They were out here. Somewhere in this filthy crush of humanity.

Bron…and that woman.

The woman who had stolen what was rightfully his. His phoenix.

It shouldn’t have been possible. No one should have been able to break the bond between him and the crystal that stored the source of his immortality. Especially not some slight, mundane mortal.

More than that, he’d seen her hold the crystal in her bare hand as though it was some innocuous piece of jewelry. She’d grasped the soul cage without a flicker of pain showing on her face. Without a whiff of smoke spiraling up.

It wasn’t possible.

Yet the Redcap had seen the truth with his own eyes.

There was only one answer. There had to be something remarkable about her.

But he hadn’t noticed even a hint of the extraordinary in the woman as he’d spied her cooing over the hunter from the shadows of the alley. She seemed like every other female from the Realm that fell over themselves for a chance to stroke the fabled virility of the Queen’s top man. That appeared to be one constant between the two worlds.

The Redcap let out a growl of disgust as he swept his gaze up another crowded street.

Nothing.

The trail was getting colder. It didn’t make sense. Their scent had been so strong a few streets back. So close he could practically taste them.

But now there was nothing.

Nothing he could see at any rate.

The Redcap’s lip curled as realization came over him.

Nothing he could see.

Bron and the woman had been there—right in front of him—just as his sense had told him. But they’d been shielded. By a relic, no doubt. A sylph eye, most likely.

He’d been tricked. Fooled by a simple ruse.

The Redcap cursed and felt a small wave of satisfaction as the pedestrians nearby scattered at the sound.

He had underestimated this world and its people. He’d thought them simple. Helpless. Harmless. But he’d been wrong.

There was something special about the woman who had snatched the phoenix from him. There had to be.

Why else would someone like Bron Douglas have wasted time speaking with her? Why would he have rushed to her defense? Why would he be protecting her now?

The Redcap couldn’t think of any other reason the hunter would pay her any attention at all. There was nothing outwardly remarkable about the woman. Her form was frail. Her features unrefined. Her temperament skittish.

And yet the woman had accomplished the one thing the strongest warrior in the Realm never could. She had defeated him. She had stolen his greatest treasure and tossed him to the ground.

Of course, he hadn’t expected her attack. No one, especially a mortal, had ever stood up to him before. They all knew the futility of an attack. But not her.

There had to be something about the woman the Redcap wasn’t seeing.

But he would.

He would find her and figure out the source of her special powers.

And then he would dine on her heart.

It wasn’t just his wounded pride that demanded the satisfaction of tearing down the one who had bested him. Killing the woman and recapturing his phoenix cage was the only way he could return back home. He was the king’s most trusted assassin. A shiver ran up the Redcap’s spine at what Oberon might do if he appeared in the throne room missing not only Bron Douglas’s head, but also the reason for his rank.

In his world there were consequences far worse than death.

His only peace of mind came from how secretive the king had been about this assignment. It was highly unlikely Oberon had any Realm magicians supervising his mission through the veil.

The Redcap gnashed his back teeth as he spun on his heel and started back down the way he’d come. He needed to pick up the scent again. And he would. This city might be crowded, but Bron and the woman wouldn’t be able to hide from him forever.

He might be missing his phoenix, but he was still a Redcap—the most dangerous creature this world had ever seen.

* * *

“Where are you taking me?” Adele asked as Bron grabbed her hand and stepped out of the elevator into the hallway of the average-looking apartment building.

“I told you,” he said without looking at her. “To talk to someone who can help us.”

“Yes,” she rolled her eyes, “but who?”

Adele had tried to listen in as Bron made a quick phone call after she’d showed him the necklace, but she hadn’t been able to make out anything solid. He just kept telling her that he was taking her to get answers.

Answers sounded pretty damn good right about now.

Because it was clear she wasn’t going to get any more out of Bron. His whole demeanor had changed the instant he’d seen the crystal. He’d become tense, concerned. Hell, when he’d battled the Redcap this morning, she hadn’t seen so much as a flicker of fear in his eyes. But now? Now she would swear there was an anxious edge in his voice.

Adele rushed to keep up with Bron’s long strides as he advanced down the long hallway, before stopping at a door near the end. Bron lifted his fist and pounded hard on the door. She started as the sound echoed through the hall. Without thinking, she raised her hand and slid her fingers over his before he pummeled his way through the slab of solid wood.

Bron stilled instantly. He looked down at her with those impossibly green eyes.

“I’m pretty sure they heard you,” she said. No doubt, the whole floor did.

Adele glanced back nervously at the way they’d come, but she didn’t see any doors crack open.

