We took the car back to the palace. While we were waiting at a stoplight, I looked to my left and had to do a double take. There our moms were, still in their clubbing gear and having mimosas at one of the nicest brunch bars in Ilamanthe, acting like they hadn’t been out drinking all night. Emma and Nadine clinked their glasses together with huge smiles, while Mama ate avocado toast.
My mother saw me poking my head through the window of the limo. She gave a huge smile and waved. I slowly waved back as I rolled the window up.
Kallie gaped just like me. “Damn. I hopewe’rethat cool when we get older.”
“They could be on a supernatural reality show.Party Moms!” Marcus exclaimed.
I groaned. “Don’t eventhinkof mentioning anything like that to Cassiel,” I warned. “He’ll take any publicity for the monarchy, good or bad. Next thing you know, our moms will be the next big Elvish reality TV stars.”
“Yeah. Probably a good thing to keep this little event under wraps,” Kallie said with a nod.
“Your parents have corrupted mine,” Marcus accused. “My mom never drinks.”
“That might be a virgin mimosa in her hand, but it sure looks like she had fun last night,” I teased. “She’s missing a shoe.”
Marcus groaned.
We spent the rest of the day going over the plan, then once we were ready, gathered together in our meeting spot in the parking garage.
“Where’s Danny?” I asked when we arrived, noticing he wasn’t around.
“He’s sick again, unfortunately,” Max said. “We’ll have to do this without him.”
Again? What was going on with Danny? He seemed fine this morning… though he’d never come back after we’d split up to go get the potion.
It wasn’t my place to pry. After all, I didn’t like when people tried to get the worst details about my spinal injury, especially when I didn’t know them well. I wasn’t good enough friends with Danny to ask those kinds of questions yet. If he couldn’t come, we’d have to do this without him.
We drove my car through a portal that bloomed on the outskirts of Nevada. Charlie, Marcus, Kallie and I were in my car, which had finally gotten fixed from the bank robbery, while Chancey, Ivy, and the Elvish Associates were in a van behind us.
“Finally. Out on the open road,” I said. I’d been looking forward to driving the long, winding roads of Nevada my entire life. I never knew I’d get to do it so soon.
“We’re here to get the key,” Charlie reminded me from the seat beside mine. “Don’t attract attention.”
“Of course not. Wouldn’t dream of it.”
I couldn’t resist temptation, though. We were flying down the road at ninety miles an hour before the rest of them could tell me no, taking sharp curves at way too high a speed.
“By the goddess, Ava, slow down!” Marcus snapped from the back seat as Kallie fell into him around a turn. We’d lost the van a while ago, because it couldn’t keep up.
“We need to get there on time,” I argued. We merged onto the highway, and some jerk in a pickup truck tried to speed up so I couldn’t get on.
No, thank you. I kicked my car into high-gear and cut him off, forcing him to slam on his breaks. The jerk responded by speeding up again, swerving around me and pulling ahead.
I had a smoothie from earlier we’d grabbed from the palace for a quick lunch, and this dickhead was about to wear it.
“ASSHOLE!” I rolled down the window and chucked the drink, which splattered all over the opposing driver’s windshield. The truck immediately skirted to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes, which forced me to come to a dead stop so I didn’t rear-end him.
I could’ve taken off, but I didn’t. A big, burly looking dude with a buzzcut got out of the truck with his fists clenched, yelling some not-nice words. I grinned.
“Great, now he’s coming this way,” Marcus complained.
“Charlie, go beat him up,” I said.
He guffawed. “Excuse me?”
“I mean, I’d do it myself, but then I’d have to get my chair out, and then getintomy chair. It would just take too long, and we’re in a hurry,” I explained. “This guy looks like he’s a human, so in the name of supernatural secrecy, we’re gonna have to resort to some good old-fashioned ass-kicking. That’s on you, babe.”
“I’m not going to kick some guy’s ass just because you cut him off!” Charlie yelled.
