He turns away and resumes dressing, leaving me reeling from everything—his closeness, his intensity, the reminder of last night, and the fact that I’ve either had a break with reality or this is actually happening.
As soon as his shirt is covering the rest of his bare skin, the fog in my head lifts, allowing me to think clearly again. “The reason I’m upset is because I have no fucking clue what’s going on. One minute, I’m in my best friend’s apartment—in New York, mind you—and the next minute, I end up wherever the hell this is. I don’t belong here!”
He pointedly looks at my tank top and yoga pants. “That is obvious.”
I glare at him. “No one likes a smart-ass, Gary.”
His dark brows knit together. “That is not my name.”
“I couldn’t care less about your name. I am in crisis. Tell me where I am. What is this place?”
He sighs softly, as if weighing how to explain. “You are in the Kingdom of Pentacles within the realm of Towerfall.”
“Towerfall?” I repeat, trying to wrap my head around the unfamiliar name and the fact that he called it arealmand not a city. The walls seem to close in, but I force myself to take a deep breath, the scent of wood smoke filling my lungs.
He nods. “Towerfall is divided into four kingdoms: Pentacles, Swords, Cups, and Wands. Each is ruled by its own royal family. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.”
“Wait,” I say, holding up my hands. “Pentacles, Swords, Cups, and Wands? Like the suits in a tarot deck?”
He goes rigid, fisting his hands at his sides. “You mean magick?”
“No. Well, yeah. But not really. It’s complicated—”
“Few would dare practice the magickal abilities passed to them through birth. Within Towerfall, magickis outlawed. Punishable by death.” His gaze sharpens, stormy eyes locking on mine. “I know a little of magick—enough to have seen its dangers—and perhaps that is how you have come to be here, but we will not speak of its existence.”
“That’s fine. There’s no magick in New York either. Not real magick anyway,” I snort. “But those suits, they’re part of a card game, not actual kingdoms.”
He steps closer, studying me intently, and I can’t help but hold my breath. “InNew York, they are not actual kingdoms. But you, naughty nymph, are no longer in your realm. There seems to be more connection between our worlds than you realize.”
My heartbeat quickens despite myself, and I clear my throat. “Okay, let’s say I believe that I somehow fell through space and time like I’m suddenly on an episode ofOutlander.” The confusion on his face every time I reference pop culture only emphasizes my situation. “How do I get back home?”
He shrugs noncommittally. “I would assume in the same manner that brought you here.”
“Well, that’s just great.” I throw my hands up and let them slap against my thighs. “Then all I need is some wine, an edible, and an old tarot deck. While I’m at it, I should try clicking the heels of my ruby slippers three times.” Dropping onto the end of the bed, I brace my elbows on my knees and bury my face in my hands, fighting the rising panic clawing its way up my throat. “What am I going to do?” The words are barely a whisper, but without the ambient hum of electronics or the cacophony of big city traffic, I might as well have shouted them.
“I will make you a deal,” he says, moving to standin front of me. “There are those in Towerfall who are wise in the ways of the unexplained and old magicks. If you help me in my mission, I will take you to meet with them. I am certain they will know how to get you home.”
I lift my head, a glimmer of hope igniting within me, but caution quickly tempers it. “Before I agree to anything, what’s your mission?”
“I need to gain an audience with Lady Levina Clayton, a high-ranking noblewoman within this kingdom, in regard to previous business she had with my father.”
I frown. “That doesn’t sound worthy of mission status. I assume you can’t call her, but why not just go to her house and tell her you want to talk?”
He shakes his head, a hint of frustration flickering in his eyes. “She is eccentric in that she refuses to interact with those outside her small, trusted circle, with the exception of a single night. Every year, she hosts the Mabon Festival, an exclusive event where the elite of the Kingdom of Pentacles indulge themselves in the name of celebrating the fall harvest. I have exactly one week to secure myself a place on that guest list without alerting her beforehand.”
“Based on your need for subterfuge, can I safely assume she doesn’t want to see you?”
“Yes, you can.”
I chew my lower lip as I mull over the situation. His heated gaze drifts to my mouth, sending a warm flush through me that makes me clench my thighs together. I mentally shake myself free of the salacious thoughts before my starved libido runs away with my senses.
“So for my own clarification,” I say, “your plan is to get an invitation to the party without anyone knowing you’re the one who needs it, then find a way to get Lady Clayton, who does not like you or want to see you, alone for five minutes to discuss her business dealings with your father. Do I have it right?”
He hesitates for several moments, his expression unreadable. “More or less.”
I don’t like how cryptic he’s being, but I decide to let it go for now. My current options are essentially nil, so his lack of transparency is pretty much a moot point. “And what’s my role in all this, Gary?”
His eyes narrow. “I told you that is not my name.”
