Water dripped off Bron’s back when he stepped out of the bathroom.

She’d said she’d join him, but that was over fifteen minutes ago…and now the house was quiet. Far too quiet.

She wasn’t in the bedroom. She wasn’t in the hall, or on the stairs, or in the entryway. She wasn’t anywhere in the house.

Panic gripped his heart, chilling his blood with its icy claws.

The Redcap must have come while he was in the shower.

No, he couldn’t have. He would have heard Adele scream. He would have heard her struggle.

Something else had happened, and going by the cold, dead feeling in the pit of his stomach, it was something much worse.

Bron moved into the kitchen. This was where she’d come this morning after rising from the bed. This was where she’d come back from changed.

His eyes immediately went to the yellow pad of paper on the white marble counter. Her words blared up at him.

Don’t be mad.

As long as the Redcap is alive, both our lives are at risk. But we’ll never defeat him if we keep fighting the way he expects. That’s why I have to do this. I’m the only one who can.

P.S. Even if this doesn’t work out the way I hope, you should still plant that row of flowers in front of the house. It’s not a waste of soil. I promise.

Bron’s hands shook, but not with anger. All he felt was the hollow drop of fear.

She’d left to fight the Redcap on her own. Why? She had to know the danger involved. She had to know there was no way she could win.

There had to be a reason she had acted so recklessly. The answer had to be here somewhere.

He looked around the kitchen. Everywhere his eyes fell, he spotted little indications of an intruder—the undone latch on the back door, the broken security pad, the sooty footprint on the floor.

The Redcap had been here. But not recently. There was no way he would have allowed Adele to write him a note, then leave the house without incident. He would have delighted in killing her in front of him.

No, he must have broken in sometime during the night.

Sometime when Bron’s attention had been firmly focused on Adele.

But why hadn’t the goblin come upstairs and finished them off in that moment?

Probably because he was still too weak to face Bron on his own. Whatever healing magic he’d brought with him would take time to work. He couldn’t risk fighting Bron face to face in his vulnerable state.

But Adele…she was another story.

She didn’t have a hunter’s skills. She hadn’t been trained to fight. She was an easy target.

And so he’d gone for her instead.

Bron drew in a deep breath and noticed the lingering smell of smoke. The scent led him to a scattering of ashes in the sink, along with a few shreds of unburned paper.

A note.

The Redcap had left her a note. Just like she’d left him.

No doubt to scare the crap out of her. To tell her where to go. To make promises he had no intention of keeping.

And she was willingly walking into that trap. Sacrificing herself for him…because she loved him.

No. He wasn’t going to let that happen.

He had to find her. Stop her before she made this terrible mistake.

But how? Tracking her would take time. Time she didn’t have.

But that was only if he did it alone. With two on her trail, he could cut that time in half.

Which meant he needed help.

And there was only one person on this mundane world who could give it.

* * *

Adele never stopped looking over her shoulder until the moment she was outside Emily’s door.

She was so certain that Bron was going to catch up to her. She knew he’d be looking for her soon. She also knew from experience it wouldn’t take him long to find her.

She curled her hand into a fist and knocked. What felt like an eternity later, Emily answered. The woman’s eyes widened the second she saw her.

“Adele,” Emily said. “What are you doing here?”

Adele didn’t wait to be asked inside. She slipped through the crack in Emily’s door the second it was wide enough.

“Please, come on in,” Emily said with a laugh before craning her head out the door and looking down the hallway. “Where’s the big guy?”

“Hopefully, nowhere close,” Adele said, leaning against the wall and sucking in her first deep breath in the last fifteen minutes.

“Something happen I should know about?” Emily asked. Her face had pulled together tight.

“Well, something has happened,” Adele admitted. “But I don’t think you want to know about it.”

“Fair enough,” Emily said. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Adele blinked in amazement. “You’re just going to accept that answer?”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this band of merry men, it’s that sometimes the less I know about certain things, the better.” Emily walked to the living room and patted the cushion next to her on the couch. “Sit down, and have some tea. I just brewed a pot.”

“I can’t stay long,” Adele said, pushing away from the wall.

But she could sit down. Just for a little while.

She joined Emily on the couch. “I’m so sorry to do this to you,” she said.

Emily shook her head. “Don’t worry. I meant what I said, I’m happy to help.” She pushed a mug Adele’s way. “Besides, things must be pretty bad if you came to see me.”

