I eyed him closely. “Are you into Tink—like, really into him?”
The Summer Prince twisted at the waist, facing me. “If you are worried that I will somehow harm or hurt him, you have nothing to fear.”
That wasn’t exactly the answer I was looking for. “Tink is like a brother to me—a really weird, often annoying, brother. I know you said you won’t hurt him, but if you do, I will find a way to end you. And it won’t be pleasant.”
Fabian grinned. “Oddly, I am starting to like you.”
I frowned, thinking that was a weird response. “All righty then.”
Ren was smiling when I turned to him. I had no idea what to say about Fabian, who was climbing the staircase, in search of a room or Tink or both.
Walking over to us, Faye worked a key off the ring and handed it over to me. “You have a few hours before you have to leave fo
r your meeting.”
Ren nodded. “I need a shower and a power nap.”
“I still don’t like the idea of you guys going there by yourselves,” Faye said, crossing her arms. “I don’t like it at all.”
“We’re not going by ourselves,” I reminded her. “You and Kalen are going to come, but you’re not going to be seen.”
Ren and I were not foolish enough to go without any backup. Just like I knew Daniel wouldn’t.
“I know, but not being seen means we may not have a lot of time to react,” she argued.
Kalen joined us, his eyes shadowed. “If any Order member even looks at you two in a way I don’t like, they’re done for.”
“Well, Daniel is probably going to look at me in a way you don’t like. He looks at everyone in a bad kind of way,” I explained. “I really don’t think Daniel is going to do anything.”
At least, I hoped not.
“He better not,” Kalen said.
Maybe Kalen should stay behind, but he’d pivoted around and stalked off, disappearing into the massive house.
“You think he’s going to be okay with this?” Ren asked, thinking along the same lines as me. “This is going to be risky enough without either side jumping the gun.”
Faye sighed as she pushed her hair back from her face. “He will be.”
“He was really close to Dane, wasn’t he?” I asked.
She nodded. “He was, but we . . . we all knew what we were signing up for when we left.” She lifted her chin, but her lower lip trembled. “There is no greater honor than dying for what is right, for the Summer Court, and for mankind.” Her voice cracked a little. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, wishing there was more I could say.
Ren nudged me with his arm. “Let’s go find a room.”
That’s what we did, and it was a nice room at the end of the hall on the second floor. One whole wall was glass and faced the ocean. In an hour, the sun would set over the ocean, and I . . . I wanted to see that.
I needed to see that.
“Wow.” Ren dropped our bags on the bench in front of the bed. “This room is insane—the house is insane.”
“It is.” My gaze got snagged on the huge king size bed. “Do you think Tanner knows who lives here?”
“I would have to think so. I mean, renting a place like this would cost a fortune.” Ren eyed the huge TV mounted directly across from the bed. “Did Fabian say he had a place like this? I might try to move in with him, too.”
“Shut up.” I actually missed my apartment. Tink had told me the rent had been paid, so my place was still there. Thank God.
“I’m going to hop in the shower.” Ren grinned. “Want to join me?”
I’d love nothing more than to do that, but my head was in way too many places. “I think I’m going to check out the beach.”
One side of his lips kicked up. “I’ll miss you.”
I laughed. “Well, at least I won’t be hogging all the water.”
“True.” He extended a hand toward me. “Come here for a sec.”
I went to him, putting my hand into his. He pulled me to his chest, folding his arms around me as he held me tight to his chest. Ren didn’t say anything as he tilted his head down and I lifted mine up. He didn’t need to. Everything he felt was in that kiss, and it was probably a good thing that I wasn’t joining him for the shower, because he would definitely not be getting any rest afterward.
“I won’t be long,” I promised him.
He brushed his lips over my forehead. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
Leaving the room, I backtracked my way downstairs and managed to find the back door that led out onto a veranda . . . that led to a massive pool. Like bigger than the one at Hotel Good Fae.
My cheeks flushed, because I immediately thought about what Ren and I had done in that pool.
I was probably never going to be able to look at a pool the same again.
Reaching the end of the patio, I saw the path that led down to the beach. I toed my boots and socks off and then rolled up my pant legs. It didn’t take very long to make my way down the steep trail. I stopped, exhaling roughly as my toes sank into the cool sand.
The temps were chillier than I expected and it probably had to do with the Winter Prince being here, but the golden tipped waves and sand were still absolutely beautiful.
I walked out across the beach, nearing the lapping shoreline as I reached up and tugged my hair down, letting the wind sift through the curls.
The cool water teased my toes, and for a moment, I let my head empty of all the stresses, the worries, and the fears. I didn’t want to think about or feel anything other than what I was witnessing.
The water turned a fiery orange as the sun kissed the ocean. There was a moment where it looked like the world was about to be set ablaze, where the water and sky was a stunning array of reds and blues, and then the sun was gone, slipping far beyond where the eye could see.
The breath I took was shaky and the back of my eyes burned. I never thought I’d see the sun set on the Pacific Coast, and it was truly a sight.
I stepped back, making my way until I was sure the waves wouldn’t touch me, and then I sat down in the sand, mindful of the daggers still attached to my thighs.
I had no idea how much time had passed as I sat there, but stars blanketed the sky and it was so quiet, so peaceful with the only sound the crashing waves and distant traffic.
Tonight could go well. Daniel could believe us, and together we could find the Prince, hopefully stopping him before he got ahold of the Halfling, and then we would either kill Drake or send him back to the Otherworld. Or tonight could go extraordinarily bad. Ren and I could be walking into a trap, one that no matter how fast Kalen and Faye moved, they wouldn’t be able to stop.
But tonight had to happen.
A sharp swirl of tingles danced along the nape of my neck. I twisted at the waist, not surprised to see Ren’s tall form making his way across the sand.
“You should be resting.”
“I was.” He neared me. “For about fifteen minutes, and then I looked out the windows and saw you sitting out here.”
I’d forgotten there was a view from the bedroom. “Ren, we have a long night ahead of us. I got to sleep on and off on the road.”
“I know.” He sat behind me, spreading his legs on either side of me. Circling his arms around my waist, he pulled me back against his chest. “When I saw you out here, I thought to myself, I could leave her alone, but then I was like, I don’t want to.”
I laughed as I relaxed into his embrace.
Ren was quiet for a few moments. “It’s beautiful out here.”
“It is. You should’ve seen the sun set. It was . . . amazing.”
“Would you live out here?”
I started to respond like I would’ve a handful of months ago, but I realized that mine, that our, circumstances weren’t the same. “I really like New Orleans, but there’s something about this that’s just as good. I could live out here.”
“Me too,” he replied. “Then again, I’d be willing to live wherever you went, even if it was Alaska.”
“Really? Alaska?”
“Even Alaska.”