The tone worked perfectly with her light-brown skin. Her fine bones made her look almost fragile in the dress, but I could see her point. She definitely didn’t look like she could kick some ass.
Enslie, one of Aubrey’s maids, had pulled Kyla’s light brown hair back into a complicated braid, leaving a few tendrils free to frame her face. She blew one of them out of her eyes and glowered at her reflection.
“You know, if your ears were pointed, you’d–”
“Don’t make me hurt you,” she said mildly, and I grinned.
Neither of us suited pastels, but apparently, that was what most of the light fae court wore. My dress was a light blue that washed out my pale skin. The seelie tailor had tutted over my shoulders and biceps, proclaiming them far too muscled. In the end, she’d added tulle across the shoulders and upper arms in an attempt to ‘soften’ my appearance.
I wasn’t offended. I worked out so I didn’t die when I fought creatures much bigger and stronger than me.
My dress was also adorned with flowers, only they were made from various types of fabric. They covered most of the material, overlapping on the bodice and spilling down the rest of the gown in a gaudy hodgepodge.
They’d left my hair loose, curling it to fall over my shoulders and back. Likely another attempt to ‘soften’ me up. I had a hair tie around my wrist just in case I needed to pull my hair up and out of the way of anyone who might grab it in a fight.
I glanced at Kyla. “Look on the bright side. If the shit hits the fan, all you need to do is use your claws and you can have that thing off you in a few seconds.
The frown disappeared. “That’s true.” She glanced at me. “I can cut yours off too.”
“True friendship right there.” Both of us wore pants and boots beneath our dresses and we’d strapped our weapons in all kinds of interesting places.
I grinned as I took in my dress. “This is what you call putting lipstick on a pig.”
“Nonsense,” Aubrey said behind me. “You both look delightful.”
We both turned, finding him leaning against the doorway. He was wearing cream, with light-brown riding boots and actual flowers in his hair. If I didn’t know him, I’d imagine he was exactly what he looked like—an empty-headed fashion plate.
“It’s important to fit in at court,” Aubrey murmured, nodding at whatever he saw in my expression. “As you well know, it’s much better to be underestimated. I can sense the Mistilteinn dagger on you, Danica. If you bring it into the seelie court, they will strip it from you.”
I ground my teeth but pulled my dress up. Aubrey sighed as I revealed my jeans and boots, but he made no comment as I unstrapped Misty from my thigh sheath. I replaced it with my Nim Cub, since the dress left no room for my lanyard and knife sheath. I’d manage to fit the rowan arrow and it was tucked beneath the bodice. At this point, I considered the invisible weapon almost like a good luck charm.
“Okay. We’re ready.”
“Excellent. My driver will take us to the portal.”
Of course, Aubrey traveled by limousine, and he offered us drinks from the fridge on the way. I declined, although Kyla took a glass of champagne.
“It’ll be out of my system by the time we get there,” she promised me. “Werewolf metabolism.”
“Now remember,” Aubrey said, “don’t eat anything in the seelie realm. Don’t speak to anyone you don’t know. Make no bargains with the fae, except potentially with Taraghlan, and pay careful attention to your every word. Do not—”
“I’ve dealt with the fae before,” I reminded him, and he gave me a wry smile.
“You’ve dealt with fae who are used to this world. Many of them have softened. The fae who stick tomyrealm have no need to cater to mortal ideals.”
I nodded. “Warning noted.”
I hadn’t had any idea where the closest portal to the light fae realm was, and I frowned as we filed out of the car.
A faint smile danced around Aubrey’s mouth. “Not what we would have picked, but, like every other faction, we have no control over the location of the portals in your world.”
We were standing in what had once been Cates Landing—a luxury human housing development in Hillsborough. I took in the abandoned homes on either side of the street. I was guessing the appearance of the portal had made house prices plummet, and the locals had gotten out of here, likely at the beginning of the Decade of Despair.
I glanced at Kyla and it suddenly hit me. Werewolf. “Can you cross?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “Yup. Nathaniel makes all his wolves try. Our natural power is attached to dominance and most wolves keep trying over the years, until they’ve worked their way up the pack. I managed to make it first try.”
“Excellent,” Aubrey said. He held out his arms. “Take my hands.”
