Fuck me. The fae realm? I was definitely not in Baltimore anymore. And it would be just my luck to wind up on the unseelie side. They hated humans. No wonder this guy was looking at me like I was full of crap. He wasn’t going to believe anything I said.
Fae, in general, were always scary to me. Even Daniel had that way about him that made him very much feel like Other even though he had grown up in an earth-bound fae community. Even so, he seemed as ancient as his people. Fae were some of the oldest magic beings around, and their magic could be as powerful, if not more, than angels and demons. Even the nice ones, the seelie fae, weren’t to be fully taken for granted. As for the scary human-hating ones, well, I grew up on tales about the horrible things they did to humans. Things like kidnapping people, eating them, torturing them, enslaving them. Most involved silly humans who were too trusting or who had somehow found themselves in unseelie territory.
And here I was, right in the middle of them. Not just in a territory on earth but in their world. My luck was pure trash.
The leader shook his head slowly, making a tsk-tsk sound. “Whoever sent you is pretty powerful. I would assume he was fae himself because those are the only beings that can make portals to our realm.”
I scrunched my face, disagreeing. “I think he was a wizard. He used a wand to make the portal. Fae don’t use wands, right?”
The leader tilted his head, working his jaw from side to side as he considered my response. “No, we don’t. But no wizard should have been able to send you here.” He seemed almost angry when he said that. Did he think I was lying? Or was he mad a non-fae was powerful enough to open a fae portal?
Either way, he couldn’t possibly be as upset as me. I was the one who was probably going to be enslaved to be a plaything of this silver-eyed psycho still on top of me. The guy had now taken to inhaling and stroking my hair like I was some cat. In a different setting, I might have allowed myself to enjoy it more; it did feel soothing. He was being surprisingly gentle now. Maybe they would send me home.
The leader took a step back, hands still clasped behind his back. “Xander, stand her up.”
The psycho, who I now knew was Xander, paused, rubbing his cheek against my hair and wrapping his arms around my back, standing us both up in one supernaturally graceful move. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around me, my breasts mashing against his very hard chest. It was like the guy was made of brick.
His hands slid slowly down my back, and I knew where this was headed. I punched him in the chest. “Let me go, or I will make you regret it. I can guarantee you won’t like the kind of pain I’ll give.”
“Let her go,” the leader stated in an even tone.
Xander lifted his arms and took a step back, blowing a kiss at me.
I patted my neck gently, searching for the wound, but I felt nothing. Not a mark or even any pain. Wait, had this guy healed my neck with his lick? That was both gross and impressive. He was going to be a problem. I already could envision him breaking me and putting me back together, over and over again. And in a weaker moment, I might give in and let him. Damn, his pretty face.
Xander shivered before tossing his dagger back and forth again. I could see his mind working behind those alien eyes of all the ways he would tear me apart. God, help me.
The leader finally moved, crossing his arms as he took a step toward me. He towered over me, but I refused to be intimidated. “What’s your name, human?”
Something about the way he said ‘human’ didn’t sit right with me. Like he thought I was a peon or lower than him. He probably did. Well, I wasn’t going to cower before him. I refused to be their slave, and if I was going to avoid that, then I had to show that I was nothing to be played with.
I puffed out my chest. “What’syourname?”
He leaned back slightly and narrowed his eyes. “I asked you first. You will answer me.”
“Why do you need to know? I’m not giving you my name so you can use it to make me bend to your will with your fae magic.”
“Is that what you think we can do?”
I shrugged. “I don’t take chances. I’m not here to cause any trouble. I just want to go home. And my feet really hurt.”
Xander leaned toward me. “I could cut them off for you.” He was looking at me in earnest as if he’d offered me the greatest of help.
I moved away from him. He really was a psycho. “I need for us to stay six feet apart.”
The leader let out a deep sigh. “I am Captain Yosef. You are a human who has illegally entered the unseelie realm. For all we know, you could be a Nodoorian spy.”
I scrunched my face in confusion. “No-who?”
The other soldier, an equally tall fae male with long red hair and dressed in the same uniform as Xander, shifted in an agitated stance. “The Nodoors. Our enemies.”
Yosef continued to eye me suspiciously. “I have every right to arrest you. Especially when you refuse to be forthcoming.”
Oh crap. I did not want to be locked up here. I would never get home. “If I tell you my name, can you send me on my way?”
He didn’t respond, just kept the same serious expression, his golden eyes giving off an intimidating glow.
How much did I want to continue to piss this guy off? I didn’t have much ground here. Maybe if I played nice, I could get him to help me get out of here. It was highly unlikely, but my options were limited. “My name is Lila Ramirez. I’m a simple baker from the human world. The most I use my powers on is making ice cream. Although I can kick sufficient ass when pushed into a corner. But that is not why I am here. I’m an innocent person who means no one any harm. Except maybe to that guy,” I said, pointing to Xander.
