“I’ll bring us back to Zemterra so we can get Altair and Sky to send word to Grey,” I said.
When I stood up from the couch my head spun and I cursed. Emmett jerked upright to hold me as I swayed. “You need to rest first.”
“I can rest when they’re back with us. Once Kylan is finally fucking dead.”
“She can rest after we’ve delivered the message,” Nolan said. “We’re going to give Grey twelve hours to prepare to meet us. I’ll handle everything with Amabella and Sky on the magic they’ll need. She can sleep and fuck and whatever it is she does to rest up.”
Nolan offered me a smile, trying to lighten the mood. It worked only because it was him. Emmett sighed. “Fine. Do you think he’ll bring Caspian and Shan to the exchange, to make it seem like he’s really entertaining the idea? Or will he only bring an army big enough to take us all on?”
Oswald scoffed. “I’d bet my entire life’s savings on him leaving the two of them behind. He’ll think we’re desperate for even attempting the exchange or trying to set up a trap, so he won’t fall into it.”
“You don’t have any life savings,” I noted. “You spent the last two hundred years as a cat.”
My former familiar didn’t bother to respond to that, only offering me a pouty glare.
“If he’d had money in the bank back then, he would be a millionaire now,” Nolan noted teasingly.
Emmett rolled his eyes at the back and forth, but it got a bit of a smile out of me. Those had been few and far between over the past couple of days. I hated that this time, which should be like a honeymoon period for my mates and I, was filled with stress and trauma bonding instead.
With my head no longer spinning, I detached myself from Emmett and wandered over to the corner of the room where my borrowed cloak was hanging. It hadn’t done enough to deter attention from me the last time, but it would have to do.
I’d learned after we got back from Zemterra that ogres had the best sense of smell in the entire realm and liked Omegas more than anything else. The man with ogre blood had likely caught a whiff of what I truly was beneath my scent dampener without realizing what exactly he was smelling. We’d been extremely unlucky.
This time would be a quick in and out, and we’d be able to avoid the main streets which would likely help.
Creating the portal strained my magic, but I took a deep breath and pushed through it. One more portal after this, and I’d be able to relax until we went to meet Grey. We were telling him we wanted to exchange me for Caspian and Shan, but I luckily was no longer so stupid as to actually attempt that.
The second time around, Zemterra wasn’t as thrilling to experience. Primarily, it was dull. Eimburn was dirty and dark, the three-story buildings blocking the meager light from the moons. People lumbered along like they had nowhere to go and no purpose in life. I imagined it was different on the other side of town, but it would also be far more dangerous.
We wandered into the building Altair and Sky had taken us to before, then knocked once on the door to their room. Sky pulled it open, but when I peered past him, he was alone. “Is Altair out?” I asked.
He nodded, but exited the room. The wards he’d had up before were significantly less prominent now, and his injury had clearly healed. He showed no signs of pain when he moved.
Sky led us silently down the hallway to descend the opposite set of stairs, bringing us into a bustling bar. I paused before crossing the threshold.
This couldn’t be safe for me.
I glanced around the room but oddly saw no doors or windows. The only entrance was where we’d come from. It was like a speakeasy, hidden in the back of this building.
Someone’s hand on my forearm tried to keep me back, but I decided to risk it. If Altair and Sky thought this was safe, I’d believe them. The hood was up over my face, obscuring most of my features. Should something happen, my mates could get mad at our fallen angel friend, not me.
“Freya!” Altair called from the far side of the room, laughing over a round of beers with three men. “I was wondering if you’d ever come back.”
I rolled my eyes, navigating around the haphazardly strewn chairs and tables. A single serving girl flitted through the room, slapping hands that tried to touch her generous assets. Everyone respected her wishes after one botched attempt, from what I saw. I hadn’t expected such politeness from a room full of men.
Emmett trailed closest behind me and I tried to send soothing energy through the bond. He hated it here and after being in his memories, I couldn’t blame him one bit. Despite him being a Zemterran, he’d never been treated well by any of them.
Oswald and Nolan followed farther behind, getting caught up in a conversation a few tables over from Altair’s. It appeared Oswald knew one of the men sitting there, though his dark eyebrows pulled together as he tried to puzzle out from where.
“We had to get everything in order first,” I said, scanning the company he was keeping.
Sky rounded the table to take a seat beside Altair, posture crisp and gaze darting around the room.
“Sure, sure, it just felt like it took a fuck ton of time,” Altair said.
He flicked his braids back over his shoulders and tossed back the rest of his beer. “It took as much time as it needed to take,” I said dryly. “What is this place?”
“A bar.”
