Ever After (26 page)

Dalton? Why did that sound familiar? Then it hit her. Black hair. Green eyes. Somber expression. Her heart kicked up a notch. She was about to have a fan girl moment.

Okay, Eden. Play it cool.

“Hi. You’re Dalton.” She winced. Oh hell. “I mean. I know
you
know who you are.” She wanted to kick herself. “What I meant to say is, nice to meet you, Dalton. I’m Eden.”

Dalton barely acknowledged her. He turned to Salvatore. “This is who you have in mind?”

In mind for what? Was Salvatore pairing them together? She fought back a goofy grin. She could learn so much from him. Only a few months ago, he’d been involved in the burning of
Marwolaeth Du
—the sorcerer prison that held shifters captive. It was a day that would go down in history. It would be an honor to work beside him, maybe learn from him.

“Think about it,” Salvatore told him. “She smells like a werewolf, acts like one. It’s your ticket into the pack. They’ll let her explain why she’s there. They’ll trust her.”

A werewolf pack? There hadn’t been one in Wales since… Well, never, as far as she knew.

Dalton leaned in toward Salvatore then whispered conspiratorially, “But do
you
trust her? She’s not one of us.”

Though she’d heard it before—felt it every day of her life—it still stung. She adjusted quickly. Stamping down the twinge of hurt, she cleared her throat. “I may not be a shifter, but I’m not deaf. I can hear you.”

In fact, her hearing was probably better than his. One of the benefits of being a wolf. But nobody asked her those sorts of things. They assumed she could shift into a wolf—not very impressive when most shifters could change into a bird and a more versatile predatory animal—and that was the extent of her abilities. To them, she was nothing more than a pretty face. Even her father called her “Fluff” now and then. He meant it to be affectionate, but it fed into everyone’s idea that she didn’t really have anything going for her.

Ignoring Dalton’s question about her allegiance, Salvatore turned to Eden. “Not being a shifter, in this case, is an asset. I have a job that only you can do, Eden. I need you to visit the Northwest Pack and convince the alpha to side with us against the sorcerers.”

She waited for the punch line. They stared at her, wearing somber expressions. Was he serious? Well, that was a hell of a first mission. She thought maybe they’d let her be backup on some weapons run. But traveling outside the colony? That was a first. Talking to an alpha? Fuck. She’d never been around other werewolves. What if she was too different? She didn’t know how to act like a werewolf. She’d only ever lived with shifters.

Were they very different? Everyone said they were. They told her
she
was different. And now Dalton was staring at her, assessing her every move. It was obvious he’d already decided she was a failure before she’d even started. And Salvatore… Did he expect her to fail?

No. Salvatore believed in her. He was the only person, outside of her adoptive family, who never questioned her loyalty. For that, and other reasons, she admired him. She used to admire Dalton, but now…

“So is he coming with me or something?” she asked, gesturing to the stone-faced man to her right.

“Yes.” Salvatore opened a desk drawer and pulled out a map. “Dalton will escort you to Wyoming where Cristian and his pack reside.” He pointed to a spot in North America. “He’s going as your protector, but you’ll do all the talking.”

You mean sunshine here isn’t good at diplomacy?
“If he doesn’t want to go with me,” she said to Salvatore, “I don’t want to force him.” Why would she trust a protector who loathed the responsibility? He’d probably shove her off the first cliff he saw then shrug and say “oops.”

“No,” Dalton answered curtly and turned to face her. “I’ll do it. Salvatore is right. If this mission is so important then you’ll need the best guardian you can get.” With a cocky nod he added, “That’s me.”

Instead of giving a smartass reply about his ego, she smiled winningly. “Thank you.” Being considered fluff had taught her a great deal. One, her smile could win over the hardest of men. She wondered if that was why Salvatore was sending her to the werewolf pack. She had a knack for getting what she wanted. It came with making people feel as though she was harmless. Being fluff had its uses. If Salvatore had caught on to that, he was more perceptive than she thought.

A hint of a returning smile crossed Dalton’s face, which gave her hope. If she could charm him into liking her, it’d make this trip so much more pleasant. As it stood, she was already a ball of nerves.

“What sort of experience do you have in the field?” he asked her.