Thank God. The last thing she needed was for one of the neighbors to get spooked and call the cops. The police may have been patient with her this morning, but there was no way they would buy her story this time.

Hell, even she was having a hard time believing it.

Goblins. Phoenixes. Fairy kings.

If it weren’t for the comforting feeling radiating from the necklace in her pocket, she wouldn’t have bought anything he’d said. But there was something about that crystal, the way it seemed to talk to her without words, the way she felt things when she held the stone, the way her own emotions changed. It wasn’t logical, but she sensed a soul trapped in there. The soul of a creature that was beyond her understanding, but who seemed to have no problem understanding Adele.

It was bizarre but it felt true.

Not that the realization did anything to ease the nervous knot in her belly. Sure, it was nice to know she wasn’t actually losing her grip on reality, but she really wanted to get back to a sense of normalcy.

The apartment door flew open and a damned giant filled the empty space.

Okay…so maybe not an actual giant, but certainly the biggest man Adele had ever seen. Bigger than Bron. Bigger than just about anybody.

So much for normalcy.

Bron visibly tensed at the sight of the man. Adele tightened her grip around his hand.

Dear God, not another fight.

“You,” Bron spat. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to protect Emily from danger,” the huge man said. His voice was low and gravelly.

“The Redcap didn’t follow us,” Bron said. “I can promise you that.”

“What makes you think I was talking about the Redcap?” the man said.

Adele’s eyes widened. Okay. Apparently, these guys had history…and not the good kind. Apparently, Bron really knew how to make enemies—giants, razor-toothed goblins. At least he didn’t like to pick on the little guy.

Adele swallowed hard as the massive man’s gaze shifted to her. Her fingers curled deep into Bron’s as she shuffled back a step.

The man’s brown eyes swept her from top to bottom. “Is this her?”

Bron’s shoulders pulled back. His chest puffed out. “Let us pass, wolf.”

Wolf? Did Bron just call this man a wolf?

No. That had to be his last name. Because the other option was ridiculous.

Just like everything else in her life.

“She wouldn’t be my first choice,” the wolf...man said. “She’s too scrawny. I’d be afraid she’d blow away in the first winter storm.”

Adele’s eyes went wide. What the hell did that mean? And who was this guy to judge her by her looks? And how in the world was this supposed to help her understand the mess she’d landed in?

“One more word, wolf, and I’ll rip the tongue from your mouth,” Bron said.

A dark smile spread across the other man’s face. The thrill of a challenge sparkled in his brown eyes.

Okay, that was enough. She was out of here. She was more than happy to go and check herself into the hospital rather than stick around and watch another brawl.

Adele had let go of Bron’s hand and crept back another couple of inches when a female voice floated out of the apartment.

“What the hell are you doing, Fenrir? You were supposed to let them in.”

Fenrir? Like the mythical Norse wolf?

A moment later, the huge man was shoved to the side revealing a perfectly normal-looking woman behind him holding a half-eaten apple. She didn’t look much older than Adele, not much taller either, though her body was far curvier. When she was done glaring at the giant, she turned her kind blue eyes toward Adele and offered her an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that,” the woman said. “He’s not quite house trained yet. I’m Emily Kaplan.”

The woman held out her hand, and Adele relaxed long enough to lean in and accept it.

“Adele Grayson.”

“I wish I could have met you under better circumstances,” Emily said, “but please, come on in.”

Adele hesitated. She scraped her teeth over her lower lip. She didn’t want to be rude, but after all this talk about goblins and wolves, she had a right to know exactly whose home she was walking into.

“Are you…” She struggled to find the right words.

“One of them?” Emily said with a knowing smile. “Oh, God no. I’m from Ohio.”

Adele felt a little more of the tension seep from her shoulders. She did her best to give a gracious smile as she entered the apartment. It wasn’t easy, given that she could still feel Fenrir’s stare.

Apparently, Emily noticed it too. She smacked his arm.

“Quit it. You’re freaking the poor girl out. Everything’s fine now. Why don’t you go back home?”

Fenrir crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the wall. “Not until I’m certain that the hunter hasn’t led a killer straight to your door.”

“You just moved in to the apartment one floor above me,” Emily said, shaking her head as she started for a chair on the other side of the small living room. “If anything happens, you’re close enough to hear.”

Fenrir grimaced. “We’re dealing with a Redcap now. If I hear anything, it will already be too late.”

“Please tell me this doesn’t mean you’re going to insist on sleeping outside my bedroom door again.”

