How did the fact that tonight was Night of Four Moons not occur to me?

  “Brie?” Kai looked as though he was considering whether to shake me.

  “Yeah, I just need a minute. Alone.” I stumbled out of his grip and started toward the cars.

  Cold sweat ran into my eyes and blurred my vision. I felt off balance, like the world was suddenly off-kilter. Maybe it is. I am dating a prince, I thought and giggled, though nothing was funny. Headlights appeared suddenly in the distance, blinding me momentarily. I swaggered sideways, right into a large, hard object. The rock enclosure. I sagged against one of the stones in the shadow of an overhang. It felt oddly cold to the touch,

  A vampire’s face flashed in my mind. Or is he really here? My gaze darted back and forth between the two possible entry and exit points of the beach. No bloodsuckers in sight. You’re okay. Muffled voices filled the air. Whoever it was, they weren’t trying to be sneaky; my hearing just suddenly sounded blocked with cotton. Fireballs appeared in my palms. The sight of all those fae in the back of Mat’s caravan came into focus in my mind’s eye.

  “No. Don’t think about it,” I growled out loud.

  I tried to take several steps forward and ended up crashing to my knees in the small puddle at the rock enclosure’s entrance. Orange moonlight bathed my face in its fiery glow. I let my head fall backward and closed my eyes.

  “Brie?” Kai called tentatively. “Brie!” This time he sounded scared. “Kenoa! Help me!”

  Footsteps; someone running on the sand.

  “Don’t touch her,” Kenoa snapped. “Get back. Let me handle this.”

  Kai must’ve done as asked and gotten out of Kenoa’s way, because a moment later, I saw the big water fae’s face above mine.

  “You’re going to be okay.” His hands were like blocks of ice when he scooped me into his arms.

  I heard the sizzle of water hitting fire. Cause we’re water and fire, I thought and giggled. Kenoa looked down at me, eyes full of concern. We were moving fast. I was bumped and jostled in his arms. The smell of burnt hair filled my nose, and the arms beneath me again went suddenly very cold.

  “Is she conscious?” Kai asked frantically as he ran beside us.

  “Sort of,” Kenoa grunted. “She can probably hear us, but she won’t be responsive.”

  We stopped moving. I saw Harton out of the corner of my eye. He held the back door of the limo open. Kenoa lowered me onto the backseat and then got in and sat across from me. Kai slid onto my bench and gave Harton a nod to close the door.

  “Don’t touch her,” Kenoa warned the prince.

  Why is his shirt so wet? I’m not that heavy. Then I noticed some spots were singed, and I understood Kenoa’s warning.

  “The leather is not catching fire,” Kai pointed out.

  “Doesn’t mean you won’t. Neither did her clothes, but she burnt right through my shity.” Kenoa reached into a compartment beside him and produced a fancy red vial. He knelt on the floorspace between us. Slowly, he reached out a large hand and touched one finger to my shoulder. When his skin didn’t burn, he rested his entire hand on my arm. He glanced up at Kai and nodded. The prince took my limp hand in his.

  “You need to drink this, Brie,” Kenoa told me, speaking slowly. “It’s going to suck. But you must drink all of it.” He held up the vial for my inspection. I considered reaching for it, but my arm was too heavy to lift anything. Kenoa must’ve sensed this, because he brought the vial to my lips. “Ready?” he asked.

  I managed to jerk my head back slightly, effectively agreeing to consume some unknown witch’s brew that was probably going to make me vomit. Is it too late to change my mind? It was. Kenoa dumped the contents down my throat. The herbs tasted bitter, and the vial smelled sour. I wasn’t very familiar with most potions, only the healing creams given to us in the arena. And I didn’t buy tonics from the local apothecaries, as most were designed for casters anyway. Something told me this particular potion wasn’t an over-the-counter product, though.

  Whatever the case, I had no idea how long it would be before the potion started to take effect. Or what the effects would be. Apparently, neither did Kenoa or Kai.

  “Will this work?” asked the prince, staring down at me and squeezing my hand tightly.

  “It’s what we give casters when this happens,” Kenoa replied. “It definitely won’t hurt her, but I can’t say for sure if it will help either.”

