Windstorm (sampler)

Chapter 5

The late afternoon air was pleasantly cool against my heated skin as I drove my Audi A5 convertible past the city limits and towards Šmartinsko lake. Cian and I had agreed to meet at his brother's rental home at five, which had given me enough time to put the avalanche of thoughts that had been rushing through my mind in order.

After the Fae had left—luckily, taking the heart with him—I closed down the shop for the weekend and grabbed a beef kebab from the local vendor. My stomach still wasn't all that great from the gritty visual, but I desperately needed the sustenance. It wouldn't do to pass out in the middle of a merging just because I had been too big of a wuss to get past the whole torn-out interior organ thing. Besides, I was adamant to not give Cian another reason to despise me. The gods knew there were enough of those floating around as it was.

I spent the remaining hours sunbathing on the Savinja riverbank, enjoying my wine and coffee as if the day wasn't one of the weirdest ones I'd experienced in my life. I needed something as ordinary and simple as taking time for myself after work, and, as always, it did the job.

Routine never failed to put me at ease, and by the time I had to go home and exchange my upscale clothes for something a bit more appropriate to hike in, I was as calm as I could get.

Cian had told me that not all of the wards Riordan had set up on the perimeter had been broken—and that those that had been breached were now mended, shielding the place from further intrusion. Which meant I needed to be escorted inside.

Unfortunately for me, that also meant my darling pearl-white convertible could only get me so far.

So I'd left my pumps and dress at home and headed out of the apartment in a three-quarter sleeve pink-and-white raglan tee, faded jeans, and Converse shoes. My hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, the ends brushing against the nape of my neck caught in the embrace of the billowing wind as I sped down the country road, determined to make the most of the bends and the absence of other cars coming my way.

It felt good to drive around, even if my destination wasn't exactly the kind I would have chosen.

But I'd made my peace in those hours I had to myself. It was a job, just like any other. The sole difference was that my employer was Fae.

My demon tendrils bristled at the thought, clearly not enthusiastic about my choices. Nothing new there. I shoved them down, locking them in the do not fucking open box I had constructed in my teenage years, and instead focused on the countryside rolling past me. The trees were in full bloom, the green hills beyond them still bathed in golden sunlight. So I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the numerous scents of spring, and simply enjoyed the rebirth of the world around me.

The Kolduny weren't only children of nature; they were people of spring. While I didn't have an ethereal bubble of warmth, filled with the essence of the season around me as any full-blooded Koldunya did, I still felt a strong connection to the blossoming time of the year.

My entire body came alive, much like the earth after a long winter, and even my magic seemed more sated somehow—although my parents firmly believed I could maintain the power level all year round, if I only used both sides of my abilities. Right. And throw myself straight into my mother's manipulative clutches at the same time.

But the day was too beautiful to waste it on my twisted family, so I cranked up the volume and let the cheerful synth-pop tunes of Depeche Mode's early songs wash over me instead.

After another five minutes or so, just when the next track came on, I veered off the main road. Shadows greeted me, the strong fragrance of pine potent in the humidity of the thick woods I'd entered. I knew these parts, had driven through them more times than I could count, but I'd never had any reason to use this particular service trail. Not only was it a bit too narrow for my Audi A5 with all the low-hanging, sturdy branches sticking out of the sides at random—it was a dead end, too.