“Well, they’re not good,” Adele admitted.

“They never are with these guys,” Emily said with a laugh.

Which reminded her.

“Fenrir isn’t here, is he?” Adele asked, glancing around Emily’s apartment.

“No,” she said. “The last couple of days have been the best I’ve had in weeks. I’ve barely seen him. He’s been out a lot looking for that Redcap…though since you’re here, I’m guessing he hasn’t found him.”

“You should be grateful,” Adele said. “The goblin is turning out to be a hell of a lot harder to kill than anyone expected.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Emily said, waving her hand. “If anyone can track down that SOB it’s Fenrir. He might be a major pain in the ass, but they don’t call him the big bad wolf for nothing.”

Adele cocked her head to the side, her curiosity getting the better of her. “Are you two a couple?”

“Oh, hell no,” Emily said with a tight, high laugh. Adele couldn’t help but notice that she was shaking her head a little too hard. “The best I can figure, Fenrir is my penance for some horrible sin I committed in a past life.”

“He’s really that bad?”

Emily’s expression went flat. “Let me put it this way, at least once a day he tells me how sturdy my hips are. Sturdy.”

Adele’s smile fell away in an instant. “Oh, that’s…that’s…”

“Terrible? Yeah, I know,” she said. “But that’s my life now. Just one of the many benefits of being the Earthly tour guide to the men of fairy tale land.”

“How in the world did you land that position?”

“A misguided sense of loyalty. My best friend fell in love with one of them.” Emily narrowed her eyes and leaned closer. “The same friend who owns that dress you’re wearing if I’m not mistaken.”

Adele straightened up and pushed the conversation back to something less awkward. “So why don’t you quit? You could always run away.”

“Nope.” Emily shook her head. “As much as I’d love to pack up and move back to Ohio, I can’t. You see, Fenrir isn’t just my cross to bear, he’s also my protection in the fairy witness relocation program.”

“You’re in danger too?” Adele asked, knowing that she really didn’t have the time, but not being able to stop her curiosity.

“That’s what they tell me,” Emily said with a shrug. “A couple of fae got a good look at me one time. Apparently, they have really good memories and one hell of a tracking system.”

“So I’ve heard,” Adele said.

Emily smiled and took a sip of her tea. When she put her mug back down, her gaze was steady and focused.

“Ready to tell me what’s so important that you ditched one of the scariest bastards I’ve ever known to come see me?”

Adele swallowed past the lump in her throat. No, she wasn’t, but she had to do it anyway.

“I need to know how to free a phoenix,” she said.

Emily’s eyes widened. “You sure about that?”

“Yes.” She’d never been more sure of anything.

“Because the guys seem to think that would be crazy.”

“If I wanted to know what they thought, I would have gone to them,” Adele said. “But to tell you the truth, I’m getting a little sick of being told what’s best for me. I’m tired of hiding, and I’m done being the one who needs protection. So, I came to you.”

A wide smile lit up Emily’s whole face.

“Damn straight, you did,” she said. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Emily picked up her mug and took another long sip. Her gaze flitted to the ceiling as she thought. With each passing moment her smile grew wider and wider.

“Well, hypothetically,” she started, raising her eyebrows as she stressed the word. “You’d need fire. That’s how the rebirth always happens in the stories. The phoenixes rise from their own ashes.”

“But obviously, not just any fire,” Adele said. “I mean, Silver can set almost anything ablaze, but none of those flames have freed her.”

“Silver?” Emily asked.

Adele pulled the necklace out from under her collar. A thousand shimmering sparkles lit up the space between them.

“The name suits her,” Emily agreed. “Okay, then my guess is you’d need some kind of magical fire.”

“Like hellfire?” Hope took root in Adele’s chest.

“Hellfire?” Emily asked. “As in, fire and brimstone?”

Silver shone brighter. A soft, pulsating light filled the room. Her sparkles projected spinning beams on the walls. It was gorgeous, and Emily was obviously in awe.

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Emily said, her eyes glued to the crystal. “Except…there’s nothing magical about brimstone. It’s just sulphur.”

Adele thought back. It was true, Bron hadn’t explicitly said that the hellfire was magic. She’d just assumed that, since the Redcap had used the stuff as a weapon. But she supposed something didn’t technically have to be magic for its effects to be magical.

