The fae were glamoured like the ones in New York but not in the business suits or elegant attire that I was used to seeing. Instead, they wore casual but trendy outfits. Designer jeans and blouses, luxury athleisure with oversized sunglasses. They looked less like Manhattan business people and more like pop stars posing for a magazine shoot.
“Welcome to LA,” Jack said wryly as he motioned for me to head down the stairs. I hesitated but knew I had no choice. If I waited much longer, Ulfur would probably throw me over his shoulder and carry me down.
As I descended the stairs, one of the fae stood from where she’d been leaning against the car. She looked mixed-race with some features that could be Asian and some Hispanic, and her impossibly long ponytail swept down below her waist. Her makeup was heavy and impeccable with glittering silver eyeshadow and bruise-purple lipstick.
“Coral, this is Willow,” Jack said. “Willow, Coral.”
Folding her arms, the fae gave me a long look up and down. “Thisis Severn’s wife?”
Standing next to the stylish fae, I realized I was wearing wrinkled yoga pants and a white tank top, which had been perfectly reasonable travel wear for what I thought was an international flight to Italy, but compared to the impeccably dressed fae, I probably looked like I’d just rolled out of bed.
You should have kidnapped me last night, I thought darkly. At least then I’d been in heels and glammed up like a movie star.
Jack handed Coral my purse, which I assumed had my phone inside. “I’ll call Ember after we finish here,” he said. “I expect to see those funds deposited within the hour.”
“You’ll get your money,” Coral said with the same snide air that all fae had—in that respect, the LA fae were no different from the New York ones. They might dress more casually, but their attitude was just as arrogant. “Now run along, wolfie. Oh, wait. You aren’t eventhat. I keep forgetting the werewolves let themselves be ruled by ahuman.”
I felt Jack tense at the insult, but I couldn’t muster much sympathy for him. He’d kidnapped me and delivered me to Severn’s enemy. Just because he was a human didn’t mean he was my ally.
A flicker of concern passed over Jack’s face as he turned to me. “I am sorry about this, Willow. I just didn’t see any other way.”
I tipped up my chin. “Severn will tear the world apart to get me back. And once he finishes getting revenge on Black Ember, he’ll turn onyou.”
Instead of looking afraid, Jack’s expression toward me turned pitying. “I know Severn’s reputation. He won’t like that Black Ember took something that belonged to him. But I also know Black Ember.” He dragged his hand over his short hair. “He won’t let you go so easily, either.”
There was a dark certainty to his words that left me chilled. Severn could be terrifying when he was angry, and I couldn’t imagine any other fae being much worse. But perhaps I was being naive.
Coral motioned to one of the sports cars. One of the LA fae opened the car door for me, and I had no choice but to slide into the back seat. The rest of the fae got in the other cars, and with a roar of engines, the entourage left the airport. The fae rode in silence except for music playing over the speakers, some strange emo-pop song I’d never heard before. Outside my window, the city passed by a sprawling collection of shopping centers and highways and towering condo buildings. I’d spent my entire childhood moving from place to place, but my mom had always taken us to cheap Midwestern or mid-Atlantic towns—those were the only places where she could afford the rent and find work. I barely even recalled the names of most of them. Until I’d gotten a scholarship to NYU, I’d never been to a big city before. I’d certainly never dreamed of traveling to Los Angeles.
For me, California had always been a place that existed in movies and TV shows: a land of eternal sunshine, beautiful people, flashy cars, trendy restaurants. The further we drove into town, the more that became true. The junkier outskirts gave way to adorable little coffee shops, where moms in yoga wear sipped lattes beside their trendy strollers. Where gorgeous guys jogged shirtless down the streets. Nearly everyone I saw could have been a model or actor, and yet the LA fae eclipsed them all when it came to beauty.
Finally, the car turned off the main drive and pulled through a gilded gate into a courtyard overlooked by glittering fountains and luscious palm trees. I pressed my hands against the car window, peering up at a towering hotel that would rival the Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons, but I’d never heard of it, and I suspected magic was at play.
“Welcome to the Bristol,” Coral said over her shoulder snidely.
The fae opened the door for me, and I stepped out into the sun, shading my eyes to peer up at the hotel. A mosaic pattern over the entrance spelled out “The Bristol.” It had a relaxed, artsy vibe and a retro style that invoked the golden age of Hollywood. Giant rainbow-colored koi fish swam in the courtyard’s fountain. High brass gates surrounded the hotel, keeping out any passersby. A few other cars were pulled up to the hotel, but the patrons who stepped out of them were all Gifted Ones. Ahead of us, a horned woman stepped out of a Ferrari.
So Severn has Wilde Tower, and Black Ember has the Bristol.One was a business tower, and one was a hotel, though from what I could see, this particular hotel didn’t cater to tourists—or humans at all.
One of the fae took my bags out of the trunk and asked Coral where to put them. She took one look at the duffel bags I’d had since high school and said, “Ugh, just throw them in the incinerator.”
I spun toward her, indignant. “Hey, wait, that’s my stuff!”
Coral sneered, “You don’t need them. Ember has arranged for everything you could desire. He’s well prepared for your stay.”
“Mystay?” I balked. As if I was a hotel guest, not a prisoner. “And how long will thisstaybe?”
Coral lowered her sunglasses over her glittering coral-colored eyes. “That depends on how ready your husband is to make a deal.”
I sighed deeply, squeezing the bridge of my nose as a headache threatened to form. “We aren’t married,” I reiterated for the hundredth time. “It was a misunderstanding.”
Coral’s face remained emotionless, either not believing me or not caring. Finally, she twisted sharply toward the hotel’s grand entrance. “Go on, human. Get inside.”
The Bristol was even more gorgeous on the inside than it had looked from the exterior. The Hollywood Golden-Age decor continued into the lobby, but I was surprised to also find ultra-modern updates. Art Deco furniture was mixed with modern tech equipment. A bank of television screens flanked one wall, playing odd, un-subtitled foreign films. An old-fashioned phone booth had a charging station inside. Instead of Severn’s Old Europe framed artwork, the Bristol’s lobby was covered with street art murals painted directly onto the walls. I was startled as painted water under a bridgeactuallyflowed—just like in Wilde Tower, the artwork here was alive.
But it was hard to feel awed by the gorgeous interior when I was a prisoner. Glaring at Coral, I kept my chin high and said, “Whatever Black Ember is planning, it won’t work. Severn will do anything to get me back.”
For a moment, I felt a flutter of uncertainty.Is that really true?Only the day before, Briar had cornered me in the bathroom during the Summer Benefactors’ Gala and told me that I was just another one of Severn’s short-lived whims that was soon to run its course, just like the human actress before me. Briar had hinted that Severn was shipping me off to Italy less for my protection and more to get me out of the way as his interest waned. If that was true, then Severn might not care that Black Ember had captured me. We weren’t married, after all, despite the rumors. There was a chance he’d berelievedto have me out of his life.
