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“We need to get out of here,” Darla said, her voice incredibly calm. As playful as the woman could be, I always appreciated how steady she was in traumatic situations. It was good to have such a capable soldier when the waters got rough.
We’re close to the exit we’d use to meet Yvonne, Oren said, his shifter voice a welcome change from my father’s in my head, and that was certainly news for me. I’d been going for one of the main courtyard doors in blind panic, but the servants’ exit would do us far better.
So, even though it was against all of my instincts, I let my wolf form go and stood up as Prince Nikolai, heir apparent.
“Ayla,” I said, walking up behind her on shaking legs. Battle rush was definitely burning through me still, not recognizing that the time to fight was up and the time to flee was most certainly at hand. “I’m going to pick you up and run. You keep doing whatever it is you’re doing, all right?”
Ayla didn’t answer in audible words, but she didn’t need to. I felt her agreement, then caught the subtle nod of her head. It was now or never, it seemed.
At least that was what I thought until a door just behind us was thrown open and a cadre of guards surged out. I whirled, teeth already bared, but I didn’t get so much as a ripple of fur across my skin before Darla turned to them.
“Go home,” she said, her voice in a tone I’d never heard from her before, like she was speaking at the end of a long cavern, expect she was right there. “You weren’t scheduled for work today, anyway. You want to go home and take care of your business.”
There was no way that could work… could it? If Darla regularly compelled people to do things, then she would be one of the most powerful psychics I’d ever encountered. Usually such things required a vampire’s level of enthrallment, or other spells.
But strangely enough, more than half the guards straightened, their eyes going hazy, and they wandered off like it was just another casual day in the palace, not a grand escape of the heir apparent in what they perceived as a failed coup. If only they knew the truth: their king had tried to kill an innocent woman just because she had the misfortune of being the fated mate of their son.
As for the remaining guards, Darla gave them a blasé look, like she was bored with them. “If I could do that to them in less than a breath, imagine what I could do to the lot of you if you continue to be a pain in my ass.”
Against all odds, the guards exchanged glances and then backed out the door before shutting it.
“Since when could you do that?”
“Been working on it for a while, but never really had a chance to try it, or felt confident in it.”
“And you can just… do that?”
“It’s implanting an idea in their subconscious. As you can see, they can reject it if it doesn’t sit right.”
I hurried back to my mate, who no doubt was stressed and winded, yet still looked utterly beautiful in her ballgown and the few ornaments that were left in her hair. As much as I didn’t like the trappings of royal life, I did love seeing her so beautifully garbed.
“Here we go,” I said before facing her. From there, it was the easiest thing to pick her up and throw her over my shoulder. Not exactly the most regal pose, but one that would let her keep an eye on our opponents for her spell but let me run forward and carry her to safety.
Well, I had no idea what we were going to do once we burst out of the servants’ entrance and onto the street. I’d worry about that once we actually got there.
That point was rapidly approaching as we raced toward the door, with Ayla bouncing on my shoulder. She was handling it like a champ, however, with not so much as a grunt from her.
Despite everything stacked against us, we made it to the door, Oren outright charging through it in his wolf form without so much as a pause. Wood splintered everywhere, showering us with shards, but I was quite glad I didn’t have to remotely slow down.
Just like I’d hoped, we did indeed spill out onto the street. Thanks to the late hour of the gala, there weren’t really servants around, as most were pulling extended shifts for extra pay. But the lack of people didn’t help us as it didn’t give us anyone to blend in with.
Granted, I didn’t know how the crown prince, my witch lover, my righthand man, and our movie-star looking psychic would blend into any crowd, but I still thought it’d help.
It turned out I didn’t need to worry about that, however, because I felt a familiar rumble underneath our feet. I tensed, about to shout a warning to the others that we had company, only for a large car to whirl around the corner and speed straight for us.
“That’s not an enemy,” Darla muttered with narrowed eyes. Our answer came when the car skidded to a stop just a few feet in front, and Aodin threw the door open.
“Get in!”
I didn’t need to be told twice. Hoping Ayla had been able to do everything she needed to, I practically threw her in my car, then followed suit. As for Darla, she vaulted into the front while Oren shrank back into human form and followed me into the back.
He was barely in when he was already slamming the door shut, then we were off, racing down the streets impossibly fast.
“While I’m grateful for your help,” I said as I caught my breath, “I didn’t know faeries could drive.”
“What, you think we don’t have cars on the Isles?”
“Well…no.”