“You don’t happen to know where I might be able to pick some up, do you?” she asked.

“My mom buys bags of sulphur at the gardening center for her plants,” Emily said. “I’m pretty sure you can get some there…hypothetically, of course.”

“Of course,” Adele said with a smile. She knew she’d made the right decision by coming here. She sprung to her feet and hugged Emily. “Thank you. I owe you one.”

“Damn right you do,” she said. “So, please make sure you stay safe wherever this hypothetical journey leads you. I’d hate for this to be the last cup of tea we ever share.”

Adele’s smile faltered a little.

“I can’t promise you that,” she said. “But I can tell you, no matter what happens, it’s worth the risk.”

Emily cocked her head to the side. “It’s worth the risk? Or he is?”

“Both,” Adele said, heading for the door.

“That’s what I thought. I pray you’re right…for all our sakes,” Emily muttered.

* * *

Bron balled his hand into a fist and pounded on the door. He hit it again and again until the damn thing shook on the hinges. He didn’t care if he punched a hole through the center. The only thing he cared about was getting to Adele before she made the worst—and maybe last—mistake of her life.

And that possibility was becoming more and more likely with each second.

Bron was getting ready to kick the whole thing down when the door swung open.

Fenrir stood on the other side. His eyes narrowed at Bron and he crossed his arms.

“What are you—”

“She’s gone,” Bron broke in, before the wolf could say any more.

“Emily?” Fenrir asked, his voice rising.

Bron shook his head. Why the hell would he be here about Emily?

“Adele,” he said.

A look of relief spread across the cur’s face, followed by a wide smile.

“So you couldn’t keep tabs on the woman after all,” he said, sounding far too satisfied.

“And you couldn’t track down the Redcap,” Bron shot back. Seeing as he found the wolf at home, he wondered how hard he’d even tried. At least the bastard had the decency to show a sliver of shame.

“He proved harder to find than I expected,” Fenrir said. “And I was nervous about leaving Emily alone and vulnerable for long periods of time.”

Bron’s blood boiled. “So you left Adele and I out there to fend for ourselves?”

Fenrir waved away his anger. “You’re alive, aren’t you?”

“Not for much longer,” Bron said. “Adele’s gone off to do something stupid.”

“Stupid? She had the good sense to leave you in the dust, hunter,” Fenrir said, his voice thick with mockery. “I think that shows fine judgment.”

Bron pushed down his fury. He didn’t have time for old wrongs or wounded pride. This wasn’t about him or Fenrir. He was here for one reason—Adele.

He’d do anything for her…even the unthinkable.

“I need your help,” Bron said.

“Why?” Fenrir asked, his smile growing wider. There was nothing Bron would have liked more than to smack the smug look off of his face, and on any other day he would have. But this was not any other day.

“Because I’m afraid she’s going to get herself killed.”

“No,” Fenrir said, arching a brow. “Why do you need my help?”

The bastard wanted to hear him say it. Fine. He didn’t care anymore. Not about petty arguments. Those were nothing in comparison to the woman he loved.

“Because I can’t do this on my own,” he said. “The Redcap is far stronger than we imagined, and if she goes after him alone—”

Fenrir’s spine straightened instantly.

“She went to face the Redcap?” he asked, the humor drained from his voice. “With the phoenix?”

Bron nodded.

“Why the hell would she do that?” Fenrir asked.

“Because she thinks that she can save my life.”

“Then I take back my words,” Fenrir said. “She’s a damned fool.”

“You have to help me find her,” Bron said.

To his surprise, the wolf didn’t gloat. He just nodded. “Of course.”

“Where do we start? The city is huge.”

“But Adele’s life is not,” Fenrir said. “And though she may be a fool, she doesn’t strike me as a rash one.”

Bron agreed. “She made it sound like she had a plan.”

“A plan for fighting a creature she knows almost nothing about,” Fenrir mused. “She’d need outside help. Knowledge. Weapons.”

He was right. There was no way she would walk into this fight empty-handed. Bron searched his mind.

“Merlin,” Fenrir tried.

Bron shook his head. Adele would never go to him. Not when she knew he’d send her right back to Bron.

Which only left one other choice.

He looked up to see the same answer burning in Fenrir’s eyes.

“Emily,” they said at the same time.