“Come on in and look around. Or is there something particular I can help you with?”
“I’m sorry,” Rourke said, taking a step further into the warm atmosphere of the shop. There was even a crackling blaze in the fireplace. “We’re here to speak with Pan Peelan, the shopkeeper, about an object he may have collected over the years.”
She gave a nod. “I’m Raine. Pan was my father. He got into a bit of a tricky situation with Queen Viola a few years ago, and well, let’s just say that I’ve inherited the shop from him and leave it at that.”
“You’re not a Wild Fae,” I finally said. “Are you?”
“Goodness, no.” She laughed and shook her head. “I’ll admit, it’s not the most ideal of locations for the shop, but it’s my father’s legacy, and it’s where everyone knows to look. I live just across the border in the Autumn woods, and I come here to trade at night. Luckily, they leave me alone for the most part.”
Rourke frowned and moved toward the nearest shelf, one that housed a collection of sparkling silver jewellery. Rings and necklaces, bracelets and hair pieces. “How familiar are you with your father’s collection? The item we’re looking for may have passed through here as long as eighteen years ago.”
“Eighteen years ago.”
Rourke nodded and moved onto the next shelf. I trailed behind him, my eyes darting to each object, disappointed each time I saw something somewhat stone-like, only to find it was anything but.
“That’s right,” he said.
“I must say, that’s an interesting timeframe,” the shopkeeper said. “And quite specific. Eighteen years, you said. I don’t supposed you could you give me a better indication of what it is you’re looking for?”
“It would be a small stone. Dark gray. Perhaps a bit smaller than your hand.”
“I see.” The woman’s eyes flicked from Rourke to me. “Well, there’s nothing like that out front here, but I have a fairly extensive inventory in the back. More specialized items, if you will. Careful not to touch any of that, dear.”
My hand was hovering a mere inch away from a small notebook. A crinkly old thing with pages that were too old and mottled to allow the leather cover to properly shut.
“These are Death Objects. If you touch them, you will extract an essence of the deceased. That one right there belonged to a murderous Wilde Fae. I would avoid that if I were you. Not to mention, it ruins it for sale, and you’d have to purchase it as well.”
My hand dropped like a stone by my side, and the shopkeeper gave me a tight smile.
“I’ll just head into the back to have a look through my inventory. It shouldn’t take too long. Feel free to look around the shop for anything else you might find of interest but remember what I said. No touching the merchandise. I’ll know if you do.”
The shopkeeper disappeared behind a thick golden curtain, and Rourke was by my side within an instant.
I frowned at where the shopkeeper had disappeared. “She’s strange.”
“She’s surrounded by objects imbued with death all day,” he said in a low voice. “Her father was even stranger.”
“Do you think she has it?”
“She certainly seemed to know what I was referencing, though it’s hard to say whether she has her hands on it or not. I must warn you. She may try to give us a lemon. It wouldn’t be the first time Grim attempted to sell a fake. You’re most certainly going to have to test whatever she brings out.”
“How am I going to do that without touching it?”
But Rourke didn’t have a chance to answer. The shopkeeper returned, her lips wide and poking up in the corners. In her gloved hands, she held a small stone that was no larger than my thumb. It didn’t look like anything special. It was dark gray, flat, and perfectly normal. If I’d seen it on the ground, I wouldn’t have even noticed it.
“This stone was found within Queen Marin’s dress, which came to us after her timely death.”
I wrinkled my nose at her words, but she merely continued.
“I believe,” she said, her eyes flashing, “this is the object you are looking for.”
Rourke strode forward and frowned down at the tiny little stone. His face betrayed nothing. Even I couldn’t tell whether or not he was impressed by the rock. He let out a light sigh and tsked before glancing over his shoulder at me.
“Could you come closer, please? I can’t be certain this is it.”
“I assure you, this stone could be nothing other than the object you were inquiring about,” the shopkeeper said.
I strode up to Rourke’s side and stared at the stone. Up close, it didn’t look any different. Bland, boring, endlessly gray. With a slight shrug, I said, “I guess this could be it, but it’s hard to say.”
The shopkeeper huffed. “Honestly, this is ridiculous and more than a little insulting. To be accused of lying—”
“Let us test it, just to be sure,” Rourke said.
She narrowed her eyes. “Most certainly not. You cannot touch a Death Object unless you intend on paying for it. Otherwise, it’s worthless to me.”
“I don’t need to touch it,” I said, holding out my hands. “I can use your gloves. There’s no harm in that, right?”
It was a long, silent moment before the shopkeeper spoke again. I could tell that she wasn’t inclined to let us do this, but there’d also been a clue I hadn’t missed. Grim did not get very many visitors. This wasn’t the kind of place to move a lot of merchandise. She was desperate for us to purchase from her, and she wouldn’t turn down a potential customer, regardless of how badly she wanted to say no to our test.
Finally, she set the stone gently on the table and pulled off her gloves. “Very well. You may examine it for a moment. But if there’s any funny business with this object, I’ll be forced to make you pay.”
“Got it.” I grabbed the gloves and pushed the rough material over my hands just as heavy footsteps thudded on the stairs outside the shop.
Rourke twisted toward it, his head cocked. “Let me guess. We’re about to have some Wilde Fae visitors.”
“Oh no. It’s much better than that,” came the steely voice of the shopkeeper. “That will be the Queen’s personal guard, here to take you in. You see, I know who you are, Rourke. You’re a rebel and a traitor, and you and this changeling have been working with the Summer fae.”
My heart thundered in my chest as the realization of what she’d done swept over me. She had alerted the Autumn Court that we were here. How, I didn’t know, but she had. And now, all we could do was wait for them to barge through that door. We were trapped. We had no hope of an escape.
Rourke grabbed my gloved hand, threw it on top of the stone, and pressed his forehead tight to mine. His skin was hot, his eyes were wild. He’d never looked so fierce in that moment.
“Do it,” he hissed in a harsh whisper. “Hide yourself.”
The footsteps grew louder. They were only seconds away from storming inside now.
“Rourke, no. What about you? I can’t—”
His hand cupped my cheek. “You promised you’d obey me. Hide yourself. Now.”
My heart felt split in two, but I couldn’t ignore the desperation in his eyes. I’d promised him. I couldn’t go back on my word now, even if it meant hiding in fear instead of standing to fight. With a heavy sigh, I closed my hand around the stone and focused on the shadows that caressed Rourke’s face. That uneasy feeling slid over me, cloaking me in darkness just as the shop’s door blew open.
Four Autumn Hunters strode in, and Rourke dropped his hand from my face at once. He stood facing the Hunters, his hands curled by his sides. He was the perfect image of cold and calculating calm. His face was blank, his eyes focused on the fae before him. Not even the tip of his pinky quivered, even when the four fae raised their swords. He was pure steel, I realized. Pure, unbreakable steel.
“This is him?” the male in front barked, flicking his fingers to the three behind him. They spread out in an arc, easing closer to where Rourke stood in the center of the floor. They were the ones with the sword, but it was almost as if they were afraid of him.