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Laikynn was out cold, and I probably should have checked on him, but he was the least of my concern. If he died on the way here, it wouldn’t have been a loss to anyone. Faerie would have thrown her bitch fit only because she wasn’t the one to end him like she wanted. She’d get over herself though.
“What have you done?” I practically screeched as the panic settled in. I patted all three of them down, making sure they still had all their fingers and toes and not a single hair on their head had been lost.
They were gasping, gripping their chests as they regained their breath.
“Give us a moment before you lay into us,” Jason said, wincing as he tried to straighten up and climb to his feet. He stumbled forward and only my hands gripping his shoulders kept him up. “Fuck, that hurt.”
“Are you okay?” I asked with a softer voice, worrying at my lip. All three of them were in the same state, looking like they were hit by a car and barely able to walk away. Jason’s face was a bit pale as he groaned and held his side. Waylon was rubbing his chest. Foster looked the best out of all them, but his frown and the slight daze in his eyes told me he was feeling it.
“What the hell was that?” Foster asked. He went to take a step and couldn’t hide his grimace despite his tries.
“That, you fucking idiots, was how we travel between the realms. Mine was special because it tied the timelines together. You almost got yourselves killed.”
“We lived.”
“Humans need special spells on them so that they can make it over in one piece. You’re lucky you aren’t missing any limbs or that you even lived. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of you were missing parts of your innards.”
That had Jason turning a little green around the edges. Good. At least one of them wasn’t a complete idiot.
“This is Faerie?” Foster asked, ignoring my anger. I growled and punched him hard on his arm, giving it my all. The bastard had the gall to only wince. I knew my punches were strong.
“This is Faerie, and I don’t think you guys understand how fucked you just fucked up. I can’t return you to the same time period anymore.”
“In theory, won’t only minutes pass over there while we spend hours or maybe days here,” Foster asked.
“Yes, in theory, but that is if Faerie will let you leave. I can’t just wave my hands and open a portal to bring you back. Faerie will not expose herself to let you out, not for humans. And she’ll kill us all if I try to force one open. You need to think of this realm as her body. A portal is a wound. She knows every time someone comes through into her realm. There is no sneaking past her. And if she doesn’t like what’s happening, she’ll kill us. We are only safe because you are with me and she wants me back. She wants Laikynn too.”
I ran a hand through my hair, frustration bubbling up. I didn’t know what to do with them. This was dangerous for them.”
“This place doesn’t look scary. It’s beautiful but not scary.” Jason turned around slowly, taking in the open field we were in and the tree line into the massive surrounding forest.
I snorted. “Aren’t the deadliest things in the world also the most beautiful?”
That shut him up.
“Do not touch anything.” I smacked Waylon’s shoulder as he bent down to get a look at a tiny creature that was sneaking closer. It was a small ball of fur with four tiny little feet and a puffball tail. I zapped the infestation with my magic. It squeaked before baring its sharp teeth and scurrying away.
“Cute,” I said. “But he would have torn you apart and sucked on your bone marrow.”
“That tiny little thing?” Waylon asked, clearly disbelieving me.
“A scout. Where there is one, there are hundreds. A colony is probably trying to move closer in. I’ll have guards clear it out before it becomes a problem.”
“Again, that little thing?”
“Think of them as termites. If something is living and breathing, they will have no issue tearing through it and leaving nothing behind.”
I wiped at my face and realized that the twisting in my chest and the clog in my throat was because of my fear for them. I blinked furiously, but it was too late. The tears fell.
The guys swore and surrounded me, comforting me, trying to calm me down.
I couldn’t.
This was the last thing I wanted for them, the last place I would ever want them to be.
“Sh, please stop,” Foster said, sounding heartbroken.
“Josie, it’ll be okay,” Jason added in.
“We’ll make this work. We always do, Jo.” Waylon kissed my forehead.
I shook my head. “Why? Why would you do this? You don’t understand.”
“We don’t care,” Foster said. “We talked and we don’t care. These last ten years were hell without you and to think you’re alive, in a dangerous place, and we can’t do shit for you only makes it worse.”
“We would have risked getting ourselves killed to hunt down a fae who could get us back to you,” Waylon said.
“It’d kill us to know you’re here and fighting to survive while we’re tucked away safely in the human realm,” Jason added. “You don’t get to take our man cards away from us. We do the protecting. Not you.”
I didn’t have it in me to tell them I had secretly set it up to safely take away the knowledge of the fae from them. That they’d forget about the last few weeks with me. Judah had it all set up and he had promised to watch over them for me.