A wide smile spread across Fenrir’s face. “I’m more than willing to sleep inside if that’s what you desire.”

Emily rolled her eyes as she plopped herself down sideways on the chair and threw her legs over the armrest. “Not hardly,” she said before crunching into her apple.

Adele held tight to Bron’s hand as he led her over to the couch. She glanced around the apartment as they sat. The room was a normal enough place, small but cozy, every inch of shelf space stuffed with books and papers. She didn’t see anything that stood out. No crystal balls or witch’s cauldrons.

So why were they here?

“So…Emily,” Adele said, searching for a polite way to ask. “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a Folklore professor,” she said between bites.

“That sounds interesting.”

And it did…just not get dragged halfway across the city while there’s an otherworldly killer on our trail interesting.

“These guys seem to think so,” Emily said. “That’s why they give me a call when they need a walking Earth-to-Fae Realm Dictionary.”

“So, you think you can help us?” Adele asked, her brows pulling together.

“Probably not.” Emily gave a good-natured laugh. “But then again, you’re not here to meet me. Apparently, my apartment is just considered ‘neutral territory.’ Whatever that means.”

“Then who are we here to see?”

As if on cue, the kitchen door swung open and a tall, handsome man strode out, steaming mug in hand. He had short-cropped hair and cheekbones that belonged on the cover of a magazine.

“Him,” Emily said.

The man gave Adele a quick smile as he placed the mug of tea in front of her.

“Hello, Adele. I thought you might like a cup of tea,” the man said. His voice was gentler than Bron’s, but the lyrical accent was the same. “My name is Geoffrey Merlin.”

Merlin? Certainly, not that Merlin.

Adele looked into his shining grey eyes. They glistened and sparkled unnaturally in the light.

Yep. That Merlin.

“Oh,” Adele said. It was all the greeting she could manage. Bron might have brought her here for answers, but her brain was swimming with more questions than ever. “Does that mean that King Arthur is hiding around somewhere?”

The lines around Merlin’s eyes tightened.

“We don’t talk about him,” Fenrir said from the side.

Adele bit into her lip and nodded. “Got it.”

“Well, I don’t got it,” Emily said, perking up in her chair. “What’s up with Arthur?”

“It’s none of your concern, Emily,” Merlin said.

“Really, Geoffrey?” she said. “Because these days your concerns have a way of becoming my problems.”

“Let it go, Em,” Fenrir said, his voice stern.

Emily held up her hands. “Okay,” she said. “I will…for now. And don’t call me Em.”

A tense silent moment passed through the room before Merlin lifted his chin and let a smile that didn’t reach his eyes crack his lips.

“Bron tells me you’ve brought something interesting.”

The necklace.

She slipped her hand into the jacket pocket, but hesitated pulling the phoenix out into the open. The crystal was cool in her hand, almost as if the soul inside was just as uncertain as she was. Adele glanced at Bron. He looked her in the eye and gave her a reassuring nod.

Well, if she had to trust somebody, she might as well start with the guy who had saved her life twice.

She squeezed the crystal in her hand, hoping to send the phoenix the same comforting vibe it had given her earlier.

It’s okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you.

She drew in a deep breath and pulled the necklace out. The crystal dangled from her palm, and she held it up for Merlin to see. His eyes went wide, as if he didn’t believe what he was seeing. He leaned in for a closer look, and the crystal began to change color from bluish-silver to a deep fiery orange. Adele instinctively pulled the crystal toward her and the color changed back.

“Sorry, I don’t think she likes you.”

“Amazing.” Merlin took a moment before shifting his gaze away from the necklace. “And you’re not in any pain?”

Adele shook her head. “Should I be?”

“Yes,” the magician said simply. “By now you should be completely engulfed in flames.”

Her eyes went wide. If anything, she was still a little chilly from the storm. “Honestly, I’ve had her for hours now, and I don’t get the sense that she wants to harm me.”

Quite the opposite, actually. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the crystal was protecting her as much as she was protecting it.

“So, you do feel something when you touch the soul cage?” Merlin cocked his head to the side.

“I guess you could say that,” Adele admitted. “It’s hard to explain, but every time I touch the crystal it’s like I can feel her inside there. Sometimes she’s defensive. Sometimes she’s sympathetic. But so far she’s never been cruel.”

“How is that possible?” Bron asked.

Geoffrey’s mouth flattened. “I don’t know.”

“They must have bonded,” Fenrir said. “How else could the woman tolerate its touch?”

