stupid squeeze that made me wish for an aspirin, because it felt like a boa constrictor was tightening around me, preparing to swallow me whole. Damn it. Seeing him sleeping there with her hurt a hell of a lot more than I wanted to admit.

But I still needed his help.

He was the boss of the goblins. I should have come to him first. I should have ignored Grimm and asked Crash for his help right from the start.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

I crept to his side, tucked my knife away, poked him in the ribs with a finger, and backed up quickly.

I knew what happened to people who woke him unexpectedly. I recalled all too vividly being thrown across the room the first time I’d tried it.

He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of the flower bower. Jinx waved at him and pointed toward me.

His head barely rolled my way, just moving enough for him to see me, and the anguish in his eyes dropped me to my knees. “Get out, Bree.”

The words were growled, but there was no real heat behind them. Karissa sat up beside him in bed and then draped her body across his, all of which I caught in my peripheral vision. Because I couldn’t look away from Crash, and what I was seeing in his eyes was that none of this was his idea. She’d used her power to compel him, somehow.

“Oh, she did show up,” Karissa purred. “You didn’t go to save your friends then?”

Which meant she knew something about it. Because, of course she did. I stood and faced the fairy queen, pulling out the one card I had that she likely didn’t know about. “Ah, well, you have something of mine.”

She ran her fingers over Crash’s chest. “You think he’s yours? That’s amusing.”

A smile slid over my lips even though a small aching part of me still wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t enjoying his time with her. “Here’s the deal. I freed him from the slavery that tied him to the O’Seans. He willingly became a piece of my property at that point. I believe his words were, I am yours.”