“So why do I have to put on a costume?”
Jalisa tapped her foot, hands back on those curvy hips. “Costume? These are your clothes from home!”
I waved my hands down my body. She clearly didn’t understand the situation. “But I have sweats on. These are the best things ever.”
She bared her teeth at me. “And you always wear them. I am not even sure you’ve even washed them since Kai gave them to you.
“If I take these off, you’ll throw them away.”
“I will not.”
I eyed her suspiciously and moved to the bed.
“I’m going to burn them,” she muttered.
“Well, forget it. I’m going in my beloved sweats.”
“If you go out like that, I will tear them off you and you’ll have to go in your underwear.”
I puffed out my chest. “Don’t threaten me with a good time.” I flopped down on the bed, my stubbornness renewed. “Not that the idea of going out to what I’m sure is a crowd for some mysterious woodland festival is the safest thing for us to do.”
Daria and Jalisa exchanged a look I could not read. Since when had they become friends? I looked to Marcus, who was sittingon the couch watching men chase a ball from one end of a field to another. Humans seemed to like it, but I didn’t understand it. They called it football, but the foot was barely used. In any event, he was paying no attention to us and would be of no assistance.
I waved my hand to the TV. “It’s safer to stay here and watch adults play with an odd-shaped ball for two hours. Right, Marcus?”
He didn’t move his attention from the TV. “Absolutely, Igor.”
I rolled my eyes and looked back at the women. I was right, he was no help “It’s Ivan. That’s not even close to sounding like Igor.”
Daria gave me a patient smile as if she were preparing herself to talk to a stubborn child. “So, I think going to the festival would be a good idea because a lot of the supernatural community from far and wide goes. Especially fae and witches. Even dragons. Some of whom charge to get seen in full form because they are so rare. They make a lot of money doing that. People who are usually off the grid may be there.”
Jalisa gave me an expectant look, her eyes wide. “We aren’t here to hide. We’re here to find your uncle and cure your memory loss. This could be our last opportunity to accomplish that. Worst case scenario, we have a little fun. So, get dressed before I solve our mystery enemy’s problem by killing you myself.”
From beneath the sound of the cheering on the TV, I heard Marcus snort again. I wasn’t certain I liked him. I grabbed the clothes and got up to head to the bathroom. “I’m not sure how I feel about these numerous threats you keep making.”
She was unmoved, and one hour later, we were in an area that admittedly did remind me of home. The air was slightly fresher, and nature was at the forefront. However, that was where the similarities ended. There were humans and other species dressed in all sorts of attire from modern clothing towhat Daria and Jalisa wore. There were women in wide skirts that took up too much space and men in weird knee-length pants and white stockings. Entertainment of all sorts was scattered about the grounds: stage plays, dancers, musicians, magicians, and acrobats. Craft and food stalls of all kinds peppered the wide lawn and people walked about eating giant legs of meat for some reason. That annoyed me but also, I wanted one.
Daria spun toward me. “So, what do you think? Is this like home?”
I raised a disapproving brow. “Whose home?”
“Yours, silly. Like do you ride horses everywhere? Jalisa said you have a royal court with a king and queen in a castle. Is it old fashioned with everything lit by candlelight?”
I sighed. I wasn’t annoyed with her, but did humans really think they were the only ones who could advance? “No, we have light by magic. Only old villages travel by horses. We have transporters. Similar to your cars except they hover in the air.”
“Like planes?”
“A bit but much lower to the ground. In some respects, we are very similar. We have grown with the times. Except we don’t have technology. We simply use magic to power our world instead. Better for the environment. Although your internet is quite useful.”
A man and woman dressed in costume stopped a few feet in front of us, eyes wide as they looked at us. “Oh, you look amazing!” the woman exclaimed. She looked over to Marcus. “I’ve never met an orc in real life before. You’re so big.”
Marcus pressed his lips together and gave Daria a look that clearly stated he was here against his will too but that there were limits. She gave him fluttery eyes and a smile, leaning into him. She whispered something to him, and his face relaxed, pupils expanding. She said something sexual, had to be. We men ofevery species were pretty easy to please. If only Jalisa threatened me with a good time instead of death, I’d be more agreeable.
“And you,” said the man, looking between Jalisa and myself. “Are you real fae? Are those your real ears? They’re much larger and pointier than I would have thought. Guess that’s only based on what we see in the movies. Most fae stay glamoured, so we don’t know what they really look like.” He raised a hand toward me as if he thought I would let him touch me.
I think I would like to kill him. Just as I raised a hand, intending to tear his arm off, Jalisa batted his hand away, a careful smile on her face. It looked anything but friendly. “They are real, and you don’t need to touch. Especially without permission. We’re unseelie fae. You should stay clear of us.”
The tone in her voice felt like ice even to me. There was magic laced within the sound. Something to command a weaker being. Even if they did not know about unseelie fae, they would recognize by her voice that we were nothing good for them.
