Tavlor frowned, his eyes going over my features. My heart jumped into my throat. A frown? What did that mean, exactly?
“You still look like the red head Courtney turned you into, but I’m afraid the doors to this building will strip you of that enchantment,” he said.
I had a vision of being stripped naked and I put a hand on my chest. “But I’ll keep my clothes, right?”
It was probably a stupid question to someone who understood magic and what magic meant. However, the last thing I needed was to have to worry about whether or not I’d keep my clothes on.
He nodded, and a flash of desire lit up his eyes, but then it was gone again.
My lips curled up as a pleasant chill shuddered down my spine. I couldn’t to indulge in him all over again.
But we had a war to fight.
I would be with him later.
“Are you ready?” he asked. His eyes had gone from desirous to serious so quickly I thought I imagined it. Instead, I focused on his voice, on his question.
What a big question. Was I ready for the storm of anger, hatred, and utter stupidity coming at me? No, not really.
But I couldn’t avoid it any longer, and I refused to do just that.
“Yes.” I clenched my teeth together. “Let’s go.”
I walked forward and pushed on the doors to enter.
A strange feeling coursed over my skin, like cold needles. Not sharp and painful, exactly, but almost.
I shivered where I stood, waiting for Tavlor to join me. I had to assumed that was the spell he’d been talking about. I looked down at my hands, at my clothes, but there was nothing different about either of those things. I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or to worry something was wrong with me if even the spell Courtney cast wasn’t falling away the way it should have.
I reached for my hair and felt the cool straightness of my once again Ava-blonde hair.
So Tavlor was right. I was back to normal.
The locket at my neck burned with heat, but I ignored my mother. I wasn’t taking any more of her advice unless she was getting on board with our plan. Not only that, but I couldn’t allow myself to be distracted. I tried to remind myself that she was just worried about me—which was fair, all mothers worried—but I couldn’t have the stress of her on me when I already felt as though I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. I couldn’t exactly keep my head above water if she was going to add to it.
Tavlor gestured for me to walk forward, and he addressed the little blonde-haired receptionist. “Hello Nicole.”
I cleared my throat.
“I’m here to see the High Warlock,” I said. My voice echoed around the room and I tensed so I wouldn’t jump. I needed to appear calm and confident, like I belonged here. Like it was my right to be here. I couldn’t let her see that I was afraid of my own voice. “Can you let him know I’m here?”
The woman looked me over, her eyes bulging.
She looked at Tavlor. “Do they know she’s here?”
For the first time since I had known him, Tavlor was decided to be the lesser of two evils. Instead of talking to me, she’d resorted to talking to him.
He shook his head. “No,” he said, keeping his voice low. “I want the High Warlock to be the first to see her and decide what he wants to do now that she’s here.”
“Is she your prisoner?” she asked.
I inhaled sharply. Was I? Would that get us in the door? I would be whatever Tavlor thought was best. Whatever would get us the quickest access to the Council.
“Ava has come willingly, with the one condition that she speaks to the High Warlock before giving herself up to the Council,” Tavlor said, his voice firm.
The blonde stiffened. “She has no rights. She is a fugitive of the state...” She let her voice trail off, but the look she gave Tavlor seemed to indicate that he should know all of this because it was obvious.
Tavlor sighed. It seemed as though he wanted to roll his eyes, but instead, lifted his hand and spoke a few words that I didn’t understand. If I had to guess, I would put my money on him reciting some kind of Fae incantation.