by Nicole Hall
He didn’t have to wait long for his answer. One second, they’d been watching the sprites float around, the next, a statuesque woman wearing wispy trailing scarves, complicated braids and not much else, was forcibly evicted from the path. She didn’t have a weapon, which was good for Ryan because she was propelled forward, slamming right into him.
She was damn near his height, tall for a woman, so they nearly ended up sprawled in the road. Ryan managed to quickly shift his balance and keep them upright, but reflex had his hands splayed over the smooth bronze skin of her back. Apparently, her sheer top tied around her neck and didn’t cover the back half, a style Ryan decided he heartily approved of.
Her body was pressed against him from shoulder to knee, and if he didn’t do something, in a few seconds, she was going to find out exactly how much Ryan liked her top. And the scent of her skin. Not helping. He set her firmly away from him and removed his hands from her person.
Her green eyes were wide with panic, but recognition crept in as she straightened and studied the people around her. Ryan felt the weight of her gaze as she lingered on him. Absently, she looked down and noticed her clothes, then did a double-take. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. He’d recognize those eyes and that look anywhere, even if the body attached to them was new.
They’d finally found Zee.
ZEE
Dammit, Chad. Zee was not happy. The trods had never been her favorite form of transport. They were draining and made her vaguely nauseous. Chad had assured her though that his newest trinket would speed her journey in the trod. Instead it appeared to have just changed her form and made the journey unbearably long. She’d left the Glade to join the battle against Torix, and at the time, she’d been wearing leather armor.
That had been hours ago.
She was definitely going to neuter him when she got back. The ridiculous dress she was wearing tied in a halter around her neck and flowed down into strips of fabric for a skirt. Not bad for movement in combat but terrible for protection. She could still feel the heat from Ryan’s hands on her back when he’d caught her. Another thing to be embarrassed about. Fae warriors were simply not flung from the Wood to stumble about.
Ryan cleared his throat, and Zee met his eyes. He gestured at her. “Hey Zee. So this is new.”
Sera piped up from somewhere behind her. “I’ve seen her like this before. New outfit though.”
Zee considered the dream they’d shared and silently admitted it may have been Sera’s vision that called the form instead of Chad’s mistake, though no one should have been able to change anything about her period, and certainly not from outside the trod.
She studied the area around her again, more carefully this time. The humans stood outside the Wood, on the edge of a neighborhood street. Bare trees stretched high above them in front of the tidy houses across the road. Nothing like the cottages in the Glade, and not like anything she’d seen inside the Wood.
“Where am I?” Her voice was rusty, like she hadn’t used it in weeks.
“The outskirts of Mulligan. Across the street from Jake and Sera’s place… and Evie’s place, I guess.” Ryan was watching her closely with his hands in the pockets of his cargo pants.
The others were wearing pants and coats, and to her surprise, she had goosebumps breaking out all over her. She was cold?
How could she be cold? Fae could regulate body temperature with magic. She crossed her arms over her chest and shivered as a chilly wind blew right through the filmy dress. Everything was wrong, and she didn’t even know where to start in order to fix it.
Ryan wordlessly untied his fleece and handed it to her. She slipped it on and immediately felt better. It carried his warmth and his scent, which was surprisingly soothing but also made her feel tingly and weird. Zee frowned. All three of the humans were watching her like she’d disappear if they blinked.
“What happened?” At least her voice was starting to sound more normal.
Sera and Jake shared a look, but it was Ryan who answered her. “We’ve been searching for you for quite a while, then I got sassy with the Wood, and it tossed you at me.”
Zee blinked at him. “How long have you been searching?”
“Since Halloween, so about five weeks? Not very nice, by the way. We took care of your problem, and you all abandoned us.”
Zee’s eyes widened. Five weeks? When she’d left the Glade, it had been Samhain, what the humans call Halloween. The trods had kept her walking for what seemed like hours, but five weeks? She’d never heard of the time difference reaching such an extreme length.
“What about Torix?”
Ryan shook his head. “He got away, but Sera says he’s powerless.”
“How…” There were so many questions she had. She faced Sera. “What happened on Samhain?”
A soft flush stained Sera’s cheeks, and Zee was reminded that humans had silly inhibitions about battle. “I fought Torix, and ended up draining his magic away. It’s sort of what I do.”
Zee didn’t think her eyebrows could get any further up her forehead. “How did you get to him?”
Another flush. “Ah, I sort of took down the Fae barriers.”
“The barriers my ancestors placed centuries ago and we’ve been reinforcing for generations? The ones instrumental in our pact with the Wood?”
“Some new information there that would have been helpful to know, but yeah. It released both Torix and Evie, who is stuck in her house by the way, because the world still thinks she’s dead. We hoped you could help with that.”
Zee didn’t answer. She pivoted and strode right back into the woods. If she ended up stuck in a trod for several more months, so be it, but if the barriers were truly gone, then the pact was broken.
She’d taken several steps into the forest before she realized no path had emerged. Zee was crunching over dead leaves and pine straw, but no sprites joined her and she had to weave haphazardly between trunks. Also, her fingers were still cold. She pulled the sleeves of Ryan’s fleece down over her hands and tried to use her magic to call on the Wood.
Nothing answered, and she stopped. The humans arrived seconds later. Where were the trods? Warning bells were going off in her head, but Zee remained calm. Warriors did not panic. She closed her eyes to block out the fading sunlight and the brambles, instead picturing the mossy green earth of the Glade. The circle set aside for teleportation. The symbols etched onto the surrounding rocks. She gathered her magic with intention and opened her eyes.
Ryan, Sera, and Jake stared back, waiting.
She was tired, sure, but she should have had enough energy to teleport once. It had to be after-effects from Samhain, but when she’d reached to gather her magic, she’d felt nothing. No corresponding power, no tingles, no sense of purpose. A horrible thought dawned on her.
Zee had left the Glade in her Amazon form, as Sera had dubbed it, but she could change shape at will. When she tried though, her will left her the same as before. The change should have been instantaneous. As soon as she wished to be a small flying creature, she should have been. Instead, she remained a tall woman in a ludicrous dress.
The humans shuffled uncomfortably, and Zee’s eyes landed on Sera again. She belatedly remembered Ryan’s mention of Evie in his explanation. “What have you done?”
Sera visibly straightened under Zee’s scrutiny, and Jake’s arms came around her from behind. “I did what I had to do to stop Torix and protect our world.” Her eyes glazed over a bit as she stared, and then she gasped. “Your magic is gone.”
Zee trembled inside, but nodded. She’d begun to suspect as much. Sera had broken far more than she knew. “I have to get back to my people.”
Ryan sighed. “Good idea, but we couldn’t get to you or your people even before the Wood dropped you on me.” He ran his hand through his short hair, and a crackle of deep red magic zipped between his fingers like static. “Plus, you owe us, and we need your help before you just take your toys and go home.”
Insi
dious Magic
Also by Nicole Hall
Modern Magic
Accidental Magic
Insidious Magic
Coming soon:
Treacherous Magic
About the Author
Nicole Hall is a smart-ass with a Ph.D. and a potty mouth. She writes stories that have magic, sass, and romance because she believes that everyone deserves a little happiness. Coffee makes her happy, messes make her stabby, and she’d sell one of her children for a second season of Firefly. Her paranormal romance series, Modern Magic, is available now.
Read what happens when magic is real, fairies are assholes, and only a select few know about it, then let Nicole know what you thought because she really does love hearing from readers. Find her at www.nicolehallbooks.com and on social media!
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