“Impossible,” Merlin said. “There’s no way a mortal like her could survive the bonding spell. The magic is far too powerful. Only a few goblins get far enough to attempt the rite, and most of those perish before the spell can be completed. Those that do survive live with the constant agony of the crystal against their skin.”

“What other answer could there be?” Fenrir asked.

“It seems pretty obvious.” The room went quiet at Emily’s proclamation. Everyone turned her way. “The thing just likes her.”

“Impossible,” Bron said. “Phoenixes don’t like anyone.”

“No,” Emily said, shaking her head. “They don’t like you. Or you. Or you.” She looked around the room. “But you guys can’t see past your own noses. You always think what’s true for you must be true for everybody.”

“And what exactly do you think it likes about her?” Bron asked.

“I can’t be certain, but I do know she’s the only one in the room not calling the soul it,” Emily said. “She talks about the phoenix like she’s a living creature, not a means of acquiring power.”

“Then the woman is a fool,” Fenrir said, the corners of his mouth pulling down in dismissal.

Adele lifted her chin. She’d been called worse…much worse, but Bron didn’t seem to appreciate the wolf’s assessment. He pulled his shoulders back as he snapped his head toward Fenrir.

“Shut your mouth, cur,” he said, his voice dropping dangerously low.

Fenrir stepped toward Bron. “Or what?”

“Or I’ll make it so you never speak again,” Bron said, rising from the couch.

A rush of shivers raced up Adele’s spine. Damn, he sounded like he meant every word. Not only that, he looked like he could follow through. The muscles of his back and arms flexed and tightened under the material of his T-shirt.

But while Adele was busy recoiling from the threat of another fight, Fenrir only smiled.

“So, you do mean to claim the little fool for your woman,” he said.

That perked Adele’s ears up. “I’m sorry. Claim me?”

Emily let out a long groan and shot a glare Bron’s way. “Have you explained nothing to her?”

“It’s been a busy day,” Bron said with a scowl of his own.

Emily shook her head. She didn’t look very impressed with his explanation. “They need to fall in love to break a curse and get back home.”

“Oh.” Adele gave a nervous laugh. “Is that all?”

“No,” Fenrir said. “We also need to break the gates of the underworld and free Hades.”

Adele snapped her mouth shut. Suddenly, she wished she hadn’t asked.

“None of which you need to worry about,” Bron said.

Of course not. Something told her she wasn’t exactly his type. A guy with Bron’s face and body could have any woman he wanted. Chances were he wasn’t on the lookout for someone nervous and awkward.

“He’s right,” Merlin said. “All you need to concern yourself with is looking after the phoenix cage.”

Bron spun around to face the magician. “You can’t mean for her to keep the crystal.”

“I do,” Merlin said with a nod.

“You must know a way to keep it safe and shielded from the Redcap,” he said.

Merlin shook his head. “She is the way.”

Bron crossed his arms. His jaw tightened. “This isn’t why I brought her here.”

“That’s plain to see,” the magician said. “But as far as I can tell there are only two solutions—use every last relic we’ve been able to scrounge, leaving ourselves utterly defenseless in the process, and hope the combined magic is enough to contain the phoenix’s power, or simply let the woman keep the crystal and task one of you with protecting her instead.”

Bron let out a growl. It was obvious he didn’t like Merlin’s answers. Truth be told, she wasn’t real happy with them either. It wasn’t like her social calendar was overflowing or anything, but somehow she didn’t relish the thought of spending an indefinite amount of time hiding from a damn goblin.

“You’re sure there’s no safe place you could hang her up until this is all over?” she asked.

Merlin let out a sigh. He reached behind him and grabbed a large, flat candleholder from Emily’s counter, plopping it down on the table in front of Adele.

“Put the cage inside,” he said.

Adele gripped the crystal even harder. Her hand grew warm.

It’s okay, the soul seemed to say.

Still, Adele gritted her teeth as she reluctantly dropped the necklace onto the steel plate. A thin plume of white smoke rose from the center. A second later, the smoke turned black. Small flames licked the cold metal, growing stronger with each passing second. Within moments the fire burned hot enough to make the metal glow bright red. Then the plate began to cave and deform, melting in front of her eyes.

“Hey, what the hell?” Emily shouted, bounding up from her chair. “That’s my stuff.”

Without thinking, Adele reached down and snatched the crystal out. She grasped the crystal tight, but there was no pain. It didn’t so much as sting. When she opened her palm and looked down, familiar silver sparkles shone up at her.

“See,” Merlin said, picking up Adele’s mug of tea and dousing the flames.

