Devilish Game (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 4)

My heart began to thunder. If Mac had answers, I wanted them. I thrust my arm out toward her. She rested her fingertips on my bicep and closed her eyes. Her magic swelled, and I waited.

Finally, she opened her eyes. “I wasn’t able to see much, but this thing between you . . . this breaking the bond . . .it doesn’t mean it’s over between you and Grey. Even this feels fated. Like it was meant to happen.”

“Is fate really that powerful?”

“You have no idea.” She shook her head. “You were trying to divert the course of fate by going to Cyrenthia and breaking the mate bond. But fate can’t be tricked.”

“Shit.”

“Cyrenthia is right, though,” Mac said. “If you want any chance at keeping the mate bond broken and saving Grey’s life, you should try to stay away from each other.”

Carrow

Hours later, after an amazing—though brief—visit to the Fae dress shop—Grey and I arrived in Monaco using a transportation charm. Monte Carlo, specifically. It was warm here, the scent of the Mediterranean wafting on an ocean breeze. The sound of waves crashing in the distance was audible over the low hum of traffic.

After getting kitted up in a generic bartender’s uniform created by the Fae shop, Mac had taken a transport charm right to the casino, where she was currently sneaking in for her “shift.”

Grey and I had appeared farther away since we needed to make a specific type of entrance. I turned to study the city. An infinite number of lights glittered all around, the gorgeous city lit up for the evening. Nestled on the coast between France and Italy, it was a dream destination for the likes of me.

Considering the fact that I was with Grey, it could have been a dream—broken bonds or not.

He looked like a million bucks, of course, wearing a tuxedo that had clearly been made especially for him. He was here to play a devilish game, all lethal strength and elegance, impossibly beautiful despite the cruel cast that had shadowed his face as soon as we arrived.

“You look different,” I said. “Something about your face. Your expression.”

His gaze flicked to mine, the coldness briefly replaced with warmth. “You can show nothing, here. Anton feeds on expressions like a shark.”

I nodded, recognizing the same iciness he’d shown me when we’d first met. I’d thought he’d looked like the most beautiful statue I’d ever seen, so cold and hard and impenetrable that it made me want to crack him open even more.

“You look lovely,” he said, his eyes warm.

Pleasure flushed through me, then I scowled. “No compliments. I’m a sucker for compliments, and I can’t fall for you.”

“Of course. You look like a hag.”

I laughed, unable to help myself, and turned toward the street. My dress twirled around me, a glittery gold confection that made me feel like a princess. In addition to being gorgeous, it repelled blades and magic. It also enhanced my own powers, making my gift the slightest bit stronger, which I would need for what was to come.

The stilettos on my heels once again felt like trainers, and I knew I could sprint a mile in them. Hell, I could probably leap over a building in a single bound. The gem at my neck was actually a vial of truth serum, though no one would recognize it. Eve and the Fae dress shop owner had worked together to create it, though I might not have to use it. They’d done the same for Mac’s uniform, and it would allow her to blend in with the rest of the staff.

As the sound of ocean waves crashed in the distance, Grey and I stood on a bustling city street, not far from Anton’s club. An enormous Rolls Royce pulled up to the curb, gleaming brilliantly. It looked like something from the past, all elegance and beauty. The driver leapt out and opened the door for us, and I looked up at Grey. “For us?”

He nodded. “We need to blend in when we arrive.”

He helped me into the car, his touch a brand. I barely resisted a shiver, and he withdrew his hands quickly.

“I’m sorry.” His voice was low. “That was unwise.”

Indeed, it was. Touching was about the dumbest thing we could do right now.

Inside the opulent car, I shifted over on the seat to make room for him. He folded himself gracefully into the vehicle, and the driver took off, whisking us through the glittering streets of Monte Carlo.

“This is a lot different than the life I trained for,” I mused, thinking of police college.

“Preferable, I hope?”

“Very.” I stole a glance at him, then looked away, unable to bear his impossible beauty.

A few moments later, the sleek car pulled to a stop outside an enormous, ornate building. Golden lights lit up the marble facade, and a fountain shot sparkling water into the air. An aura of incredible wealth and danger gleamed around the place, and my heart raced, hope flaring.