Then they had to ruin it and come here. Over and over they kept ruining my plans, inserting themselves back into my life. I shouldn’t have been surprised that they did this. Yet, I was in shock. Years in Faerie made me used to seeing people do anything to protect only themselves. It made me a cynic.
Jason, Foster, and Waylon had been teaching me to believe in people more, and this was just another lesson taught by them. They were the reason why I loved humans, why I missed being human. Around them, I didn’t always need to think about the ways they were planning to stab me in the back.
“Josie?”
I took in a shuddering breath, relaxing into their comfort. They always gave it to me so willingly and I always ate it up desperately. My chest still felt tight, but at least I wasn’t feeling like I was drowning anymore. They did that for me.
Once I could think clearly, I pulled away. “You need to listen to everything I say and tell you to do. No talking. None. I don’t care what anyone says to you, do not say a fucking word. Got it?”
They nodded.
“Good. Once we get through today, we’ll figure everything else out.”
“What’s today?” Jason asked.
I jerked my head at the still unconscious Laikynn. Berry was at his side, standing guard, scanning the area, ears twitching. “Him.”
“What is going on?”
We all turned to see Jahandi standing at the tree line, gaping at us. Guards stood at his back, ready to tear into us if they deemed us a threat. Well, tear into the guys. They wouldn’t dare to touch me.
“Jahandi, I have returned,” I said, slowly turning into Queen Joslyn Naevana, pushing Josie back into the black depths where I hid her. It was hard, almost impossible, but having the guys at my back helped, reminding me what was at stake.
“And who are your companions?” Jahandi asked as he eyed them. His lips curled down in disapproval.
“You know who they are. It does not matter. They are under my protection.”
That got the guards to back off. Jahandi glanced at Laikynn. “He will be taken care of.” That was all the permission the guards needed as they surged forward and roughly picked the traitor up and lugged him away.
“Follow me,” I said and walked away, not looking at the guys. The grass rustled behind me, letting me know they were following. The remaining guards parted as I walked by and surrounded us, acting as an escort back to the castle.
Jahandi moved to my right and back a step. “What do you think you are doing bringing humans here? And them of all people?”
“I am thinking that things will be more interesting now.”
“They will not be able to remain at your side.”
I stopped and turned to my advisor, expression cold. He grimaced, recognizing the precarious line he currently straddled.
“They will be where I want them to be and as of now, that is at my side. Try to remove them and you will find yourself begging the slags to remain living.”
Redness creeped into his cheeks as he backed down, my threat enough to give him nightmares. No one wanted to deal with the slags. They were the darkest of fae, the most depraved.
“I need to clean up.”
“Right away, my queen.” He bowed his head before we continued. The castle wasn’t far from where we were. We had created the portal as close as Faerie would let us to the castle. The guys were good and kept their mouths shut, but I could practically feel their amazed shock.
Faerie was a gorgeous place, meant to lure you in, and then once you felt safe and coddled, tear you apart. Every part of its existence was deadly, right down to the grain of dirt encasing the blades of grass.
The fae knew the moment I returned and were waiting to watch me walk by once we stepped through the waiting gates. Spirals of crystal and marble reached for the sky, the path designed in limestone so smooth and polished that we were practically walking on glass. Flowers were tastefully lining the pathway, opening up in my presence. The entire castle felt my return home.
Fae servants dropped down politely before straightening and taking notice of my companions. Every single female fae saw my humans and loved what they saw. They were practically licking their lips, lustful eyes taking in my men.
To make a point, I snapped out my magic and had a group of tittering females down on all fours, ready to kiss my feet. They tried to strain against it, but I only pushed harder until one of them snapped their arm from not being able to handle the pressure. A reminder of how powerful I was.
The warning was received by everyone.
They were mine. No one got to touch them.
My personal servants stood at the top of the castle steps, waiting in a bow. I had trained them well and trusted them enough to deal with my matters discreetly.
“Take them to the room next to mine to rest. Have them ready for tonight by sundown,” I said.
“Of course, milady,” they said in unison before straightening and motioning for the men to follow. Jason, Waylon, and Foster remained still.
“Go,” I said with a dark warning.
“What is tonight?” Jason asked.
My hard glare had all of them pressing their lips together to prevent themselves from speaking out again. “Laikynn’s punishment. It will all be resolved tonight. Get ready. You need to wear something more appropriate.” With that, I turned around and stalked off.
I had some catching up to do before I could get ready. The day was already long and it wasn’t even morning yet.
