“Me, too.” He nibbled on her neck.
But as her gaze shifted slightly, she caught sight of Emily’s painting. “Zane, there’s something I need to tell you. And it’s important.”
He pulled away. “Hold on, sweetheart. I’ve got a call.”
Olivia drew in a sharp breath.
Sweetheart.
The expression was so tender that for a moment she couldn’t even take a breath. She finally admitted to herself, blood rose or not, she had it bad.
She heard him talking to the Communicati
on Center, and his eyes narrowed.
When he hung up, she felt him vibrating with excitement. “They’ve already got the wraiths heading to Helms Watch in the south. It’s time for us to start setting out the bait.” He frowned suddenly. “But you wanted to tell me something?”
“It can wait.”
Oh, God, could it wait. She couldn’t imagine what Zane would feel or do once he learned Emily was still alive.
After saying good-bye to Regan, Olivia went outside with Zane and hopped up on his booted foot. Just for fun, she reached down and rubbed the nearest medallion.
“For luck,” she said.
He smiled again, then took to the skies, heading toward Angler’s Cliff and Margetta’s Camp.
She fell silent as she watched the landscape roll by. They were high in the air, the star-laden dark night sky above and the woodlands below. She wished she could see what her shifter would see in her wolf form since the fall trees were aflame with color.
The mountains gave way to a western plain. The winds blew heavily on both sides of the Arundels, so that the land had long since been broken up with wind-breaks in the forms of miles of trees. Many had been planted centuries ago to help create decent farmland out of the rocky, windswept realm. Without these wind-breaks, Swanicott would be a desolate place.
As Zane’s flying ate up the miles, she kept her gaze fixed to the horizon. He wouldn’t be able to see the camp at all or the spell, which kept it invisible.
Any sign of the camp? Zane pathed. My vampire honing knows exactly where it is and we’re only two miles out now. Just give me a heads up when you see anything.
I will.
A few seconds later she saw a golden glow and breathed a sigh of relief. She knew the glow meant Margetta was in the camp.
Put on the brakes, she pathed. I can see the Ancient Fae’s glow as well as the red flowing lines of the spell. We’ve got maybe three-hundred yards to go. I’m going to cloak us now.
Perfect.
She let her cloaking vibration hit the airwaves, and she could feel it ease over them both, creating the invisibility they’d need to scout the camp.
Zane began to slow. Okay, guide me in.
Don’t worry. We’re high enough that you won’t hit the spell.
And you’re sure you can see the wall because all I see is a rocky grassland stretching out for miles.
Yes. We’ll cross it in three … two … one.
Holy shit! Zane spoke a little too loud within her head, but she could only imagine what it was like to see a bare grassland one moment then suddenly a massive camp, housing at least three hundred wraiths and their bonded mates. Wow. It really is hidden. And there’s Margetta, in her lovely golden glow of light, forging yet another bonded pair.
Olivia cringed at the sight of an innocent Realm-person, this time a tall fae woman, being enthralled by a wraith. The woman held a cup to her lips, no doubt drinking their combined bloods in order to create the bond. Both the wraith and the Realm-person would then be transformed into a vicious killing unit. Cheering and shouting went up all around the couple.
What a horrible sight to witness, she pathed.