But there was nothing unusual in the place besides the destruction and the weird feeling in the air. There was no scent remaining, but I swore I could feel the attacker’s rage. It turned my stomach.

I looked at Lachlan, catching sight of the shadows in his eyes. His jaw was tight with anger, but his eyes…they looked sad. My heart twisted.

“Come on,” I said. “We need to make a plan. It’s clear there’s nothing to find in here right now, so we need to determine what to do next.”

He nodded, and I could see the anger in the tightness of his jaw and the sharpness of the gesture. His sadness was being swallowed by his rage.

I waited as he carefully replaced the door, and we retreated to a tree a dozen meters away. Lachlan walked quickly, as if he didn’t want to stand too close to his father’s desecrated body. We stopped beneath the thick, leafy branches that cut out the moonlight, lingering in the shadows.

He took another swig from his flask as I stared at the mausoleum, my mind racing. “When I was at a party thrown by the Witches’ Guild, they mentioned a sorceress who could recreate scenes of the past, as long as they happened in a cemetery. Something about the spirits of the dead providing enough energy for her to rewind time.”

“Mariketta.” Lachlan nodded. “I know her.”

“Let’s get her here. She can recreate the moment the crypt was broken into. Maybe we’ll see our guy. Or girl.”

He nodded, his gaze thoughtful. “That’s good. We’ll do that.”

“I can get her contact info.”

But he was already reaching for his mobile and dialing. I watched, breath held, as he spoke to someone on the other end of the line. It didn’t take long for him to hang up and look at me. “I need to go speak with her. You’re coming with me. I don’t want you out of my sight.”

I nodded, my heart thumping.

I needed to get the hell out of his sight. For my own good, as well as for his. But that wouldn’t be happening right now. And anyway, I wanted to know what this sorceress found. “Where is she? Her guild tower?”

“No. She’s at the Orpheus Theater and refuses to leave. We need to meet her there.”

“The theater?” I frowned, looking down at my apparel. “Will they even let me in, looking like this?”

“We’ll manage.”

We left the cemetery in silence, exiting via the side instead of the front in order to avoid the crowd of shifters still mourning Bill and Danny. I could hear people dancing and singing, and shouts of “Bill!” as we passed.

Lachlan led the way expertly through the quiet city streets, and we reached the theater about ten minutes later. Sparkling lights over the door advertised that Cirque was in town. Maybe if this all went south for me, I could join up and travel the world with them. Not that I had any fire breathing or acrobat skills, but I’d manage.

The usher at the door gave me a disdainful look as we approached, but he wiped it from his face as soon as Lachlan glared at him. The Alpha wasn’t properly attired, either, but that apparently didn’t matter.

“Welcome.” The usher bowed and opened the door.

Lachlan inclined his head and strode inside. I followed, eyes on the ground. Generally, I respected dress codes, especially for fancy places, since it was the easiest way to blend in.

The main lobby, all done up in red velvet and bright gilt, was empty, but the roar of the crowd could be heard from behind the lobby wall.

“Do you know where she sits” I asked.

“Box 215.”

I nodded. All of the boxes should be on the upper level.

Together, we approached the massive staircase. A velvet rope blocked our path, but we ducked underneath the barrier to ascend. Only the cream of Guild City’s society got a box at the top of the theater. Lachlan would have qualified due to his wealth and power. I didn’t qualify in any kind of way.

We climbed the red-carpeted stairs silently and quickly. At the top, a simple, wide hallway stretched behind the boxes—empty, thank fates.

Lachlan turned right, following the tiny signs on the walls, and I hurried to keep up. We were approximately halfway to her box when Lachlan hesitated, tilting his head slightly.

“Do you hear something?” I asked.

“Torin, leader of the fae guild.” He veered a sharp right toward a tiny door set in the back wall, and I followed. “I can smell the bastard from a mile away, and he’s about to turn that corner in front of us. We have bad blood, and you’re not in his guild, when you very likely should be. We can’t afford a scene right now.”

He was right about that. Torin loved a scene, and these boxes were ticketed only. Not to mention that I’d pissed Torin off when I’d chosen to join the Shadow Guild instead of the Fae Guild. He might not start anything, but we didn’t have time to waste.

Lachlan gripped the handle of a little door next to where we stood, but it didn’t budge. He yanked hard, breaking the lock. We slipped inside the tiny, dark closet, and he shut it behind us.

Immediately, his scent wrapped around me, woodsy and clean. I tried to breathe shallowly to keep my chest from pressing against his, but it was no use. The damned place was so tiny that we brushed against each other from chest to knee. Heat burned into me, making my head spin. This was only the third time we’d made contact, and the feel of it was intoxicating. Every inch of me vibrated.

Hiding in this closet no longer felt like an easy way to avoid a delay. Instead, it had turned into a high-stakes game of seven minutes in heaven.

Silly. There was no way he’d kiss me.

When I heard him inhale slightly, clearly scenting me, surprise flashed through me. That was very lupine.

I looked up at him, unable to help myself.

I could barely see him through the dark, and it wrapped us in a cocoon.

When he spoke, his voice was rough. “What is it about you?”

My breath caught in my throat. “You already asked me that.”

But it didn’t sound the same that time. There was desire thick in his voice. I felt it wrap around me, supernaturally strong, and pull me toward him. My head went woozy with it, and suddenly, it was hard to breathe.

He raised a hand to my face, cupping my jaw. His skin burned against mine, an electric heat that made my heart race and warmth flush through me.

When he dipped his head into the crook of my neck and inhaled, every inch of me felt alive.

I knew I should jerk away—I couldn’t risk him discovering my true scent. It was hidden by the potion that anointed my necklace, but eventually, he would recognize that I was his mate.

A low groan reverberated from his throat. “You smell amazing.”

Kiss me.

It was the only thought in my head. All my rational thought had fled, driven away by our proximity, and I wanted to throw myself at him.

When he leaned down to hover his lips over mine, I moaned slightly, shifting to lean up on my toes.

Before we made contact, I must have brushed something against the wall behind us. A broom fell on my head, shocking me out of my trance. Cold doused me, and I jerked back, bumping into a bucket.

He stiffened, and we managed to find a scant inch of space between us.

“Torin is gone,” he said.

“Good.” I pushed the door open and slipped out, grateful to see that no one was in the hall.