“The only thing I see is that you owe me a new candleholder,” Emily said. She wrapped her hand in her sleeve before trying to pick up the deformed hunk of steel, but it didn’t budge. The molten metal had seared into the wood below. “And a new coffee table.”

Merlin went on like he didn’t hear her. “So far as I know you’re the only thing in this world that can hold the cage.”

The only thing.

Adele knew the words should frighten her. Hell, they should terrify her. And, God knew, they did…but that didn’t mean that she was going to say no…because Emily was right.

Adele knew the poor soul trapped inside the crystal was a living, thinking, feeling being. The phoenix couldn’t be allowed to fall back into the hands of a killer that only wanted to imprison her until the end of time.

And that was worth fighting for…even though the thought scared her to death. This wasn’t about her anymore. It was about someone who needed her help.

“I’ll do it,” Adele said.

Bron shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re agreeing to.”

“Maybe not,” she said. “But I know what will happen if I refuse. Either the Redcap will get the phoenix back, or she’ll burn half the city to the ground trying to protect herself.”

“Smart woman,” Fenrir said. “Maybe she’s not the fool I took her for.”

Merlin arched a brow. “The Redcap will be relentless. He’ll do anything to regain the cage.”

“Which means she’ll need to be well protected,” Fenrir said.

Bron threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. Adele started at the sudden contact.

“Not by you, wolf,” he growled.

“And why not?” Fenrir asked. “I’m the obvious choice. My talents are a natural match for the goblin. Not to mention, you have a tendency to get distracted around women, hunter.”

“Bite your tongue, cur,” Bron shot back.

“You can’t silence the truth,” Fenrir said. “The woman is better off with me.”

“Ha,” Emily let out an exaggerated laugh. “I can’t imagine any woman who’d be better off with you.”

Fenrir turned her way, giving her a compassionate look. “There’s no need to be jealous, love. This tiny wisp of a woman obviously can’t compare to your sizeable beauty.”

“Oh my God,” Emily said, covering her face with both hands. “I am not…She’s not…Why the hell am I fighting this? You want to get out of my hair and play protector to someone else for a few days? Great. Maybe I’ll finally be able to get some work done at my real job.”

Of course, Adele was really hoping she got a say in that. A cold chill ran along her skin at the thought of spending any time alone with the massive wolf-man. Bron might be huge, but at least looking him in the eye didn’t make goose bumps spring up along her arms.

If anything, he tended to make her feel quite a bit warmer.

Besides, he’d already saved her ass twice in one day. That was a pretty good track record. He’d earned her trust.

“I’d rather stay with Bron,” she said.

“You’re certain?” Merlin asked.

“I am,” she said, stepping closer to Bron.

Merlin eyed the two of them for a long moment before nodding. “Then Fenrir will be the one to hunt down the Redcap. Here on Earth, without the phoenix, he’s as vulnerable as the rest of us.”

“That doesn’t mean he’ll be easy to kill,” Bron said.

“Don’t concern yourself, hunter, some of us are up to the challenge.” Fenrir gave a far too satisfied smile. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll have your hands full taking care of the girl.”

Bron stiffened. His glare intensified. His muscles tensed, pulling his clothes taut. She feared he was going to spring forward and go at Fenrir right there.

And she wasn’t the only one. Merlin stepped between the two men, looking Bron straight in the eye.

“We all have our roles,” he said. “And yours is to make sure the phoenix cage never falls back into the Redcap’s hands. Is that clear?”

Tense silence ticked by. Adele could feel the frustration surging through him. It was obvious he didn’t like this plan. Didn’t like being saddled with her. For a moment, she was afraid he would foist her off on Fenrir and go after the glory himself.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he tightened his grip around her shoulder and gave a stiff nod.

“Good,” Merlin said with a smile. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small green rock. “Here. Take this. It’s a Stone of Avalon. It should keep the Redcap from finding your home.”

“It’s magic?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, “We call them relics and this one will help keep you safe.”

Bron snatched the stone.

“Thank you,” Adele said for the both of them.

“Of course,” Merlin said, looking at her. “I know Bron will do his best to see you through this.”

His best. It wasn’t exactly a promise, but at this point she’d take what she could get.

“Let’s go,” Bron said, grasping her hand and hauling her toward the door. It only took him a few steps to pull her out of the apartment and back into the hallway.

“Adele, if you need anything, let me know,” Emily’s voice followed her. “Anything at all. Us mortals need to stick together.”

She spun around to say thanks, but found Fenrir blocking the open door. The words died halfway up her throat.

He shot her a vicious smile. “Good luck, little one,” he said, then slammed the door.