CARLYLE

“Stay back,” Killian yelled at me, crushing me against the wall of the hallway. His chest pinned me to the wall, blocking my view of the bathroom, but I could hear shouting and splashing - the slap of skin against skin and fist against muscle.

“What’s going on?” I asked, trying to peek around his broad chest to see who was shouting so damn much.

“Toro’s rogue,” he said, backing away a bit when I stopped struggling to get free. “Donna go in there.”

I stared up at him, studying his face. “Explain rogue again?”

“His brain’s mush. He canna decide if we are friend or foe, and right now he’s decided we’re foe.”

“Like when Jack fought you and Sol?” I asked, fear settling in my heart. Killian nodded, his eyes darkening. Crap. I trusted Jack - I wanted to trust Jack. Would I even know if I was being played, though? What was actually waiting for us in Savannah?

“Jack isn’t as far rogue as Toro,” Killian replied, his voice tight with determination. If he could have made it true by sheer willpower, I knew he would have.

Sol shoved his head out of the bathroom, holding the door mostly shut. “Jai and Kana have him under for now, but we’re going to need Dair to set up a barrier in the water. He needs full submersion, but we can’t risk him swimming away, either.”

“Fuckin’ fish,” Killian muttered, stomping down the hall toward Dair’s closed door.

Sol glanced to me. “Stay scarce, shortcake. Toro remembers what you did, but not why. If he sees you, I don’t know if we can hold him back.”

“Hold him back from what?” I ask, my eyes bugging out of my head.

Dair pushed past me, a harried look on his face as he headed down the stairs, pulling on a rumpled undershirt. Killian followed, turning just long enough to answer my question for Sol. “Right now, Toro would snap your Qilin neck for tearin’ that magic away - he’ll think ya stole it. He thinks he needs it to survive. Now listen to your cub an’ keep clear.”

I gaped at Sol and backed the hell up. Well, fuck. Some thanks that would be. Hot piece of merman ass or not, Toro did not sound like someone I’d be adding to my little harem any time soon.

Not knowing what to do with myself, I decided coffee and a sugary snack were as good as anything, so I headed to the kitchen. Sol’s phone was on the counter next to the coffee maker, and as I waited for my cup of heaven, I brought up a map of Savannah, Georgia. LuAnn and I had come across a few carnival people who’d spoken about a permanent circus set up there.

Hopefully, my gut was right on this. We could pop in unannounced, grab Jack, and get out before the Ringmaster even had a clue.

Maybe we’d just planned too much last time - maybe some of Jai’s tech or his drones had tipped them off. The Ringmaster had certainly known we were coming, at any rate.

Maybe... I could even slip in undetected. My cipher nature might let me get past the Ringmaster - I just needed a disguise to get past the rest of the freaks. Something like a glamor.

Even as I was dreaming up plans, my heart knew it was a bad idea. I’d tricked Dair for magic once and nearly killed myself. Killian would see right through any attempt I made to get some of his Second Sight. Even though he’d been treating me a little better, we still didn’t exactly have that kind of relationship.

Settling at the counter, I stared out at the beach, where I had a good view of what everyone was doing.

I had no idea why they were doing these things, but whatever.

Sol was rushing back and forth, rolling huge rocks to make an enclosure in the water. I had no idea where he’d even found all those rocks, but he was working fast. As he deposited the rocks, Jai and Killian dove down. I guessed they were building walls beneath the water, but I couldn’t see much from my spot. Dair seemed to be building a magical barrier of some kind, weaving his spells over and between the rocks.

I wondered if they’d had to do this before - they seemed to have a routine ready.

Kana sat on the beach next to Toro, the waves lapping at his tail. Her fingers were clamped around his temples, her face set in grim determination. I shuddered to think of the power she and Jai held. Just how similar was it to what the Ringmaster did?

Nearly an hour passed as I watched them work. Every five minutes or so I had to convince myself again not to go out there, but seeing Kana and the others struggle periodically when Toro woke up was enough to convince me that this was one task my guys were better suited for.

Finally, they dragged Toro down into the pen they’d created, and Dair seemed to seal it over completely.

Everyone trudged up the sand toward the house, and I stepped on the deck to welcome them. I’d spread out some lunch on the table, and everyone but Dair gravitated toward it. He paused on the deck, slumping down into a chaise lounge in the sun.

He patted the chair next to his, and I sat, my heart beating faster. We needed to talk, but I was afraid of what he might say.

“Is Toro safe?” I asked, stalling. Dair nodded.

“Nothing can get in that enclosure, and he can’t get out. Now we wait and let the sea call him back to us.”

We sat in silence a few minutes, while I tried to decide how to approach what I’d done.

“Killian explained what you did, and I think I understand why,” he murmured finally, shading his eyes from the noon sun with this forearm.

“I’m really sorry about tricking you. I won’t do it again,” I rushed out, needing to get that out there before he shut me down.

He was silent for a long moment, and I fidgeted with the edge of my shirt, scraping my toes against the rough wood of the deck. Then he lowered his arm, and his deep blue eyes connected with mine.

“You have no idea what power you hold over all of us, Cariño,” he whispered. “We cannot afford to lose you, and it has nothing to do with the Path.”

My breath stuttered in my chest. “So you’re not angry with me?”

His gaze sharpened, and a lethal smile spread across his face. “Oh, I’m incensed. You’ve been very disobedient, and only a proper punishment will make me feel better.”

“Incensed, huh?” I repeated in a teasing tone, and his smile twisted into a smirk. “As in the older meaning of setting fire to something?” He’d told me once he was interested in the magic words held, and somehow I knew he’d chosen this word on purpose.

“Perfectly correct, clever Qilin. You’ve set the fire - now you have to tend it.”

My skin heated with his innuendo, and I slipped onto his chair, sliding my body against his. “I can do that,” I whispered, reaching up to run my fingers through his dark waves. That single white streak seemed maybe a tiny bit wider, though, and my hand fell as I pushed up to really look at him.

“You need more rest. Not to be sharing any of your magic with me.”

He groaned softly. “Leave it to you to grow a conscience about stealing my magic now.”

I laughed, snuggling up to him in a less sexual way. “I need a strong mage, not a weak, puny one. Get better, and then we’ll talk tending.”

He reached around to smack my ass, but the touch was light, and I sensed his deep weariness. He knew I was right.

Dair sighed and sat up slowly. “I believe I’ll be more comfortable in my own bed.” I stood up as he did, linking my arm through his.

“Thank you,” I whispered, grateful when he just hummed in response, instead of asking what I was thanking him for.

I watched him make his way slowly up the stairs, and I cursed the fact that he was so indisposed. I could really go for a taste of Dair right now.

Sol sidled up behind me, seeming to sense my desire. He ran his fingers up my arm. “You smell delicious,” he whispered. “I don’t care if that arousal is for Dair or not - I can help you put that pussy to good use.”

I jerked against him at his naughty words, and heat flared in my core.

“Come to bed, greedy Qilin,” he murmured in my ear. “I’ll do my best to satisfy my mate while she waits for her mage to recover.”

Somehow, his blatant acceptance of my need for Dair made me even hotter, and I spun to face him, locking my lips over his and showing him just how worked up I was.

Kana snickered, and Killian thumped his head down on the kitchen table with a groan.

“Stubborn fae,” Kana taunted, and he shoved away from the table, flipping her off.

I ignored their antics, too wrapped up in getting what I needed from Sol. He slid his hands down my body until he gripped my thighs, then lifted me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. He carried me easily up the stairs to his room, barely even breaking our kiss to lay me out on the bed and climb over me.