Fae of the South (Court of Crown and Compass Book 3) by E. Hall (libby ebook reader .txt) 📕

to her in there prickles me. With nothing to do, I recap everything that’s transpired in the last twenty-four hours, from Lea to Emeric to breaking out of juvie jail but having to go back. I consider finding Ivan but the tangled web connecting vampires and fae, mothers and sons, uncles and nieces doesn’t make sense. There’s also the part about how I’m involved.

I forged a sword. Does that mean anything? Does it figure into this mess somehow? Maybe I really was just an easy target, someone to take the fall. Or is there more to it? Jurik sent Lea to retrieve Emeric because they had a connection, but can we trust her?

Headlights beam through the windshield, arresting my attention. An SUV passes on the uneven road. I duck my head, suddenly feeling exposed in the Range Rover—would Emeric recognize it as his mother’s? I wonder if Lea’s coming. I don’t want to startle her or have a thug or a cop come through with a flashlight and spot me. Nearby, doors slam. There’s the low rumble of voices.

I catch the unmistakable scent of citrus and spice in the air. Lea is on the move. The dark night glows with the red of brake lights, reminding me of when she pulled away, leaving me on the sidewalk. Like before, I don’t heed their instruction to stop or stay still.

I feel around for keys and find them tucked in the visor above the driver’s seat. I should follow the SUV. I also have the rune of passage wrapped tightly around my wrist, but something about this situation has me on edge, apart from Lea trying to coax the leader of the notorious X-Crew back to campus with her. Something doesn’t add up.

The SUV disappears at the far end of the long road. There’s no other sign of Lea. I take this as my cue to go. I follow in the direction of the SUV. I only hope I didn’t take Lea’s getaway car.

The vehicle stops at a traffic light. I pull to the curb and get out, making a silent approach as I climb onto the rear bumper. Hopefully, they stick to slow, city streets.

The SUV goes three more blocks before stopping in front of a row of shops, closed for the night. Rolling, corrugated metal doors conceal their merchandise.

Two thugs get out of the SUV. I dive underneath. Lea and Emeric break into one of the stores. Glass smashes. An alarm wails. Emeric laughs, low and menacing. Lea is silent.

“I thought we were going right to the school?” Thug Number One asks.

“Heck if I know. The Boss needed supplies. He does what he wants.” Thug Number Two snaps his fingers.

“Including robbing a mom-n-pop shop. I grew up with the kid whose uncle owns this place. Not cool, if you ask me,” Thug Number One mutters.

“No one asked you,” Thug Number Two says.

They continue to rib each other.

I take this pitstop to mean they’re going to cause havoc.

Everyone gets back in the vehicle and pulls away. I jog behind until I can no longer keep up. They speed toward the bridge that leads to Riker’s Island.

It’s go time. I trace the rune of passage with my finger.

All at once, I’m floating, flying, passing through air that’s at once perfectly still and yet alive with energy. I feel tugs and pulls like I’m connected to the strings of a marionette. Then in what could only be a few second’s time, I’m on familiar ground. The floodlights on campus pool around the administrative building.

I listen carefully for doors slamming, voices out of place, or anything unusual that might lead me to Lea and Emeric. If they were just going to be driven back to campus, they’re probably not here yet. Emeric must have paid off the guards to allow him entry and exit. Then again, he also had a getaway car on the other side of the woods. Still, something isn’t right. There’s more to this than just juvenile anarchy. Emeric said himself that this is big. If the vampires are masterminding the theft of fae shadows, they could have infiltrated the administration and police department. I’d hate to think Ivan is involved too.

I’ve made it halfway around campus when I see a prick of light flare by the auditorium. Anxiety chills me, but finding them thrills me.

The moon shines high overhead. I skulk low until I spot Lea and Emeric. He sets a trashcan ablaze, a sign, and a bench, seemingly from his hands—mage magic? She spray paints something on the wall, but I can’t make out the letters from this angle. I resist running to her and intervening. I have to trust Lea to handle this. If I interfere now, I’ll ruin her plan, whatever it is. I lean against the tree and wait.

The soft approach of footsteps on the grass from the opposite direction strains my vision. A tall woman with the outline of a distinct clipped bob appears in the firelight. Headmistress Jurik.

Her figure flickers and shrinks, replaced by the head of a bald woman shines in the pale moonlight. She wears a robe.

Emeric’s expression darkens.

An oily, female voice says, “Hello, son.”

Emeric springs and then shouts. “You wicked woman. Why are you here?”

Although I can’t clearly see what’s going on without revealing myself, thanks to my vampire abilities, I can hear perfectly.

The pair argue back and forth about deception and disloyalty.

Lea steps back as if to let them hash it out.

Emeric’s gaze lands on her as a rash of disbelief and anger crosses his face. “She helped you, didn’t she?” he asks.

Jurik, or whoever it is, says, “This is between you and me, Emeric.”

“No, it’s between me and the faetchers who will bow to me.” He practically roars. Gone is the charming reform schoolboy and in is a