Dodging Calamities (Artemis University #7) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,102

on the council, he was powerful.

“I think I can help with that.” I bobbed my head as I stood. “Yeah, I think I can get the right trap and bait to draw him out easily if one of your wolves doesn’t mind being at the center of attention to get pulled into this.”

He smiled at me. “You mean set him up? Make him think he caught you, but it’s one of our wolves there to spring the trap and then add on the layers of what we found?”

“Exactly.”

“Yes, that will do nicely if you can secure the area and keep our people safe.”

I snorted. “I can’t guarantee no boo-boos, but yeah, I’ve got lots of tricks up my sleeves.”

“Like those spy traps we’ve been hearing all sorts of things about,” Mrs. Brooks hinted.

“Uggghhh, I’m so tired of hearing about them,” I groaned. “Nope, I’m not going to even discuss them.”

They chuckled as they led the way to the dining room, the security relieved when I took down the barrier and we showed our faces. I was impressed not only by the food, but that they didn’t talk about traps, nor any other touchy subjects. We simply enjoyed the evening. They asked me about school and I learned a bit about their family.

Beside the reason I went there for, it truly was a lovely night. I genuinely liked the couple. I thanked them for a wonderful evening, promising to bring Darby next time and accepting the leftovers Mrs. Brooks had the kitchen box up for me. I didn’t get it at first, but then she winked at me.

Right, they knew I was a fairy now. She was teasing me I’d be hungry in a few hours.

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

“Drop it,” I told Zack and Ray when we finished with security and I handed over the food. I could feel them brimming with the need to say too much. We could discuss it later but right then, I wanted to bask in something going right.

So of course shit blew up in my face.

The moment I stepped through the portal, a hand grabbed my arm roughly, and I only got the chance to block the other hand from getting a grip on me before I was pulled into a temp portal. I managed to break their hold but went through the portal, ready to throw down… Until I saw who it was.

“What is your problem, Neldor?” I demanded, backing away from him as I tried to chill on my need to fight. I glanced around and didn’t recognize where we were, but saw it was far from anywhere.

It looked like the top of a damn mountain if I had to guess.

I snarled at him. “If you’re going to try and throw me off a mountain and take over, you’ve got—”

“Don’t be dramatic,” he snapped. “I brought you here to talk.”

I couldn’t even digest that fast enough. “I’m being dramatic? You brought me to the top of a mountain to talk and I’m being dramatic? You are…” I groaned and then scrubbed my hands over my face. “Fine, talk, you fucking weirdo.”

He did not like my response, but ignored it. “What did you do tonight?”

I flinched, but then hardened my gaze at him. “I don’t answer to you.”

“Yes, you do now.” He stormed towards me when I laughed and reached for me, pissed when I lost my mirth and easily blocked him. “You clearly cannot be trusted with our safety and to not make stupid mistakes like telling the wolf council—”

“What? You don’t even know what I told them, and clearly you’re already wrong, as I didn’t tell them, but one councilman whose mate I trust. And I didn’t tell them nearly what you thought. I have a serious fucking problem and I handled it. Just as I’ve been doing before you and I will continue to do long after finding and saving you, Neldor. So enough with the dramatics.”

“You cannot portal back without me,” he reminded me. “You’re still injured.”

“From saving you,” I bellowed, understanding now why he’d portaled me away. “Something I wish I’d never done!”

“You need me.”

“I needed help, and you’re not proving to be anything more than a burden and a pain in my fucking ass.”

He snorted. “Clearly you—”

“You know nothing!” I roared. “You know nothing about what it took to get here and what’s at stake. You’ve had a few weeks to catch up and learn what was needed to help heal our world. I had to do it