“Crap,” I muttered.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Alyssa sneered as one of the Ancients shoved another dark-haired Ancient forward, into the room. “Are you working with them too, Neal?”
It was that moment when I realized that Neal was an Ancient. He didn’t look all that concerned as he faced Alyssa and the other two Ancients, but I was.
There were two bald-headed Ancients eyeing Caden and me like they wanted to rip us limb from limb, and as I eyed Neal, I really didn’t trust the Ancient, because I kept seeing the name listed as co-owner.
“I really have no idea what you’re talking about and I really don’t appreciate being shoved around.” Neal lifted a brow. “In my own bar, no less.”
Alyssa, wearing the same black sheath, crossed her slender arms. “Do I look like I care?”
“You should,” Neal replied, straightening the cuffs of his suit jacket.
The female fae smirked as her gaze flickered from Neal to Caden and then finally to me. “Do you think I didn’t know why you were asking about Aric?” she said, speaking to Caden. “You’re the Summer Prince. Wasn’t like I was going to trust you.”
“But you trust Aric?” Caden still held my hand. “You do realize he was one of my Knights before betraying me. Not exactly someone you should trust.”
“Was being the key word,” came a new voice from outside of the hall.
“Hell,” Neal muttered.
Caden let go of my hand.
The two Ancients stepped aside as they were joined by another. He came to stand behind Alyssa and….
And my heart—God, it felt like it stopped, because I recognized him. I would never forget those high, angular cheeks or close cropped light brown hair. I’d never forget that mouth and the scar that cut through the right side of his upper lip.
“It’s him,” I whispered, my stomach twisting. I couldn’t believe it. The Ancient Caden was looking for was the one who murdered my mother and nearly killed me. I could feel Caden’s gaze on me. “It’s him.”
The Ancient’s pale-eyed gaze flicked to me as he placed his hands on Alyssa’s shoulders. His head cocked to the side. “I remember you.” He laughed. “But you looked a hell of a lot different the last time I saw you. Not just the hair and the dress. Less blood.”
I reacted without thought. Engaging the iron cuff, I shot forward with a scream of rage.
Caden snagged me around the waist, hauling me back. “That wouldn’t be wise.”
“Let me go!” I shouted, digging my fingers in his arm. “He killed my mother. He—”
“I get it.” Caden’s voice was quiet. “I do, but Aric’s not yours.”
I didn’t care what Caden said or how he felt. Aric was mine.
“He knows.” Neal crossed his arms. “About the mortuus and the younglings.”
Alyssa frowned as my stomach sank.
“You son of a bitch,” Caden growled, his arm sealing me to him. “You just lied to my face.”
Neal lifted a shoulder. “Like I said, I wasn’t loyal to you.”
“And you said you weren’t loyal to him,” I spat back.
“You were listening?” Neal chuckled as he looked me up and down. “And here I thought you were… distracted by his hand up your skirt.”
“Shut up,” I seethed.
“Interesting.” Aric glanced between us. “Very interesting, indeed, seeing you with her. A member of the Order. Can’t say I’m that surprised. Do you know I’ve tasted her blood? Just for the fun of it? Kind of like history repeating itself, don’t you think? Makes me think of that little bird of yours.”
Little bird?
A roar erupted from Caden. He whipped me to the side and then behind him as he charged forward.
“Don’t kill her. Not yet. She’s very useable.” Aric shoved Alyssa forward, and then drifted back as the two bald Ancients went at Caden.
He caught the first by the throat and lifted him several feet off the floor before slamming him down. The impact rattled the boxes as Caden lifted his head, his glare trained on Aric.
Alyssa slinked forward as the other Ancient caught Caden at the waist. Both flew backward, into the booth. Their weight crashed through the table, shattering it.
“He says I can’t kill you,” Alyssa said, and my gaze flew back to her. “But he didn’t say I couldn’t hurt you.”
She swung on me, but I was ready. There was nothing stopping me from getting to Aric. If I could just take him out, I wouldn’t even need to find the last one. He would be enough.
Alyssa cursed. “Oh, you’re faster than you look.”
“Yeah.” I popped up behind her. “I am.”
She whipped around, throwing out her arm. She caught me across the cheek, spinning me out. Pain burst across my jaw, but I spun back just as she launched herself at me. I threw out my right hand, catching her in the center of her throat with the iron stake. Bluish-red spit into the air.
Shock rippled across her face as I smiled. “Good thing no one told me not to kill you.”
I yanked my arm to the side, breaking free of bone and tissue. Her head went to one side and her body went to the other.
The Ancient that had tackled Caden went flying across the room and hit the stack of boxes. They toppled to the floor. Bottles clinking off one another and cracking. Liquid poured out as the Ancient dropped to his knees in a mess of broken glass and whiskey.
Neal sighed. “Do you know how much that liquor costs?”
Beside him, Aric smirked at me as he lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers.
A hand clapped down on my shoulder. I swung out, but hit nothing but air as Caden whirled me back behind him. He started forward once more.
Damn it.
My hand closed into a fist, but before I could do anything, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. The other Ancient was on his feet and in a blink of an eye, he was right in front of me.
I jumped back, but with him, I wasn’t quick enough. Gripping the front of my dress, he lifted me up as I shoved my right hand out. He caught my arm as my feet left the floor.
“Crap,” I whispered.
Then I was flying.
This was going to hurt.
But I didn’t hit the wall. Caden was suddenly there, between me and what most likely would be a whole lot of broken bones. The impact with him knocked the air out of my lungs. Pain burst along my side as he brought me to the floor. Our gazes locked.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, and then pulled back before I had a chance to figure out what he was apologizing for.
Caden spun and spread his arms to the sides. Both Ancients were on their feet, coming between him and Neal and Aric. What the hell was he doing? I started to sit up, inhaling deeply and catching the scent of… the scent of fire and smoke. An orange-yellow aura appeared around Caden, outlining his entire body.
An enormous amount of heat blew backward, lifting the strands of hair from around my face. “What the…?”
The glow intensified until my eyes watered, but I couldn’t look away from what I was seeing. A flame licked out from Caden’s hand, rippling into the air and spitting sparks as the fire took the shape of a…
A sword.
A freaking flaming sword.
With the grace of a dancer, he spun with the sword, and a flash of bright light rippled out as the sword arced high. I caught a glimpse of Neal. His eyes widened as he stumbled a step, backing into the wall. He said something in their native language.
“Well, hell,” Aric drawled. “That changes things.”
And then the light and heat were too much. Throwing my arm up to shield my eyes, I scooted back against the broken booth. Only when the heat pulled back did I lower my arm and open my eyes.
The two Ancients were dead, heads separated from their bodies, and Caden and I were alone. Aric and Neal were gone.
There was also no sword.
Slowly, Caden turned to me and those eyes of his—the same amber color of the fire—glowed. And as I stared up at him, I had no idea what I’d just seen, but I knew it was something big.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I was still sitting on the floor, arm frozen in the air. “Are you?”
Caden nodded, but as his gaze shifted away from mine and the muscle along his jaw ticked, I didn’t think he was telling the truth.
At all.