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“What is it now?” Reese asked. She’d already begun to pace the length of the room, her arms crossed along her chest and her eyes narrowed. Neo was leaning against the closed bedroom door, eyeing her as usual.
Johnny and Marilyn were standing in the middle of the room, Aria was seated next to me on the bed, and Mikey was leaning on the vanity next to Reese, his legs crossed at the ankles and his hands in the pockets of his pants.
“Azazel just asked for permission to enter the Free Kingdom. He claims it’s ‘official Upper Council business,’” I started with, feeling Aria go rigid next to me. “He’s bringing a contingency of wolves with him.”
Mikey’s shoulders went rigid, his gaze locking with mine briefly before he glanced away.
Neo sighed. “From one bad event to the next,” he commented. “Let me guess: the fae can’t turn down a diplomatic visit because it wouldn’t be a good move?”
Reese collapsed into the chair at the vanity. “Are these people serious?”
“We’re under their protection, so it doesn’t really matter,” Mikey pointed out. “He can’t do shit unless he wants to start a war. Honestly, he’s a little touched in the head, but not even he’s stupid enough to declare war against the fae.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I couldn’t voice my concerns right now. It would lead to more unrest, and unrest was the last thing I needed to foster in them right now.
“True,” Neo agreed. “On the off chance he does, the fae have a few tricks up their sleeves from years of fighting off humans.”
Reese shook her head. “The Upper Council has automatic weapons and such. From an objective standpoint, the fae would perish in an all-out war.”
Neo blinked. “The fae are old enough to have been around when the inventor of the first gun was still sperm in their father’s balls, Reese. They’ve definitely learned how to protect themselves by now. Do you want to hazard a guess as to how many of them died before that was possible? And then guess how many died after they’d learned the hard way that they couldn’t coexist with humans without forcing them into submission?”
Reese opened her mouth to argue, only for Neo to shake his head. “You’re looking at them through a human filter. You’re seeing a humanoid shape and features, so you’re comparing them to humans, vampires, witches, and wolves. They arenoton the same level, Reese.
“Let me put things into perspective for you. There are six-hundred-thousand trees, shrubs, and other plants in general on the castle grounds alone.Six-hundred-thousand. That’s not even including the plants outside of the walls, which stretch on for miles in every direction—”
“That’s impossible,” Johnny interrupted. “There can’t besix-hundred-thousandof them.”
“This castle and every building on the property is made of trees,” Neo explained, “and none of them are dead.”
My eyes twitched. My head snapped to the high ceilings and the stone-looking walls in response.
Stunned silence filled the room.
“Do you know the kind of power it takes to control the illusion that makes this place not look like a giant tree house?” he asked, reaching out and pressing a palm against the wall next to the door. “The wall evenfeelslike stone.”
Aria’s gulp was loud. “An unimaginable amount?” she guessed.
Neo nodded. “The Upper Council can declare war if they want. Azazel can piss around, scheming and plotting and galavanting around Europe, thinking he’s brilliant if he wants. But the fae are not a group of ragtag idiots with no idea of what the hell they’re doing,” he finished.
“We still have to be careful with Azazel around,” I argued grimly.
“I agree,” Aria added, turning to me. “I should have been at that meeting with you. I’m sorry.”
“No, no. I think it was good I went on my own,” I told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I have a plan. I thought that maybe we’d have more time to execute it, but with Azazel coming here and bringing that insane fallen-blood with him—no offense, Aria—the timeline might have to be moved up.”
Neo frowned. “What plan?”
“We’re going to escape through a transport portal.”
I went into detail about the plan, including Lucia’s role, whether she came willingly or not. I made an effort to ignore Mikey’s glower as it burned into the side of my face.
When all heads turned to him after I explained that Mikey wasn’t willing to seduce and/or manipulate Lucia into helping us, which meant that we’d have to sedate and take her hostage, he let out a bone-deep sigh.
“Fine,” he said, defeated. “I’ll see what I can do. But if a single hair on her head is hurt….”
He trailed off. I nodded in answer. “You can beat me bloody. Only after we’re safe, though.”
He scowled, eyes narrowing. “Deal.”