  “Her eyelids are closing,” Kai said softly, as I slid into darkness.

  “Good. At least that part of the potion is working on her,” Kenoa replied.

  I felt weightless. And then, I felt nothing at all.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I tried to tell you Night of Four Moons wasn’t a good idea,” a deep voice said.

  “You gave no explanation,” a very annoyed voice answered.

  “It’s Brie’s business. She agreed to go out with you, I just assumed she knew what tonight was.”

  “I guess we both screwed up,” Kai snapped, sounding a lot like an entitled prince.

  “Calm down. She’s fine.” Kenoa sounded more pissed off than I’d ever heard him, which was saying a lot since nothing riled him. “You don’t get to act like a jerk to me after four dates with her. I’ve known Brie a long time, and I care about her, too.”

  Kai sighed. “I’m sorry, Ken. This is all a little unnerving. It was like the situation with my uncle all over again.”

  “She wasn’t depleted. The opposite happened. I’m just glad the caster tonic worked on her,” Kenoa admitted, all animosity gone from his voice.

  “Yes, well, your kind cannot usually become overwhelmed with magic. Or, should I say, your kind does not usually allow that to happen?” Kai replied.

  “Both,” Kenoa answered.

  There was a long pause. I sat up in my bed and squinted in the darkness at the wedge of light from the open door. Two tall shadows, one much leaner than the other, stood motionless in the hallway.

  “She’s awake,” Kenoa said after several long moments. “You should go talk to her.”

  I cursed under my breath, hoping I’d be able to eavesdrop on the duo a little longer. They spoke like friends, like equals. Not that Kai was disrespectful to his other employees. Even before I realized that I didn’t hate him, I couldn’t say that I’d ever witnessed the prince being rude to his staff. But listening to him and Kenoa was different; I felt like I was learning more and more about their connection, one that nobody could figure out.

  My bedroom door opened slowly, and Kai stepped inside. I caught the flash of white teeth and Kenoa’s large hand waving before the water fae turned and started downstairs.

  “How are you feeling?” Kai asked. He walked over and crouched beside my bed, apparently not even considering getting in next to me. Still dressed in his board shorts and tee, the prince shivered in the cold of my condo.

  “Better.” I managed a smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t really understand what happened to me.”

  An almost violent tremor ran through Kai, and he crossed his arms over his chest. I reached up for the quilt folded over my headboard and wrapped it around his shoulders.

  “Thank you,” he said softly.

  Flopping onto my back, I stared blankly at the ceiling. “I’m sorry,” I said again.

  “Do not apologize for something beyond your control.” Kai wrapped his cold fingers around my hand.

  “Kenoa’s right. I should’ve known this night was coming. I usually track the moon cycles and the seasons more carefully.”

  “You could not have known there would be four fire moons,” Kai offered. “The phenomenon is very rare. It has not occurred in years.”

  “Five years,” I clarified. “The last time four fire moons shone at once was five years ago. And the time before that was the night before I was born.”

  He couldn’t have realized the significance of the timing. Like me, Kai had been a teenager on the night I was taken. Nonetheless, he sensed there was more to the story. The prince didn’t pry, unless remaining annoyingly silent counted as an invasion of privacy.

  Talk about a good way to gain his trust, I thought wryly. Telling Kai about the night Mat had stolen me from Fae Canyon would forge a bond between us, one I had with few others. And only one of them was among the living. But that wasn’t why I told Kai the truth. I told him because I truly trusted Kai with such a personal story.

  “Fae elders fear fire moons,” I began, focusing on a spot on the ceiling above me. “For a lot of reasons. Many believe they signal a bad harvest coming. Others think they’re generally bad omens. I thought my father and the other elders were just old and superstitious.” I laughed humorlessly. “I thought I knew better. I thought I was invincible. I snuck out with two of my friends, Sienna and Gregory.” Tears filled my eyes, and I let them fall. “We just wanted to have some fun. And we did. Until the cowboys came.”

  Kai climbed onto the bed and curled up beside me, gently brushing the wetness from my cheeks. I could feel his dark gaze watching me, but I continued to stare at the ceiling.

