Myles didn't crowd her, but he was cutting it close. He remained ahead of her, guiding, but in sync with her every step. When she slowed to take in a new building, or sped up to cross the street, he did the same. She noted that he out-skirted around the places others were. If others were looking at them, she didn't notice. She was busy maintaining a balance between taking the sights in and hiding from view. Having Myles as one big, intimidating shadow helped.

She wondered if he could feel the awkwardness stranded between them. He didn't give any outward indication of it, if he did. Was it worth clearing the air, at risk of making it worse? Was there even a point?

"Where are we going?" Mira asked, glancing behind her. They'd taken so many turns she'd lost track of where they started walking ten minutes ago. Old houses were boarded up sporadically, set in between warehouse-type business. Some advertised car parts, while others were furniture stores. This was the type of area her and her father would pick to stay, if they had no other option.

"The main district," came his voice from ahead. "It's not far."

There were cars parked only metres from them, so why had he left his so far away?

Myles turned right at the end of a T-intersection. Mira followed, tugging on the sleeves of Myles' jacket, she tried to cover her wrists, in an attempt to ward off the sudden wind chill. Where it had come from, she didn't know. Myles didn't seem to be affected, but he wouldn't given his body temperature ran warmer than hers did.

One more corner and their backdrop shifted. Cars disappeared out of sight. In the distance, there was a fountain, with LED lights that flicked through each colour of the rainbow. The buildings either side were all glass fronted shops. The crowds from before were nothing on what she saw now.

A group to the left caught her attention. Huddled together, there was nothing out of place about the the six of them—yet there was something Mira couldn't pinpoint, drawing her to them. She'd guess they were around her age, if not younger. An even mix of women and men. One of them turned—

All at once, Mira couldn't breathe. It was like being hit by a current and sucked under the waves. No, she thought, willing it to be true. Yet, nothing changed. No. The group began to distort. Or maybe it was her vision wavering. She blinked. The same pointed ears remained. The same interweaving ink on their necks, the lines following to their foreheads.

Someone called her name, but she heard them like she'd re-surfaced under a tunnel.

This wasn't the first she'd seen fae. Many times, they passed some when transitioning between places. Always from afar. If they were getting to close, they would alter their course to avoid any fae. To see her father so after of them was always enough reason not to question why.

She found out anyway, a few months prior to turning twenty. If shifters were ruthless, the fae fell into a league of their own. One night, they'd found an old hut in the mountains. Empty, or so they'd thought. As it turned out, it was the hideout of another: an elderly fae who hadn't taken kindly to them being there. For days, he kept them chained in a room. The silver cuffs inhibited her father shifting to free them both. Without a single touch, she learned how cruel one could be. A springboard for testing his magic—that's what they became. If it wasn't being electrocuted, it was being suffocated or drowned. To this day, she didn't know the specifics of how they were let out alive. What she did know, was that every so often her father would leave her for days at a time, returning to that hut to fulfil his end of the deal that was struck.

Until that moment, Mira hadn't realised just how dangerous the conflict between fae and shifter was. Regardless of the fact that humans were hunting them both down, neither side could let go of centuries old discrimination.

If one fae was capable of so much damage, a group of them...

She found her voice, somehow. It was so thin it barely carried. "We need to go. Now."

"Mira?" No longer could she see the fae, but Myles' hoodie instead. "What's wrong?"

"Fae," she said, monosyllabic. "Danger."

The growl he let out was low—and the cough afterward did nothing to disguise it. "Mira, you're safe. They know exactly who I am—and that you're with me."

He said it as if it was that easy. He had power within his own pack. Wouldn't that make him more of a target if they knew who he was? Had he been sheltered from the dangers of fae?

Mira reached for his arm to make sure his attention was on her. He didn't deserve to find out the hard way. No one did. "Myles, please." She stressed the word, voice cracking. "We need to get out of here."

So much for all her plans. Even in this pack where it all seemed so picture perfect, danger lurked. If fae had managed to get past their security and infiltrate the pack lands, how did she know hunters hadn't done the same? Was this all a—

"Mira. Stop."

Stop what? She was trying to save him. He wasn't listening. "If we don't go—"

"Mira." The was a hand on her shoulder, a thumb rubbing back and forth over the jacket. "Take a breath for me before you pass out."

She did, wondering why he was so adamant about it. Then she realised her throat felt lodged like she'd swallowed cement. Well beyond simple panic.