Her smile faded. She looked to Salvatore for help, but he just grinned at them. Why did she get the feeling he was up to something? “Um. This is my first mission.”

Dalton’s eyes widened. “The first?” She liked him smiling better. He’d almost looked friendly.

Salvatore leaned across the desk and patted her hand. “Don’t worry. I have faith in our girl.” He winked, and she had the urge to hug him.

Dalton leaned back in his seat, murmuring under his breath. Salvatore was being very patient about this. Any other leader would have barked the order then punished any protests. She wished he would. As of right now, she’d rather take a bunny rabbit for protection than this arrogant jerk.

“All right,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll book us plane tickets tonight.”

“No,” she said as confidently as she could muster.

He gave her a surprised look. “No?”

“I have a better idea. One that doesn’t require a passport and hours of being air sick.”

With a smirk, he leaned back in his chair. “What’s that?”

She glanced at Salvatore self-consciously, and he nodded for her to continue. “
Ostium Invenire
.”

Dalton’s brows shot up. “A door maker?” At her nod, he snorted. “Where do you plan to get one of those? Only the sorcerers make them. They’re our enemy, remember?”

A fire grew in her chest. If he kept up with the condescension, she was going to snap. Maybe she’d bite him. She might not have the strongest fighting form, but her teeth were still pretty sharp. With a deep breath, she calmed her temper. “Sorcerers make them, but the fae commissioned a few a long time ago.” This time it was her turn to be smug. She grinned. “And I just happen to know a fae who owes me a favor.”

Chapter Two

Standing shoulder to shoulder with a werewolf while surrounded by fae archers made Dalton seriously consider his life’s direction.

“Let me do the talking,” he whispered to Eden.

One fae stepped forward and addressed them. “What’s a werewolf and a shifter doing in Unseelie territory?”

“Since when are a werewolf and a shifter an enemy of the fae?” Eden answered.

Dalton rolled his eyes. So much for letting him do the talking. Still, her bravery was admirable, if not slightly stupid.

“Strangers are enemies until proven otherwise,” the fae countered, though he lowered his weapon.

She stepped in front of Dalton and smiled at the stoic fae. “Let us prove otherwise then.”

Just who was protecting who He went to pull her back, but she batted him away. With a sigh, he gave in. If she didn’t want his protection, who was he to force it? Except the duty had been entrusted to him by their colony leader, and he’d sworn to do his job to the best of his ability. He’d never questioned Salvatore’s orders until recently. But trusting an unruly pack of werewolves to help them fight a war they wanted no part in was a gamble. Salvatore had said the alpha, Cristian, knew they’d have to pick a side sooner or later. That didn’t mean they’d choose their side though. This could turn into a suicide mission.

Yet here he was anyway, nothing more than protection detail for this chipper little wolf who smelled strange and acted stranger.

“I’m a friend of Mac’s,” she told the leader. “I need to speak with him.”

Reading the skepticism in the leader’s eyes put Dalton on edge. Discreetly, he placed his arm around Eden’s shoulders while pulling her behind him. This time she cooperated. He caught the scent of her shampoo as her head brushed his shoulder. It was all woman and he found himself wanting to bury his nose in her hair. Maybe he’d been alone too long. He brushed the thought aside. The rebellion was his life now.

The fae arched a brow then said drily, “We have a lot of Macs. You’ll have to be more specific.”

Dalton waited for her to answer, but she only stared. With a little nudge, he whispered, “What’s his last name?”

“I don’t know.”

Gods! What the hell had Salvatore got him into? His hand twitched to draw his sword. The half dozen arrows pointed at him were unsettling. Why had he decided to trust this girl? They should’ve made arrangements to fly like he’d suggested.

Finally, Eden shifted her feet and sighed. “You know me, Ryder! Quit showing off in front of my partner.”

The fae cracked a smile then glanced at his men. They dropped their weapons. “Good to see you, love.” He opened his arms, and Eden stepped into them.

What the fuck was going on?

After they hugged, Eden gently punched Ryder’s arm. “That wasn’t funny.”

He laughed. “Yes, it was. I had you there for a minute.”

“Did not. I put on a show for the shifter.” She hiked a thumb at Dalton. “You got him good though.”

