“Whatever. Do me a favor, and stay out of my life.” I strode toward the door. “Come on, pooka. Show me the way to Wonderland.”
Chapter 3
The pooka transformed into a mini-poodle wearing a blue sweater. I cradled him in my arms as we strolled past the security guard, and into the wilds of L.A.
More people crowded the sidewalks now. Two speed walking grannies dressed in sweats straight out of the eighties and carrying one pound weights stopped us before we got very far. They wanted to pet the poodle, and I couldn’t say no, so I was forced to make small talk until the old biddies moved on.
Finally, we reached the park I’d pulled him into earlier. I set him down and began wiping off a few strands of white fur that clung to my black shirt and leggings.
“That was so embarrassing. Don’t think I’m ever doing that again,” I said, looking at the poodle’s ridiculous poofs. “I’m much more of a cat person. They’re less needy. A pittie would work too. Fewer people approach you when you’re with one of them.”
The poodle transformed back into a rabbit, and rolled his eyes, which cut through my annoyance and made me giggle.
Who thought they’d ever see a rabbit roll its eyes at them?
“Follow me, Miss Queenly.”
Rabbit began hopping down a path. After a few minutes, the stretch of grass gave way, and we were in a manicured garden dotted with cedars.
“Are we looking for a door, or what?” I asked.
Unless they were demi-fae like me, most people in our realm weren’t allowed to enter Faerie. And even if you were demi-fae, you had to have an excellent reason to enter the other realm. Familial obligations counted, but I could have never claimed that before. One of the other valid reasons was a job that sent you from one world to the other.
“Of a sort.” Rabbit shook his head. “Xavier truly failed us. How is it you know so little about Faerie?”
Beats me. I didn’t even know that I was born there.
Oh my God!
“Rabbit?”
The pooka twisted. “My name is Herald.”
“So sorry I didn’t intuit that.”
Rabbit—Herald—scowled. “You had a question?”
“If I was born in Faerie, that means I’m full-fae, right? Not demi-fae?”
“Of course. To be exact, you’re a pure blood faerie, the fae race our realm is named after.”
I stopped in my tracks.
Herald said it like it was nothing. But to me, it was massive. All my life, I’d believed I was a mixed race demi-fae without a family. When really, I was the daughter of full-blooded rebel faeries.
WTF . . . mind blown.
The rabbit didn’t seem to notice my revelation, and kept hopping down the path until he stopped in front of a tree with a wide trunk.
Herald smiled. “Ah! The witch stayed true to her word.”
“We’re here?” I glanced about but didn’t see a single thing that looked like a door or a portal.
“Right here!”
Herald ignored the sign instructing people to stay out of the garden surrounding the tree, and hopped over the flowers and toward the trunk. He placed his paw on a woody knot, and a hole slightly smaller than a manhole cover popped open.
I blinked as a bright light flooded out of the tree.
