Page 5 of Denied

Ryan nodded, and stepped with her through the arch.

Time stopped for Kayla, who glanced down to see her petite body turn into thousands of tiny amber and blue stars. They kept her shape as she flew through a tunnel made of prismatic crystals—all of which reflected her and Ryan’s faces. The promised warmth suffused her like being wrapped in the softest, lightest of blankets. Another step, and the damp, sultry air of a Florida night enveloped her.

“Whoa.” She staggered a little, as Ryan caught her and held her steady. When she glanced down at herself she saw a few remaining stars trickle down her legs to disappear into the grass. “That was…interesting.”

“My liege.”

Wallace Magee, Ryan’s spell tracker, joined them. The big blacksmith had shifted into his ordinary mortal guise, but carried several large chunks of crystals from the caves in his arms.

“The rental agency just delivered the vehicles we ordered. I am set to cast the spell boundary to safeguard the camp. How shall I fashion it?”

“Keep us unseen and unheard by the local mortals,” Ryan told him. “Have the men sweep the entire property for squatters. I want no humans in the camp.”

Wallace nodded, before turning to Kayla. “It is good to see you unharmed, my lady.” He bowed his head before he strode off.

The unhappy reminder of her ordeal made her finally ask the one question she hadn’t.

“Where have you stashed my sis– Tara?”

“Gavan brought her through and has her secured in one of the cottages.” Ryan studied her face for a moment. “Do you wish to see her? She is chained with spellbound iron, so she cannot use her magick or harm you.”

The thought of the frail teenager in chains made Kayla feel sick. But it was the only thing to keep Tara from hurting someone.

“I don’t even know what I’d say to her.” She sighed. “What about Jannon? Has Wallace been able to break whatever spell Tara cast over him?”

“Aye. Her enchantment works by proximity,” Ryan said. “As long as he keeps his distance, she should not be able to steal his loyalty again.”

“But you put a guard on Tara, just in case he doesn’t,” Kayla guessed.

“Aye.” His beautiful mouth flattened. “Jannon has some history with being enslaved by a woman’s spell. It may be why Tara’s enchantment took him so easily.”

“Would you care for more salt, my liege?” Jannon said. His mocking voice rang in the air as he approached them. “Not all my wounds have yet been scoured.”

Kayla looked at the Fae warrior’s god-like face, and glanced down at the bottle of blue wine he carried.

“Since you’re already self-medicating,” she said, “you probably wouldn’t feel it.”

“I am delighted you are back, Rowe.” His copper-red hair wafted over his scowl as he bowed to her. “You may boot my arse all over the camp if you like. I would welcome it.” He straightened and took a long swallow from the bottle. “My brothers, you see, have been treating me like a sick babe, when all I have been is a fool for a woman.” He toasted Tara’s cottage. “Again.”

Kayla snatched the bottle away as he lifted it to his lips. Though it sloshed, she’d been quick enough. She handed it off to Ryan.

“That makes two of us, pal, but you don’t see me getting plastered.” She told him about Tara shoving her into the shadow portal. “There’s a lot more to this than I think we know, so don’t make any assumptions.”

“But what she did to you, Rowe.” He shook his head. “’Tis unspeakable.”

“So was what Dirk has been doing to her.” She glanced around. “Are you sober enough to steer me toward the stables? I’d like to check on the horses, and make sure they haven’t stomped the dragon to death.”

Jannon’s mouth twitched. “Aye, if my liege entrusts me that far.”

“Work will clear your head,” Ryan said, and gave him a narrow look. “And you know what I will do to you if any harm comes to my lady, brother.”

The other warrior sketched a deep, respectful bow. “On my head be it. This way, Rowe.”

As Kayla walked with the big man toward an open-sided barn, his pain rolled off him in waves.

“We’re pretty messed up, you and I,” she said. “That doesn’t mean we have to give up. Now that we know what she’s been doing to us, we can move on.”

“I have the unhappy benefit of experience,” Jannon told her, his tone bleak. “Such betrayal lingers and preys on you. Just as you think you are healing, it rips you open anew.” He picked up a bale of hay and carried it on his shoulder into the barn.