A flicker of frustration ran through him.

“Come on,” Ryder said. “I’ll take you to Mac.”

“Thanks.” She turned to Dalton and smiled. “Come on.”

He was still trying to sort out what had just happened. The small group of fae had supplied a few rebels for their cause, but even though they lived close to the shifter colony, they weren’t considered friends. But Eden was laughing and joking as though they’d been buddies for years. Just what did this girl get up to in her free time?

When he took too long to move from his spot, she held out her hand. “Trust me.” The adorable smile plus the easy way she said it made it sound so sincere. A day, a smile, and a few words and she’d almost turned him into a blind follower. Almost.

He mentally shook himself out of the daze and scowled down at her. “I don’t trust people I barely know. Especially not a werewolf.” Roughly, he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him. He was going to fucking protect this little hellion whether she wanted him to or not. Then softness of her skin felt too good against his calloused palm. That he even noticed it made him angry. Since when was he so easily distracted from a task? Salvatore couldn’t have picked a worse partner for him. A sweet-smelling distraction was the last thing he needed.

Together, they followed the group of fae gods only knew where. Traveling with a werewolf to a fae village to retrieve a sorcerer’s device? Being a warrior meant stepping out of his comfort zone, but he was pretty sure he’d left his comfort zone back in Salvatore’s office. It’d be easier if he felt like he was in charge. He had years of experience leading missions, ordering groups of soldiers and making hard decisions. All of that meant nothing right now. If he felt more prepared, he wouldn’t be so twitchy passing through the high cliffs and into the dark.

Eden squeezed his hand. He looked back, and she gave him a small reassuring smile. He almost laughed. As if he needed reassurance from an inexperienced little girl.

From what he understood, Eden had been found alone on the beach as a child. No one knew where she’d come from or how she’d gotten there. Eden had been too young at the time to say. Werewolves had never occupied Wales as far as he knew. One theory was she’d been brought by the sea, maybe fallen off a ship and floated ashore. Regardless of how she’d gotten there, the colony had decided to keep her and raise her as one of their own. But most shifters kept their distance. She smelled different, acted different. She’d never truly be one of them.

Though shifters and werewolves could technically both shift, it worked very differently with each species. Crinos was a werewolf’s fighting form—half human, half wolf. But only males could take that form. Females shifted to lupus, regular wolf form. In crinos, a werewolf was a formidable enemy—seven feet tall covered in muscle, three-inch claws on each hand, and a strong muzzle with fangs. Even in human form, werewolves were stronger than a non-supernatural, stronger than a vampire even.

He’d seen Eden spar in classes he’d instructed – though he wouldn’t call it sparring. It was more like repetitive dodging. What skill did she offer on this mission? Only her scent? If so, they were fucked.

Between the glowering and angry mutters under his breath, he made it obvious he wasn’t happy about this. Ignoring his displeasure, Eden followed the fae toward the hidden town. The entrance was between two high cliffs and looked, from the outside, like a dark cavern. But once they passed through the short tunnel, the rock opened up to a sunny valley where a small castle sat. It was a mini replica of the fae kingdom in Ireland, which was made entirely of quartz. This one was made of stone and looked like a remnant from medieval times, but from what he’d heard, it contained modern appliances and technology. The mix of old and new made for a complete mind trip.

Dalton walked stiffly beside Eden, watching everything warily, shoulders tense and eyes darting side to side.

“Relax,” she whispered. “I have this under control.”

Dalton snorted. “You have things under control, do you? We had a dozen fae with bows drawn on us just a few minutes ago.”

“What’s a little arrow in the flesh?” She shrugged. “You’ve had worse.”

He arched a brow. “Have
you
, little wolf? Have you ever felt the pointy end of a weapon tear through your muscle and press up against bone?”

Yeah, it was meant to scare her. When she audibly gulped, he grinned inside. Then she sucked in a deep breath and looked into his eyes.

“Your constant twitching is putting them on edge,” she said. “You need to work on your poker face.”

Twitching? He wasn’t twitching, was he? His hands did ache for a weapon. And the uncertainty was unsettling. “I don’t like this,” he admitted. “I feel unprepared.”