Chapter 1
“Hey, watch it!”
“Sorry,” I called over my shoulder. I leaped over a basket of silk flowers that had been overturned by the elf I was chasing and sped down the row of tables.
Déjà vu hit me when I passed a display of banti dream catchers. Two and a half weeks ago, I had run through this same flea market after a different elf, and that visit hadn’t gone so well for me.
The elf ahead of me now was faster and more agile than Kardas, and he lengthened the distance between us with every stride. By the time I cleared the tables, he was already at the rear door that led to the parking lot. He opened the door, paused long enough to shoot me a victorious smirk, and ran outside.
Gritting my teeth, I put on an extra burst of speed and reached the door before it closed all the way. I dashed out into the bitter cold, my breath coming in steamy puffs as I locked my eyes on my target and set off after him.
The parking lot was covered in snow and ice from a recent storm, which made running impossible. Fortunately, elves didn’t handle ice any better than humans, and my quarry floundered when he hit an icy patch. Unfortunately, I hit one, too, and did my own impression of a dancing marionette.
I righted myself in time to see the elf take off again. I swore because there was no way I could catch him on foot now. But I’d be damned if I was letting this one get away.
I glanced around and spotted a family watching me from a few feet away. I ran over to the little girl, who held a pink plastic toboggan, and gave her my ID. “Hey, can I borrow that to catch a bad guy?”
“Sure!” When she handed me the toboggan, I grinned at her and took off running on a stretch of snow. I threw myself onto the toboggan and tucked my body low as I flew across the icy parking lot after the fleeing elf.
He looked back, and his eyes bulged when he saw me rapidly closing the distance between us. He tried to outrun me, but he hadn’t spent his childhood winters racing Violet in Prospect Park.
I ducked my head and slammed into his legs. His weight landed on top of me, but I was braced for it, and I rolled to the side, tipping him off me. He tried to scramble to his knees, but I was on him too quickly.
He swore and ranted at me as I shackled his hands behind his back. “I have friends, and they won’t take lightly to this.”
“If they’re anything like you, I’m sure you’ll be seeing them in Faerie soon,” I said, rolling him over.
The second I released him to stand, he tried to kick me in the head. I blocked the kick and flipped him onto his stomach. Kneeling on his back, I bent low to speak into his ear. “Try that again, and you’ll be getting ankle jewelry to match your bracelets.”
I grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Clapping and cheering behind me had me turning to face the dozen or so people standing outside the building. The elf hadn’t made any friends here after he’d robbed so many people.
Picking up the toboggan, I gave the onlookers a tight smile and walked the elf to my Jeep. He balked at the sight of the iron cage in the back, but I was a little short on sympathy. These days, I wasn’t particularly fond of elves who broke the law. Every time I saw a male elf, I thought it could be Rogin or Kardas, who were probably on the other side of the world by now. I hated that I was letting those assholes get into my head, but I didn’t know how to stop it.
Once I had the elf secured in the cage, I shut the rear door and carried the toboggan back to the girl. “Thanks. I couldn’t have done that without you.”
“That was the most amazing thing I ever saw!” She glowed with excitement as she handed me my ID. “I’m going to be a bounty hunter just like you when I grow up.”
I glanced at her mother, who looked horrified by the idea. Some of my favorite people in the world were hunters, and I was tempted to speak up on their behalf. Instead, I said, “I bet you’ll be a great one.”
I walked back to the Jeep. I was about to open my door when I spotted a lone figure watching me with an unreadable expression from the other side of the street. A knot formed in my stomach as anger and a dart of fear went through me. What the hell was he doing here?
My cold gaze met Conlan’s. This was the first time I’d laid eyes on him or any of his friends since that morning in Rogin’s basement, and I wasn’t foolish enough to think this was a coincidence. If I’d learned anything about Lukas and his men, it was that they did nothing without purpose.
Whatever the reason, I wanted nothing to do with it or them. They’d gotten what they wanted, and in the end, so had I. As far as I was concerned, Prince Vaerik and his royal guard were a part of my past, and that was where they were going to stay.
Breaking our stare, I got into the Jeep. I didn’t cast another glance in Conlan’s direction, but I could feel his gaze on me as I drove out of the parking lot. It wasn’t until I was a few blocks away that I was able to breathe normally again, but I couldn’t stop worrying about what his sudden appearance meant for my family and me.
At the gym, later that afternoon, I was so distracted my trainer kept yelling at me to keep my head in the game. Maren was an ex-MMA fighter who’d gotten two world titles under her belt before she’d had to retire because of a spine injury. She was my parents’ trainer and in high demand, but she had agreed to take me on when I’d called her two weeks ago. She said I was a natural like my father, but I had a lot of work ahead of me.
“You call that a high kick?” she taunted. “My great aunt Franny can do better.”
I scowled at her and resumed my attack on the bag with renewed vigor, despite the fact I’d been going at this for almost an hour. If I didn’t put a hundred and ten percent into each workout, she would tack on something extra, like fifty pushups or a plank challenge. She was sweet like that.
I finished up the bag routine with a series of jabs and then rested my wrapped hands on my knees to catch my breath. Maren handed me my water bottle, and I gulped the water greedily.
“Ready for round two?” she asked.
I glared so hard at her she burst out laughing, her teeth a brilliant white in contrast with her dark skin.
She tossed me a towel. “Good job, kiddo.”
“Thanks.” I wiped my sweaty face and neck as I watched two regulars sparring in the ring. It reminded me of the times I’d come by the gym to watch Dad working with Maren, and I wondered how long it would be until he could step into the ring again.
Maren unwrapped my hands. “Your Mom and Dad are strong, Jesse. They’ll be back on their feet in no time.”
“I know.” I met her understanding gaze as my phone rang. I rarely let it out of my sight these days in case there was a call from the hospital. I snatched it up, and my heart thumped when I saw the hospital’s number. “Hello?”
“Jesse, this is Patty,” said a woman’s voice. No last name was necessary because I’d spoken to the nurse almost every day in the last two weeks. “Dr. Reddy asked me to call you and let you know your father is awake.”
“He’s awake?” I shouted. Dr. Reddy had told me they would start to wean my parents off the sedation drugs this week, but I hadn’t expected either of them to wake up this quickly. “Thank you! I’ll be there as soon as I can.”