Page 48 of Filthy Fae

Scarlet nibbled at her bottom lip, eyes troubled. “Her guards really didn’t seem to have any idea what that creature was. Would they lie about that to put on a show?” She glanced at Mack, her brows drawn together.

“No.” Mack shook his head. “From the impression they gave, the feast is the first they heard of the demon. Those four hate my mother even more than this group. Trust me.”

I didn’t trust Mack, but Scarlet clearly did. She nodded and turned back to me. “What are you thinking?”

What was I thinking? I tried to form my thoughts into sensible words.

“Let’s say the queen knows about the demon, but her guards didn’t until the feast. She plans to attend a party to meet your sister and brother-in-law for sex. Then, she arranges for an incubus to be raised at the party to go after your sister. She slips an anonymous note to her guard, telling her not to go to dinner. The incubus is conjured at the party and goes after your sister while the demon sends an energy through the party, forcing the partygoers to tear each other apart during sex.”

“Which makes it look like one of the werewolves tore through the party,” Scarlet whispered as her gaze traveled far away. “Zane is arrested, and the queen declares that if anyone kills him except her, the fae will seek revenge on the werewolves, which will start a war. And then the incubus goes after Zeezee, presumably to take her form so the demon can suck Zane’s energy, starting the war and removing the rest of the evidence. The pack is framed for the massacre and for starting the war. Damn it. We need to find Zeezee before the incubus does.”

Mack threaded his fingers together on the table. He inhaled a long deep breath, paused, and then said, “It’s something my mother might do. She’s probably the most conniving person in the world. But, if she hired someone to raise a demon in order to frame the pack for the massacre with the ultimate goal of taking over Heartland forest, King Oberon’s curse would kill her.”

Scarlet nodded. “We don’t even know if it was the incubus that caused the massacre.”

“I’m on the research for that,” Jane muttered, her gaze locked to her screen.

Darrel crossed his arms over his wide chest. “My money’s still on the queen. It just seems like one hell of a coincidence that she was the only one warned not to go to this party. Did she tell anyone else not to go?”

“She clearly didn’t warn Oxonos.” Aaron tilted his head back and forth. “I like her for it, too, to be honest. She’s definitely doing everything in her power to prevent anyone from investigating what really happened. Maybe she found a way around the curse.”

“Or maybe the curse is bullshit,” Darrel growled. “A curse did nothing to stop fae from hunting werewolves from my pack, running them down like deer. Killing women who were protecting their children.” With every given moment, Darrel’s glower intensified and eyes glowed brighter with his wolf.

Mack made eye contact with Scarlet at the table, and I could see him give the slightest shake of his head, but he wisely didn’t defend his position further.

“Well, someone summoned the incubus for a reason. There’s one person who very likely has the answer to that,” Scarlet said. “She might be the person who summoned the demon, and if not, she probably knows who did.”

“Necro-Nancy,” Aaron said, again stating the obvious.

“The phone number is not traceable, but I have a contact,” Jane said, standing and smoothing her skirt over her curves. “It will just take some time.”

“Meanwhile,” Scarlet said on a groan. “I need to track down Zeezee and pay another visit to my lying brother-in-law.”

Chapter Twenty

Scarlet

We all piled into Lance’s van and headed back to Eureka. While Jane sat up front and discussed the investigation with Lance, I gave in to my body’s demand for sleep. After a long night of being hunted, I was more than ready to curl up in Darrel’s arms and close my eyes for an hour. When we finally pulled into Eureka, the sun was already heading west.

“You could probably use a few more hours of sleep,” Darrel murmured as his calloused fingers combed strands of hair out of my face. “Why don’t you crash out in my room?”

“I wish I could,” I said. “Unfortunately, there are probably a dozen emergencies I missed in the twenty-four hours we were gone. So, I have to make sure none of those are going to cause serious damage to the property while Aaron and Lance comb Zeezee’s apartment for any clue of her whereabouts. As of this morning, my parents are facilitating securing the pack and helping us get ready for an attack.”

“That’s good,” Darrel said.

I nodded. “Mom is leading the dominant wolves in teams of three, surveying the areas around the fae houses and searching every possible place my sister could be hiding. My dad is in charge of taking all of the submissive wolves and children to our safe-house and fortifying it for a week-long stay. After I take care of the essentials at the complex and visit Zane, I need to update the dominants on what’s going on.”

After my long explanation, I only felt dog-tired. My eyelids grew heavier by the second, but I forced them open.

Darrel nodded and gave me a sympathetic smile. “If you’ll let me, I’ll do that. And with your permission, Alpha, I’d like to bring half my dominants here to help. They’re ready to go at any time.”

“We need to talk about how we’re going to schedule Scarlet’s guard,” Lance called back.

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Mack said. “Two guards at all times. I’m taking a rotation, and I’ll be here until this is over. I’m the only one who can combat fae magic.”

Annoyance surged through me. “First, Titania is hunting three of us. Second, the demon is most likely after Zeezee. My guess is that he figured out I wasn’t my sister at the queen’s feast, meaning I’m not the one who needs bodyguards.”

“Like hell,” Lance said, glaring back into the rearview mirror. “One of us will be there until the hunt is over, and the demon is dead. We’ll also need a password, just in case this demon tries to impersonate one of us.”