"Mira, where do you think we are?"

She stated the obvious, after another long inhale. "The pack lands."

His brows furrowed. "We're not on pack lands. We haven't been since we left the gate and left the mountains."

The information stopped her short and sent her reeling. He was wrong. He had to be.

Myles scrubbed his at the stubble across his jaw. "This party of the city is land that separates our territory from the fae. It's called the Truce Lands. For the last decade, it's been so."

The explanation didn't help. She focused on his hand at her shoulder, the back and forth of his thumb grounding her. "That's not possible."

"It is. I was a witness at the signing. That's why I know." A pause. His calloused hand moved, cupping her cheek gently. When she glanced up at him on reflex, he held her gaze with solemn focus. "It's how I know that we're both safe. Even if someone doesn't agree, they aren't stupid enough to be the one to break the treaty—and going after me would be doing exactly that."

There was conviction behind every word. Assurance that settled her nerves.

Somewhat.

While she believed him, there were things that didn't make sense. If he was so sure they were safe, why was he so on edge? One threat eliminated, it could only mean there was another. "Humans—"

"Will never cross onto these lands. Never." His soft touch was juxtaposed by his stone-cold tone. "We station pack members around the perimeter to guard. The orders are to kill on sight if humans try. The fae do the same. On this, both sides stand together, despite our differences."

Mira drew in a breath, piecing all the information together. An area existed where fae and shifters could co-exist, and unite against the threat of humans. She'd never heard of such a thing. The idea sounded impossible. Messy. Under different circumstance, she'd guess this was a joke being played on her.

The mere idea of shifters living within a pack had sounded exactly the same to her when she first found out. All she'd known at that point was a life with her father at her side, and the phantom idea of her mother. It had taken her years to grasp the idea. She'd learned all she could of packs since that day. Their hierarchy. Their traditions. Ins-and-outs of daily life.

Her father had never mentioned this.

What else was out there that she didn't know?

"Mira, I thought you knew. I never would have agreed to bringing you here if I'd known otherwise." His gaze dropped to her shoulder, like he couldn't bear the eye contact anymore. "I'll take you back to my aunts."

What about the business he had here? He'd driven all this way. For him to turn back, simply because of her, was absurd. Why did it matter so much to him what she thought? Sympathy could only stretch so far—and she'd pushed his to wits end.

Yes, she was terrified of the fae watching them; anticipating an attack, even if Myles was sure there wouldn't be one. It wasn't safe. But for her, nowhere was. Whether it was within pack lands an interloper or on her own, exposed to the surrounds she found semblance of safety in, it didn't matter.

Here, she had Myles and for whatever reason, he was set in protecting her. To take advantage of that a little longer wasn't going to weigh on her conscious.

"I want to stay," she said, forcing her voice level. "There's no reason to go back."

"Say again?"

"Let's stay." There was no waver this time. "You've got things to do. So do I. It would be a hassle to leave now."

Once more, his eyes met hers, staying. Like he was searching for something. "Your comfort matters far outweighs any hassle, Mira. There's other options, on other days, in other places. We can work out an alternative. Think of you, and only you."

"I am," she said. "I want to stay."

He seemed to nod to himself. His hand dropped, the warmth of his hand receding. "Let me make a quick phone call. I have a friend who lives nearby. He can meet us here."

"Why?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard; stilling, where he'd been reaching for his phone. After a beat, where his eye twitched, he said, "He knows the area better than I do. It'll make things easier."

He was lying. Badly lying.

Mira didn't call him out on it, however. She wondered why he couldn't admit that he didn't feel safe around the fae. His pride, likely. "Right. I'll give you space then."

"No need. I'll only be quick."

True to his word, he was quick. She stood, watching him from a pace away, as he dialled a number, murmuring into the phone. His words he spoke were clear, relaying where they stood. His tone was matter-of-fact, growing shorter as they argued about numbers from what she could gauge from Myles' end. It was not a friend he spoke to. A sentry, if she had to guess. Probably one who patrolled this area, since they'd be closest. Unless they'd been followed here by security well versed at remaining hidden. Either was possible.

When he hung up, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Ten minutes and they'll be here. If you haven't changed your mind."

"I haven't," she said.

Ten minutes would give her enough time to get herself back in control. Fae sensed fear, just as shifters did.

