Jerry didn't have to tell me twice. I knew the stories where humans wandered into a Fae place and when they left, centuries had passed.
I'd be careful. I didn't want that to happen to me.
I peered around with suspicion, dropping into my magic sight by habit. A faint after image of the forest was transposed on the banquet hall. I concentrated harder, the image of the clearing growing stronger until the edges of banquet hall wavered, fuzzy and indistinct.
A gentle hand touched my elbow, startling me. Like a rubber band snapping back into place, the image of the banquet hall reasserted itself.
I hid a wince of pain, my head suddenly throbbing.
"Careful, Aileen. We are here, yet not. Two places at one time. Allow one to become too ascendant and it will break the link between the two," Jerry said in a careful voice.
My gaze lifted to his as I caught his meaning. He nodded once.
Magic breaker.
Jerry was one of the few who'd put it together, and I still didn't know what he planned to do with that information. Ally or foe—that was the question.
If Thomas had any idea of what he knew, I had no doubt my sire would seek to eliminate him.
I nodded to show I understood.
Jerry ambled off, calling over his shoulder, "Enjoy the party, Aileen. I hope you accomplish what you came here for."
The reminder made me realize I could have had Jerry answer some of my questions. As the owner of Hermes Courier Service, he had contacts even Liam was envious of. If anyone could tell me about the Scattered, he could.
Before I could call him back, he was gone. For such a big man, he was surprisingly nimble, getting lost in the gathering in seconds.
I leaned against the tree’s sturdy trunk as I considered my next steps. Across the room, Sofia and Sam were speaking to a pair of Fae. The conversation seemed to be going well, as Sofia threw her head back, her warm laugh filling the room.
I didn't know what Clan Davinish wanted with the Fae, but I had little doubt it was the reason Sofia had agreed to act as escort tonight.
The twins smirked at me from her side. They made a show of flirting with Davinish's matriarch as Sam watched them with poorly concealed suspicion.
On the other side of the room, Liam, Nathan, and Anton were studying those around them with the sort of focus that said they were planning something.
We'd decided before coming that I would try to mingle by myself. Sometimes having no formal affiliations came in handy. This was one of them. Since I wasn’t allied with any of the clans, it meant the Fae might be more willing to approach me to talk than they would an enforcer.
Liam's eyes met mine briefly before his gaze continued past me.
"Miss," a shy voice said from my elbow.
I looked down, startled. A woman, no taller than my waist, stared up, a tray of drinks held up to me like an offering.
From a distance, she could have passed as a human child on the cusp of puberty. Up close, however, was a different story.
The structure of her face immediately gave her away as Fae. Her eyes were overly large, much like a doll’s, her cheekbones too high and her chin pointed.
Her hair was a light green, and I caught sight of leaves curling along her temple and more sprouting from the back of her hands.
She shifted uncomfortably as the moment stretched between us.
"What is it?" I asked, trying to put her at ease.
She beamed at me with unexpected warmth. "Fairy wine."
I paused in the act of reaching for a cup and grimaced. "Better not, then."
Fairy wine was one of the few things capable of getting me intoxicated. Wandering around a Fae gathering while drunk seemed like a very poor life decision.
