“The portal was orange. Is that strange?” I’d only been in the magical world a short while, but all the transport charm portals I’d seen had been silver gray.
“That is strange,” Mac said. “There could be some residue left behind if you’re lucky.”
“Could Eve track that?” My Fae friend was a potion master. In this strange, magical world, she was a combination of forensics and weaponry.
“Maybe,” Mac said.
“Do you want me to take you?” the woman said. “It hasn’t rained yet, and the garden is shaded from the sun.”
“All right.”
“Come.” She turned, her bathrobe flapping.
“Wait, I don’t know your name,” I said.
“Oh, of course.” She turned back, eyes weary and face drawn. “I’m Martha Templeton. Mother of Katine Templeton.”
“I’m Carrow Burton, Martha.” My phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump. I pulled it out, my heart leaping when I saw the two little words from Miranda.
He’s back.
Mac’s eyes zeroed in on my face, knowledge sparking in her gaze. “I’ll go to Martha’s and get a sample if there is one. You go see what’s going on there.”
I hated not going with Martha, but for all I knew, Grey was at death’s door. The curse had an unknown time frame, but soon it would drag him to hell. He already wasn’t healing normally, his immortality draining away because of our Cursed Mate bond. I’d appeared in his life, and now he was fated to die.
I suppressed the shudder and nodded. Mac could get the sample and, if I needed to, I could visit the site as soon as I’d seen Grey. “Thank you, Mac.”
“No problem.”
“If you need anything from the library, just let me know,” Seraphia said.
“The library?” Skepticism sounded in Martha’s voice.
“You never know what secrets can be revealed by research,” Seraphia said.
Martha nodded, but the skepticism didn’t fade from her eyes.
We split up, Martha taking Mac to her home while I raced through the streets to Grey’s tower. It was a quiet afternoon, the shops doing a slow business as people ambled around the historic streets browsing for magical objects. Normally, I’d window shop while walking down the ancient roads, but not today.
I had eyes only for Grey’s tower, and I darted through the sparse crowd, reaching his headquarters in record time.
The tall tower loomed against the steel gray sky, the black stone ominous in the hazy light. Two massive shifter guards stood outside the doors. Depending on how you looked at it, they were bouncers for his club or bodyguards for the most powerful criminal kingpin in Guild City.
Also known as my Cursed Mate.
How my life had taken this turn so quickly, I’d never know. One day I was a poor wannabe detective living in a shitty flat in a bad part of London, no friends and no prospects besides the raccoon who lived in the alley outside my place.
Now, I was a magical sleuth living in an enchanted, medieval city—full of the modern conveniences, of course—with friends and a man who was going to break my heart if we didn’t fix this Cursed Mate tragedy.
The only thing that had remained the same was the raccoon, and even she was vastly different than I’d expected.
Without hesitating, I strode up to the large double doors. The bouncers inclined their heads, recognizing me, and opened the doors.
“Thanks, guys.” I hurried in, spotting Miranda standing at the tall podium in the foyer. It was the only piece of furniture in the room, and she the only person.
Miranda guarded Grey’s kingdom from this room, funneling people to his club or to his office, depending. As usual, she was dressed in a trim pencil skirt and buttoned up blouse, her hair in a severe knot. She was beautiful and competent, as cold and sharp as a knife.
Usually, anyway. At the moment, she looked worried. I’d never seen her with a creased brow and shadowed eyes, but right now, she vibrated with concern. Her gaze landed on me. “He’s in his flat.”
I nodded and turned down the appropriate hall. Normally she would escort me, but she stayed where she was. It took a minute to navigate my way to the back of the tower and, as I went, my heart began to pound louder and louder.
Finally, I reached his doors and knocked.
Please be okay.
2
Carrow
The door swung open, revealing Grey, pale and skinnier than I’d last seen him, with shadows under his eyes and sharper cheekbones that made his full lips look even more sinful.
Worry twisted in my chest. “You look like hell.”
“And you look like heaven.” A worried frown flashed in his eyes. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“I like it.” I entered, reaching up to cup his cheek.
He moved back before I could make contact and hurt flickered inside me. “You don’t want me to touch you?”
“It’s not wise.”
I nodded, knowing he was probably right. Last week, we’d had the best night of my life. But we couldn’t do that again. Not with the way our future was shaping up.
Worry twisted my heart as I entered his beautiful flat. Austere, yet gorgeous, the space had a high ceiling and an enormous wall of windows that looked out on a tormented, wave-capped beach. It was magic, of course, but I couldn’t help but think that the tumultuous beach represented the state of Grey’s soul or . . . whatever.
He was a desperate mess, like I was.
I turned to him, taking in the broad shoulders that were still capped with heavy muscle despite the weight loss. His suit still fit perfectly, of course. It should be impossible. “Where have you been?”
“Worried?”
“Yes.”
The corner of his mouth tugged up in the smallest smile. “Don’t be. I’ve found a solution to our problem.”
“Is that why you look like hell?”
“It wasn’t easy, true. But it’s also just the nature of the curse. Hell is calling my name.”
I couldn’t believe it. He was a good person. True, he had a terrible past and was involved in some seriously shady dealings, but he was fundamentally good. But even if heaven called his name, that still wasn’t a place I could go. Not yet.
If ever.
I shook the thought away. “What is the solution? Will it save you?”
“I believe so. I’ve found a spell and a sorceress in town who can break our Cursed Mate bond.”
Hope flared. “So we won’t be cursed anymore?”
“We won’t be mates.”
Disappointment surged, but I tamped it down. If this was the only way, then . . . of course I’d do it. I wasn’t even sure I believed in fated mates anyway. It wasn’t like I’d been born to this world and grown up with it.
“If we’re not mates, then we can’t be cursed,” I said. “That’s how it works?”
“Precisely.”
“Who is it? Can they do it now?” As much as I didn’t want to break the bond, Grey looked like hell. He needed all the help we could get, and he needed it soon.
“They can. Immediately. It won’t take long.”