A Crown of Blood

Chapter 18

Returning to New York felt like a dose of adrenaline straight to the heart. Gone was the dreamy, mystic scheme of the northern forest, and reality sharpened the jagged skyline like the teeth of a great beast.

My debts felt heavier on my shoulders. Time moved quicker.

I felt its eyes on me when we stepped out of the car, a familiar twinge of magic sparking between the sour scene of car exhaust, concrete, and decay. By my estimations, Mr. Goodwin would know of my return within forty-eight hours, if not sooner given his faerie contacts. My first point of action needed to be to get in contact with the Goodwins for an update.

All I needed was an out.

"I need to go to my hotel," I said to Damon once we settled into an apartment only three blocks from Central Park.

"You have everything you need here," he said, gesturing to the luxurious space around us. The two-floor, three-bedroom apartment belonged to Rosalia—a gift from a billionaire she romanced a few years ago. We brought what we needed from the compound, but I was desperate to get to the cameras and files hidden in a safety box down the street from where I stayed. There was no doubt my clothes, shoes, and toiletries left in my room were discarded, and I made peace with it. But an adequate update to Mr. Goodwin relied on more than recollections from a compound.

"Clothes mean nothing!" I argued. "There are sentimental items I need. I mean, God knows they're probably in a landfill by now, but I have to check." It wasn't a complete lie.

Mom's necklace, I just need her necklace.

It was the only piece of her and my past life. Despite everything that happened and what she did, I couldn't part with it.

Standing across the long quartz island, Damon crossed his arms over his chest. Behind him, Rosalia and Sutton sat at a large dining table with members of the Caine's Guard, a projection on the television behind them showing a map of the city.

"Two hours," I insisted. "There and back. You can even track me."

"No."

"Damon—"

"I said no, Halina," Damon snapped, a ripple of dominant energy punctuating my name, making my stomach twist into knots. He splayed his hands on the counter and his muscles flexed dangerously as his temper roared to life. "Drop it."

And what if I don't? I wanted to hiss. When I looked him in the eye, fear slithered down my back, primal and cold. The look on his face told me that if I tested him now, Damon would handcuff me to the bed with silver cuffs.

The wolf flattened her ears and growled, my muscles tensing as I fought the finality in his tone that said end of the conversation.

Damon's eyes flashed electric blue. Baring my teeth in frustration, I stalked over to the windows overlooking the busy street, my mind whirring to formulate some sort of escape. If I could orchestrate a distraction that targeted Jude, it would be easy. I did it at Club Wolfsbane. The only difference here was that I could risk blowing up the entire floor of the apartment building.

Below, rivers of people and cars streamed up and down the road. I wished I could turn into a bird and fly away.

"Those fucking vermin!" Rosalia bellowed, slamming her fist on the table so hard it might have cracked if it weren't stone. "I swear to Artemisia if I could just have one afternoon to go after them—"

"Easy, easy, Rosalia," Sutton said. Shivers wracked my body at the painful gritting noise of her claws raking down the stone tabletop. "It's just a small delay."