Page 138 of Harnessed in Gold

“Coyotes,” Avery supplies. For better or worse, there are no wolves in the southern Appalachians.

Topaz slaps her sheathed dagger onto the bookshelf. “And then a mutt followed me into town. Thank the gods I was able to convince a stranger he was a stray. She said she’d take him home with her and put upLost Dogsigns.” She huffs and her expression goes blank again. “Avery, do you have any bandages?”

Avery pales. “Bandages?”

Shit, can faeries get rabies? I ask, “You didn’t get bitten, did you?”

Topaz merely shakes her head.

“There’s a first aid kit under the bathroom sink,” Avery tells her.

With a stiff nod, Topaz disappears into the bedroom and shuts the door.

When Avery rises to go after her, Leo stops her with a hand on her arm. “Give her a few minutes.”

I wring my hands and fight for a deep breath, the urgency I felt a few minutes ago reaching fever pitch. I sense it coming off Avery, Aaron, and Leo, too. Whatever lead we’ve had, we’ve lost. River, Burdock, and Juniper aren’t just searching for the bracelet, they’re actively thwarting us. If we get to it first, we’ve only won half the battle.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The front doorswings open again, this time for Rime and Liv. They seem less distressed than Topaz, but more alarmed.

“Burdock must’ve been near the river,” Rime reports, determination flashing in his blue eyes. “He sent ospreys after us while we were working with the hawks.”

Liv adds, “The hawks were willing to attack them, but it got ugly.”

“Where’s Topaz?” Rime cranes his neck to look around the room. “We need to call some guardians.”

Gripped by a jolt of fear, I reach for Leo’s hand.

“It’s okay,” he whispers. “That doesn’t mean Burdock knows we’re here.”

When Avery tells Rime about Topaz and the coyotes, he curses under his breath and charges into the bedroom.

Liv hangs up her coat and comes up behind me, bringing razor-edged waves of anxiety along with her. I get to my feet and hug her, letting her fear mingle with mine and with everyone else’s in the room. When Leo offers to calm her, she shyly accepts.

Five minutes later, she’s asking what’s for lunch.

Eager for the distraction, Avery opens the food delivery app on her phone. By the time Topaz and Rime come out, we’ve ordered enough Taco Bell to feed all of Fraternity Row.

“How do you get out there?” Rime asks Avery, pointing to the dining-room window that overlooks a postage-stamp backyard.

She directs them to the alley that leads around the back of the row. “Be inconspicuous,” she calls after them.

Liv bursts into a hysterical laugh.

When they return ten minutes later, I sneak a peek out the window. I can’t see any snakes, but two hawks stand sentinel on the dilapidated privacy fence.

No, not conspicuous at all.

Over the crinkle of fast-food wrappers, Rime elaborates on his strategy. “I’ve got sparrows out there, too.”

“Oh?” I say. “I didn’t notice them.”

“Exactly. They’re unassuming and they have the perfect camouflage. Burdock would never expect me to use them.” With a mouth full of burrito, he adds, “I can’t take credit for the idea.” He winks at Liv, who squirms beside me on the couch.

“Genius,” I tell her.

She shrugs. “The sparrows are the real scouts; the hawks are just the heavies.”