  “I killed one of them, and I didn’t even feel bad about it. If anything, it made me feel strong. Like I could take on an army. I was so stupid, so naïve. I couldn’t handle three of them, let alone an army. They caught me.” Fresh tears spilled from my eyes. “I still remember when Mat—that was the leader—sank those vile fangs into my neck. I don’t know if I’ll ever forget.”

  Before I knew it, Kai’s arms were around me. Holding me tightly against his chest, he stroked my hair. In the darkness, wrapped in his warm embrace, crying didn’t feel weak. It felt cathartic. It didn’t feel like I was telling him a secret. It felt like sharing a part of myself with him. He didn’t offer meaningless platitudes, and I was grateful. I didn’t want to hear them, not from him. Not from any caster.

  Eventually I drifted off to sleep again, warm and comfortable in Kai’s arms.

  When I woke the next morning, the bed felt empty. The curtains were still drawn, but I could tell the sun had yet to rise. I expected to find a note on my kitchen counter when I plodded downstairs to make coffee. What I didn’t anticipate was a freshly showered and casually dressed prince sitting on my living room sofa with a laptop open in front of him. Or Kenoa flipping pancakes in the kitchen.

  “I apologize for the inconvenience. A personal matter has come up.” Kai spoke into a cellphone wedged between his shoulder and ear as he typed. “I do appreciate your understanding. Tomorrow it is. Please thank Coroner Aliako on my behalf.”

  I froze halfway down the stairs, panic rising quickly. Kai had been in my condo all night, and I had an unregistered cell hidden on my patio—not a good combination.

  The prince disconnected his call and turned to smile at me. “Good morning. I hope you do not mind, but I thought I could work from here today?”

  “Um, yeah. Of course. But I have training. Botto will report me if I don’t show up.” My eyes darted nervously to the patio doors.

  “The situation has been handled,” Kai informed me happily.

  “Handled?” I repeated, a slight edge to my voice.

  In the kitchen, Kenoa groaned audibly. “Bad choice of words, man.”

  “I only meant—” Kai’s dark gaze darted back and forth between Kenoa and me. The prince pointed a finger, literally, at Kenoa. “He called Botto, not me.”

  I arched an eyebrow at my friend.

  “He expects you back at practice tomorrow,” Kenoa said without elaborating further.

  “What did you tell him was wrong with me?” I asked suspiciously.

  Kenoa shrugged his large shoulders. “I didn’t. And he didn’t ask.”

  No, I suppose my trainer wouldn’t have asked. Not when Kai’s personal bodyguard called to say I was taking the day off, I thought, annoyed.

  “Let it go, Brie,” Kenoa said, taking the next words out of my head. “This was my favor to you. Just like you’ve been doing Sumi favors to get her out of the commune after curfew and without a proper chaperone.”

  I shot an uneasy glance at Kai, who was concentrating way too hard on his computer. These weren’t serious crimes, but they were my crimes, not Sumi’s. I certainly didn’t want to get her in trouble.

  Without looking up, the prince said, “Because I have only just escaped your wrath this morning, I would prefer we do not debate the reasons for the current restrictions placed on foreign fae and shifters beneath the dome. Please be assured, the palace is redrafting legislation as we speak to adopt a more welcoming plan of action for the newly arrived.” His satisfied smile faltered when he saw the look on my face. “Pancakes?” he tried.

  “Pancakes?” I shook my head, a little of my righteous fury disappearing at the abrupt segue.

  “Kai normally finds that pissed off fae are less upset if he switches the topic away from controversial crap, like politics.” Kenoa flipped a perfect, golden-brown pancake using just the pan. “How many?”

  I’d clearly woken up with a chip on my shoulder and was feeling ganged up on. But the pancakes smelled heavenly, and my stomach rumbled. “Five, please.”

  “Kai?” Kenoa asked.

  “The same.”

  I joined the prince on the couch. He filled a mug with coffee from a carafe and handed it to me.

  “Breakfast and coffee? A girl could get used to this,” I admitted.

  Kai leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I worried you might be upset that we were still here.”

  I thought about the unregistered cell again. “No, not at all. I appreciate your concern.”

