I reached for my phone. No need to panic. I’d call Faolin, and he’d trace my phone. Then one of them would come and get me.
Only my phone wasn’t in my back pocket where I’d put it before I left my room. I patted all my jeans pockets frantically as if the phone would magically appear in one of them. It took a whole minute for me to realize what had happened. I’d entered the portal without warding the phone like Lukas did, and Faerie had destroyed it.
“Okay, now you can panic.” I looked both ways on the beach, but I was alone. Those surfers had to come in somewhere, so I jogged along the beach until I came upon a duffle bag and some men’s sandals. I sat in the sand beside the bag and waited.
Forty-five minutes later, two of the surfers walked out of the water with their boards under their arms and headed to where I sat. When they drew near, the men slowed and shot me suspicious looks. Both looked to be in their early twenties with dark hair and the tanned glow of people who spent a lot of time in the sun.
“Can we help you?” one of them asked warily.
I stood and brushed sand off my jeans, which looked out of place here. “I hope so. Do either of you have a phone I can use?”
“You broke down?” the other asked.
“More like stranded.” I wrinkled my nose. “It’s a long story.”
“Ah.” The first one smirked and bent to unzip the bag. “I have a few of those to tell.” He unlocked a silver phone and handed it to me.
“Thanks.” I punched in Conlan’s number and let out a breath when it started to ring. I hoped he didn’t reject the call because of the unknown number.
“Hello?” he said in a voice laden with tension. I cringed at the thought of what he’d been going through in the last hour.
“It’s me.”
“Jesse? Oh, thank the goddess!” There was a rustling sound and a muffled, “It’s her.”
The next voice to come out of the phone was Lukas’s. I couldn’t tell if he was furious or worried when he said, “Where are you?”
“Uh…one second.” I pressed the phone to my chest and looked at the two men who were watching me. “Where are we exactly?”
The two of them shared a look, and the one who had loaned me his phone snickered. “You really did have a fun night. We’re at Pua’ena Point on the North Shore.”
I repeated that to Lukas, and he, in turn, said it to someone else. I waited for an awkward thirty seconds before he said, “I’m on my way.”
I handed the phone back to its owner. “You’re a lifesaver. Thanks.”
“Whoa!” he said, his eyes going wide at something behind me.
I spun and saw Lukas stepping from a portal a few dozen yards away. He looked angry enough to uproot the trees as he strode toward us, but I didn’t think I’d ever been so happy to see him. I ran across the sand, meeting him halfway, and threw my arms around him.
I was prepared to be yelled at and scolded, and I wouldn’t complain because I deserved it. What I didn’t expect was for him to wrap me in his arms and hold me tightly against him like I might vanish at any moment.
He murmured something in Fae I couldn’t understand, but no translation was needed to hear the worry in his voice. Guilt racked me for being reckless and making him and the others worry.
“We had no idea where you’d gone, and there was no way to trace you.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” I said against his chest. “I was stupid, and I never should have tried that.”
Lukas released a ragged sigh. “Sometimes, mi’calaech, I don’t know if Aedhna sent you as a kindness or a test of my sanity.”
I smiled. “Maybe I’m both.”
He dropped his arms and took my face in his hands. I tilted my head back to meet his blue eyes, and my belly did a flip at the flare of heat in his gaze. His head lowered, and I held my breath in anticipation of the first brush of his lips against mine.
Someone hooted nearby, and the moment was gone. I wanted to cry when I turned to see the two grinning surfers watching us. More people had left the water and were walking over to join the men. This quiet beach was suddenly getting a little too crowded.
Lukas took my hand and led me down the beach, away from the men. We entered the privacy of the trees, and a thrill went through me at being alone with him.
My hopes of a kiss were crushed when he turned away and created a portal. I tried to hide my disappointment when he took my hand and we entered the stone courtyard. For the first time, I had no interest in seeing more of the place before he opened the second portal to his living room.
To my mortification, the whole gang was there waiting for us, and I had to explain what happened after I apologized for my little stunt.
“If it’s possible to shorten a life, you did it with me,” Conlan teased good-naturedly.
Heat crept up my neck. “I swear I’ll never do that again.”
“Lukas,” Faolin said in a more serious tone. “The king sent a summons for you. You’re needed at court.”
“I’ve been expecting that. Send word that we’ll be there within the hour.”
I relaxed, grateful for a reprieve from the scolding for my reckless behavior. At the same time, I hated the thought of him leaving. “How long will you be gone?”
“Several weeks, at least.” He paused. “We are all going.”
“Oh.” I tried not to show my dismay at the thought of being here alone for weeks. Kaia entered the room and came up to rub against my hip, and I reached down to stroke her head. “I guess it’ll just be us girls.”
Lukas’s brows drew together, and then his eyes widened slightly as if he’d made some realization. “When I say all, that includes you. You’re coming to Faerie with us.”
* * *
“You don’t have to be nervous,” Faris said when I rejoined them in the living room, less than an hour after Lukas’s little bombshell. “We will be with you.”
I swallowed dryly. “I’m not nervous.”
I was terrified, but I was too proud to tell any of them that. This wasn’t like travelling to another country, which I’d also never done. We were going to a whole different world where I knew only a handful of people and very little about their customs and way of life. Plus, the little I’d heard about court didn’t make me eager to go there.
Faris’s expression said he knew I was lying, but he let it go. He gave me a reassuring smile and took my small bag from me. There wasn’t much I could bring with me aside from some photos and a few books. Anything with metal in it was left here, including my guitar.
They’d even given me a Fae shirt, pants, and shoes to wear with the assurance I’d get a new wardrobe there. The clothes were made of a fine material that felt cool against my skin, but I already missed my jeans.
Lukas walked over to me, and I relaxed a bit. I didn’t want to be dependent on him for anything, but his nearness eased my anxiety.
“You ready?” He took my hand, sending a delicious shiver through me.
I smiled up at him. “Lead the way.”
Faolin stepped up and quickly created a portal. Iian, Kerr, and Conlan went through first, followed by Lukas and me. Faris and Faolin came last with Kaia. We emerged in the now familiar courtyard, and I felt a few seconds of panic when the portal to my world closed behind us.