just inside the room. They were fae, which meant she and Costin didn’t stand a chance in hell of fighting them with brute strength. Not that she could help that much anyway, but fae had eyes that could be clawed out just like any other supernatural.
“Alston would like to speak with your mate,” the female said.
She was tall and slight, as seemed to be the norm for the fae. Her hair was dull yellow and pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her eyes were a pale green, and her lips, though thin, still managed to look sensual. How is that fair? Unlike the others, the woman’s voice was cordial, and she didn’t appear as if she wanted to zap them, which Sally thought was a good sign.
“Where she goes, we all go,” Costin said, gesturing behind them to Titus.
All three shook their heads at the same time. Creepy. “Only the healer,” the male in the middle, with long, black hair that matched his pitch-black eyes, said.
“That’s not happening,” Costin growled.
Sally placed a hand on his arm. She understood that he didn’t want to be separated from her, any more than she wanted to be separated from him, but they needed to compromise in order to keep Titus safe.
“They aren’t going to hurt me,” she said through their bond. “They need something from me, and hurting me isn’t going to get what they want.”
“They’ve already hurt you,” Costin challenged.
Sally didn’t flinch away from his words or the truth in them. “Let me see if I can find out exactly what they want. Titus needs to be protected. Can we guarantee that outside of this room he will be safe? Your attention would be divided. Please, Costin, keep him here and protect him.” She was pulling the daddy card, and it was cruel, but she had to keep her child safe. If Costin didn’t let Sally go, then the fae would likely take her by force, hurting Costin in the process. If he was injured, he couldn’t protect their son.
Sally could feel the emotions warring inside of her mate. He hated that he couldn’t just save them all. It filled him with rage that she would be facing the man who’d not only taken her memories but also a piece of her that she had not been willing to give. But he could also see Sally’s logic.
“I can’t stand you being away from me,” he said, his eyes still completely focused on the threat across from them.
“I will keep her safe,” the female fae said suddenly. Her eyes met Sally’s, and something flashed in them. It was so fast that Sally wasn’t sure she’d seen it. Was it compassion? Was she trying to tell Sally something without giving herself away?
“You work for Alston,” Costin growled. “Your word is worth less than the dirt beneath my feet.”
“All the same,” the fae said, “I will bring her back to you in the exact condition she is in now.”
Sally reached up and turned Costin’s face to look at her. His eyes were glowing bright hazel, and he was barely holding on. “My wolf,” she said, addressing the beast inside of her mate, “trust me. Protect our pup. I will come back to you.”
Costin wrapped her in his arms and pulled her tightly against him. “If something happens to you, I will burn this city to the ground. Do you understand? My wolf will not hold on this time.”
Sally did understand. Costin would go feral if he lost her again. It would be better for her to die so he could be with her than for her to be hurt or taken from him. “I know. I’m coming back to you. Alston wouldn’t have allowed you to be here with me if he was going to hurt me.” After several minutes of Costin simply staring at her and Sally hearing his wolf rage inside of him, he finally bowed his head in defeat. There was nothing they could do, and he knew it. The fae were more powerful when it came to the use of their magic, and they wouldn’t fight fair.
Sally walked over to Titus and gave him a strong hug. She pressed her mouth close to his ear and talked as softly as she could, hoping that Costin wouldn’t hear her. “You take care of Daddy, okay?”
Titus nodded and whispered back. “I’ll ask the angel for protection.”
Sally smiled at her son and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I’ve no doubt she will hear