They were both quiet for a second before Cosette spun to face me. “I didn’t realize Elilaios was the archon you were dealing with. This is going to cause complications.”
With that she was gone. Along with Van and all the other fey.
“Fuck!” My heart skipped a beat. “What the hell did you do?” I yelled at Eli.
He started at the ground before sighing and grabbing my hand.
I tried to wrench it free.
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”
I turned to Dastien, reaching out, but I was too slow.
The world spun as my surroundings changed.
One second we’d been in our clearing, the next, I was with Eli in a massive white marble entryway. A chandelier as big as a house hung overhead, sending glittering rainbows all over the white floor. I couldn’t see much else, because we were ringed by fey warriors. Three deep. From the fact that their spears were out and pointing at us, I figured it was safe to assume they were pissed.
I scowled up at Eli, pulling my hand away from his. How was he planning to get us out of here without getting me killed?
He raised his eyebrows at me, and I realized he wasn’t planning on getting us out of it.
That was up to me.
I reached out to Dastien, but the bond was silent. Not gone, just on mute. I could tell that he was alive, but that was it.
I hated when that happened. For as often as we said we were doing everything together, I was cut off from him too much. I was going to have to come up with a way to fix that.
But for now, I had to deal with a bunch of pissed off fey. “I came to talk to Cosette?” My voice squeaked and I winced. This was terrible. I was alpha. I was going to be the head of this new council. I had to get it together. Letting a bunch of fey warriors intimidate me wasn’t on the agenda. “I need to speak to Cosette. Now.” I almost patted myself on the back with how firm my voice sounded.
Van appeared before me and shook his head as if he were disappointed in me. “This way.”
The guards parted and I hesitated for a second.
Where were we going? Where was Cosette? And how mad was she going to be that we were here?
“Quit thinking so hard.” Eli pushed me and I nearly ate it as I stumbled forward.
One of the guards laughed and my cheeks heated.
So much for making a good first impression.
I followed Van, trusting that he at least knew me well enough to know I wasn’t a threat.
He knew that, right? I mean, he didn’t know me that well, but he should know at least that.
“Maybe. But the fey are particular about who they let into their underhills, and we weren’t invited.”
This deal with Eli was going to be a much bigger pain in my ass than I’d thought. “What happened to the whole not forcing me to do things against my will? You didn’t ask me to come here with you. Fix this,” I muttered under my breath. I was trying to mend alliances among supernaturals, not cause a war.
“I’m not causing a war. Don’t be so human.”
I shot him my very best scathing look and kept followi
ng Van.
We had some time. It was only mid-afternoon. All I had to do was convince Cosette and the fey not to hold our unexpected visit against us and get myself, Eli, her, and three other fey back to Texas in time to do the spell.
Easy-peasy.