Alex pulled me closer. “And on that note, I’m going to whisk my lady away for a celebratory dance.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
The next morning, Ayla poked her head through the portal and then led the way back to our world. I was right behind her, hell blade in hand, ready to strike any demons that might have somehow found their way into the Fae Academy of Elemental and Arcane Arts.
Because I was so close, I could feel Ayla’s aether streaming from her, putting out feelers for darkness that didn’t belong. It tingled across my skin like bubbles popping. Aside from when the twins had glamoured me, which had made me uncomfortable because for some reason it had reminded me of when I’d nearly died, I’d never felt the aether so up close and personal. When it wasn’t directed right at me, and perhaps because months had passed, the aether was strangely pleasant. It warmed my insides, invigorating me in a strange way I’d never experienced before.
So strange,I thought and pushed the sensation away. Given that we might run into trouble at any moment, I needed to be on alert in case Ayla needed me.
After a few minutes, she released a lengthy breath. “All clear.”
Tension unraveled in my chest. I twisted to look at Eva and nodded.
“All clear,” Eva echoed, passing the message on.
One by one, my cohorts sent the message down the line until a clamor broke out behind me; a raucous cheer, because Prince Halad had been correct. At the end of the feast the night before, the queen had promised to send us home with one hundred elite fae soldiers.
The thought of them fighting with us when they didn’t have to still made my throat constrict.
As soon as Ayla bounced off her dorm room bed, I exited the tunnel, and blinked as spots swam in my vision.
“Whoa. Why do I feel so weird?” I gripped the side of my head and made sure Tabitha was still there. She was, and my racing heart slowed.
“Same. I’m so dizzy!” Eva scooted off Ayla’s bed to stand by me.
Ayla laughed. “You’ve been in Faerie for a bit too long. You’ve gotten used to being steeped in the most pure fae magic around. During the Spy Games, we were only in Faerie for a night and a day. Long enough for you to feel normal, but not for the magic to become your new normal. Don’t worry, it’s not like being Faerie drunk. The sensation will pass in a few minutes.”
“It had better, I—”
A sound from the hallway hit my ear.
I stiffened and grabbed Eva’s wrist. Telling that he’d heard it too, Alex leapt out of the portal next, his knees bent as he lowered into a crouch, preparing to attack.
“What is that?” I asked, my eyes locked on the dorm room door.
Simone emerged from the portal next. Right away, she tilted her head just as a dog would, and snorted. “Chill out, witches. It’s Headmaster Ezra and a bunch of wolfies.”
Not a second later, she was proven right when the vampire headmaster entered the room, followed by the statuesque and glowing, blonde, alpha-to-be Dasha and her three handsome mates.
Dasha’s face broke into a smile. “Odette! You have no idea how relieved I am to see you. You were gone so long!” She ran to me, and wrapped her powerful arms around my torso, enveloping me in the pleasant aroma of apple-scented shampoo.
I gripped the shifter champion tight. “I missed you too,” I said, then added, “Although, where I was, only weeks had passed. Not months.”
Dasha pulled away from me, her golden eyes wide. “Weeks! How? Where did you go?”
I told her the story as others entered the room from the hallway, Alpha Conon among them. More people poured out of the portal, and soon enough, the dorm room became cramped.
“Since we have so many coming, I’ll take people to a larger space,” Ayla said to Amethyst, who had just appeared. “Wait here for me, and tell them to chill? I’ll be back.”
The spirit walker nodded, blinking away the disorientation.
Ayla gestured to everyone else. “Come with me.”
She led us to the same courtyard that I’d been in before. The one that hid the entrance to the Snowcap Court. It looked identical to the last time I was here, but more flowers were in bloom. The air was warm, and despite being located miles inland, I swore I could smell the salty sea air of the Pacific.
I shivered, pleased to be home.
“Good to be back, isn’t it, sweets?”
