I slid my hand into his. On his other side, Kyla did the same, and we stepped into the portal.
4
DANICA
There were horses and a carriage waiting for us on the other side of the portal.
I winced, and Aubrey laughed at me. “These things must be done,” he said. “Appearances matter.”
The horses spooked as Kyla approached. They weren’t fooled by her ridiculous dress. They knew damn well she was a predator.
A seelie male sat at the front of the carriage, and he attempted to calm the horses. Finally, when one of them bucked as Kyla got within a few feet of the carriage, the driver shook his head at Aubrey.
Aubrey sighed.
“I can wait here,” Kyla said hopefully.
I sent her a dark scowl. “You just want to ditch the dress.” Truthfully, I wanted Kyla with me. She had good instincts, and her nose had saved the day more than once. Werewolves could also see when the fae were using their powers.
I trusted Aubrey up to a point, but his allegiance was to his king.
Aubrey’s expression was mournful as the driver took off.
“Jumpy idiots,” Kyla said as the carriage moved past us. One of the horses flattened its ears at her and she showed it her teeth.
I’d shoved a werewolf into an uncomfortable dress and dragged her into the seelie realm. I should’ve expected this.
“If you ladies can wait in this field, I’ll be right back,” Aubrey announced. He turned and strode through the portal, leaving us standing on the seelie side.
We stepped aside, moving further into the grassy field, and I swept my gaze over the landscape in front of us. To our left, the portal swirled in shades of green—from the emerald at the edges to the mint green in the center. To our right, a dense forest waited, somehow invitingly. Wildflowers were scattered at the forest’s edge, as if waiting for a weary traveler to sit and pick them. Or to lie down and nestle their head in soft grass—
“What are you doing?”
I stiffened. Kyla’s hand was clamped around my upper arm. I’d started walking toward the forest without even realizing I was moving.
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Don’t—”
“Trust anything in fairy. I remember.” I managed to pull my gaze from the forest and examined the lush meadow in front of us. It stretched into the distance, only interrupted by the wide, dirt path down which the driver had driven the horse and carriage.
The rumble of an engine sounded and I froze. He wouldn’t—
If someone had asked me if a car could be transported through a portal, I would’ve asked if they’d been drinking. I knew the rumors and myths around the fae and iron weren’t true—otherwise they wouldn’t have flooded into our world—but the idea of a fae driving a car in the seelie realm seemed impossible.
Aubrey wound his window down. “Well, get in,” he grinned at us. “It’s not quite the arrival I was hoping for, but it’ll have to do.”
The driver obviously had no problem crossing the portal. He got out of the limo, and opened the door for us so we could climb in.
“Are you out of your mind?” I asked Aubrey seriously. “I thought the whole plan was to try to fit in. Hence this monstrosity,” I plucked at my dress.
“Yes, well that was before I realized our other mode of transportation wouldn’t work.” He slid Kyla a look and she rolled her eyes.
“How was I supposed to know you’d be expecting me to travel by horse and carriage?”
“You have a point,” he smiled. I was beginning to learn that very little upset Aubrey. The angriest I’d ever seen him was when he realized someone had stolen Hrunting from his office.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. Only that he didn’t get particularly angry before he struck. That was a fae thing. They weren’t exactly known for displays of emotion. Maybe that was why I enjoyed needling Mariam so much.
