I lay my head on his shoulder, not teasing anymore.
“Maybe you just have to get used to it.”
The wagon was pulled to a stop by a command outside, and I stiffened. Nyte kept relaxed; his confidence was assuring.
The doors were pulled open, and we were greeted by gold-armored guards.
“Everyone out,” one said rather rudely.
The woman in our company seemed to think so too, but she merely stoodwith a huff and smiled sweetly at the guard, the kind of smile that hid a threat, but he didn’t balk in the slightest. They were all tall and broad and looked like they didn’t know the concept of kindness.
Nyte and I followed hand in hand behind our company, which was only one group out of several who would be performing tonight. I had to wonder what the particulartalentof our group was.
“How are you going to sneak away when they think we’re their friends and, I presume, we’re to perform together,” I asked Nyte.
“I’ll leave right after it,” he said easily. “Then you’ll have your solo.”
I had to check for the sarcasm, but his expression remained neutral.
“I’m scared to ask what our act involves.”
Nytegrinned.Oh gods.
As we approached the gates, Nyte swore under his breath.
“What is it?” I whispered with a spike of panic.
“They’re taking a sample of blood before we can enter.”
I blanched. “Why?”
“To be sure we’re human, perhaps. I’m not entirely sure.”
I glanced around, realizing for the first time Nyte’s was the only set of pointed ears.
“We’re not human though,” I hissed. Contrary to his manipulation of everyone’s minds to see us as such. I couldn’t fathom the toll using so much of his ability was taking, despite how powerful he was.
“We might be the only free-roaming fae and celestial on this island,” he muttered, pondering it in his mind.
My body locked at the termfree-roaming.As if it implied the overlord, Vermont, might have caged celestials or others, just like Reihan Vernhalla, Cassia’s father, did at Alisus Keep.
“What do we do?” I asked, wracking my own mind for a solution.
“I was hoping to save as much strength as I can, considering the number of minds I have to alter inside.”
“It’s too much.”
“Haven’t I told you not to underestimate me?”
I would have rolled my eyes at his playful arrogance, but I was too concerned for him, and the fact that someone could see the real us and raise the alarm any moment.
When it came to our turn, Nyte’s thumb stroked my hand, which had turned into an iron grip in his as we held out our fingers out to be pricked.
It wasn’t that I doubted our ability to retreat if we had to; I just didn’t want this to turn into an altercation that would likely spill blood. If Vermont knew I was here… would he try to capture me as the prize he missed out on all that time ago?
They checked our blood on a strip of paper, the opposite tip of which turned blue after a few seconds. Everyone else, the humans, had turned the tip yellow. I risked a glance at Nyte but his expression was unusually bright.
“Next,” the man in front of me grunted, already looking past me, and I frowned again at the rudeness of the guards here.