  “Now who’s trying to be diplomatic,” Kenoa teased from the kitchen.

  I stuck my tongue out at him. “I can’t tell whether you’re playing peacekeeper or instigator.”

  “Both.” Kenoa tossed the pancake one more time in the pan before transferring it to a plate. “Whichever I feel is more entertaining at the moment.”

  I switched my focus back to Kai and sipped my coffee. “What are you working on?”

  His eyes lit up. “The disappearances. We may have a break in the case.”

  Suddenly, I wasn’t very hungry. “Oh, yeah? What did you learn?” I asked too loudly, as though that would dull the sound of my heart thumping in my chest. I caught Kenoa giving me an odd look, but the prince didn’t seem to notice my jumpiness.

  Kai’s cheeks reddened beneath his golden skin. “You have heard of House of Mana, I assume?”

  I made a face. “I’ve heard of it.”

  Kenoa laughed as he deposited three plates of pancakes on the coffee table, along with another carafe of coffee, a bottle of syrup, a tub of butter, and utensils.

  “Thanks, Ken. I don’t know what I would do without you,” Kai said with a smile.

  “Me neither,” Kenoa said. “But I put on the apron for Brie, not you.” He pulled one of my armchairs over and sat across from us. “You’re long overdue for a grocery delivery,” he added.

  “I’ve been busy.” I turned to Kai. “So, what’s the deal with House of Mana? What does it have to do with the disappearances?” I dumped syrup over my pancakes and took a large bite, letting the cinnamon and vanilla wash over my taste buds. Kenoa was an awesome cook. “These are amazing, by the way.”

  Kenoa grinned around a large forkful of gooey pancake.

  Kai cleared his throat. “House of Mana caters to a select portion of the caster population,” he began.

  “The wealthy ones,” I interjected. “That place is expensive.”

  “It is,” Kai agreed.

  I washed down a bite of food with coffee. “Have you ever been?”

  “I have. I will admit, I was curious,” Kai said primly.

  “Just curious?” Kenoa quirked an eyebrow.

  “I am feeling very outnumbered.” Kai glared at his bodyguard and then at me.

  I laughed. “Okay, so what’s the significance?”

  Kai set down his fork. “We know for certain that three of the male casters who have gone missing were last seen at House of Mana. Two of them were found late last night. Or rather, their bodies were found.”

  Coffee nearly came out of my nose. “They’re dead?”

  That wasn’t right. The missing people weren’t supposed to be dead. Maybe they aren’t connected to the missing fae. Killing wealthy casters would be risky, and Christina isn’t stupid.

  “No, worse,” Kai said gravely. “They are depleted. Both have been moved to the Royal Hospital. I am meeting with the families tomorrow to ask for permission to attempt memory retrieval.”

  “What about revival?” I asked. “Isn’t that usually the first step?”

  Kai looked down. “It was unsuccessful. We are not certain how much time had passed since depletion. Too much, as it turns out.”

  “And you think these casters are somehow related to the missing fae?” I asked uneasily.

  “I do. I have no proof, of course, just a gut feeling. That is why I am asking for the right to perform memory retrieval.”

  Memory retrieval is dangerous. And complicated. It almost never works, I reminded myself.

  “Not many casters can perform that spell,” I hedged, wishing I hadn’t been so eager to devour my breakfast. The undigested bits of pancake bobbed on a sea of syrup in my stomach.

  “Very few, yes,” Kai agreed.

  “You’re not—you’re not thinking of doing it yourself, are you?” I eyed him dubiously.

  For a caster, Kai rarely used magic. In fact, in our time together, he’d never used magic. That you know of, I reminded myself.

  Still, the royal family was known for being powerful. Queen Lilli supposedly possessed more magic than any other caster in the kingdom. And the prince was rumored to be an accomplished warlock.

  Kai laughed loudly. “I would not attempt a spell of this magnitude. I do know of a witch in North Shore who is known to have performed the necessary spell before. If she does not agree to help, which is likely, I do have contacts in the other kingdoms. This is our first real lead. I am prepared to follow it at any cost.”

  “Even without the memories, we know at least a few of the disappearances are linked to House of Mana,” Kenoa pointed out.

 

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