Rhapsody (Bound to the Fae Book 3)
Page 20
Grimacing, I backpedal. “On second thought, tomorrow sounds good.”
***
One Year Later
Cambria
“Oh man, killer costume. Where’d you get the contacts?” The five of us glance over at the stranger, decked out in an elaborate get up that must have taken him hours to perfect.
Dorian bites back his smile as Azazel parrots the single word we spent three solid days drilling into his head. “Internet.” The man gives him a thumbs up and a nod of appreciation before moving on.
Azazel and Dorian are currently cosplaying the twins from Blue Exorcist, though admittedly, we went a little heavy on the demon vibes for Azazel. But seeing as it was our changeling’s first real adventure in the human world outside of a fish tank, we wanted to err on the side of caution in case he slipped up so we had a way of spinning it.
And what better place than Comic-Con to hide in plain sight.
Looping my arm through Lucien’s, we stay behind the others, just meandering from booth to booth. And as much as Atlas made a big production about going, we get a front row seat to him grinning and horsing around with Dorian, enjoying himself, though we’re all aware he’ll actively deny it when we get home.
“We’re going to have to get him to start drinking early if we want any hope of him sleeping tonight,” I tease, grinning as Dorian traps Atlas in a long winded rant about something, throwing his arms out animatedly before something else catches his eye. “He’s like a kid in a candy shop.”
Luce snorts in equal amusement. “Never thought I’d see the day you could dress in something like this-“ he slips his arm free of mine to trail his fingers over my bare stomach and brush his knuckles over my back before settling his hand possessively on my other hip “-and we could get him to stop humping your leg long enough to get out the door to even make it here.”
A laugh bursts from my lips, adjusting the half-skull helmet that started to slip down. We round another corner, but at this point, the three of them have disappeared into the sea of people.
“What are you even dressed as?” At his words, a few people look up, lingering eyes quickly finding something else to focus on at the death glare Lucien shoots their way.
I flutter a hand to my chest, careful not to let the bone in my grip smack him. “My good sir, I can’t tell you that. It’s trademarked.”
He rolls his eyes. “I’ll just ask Dorian when we catch up to him.”
We carry on in amicable silence for a bit before he asks, “Have you given any more thought to burning the rings?”
I purse my lips. After we were able to bring the wasteland back to its former glory, I spent two solid weeks erecting a barrier similar to the one that used to surround the island prison. It keeps them contained, back in their original home, but more importantly, it keeps everyone else out.
It also means they can only create rings within their territory. Thus far they’ve shown no interest in crossing over, not liking the way being on Earth drains their energy. If we were to destroy the rest of the fairy rings on Faerie besides the ones they create within their territory, it would lessen the fae’s abilities as well as allowing us to stay on Earth for longer than the week we’ve been able to stretch it to, but I’m constantly forcing energy into creation that just drains away and frankly, it’s exhausting.
“The fae would riot,” I point out. “And since we aren’t being hunted anymore, it would simply be because we were being selfish and wanted to stretch out our time here.”
He sighs, but nods. “Going back isn’t the trial it used to be. I just,” he hesitates before admitting, “I hate how powerless I feel by the third day. I don’t know how you make it look so easy.”
We head over to some tables that are set up, people eating off to the side out of the way. “It’s only been a year; you get used to it eventually. Besides, if we severed the connections for good, we’d never get to visit Cody. And admit it; you like the way the guards are so uneasy around you, especially Rickon.” Because once they found out what Lucien is, they haven’t looked at him the same since, like they’re constantly waiting for something to set him off.
Finding Rickon shackled in the dungeon, waiting for Elorie to sentence him, knocked me on my ass. But honestly, there’s no one I’d prefer to have at my brother’s side as his personal guard.
A wicked grin lifts the corner of his mouth as he sits down, pulling me onto his lap. “That’s fair.”
“How about I make you a deal?”
The rumbling in his chest sends an excited rush straight between my legs as I pivot to face him, his fingers digging into my thigh as he tightens his grip. Licking his lips, his pupils dilate, as addicted to flirting with that dangerous line as the rest of us now.
“You convince me that it’s a good idea, I’ll let you torch one ring, just so we can test the theory. And we’ll blame it on a freak wildfire accident if it ends up blowing up in our faces.”
His fingers slide up beneath the hem of my already short skirt, not concerned about being out in the open in the slightest. If anything, the public display, the thrill of getting caught, only makes it more exciting.
The occasional envious glance only serves to go to his head as he leans in close to my ear. “Deal. But be warned, little fae. I have no intention of playing fair.”
Slipping from his lap, I back up a few steps and hold his eyes in challenge. Lifting the hand I was hiding behind my back, I grin as he breaks our stare off to see his credit card rolling between my fingers before I tuck it into my bra. “I’d hope not. After all, what fun would that be?”
***
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