I can do this, she told herself, resenting the weakest part of her that wished for Myles' touch back.

*

"Look who came prowling out of hibernation."

Apparently they were here.

Mira, where she'd been watching Myles pace a hole into the ground while she sat on a bench shaded by a palm, turned her head to the left. Walking their way, hand in hand were two...

She blinked, chest constricting. She had to be imagining two fae headed their way. The male was tall, wearing dark trousers and a loose tank top despite the chill. His corded arms were covered in grey tattoos, symbols in a language she didn't recognise. His dark hair was shaven bar the top of his skull, showing the ink that ran from the side of his head to his neck. He was pale, the lines of his face sharp. The female at his side was darker, curvy and a couple inches shorter. She wore jeans and a white sweater, her white-blonde hair braided in a crown around her head. She had the same distinguished lines of her face and ink. As a duo, they were ethereal.

Myles stopped pacing, crossing his arms over his chest. He let out of a low growl, stepping closer.

Mira was wrong. These two weren't who they were waiting for. As she watched Myles and the male both move forward, she wondered if they'd fight. It took all she had not to run—

In disbelief, she watched them embrace. The affection between them was tangible, Myles going as far to rub his chin across the top of the fae's head.

Something her father had done with her.

Which made no sense.

"Quit scenting me," said the fae, his tone one of exasperation and muffled. "I'm not one of your animals to claim."

"He's mine to, Myles," said the female with narrowed eyes. "Paws off."

Mira awaited confrontation that never came. Instead, Myles came to her, a grin on his face—as though they weren't baiting him with their comments. "Mira, meet Ciaran, my best friend, and Vara, his girlfriend."

She gaped, her gaze flitting between the two of them rapidly.

"I've stunned her speechless, My," said Ciaran, with a wink in her direction. "Am I so flawless?"

A wink.

In her direction.

Mira couldn't process what was happening. First, finding out there could be a truce between fae and shifters. Now, discovering there could be friendship.

"No, you're an ass," snapped Vara, pushing past her boyfriend to close the distance between them. She stopped, leaving enough space that she shouldn't have felt like a threat—but Mira's instincts were screaming, regardless of how Myles had introduced them so warmly. "It's nice to meet you. Mira, right?"

She tried to speak. No words came. She couldn't even manage a nod. Regardless of what Myles said, they were fae. They couldn't be safe. Not to her.

"Are you alright?" came the next question.

The answer to that was obvious.

"I trust Ciaran with my life." Myles' voice came from over her shoulder, low and self-assured. "He's my brother in all ways that count."

She swallowed. "How...?"

"Mira." Ciaran's voice now. "I'm sorry. If I freaked you out. Vara and I aren't a threat to you or Myles."

"Never." Vara. "You're way too special."

Mira blinked. Her, special—what did that even mean? Without any context, it could be so many things. She was afraid to ask. For all she knew, it was a veiled insult.

"We don't have to stay," said Myles. "The offer hasn't expired."

He was wrong, because the offer was never in place to begin with. Could she do this? Bury her fear, and be led around a city with fae tour guides? Myles trusted the inexplicably, and despite her better judgement, she trusted him. When she had everything to gain, and nothing to lose, what was the worst thing that could happen? She had her knife tucked away if she got desperate.

She swallowed, decision made. "I don't want to go."

There was a beat of heavy silence.

Vara was the one to break it. "You need clothes right? I'd be more than happy to help show you around. We can leave these two to brood together."

Ciaran scoffed. "Brooding? Excuse me?"

Vara's expression was sickly-sweet as she glanced up at him. "Words meant with love, darling."

"I don't brood."

"You're doing it now."

"If you think that this is brooding, my love, I'll prove you wrong.

Behind her, Myles let out a low laugh. His palm was a ghost-touch on her back. "They'll go back and forth for days if we let them. Arguing is their foreplay. I'd go with Vara now, unless you want to stand here and watch it play out. Personally, I'd rather not."

Neither would she.

Mira pitched her voice loud enough to get their attention. "Where to first."

Vara turned from her boyfriend abruptly, clapping her hands together, grinning with a giant gleam of teeth. "Great!"

Seconds later, she reached out, grabbing Mira's palm before she could protest. Then she was being pulled away, nearly tripping over her own feet.

"Bye, darling," called Vara. "I've got better things to do now. See you soon."

What had she gotten herself into?