“They’re on theotherside,” Delmare said. “And hate to tell you this, but if you had run into them instead of us, they would’ve given you a sword in the belly instead of a dress.”
“We know the kind. Dealt with a lot of them in our tribe, quite recently,” Jake replied glumly.
“We should get away from them, and get you two to safety,” Kiara whispered. “Provoking those guys is the last thing you want to do.”
“Don’t worry. I can whip up a storm that’ll stop them,” Jonah said excitedly. He popped to his feet and offered me a hand up.
I took it. Jonah was so strong, he lifted me a couple of inches off the ground with one arm before putting me back down. Once he pulled me to my feet, Jonah rubbed his palms together and said, “Watch this, girls. It’ll make those soldiers go running.”
Unexpectedly, the sunny day immediately turned into a blustering windstorm that was strong enough to knock several of the spies over. The soldiers looked around blankly, not understanding where the wind had come from.
Jonah was using his Air magic to create thunder up above. The sky crackled, and my jaw dropped as I saw lightning bolts come whizzing downward. As a fae, I couldn’t perform weather magic like elementals could, so I found Jonah’s powers fascinating.
The lightning bolts struck close to where the soldiers were standing, setting trees on fire. They started to scream, running in the other direction to avoid the storm. Jonah’s thunder followed them as they hurried to get out of the wind and away from the lightning.
“That’ll keep them busy for a while,” Jonah said, putting his hands on his hips.
I gave a huge grin. “Excellent. Let’s go!”
We hurried off in the other direction, toward the edge of Dolinska. The hills came to a close, and I took a few deep breaths to fill my lungs as I turned back toward Jonah and Jake.
“I’m afraid this is where we’ll have to part,” I said as we approached the city. “I’m abitfamous. If you’re with me, it’ll attract attention, which probably isn’t a good thing in your case.”
“Famous!” Jonah squealed. “Are you an actress? A singer starlet, perhaps?”
I laughed. “My line of work is a little different.”
Jonah gushed. “Ooh, you’re a famous escort. I’ve heard brothels are legal in this part of Europe.”
“Jonah,” Jake scolded, while my friends just about died laughing.
“I’m definitely the most recognizable woman in the city.” I giggled. “Which is why you can’t be seen with me. But here.”
I cast a spell. It fluttered through the air, scattering like faerie dust across their heads and arms. Jonah sneezed, while Jake brushed off clumps of glitter from his clothes.
“It’s an illusion charm. Any fae that looks at you will think you’re one of us. It’ll even confuse a shifter’s scent, so they won’t be able to tell what you are, so you can enjoy the city,” I said. “But it won’t last longer than a few days, so make sure you leave before the week is up.”
Jonah’s lip bobbed, and his eyes watered. He threw his arms around me and squeezed so tightly, it squished the air out of my lungs. “You are the sweetest thing! Thank you so much for being so kind!”
“You caught us on a good day.” Delmare shrugged.
“Yes. Thank you for helping us avoid those soldiers, and for the illusion,” Jake said, giving us a slight bow before he took Jonah’s hand. “We appreciate the gesture.”
“I’m going home and telling Liam he’s wrong about the fae! They’re not all bad,” Jonah insisted as he strolled into Dolinska.
My dress illusion faded away, leaving Jonah in nothing but his boxers. Jake scolded Jonah, pulling out pants and a shirt as Jonah posed practically nude by the statue of a wolven shifter, begging Jake to take a picture.
“Have a nice honeymoon!” Odette called. We waved goodbye as Jake and Jonah (now fully clothed) walked off, before heading in the direction of the palace.
“Too bad it’s not safe for them to stay. Ozzie and Jasper would’ve really liked them,” I said.
“Can you imagine Jonah’s face when he realizes he told the queen of Malovia he thought she was ahooker!?” Odette screamed. Kiara and Delmare howled.
I smirked. “Must be the red hair.”
“It’s so unfortunate they can't stay for long, and have to disguise themselves while they’re here,” Kiara said. “I wish other supernaturals could come visit Malovia freely without being afraid of us.”
A bit of sadness crossed through me. Yes, Ethan and I were monarchs now, but we couldn’t change everything about the fae, and part of that meant admitting we were still dangerous. Even in a time of peace, other supernatural races who visited our country were at risk of being tricked and hunted here.
