“Are you ready?”
Hastily, I get to my feet while dabbing at my mouth with a napkin. Oh gosh. What have I forgotten? I could just declare that I am ready and hope for the best. I am bathed and dressed. There is a good chance I could wing it.
However, I have no idea what the bolts of cloth are for. Clearly not a court function. This is going to be something different than sitting silently by Selwyn’s side.
I look at Selwyn’s hypnotic brown eyes. “Ready for what,” I confess meekly.
Selwyn grins. “A visit to the fey lands.”
“Oh,” I squeak. I stare up at my husband. “Is… that necessary?”
A strange expression swirls through Selwyn’s eyes. His magic surges. A warm gust of sweet-smelling air ruffles my hair, blowing from behind me. I swallow and spin around.
There is a portal in the breakfast room. Selwyn made the extraordinary feat of power and knowledge and skill… look effortless. He didn’t even need any hand gestures, let alone words.
My head spins as I try to comprehend all that this means. I’m pretty sure even fey aren’t usually this powerful. My husband is more like a sorcerer of old than a mage. And that is frankly terrifying.
Strong fingers wrap around my bicep. I’m moved forward, into the spinning portal. Reality twists and bends. Gravity inverts. Light becomes a liquid.
Then, before I can scream, I’m on my hands and knees, coughing and spluttering onto lush green grass. It feels like a late afternoon on a late summer day. Birds are singing, and the air is far fresher than anything I have ever tasted.
I lift my head. We are in a stone circle in a clearing in the woods.
Somewhere in the fey lands.
I gulp and scramble to my feet.
“Do I need to be here?” I blurt.
“Llywelyn never did get the chance to properly meet you,” Selwyn says, almost cheerfully.
Oh. He is following Mabon’s request and checking in on his exiled brother.
“I don’t need lessons from Mabon!” I blurt desperately. Heavens, I can’t imagine anything worse.
“I know,” agrees Selwyn easily.
Relief floods my mind, body and soul. Selwyn has his own reasons for being here. Thank goodness.
However, that does not explain why he has brought me to the fey realm.
“Umm… would your brother not prefer to see you alone?”
Selwyn sighs. I turn to look at him, and actually this is better. He is by far the most familiar thing here. I know it’s just grass, stone, trees and sky, but it’s all so subtly and insidiouslyother.Especially the sheer raw magic that is pulsing through everything. All the tales of the fey lands being the birthplace of magic, are suddenly feeling very, very true.
“I am hoping you can stay with Llywelyn for a while,” Selwyn says.
My heart crashes against my ribs. My heart drops down to my boots. My thoughts feel as if they have been struck with a sledgehammer.
“You… you wish to be rid of me?” I stammer helplessly.
A look of pain flashes across Selwyn’s face. There and gone. Like a cloud crossing the sun. His fingers lift and run along my jaw.
“I wish to give you time,” he whispers.
I stare up at him.
“Laurie, you will be ripe again very soon. You have been taught so very deeply that taking a cock is the only way to free your magic, I fear it has become true for you. You will not be able to surrender your power any other way.”
