“I wish Cylea would have come instead of you,” Jeondar complained.
“Agreed,” Kryn said. “She wouldn’t let a dick get in the way of getting her work done.”
Silver huffed. “That’s because she doesn’t have one.”
My head swam, and the shadows took over as I spiraled out of consciousness.
CHAPTER 2
Aloudbangslipped through the heavy waters of my unconsciousness. I struggled to break the surface, my head dazed and throbbing with pain.
Thebangwas followed by a deep growl and a string of words that sounded garbled to my pounding ears. I clawed at my consciousness until I got a hold of it and pushed my head above the haze that surrounded me.
I winced, coming to. I was lying on my right shoulder, my hands twisted awkwardly behind my back. I tried to move, only to discover I was tied up.
With some effort, I cleared my blurry vision and stared directly at a soft rug, its fibers tickling my cheek. A bit further, there was a fire pit made of smooth rocks arranged in a circle. A few logs smoldered in the center, a gentle warmth emanating from them. Beyond the pit, there was an opening that let in a slice of daylight. It was just a narrow slit, the flap of a tent.
“Calm down. She’s fine,” a male voice said outside the tent. It sounded familiar, even though I’d only just heard it. It was Kryn, the asshole that decked me, the one responsible for the splitting headache and the pain now traveling down my jaw.
“Don’t talk to me like that,” a second male growled in a deep voice I’d never heard before, and never wanted to hear again.
A shudder traveled down my body at the savage rumble, my instincts telling me to stay far, far away from whoever that was.
“You mistreated her,” he rumbled again, sounding like a thunderstorm getting ready to tear the world apart.
“She’ll be all right. We’ve made sure she’s comfortable.” This was Jeondar, the dark-skinned male with the melodic voice. He sounded respectful and reassuring, unlike Kryn.
Comfortable, my ass.My arms were twisted behind me, and my wrists felt raw.
“It won’t happen again,” Jeondar promised.
“You’d better make sure of it,” that growling male again.
Was it the other one? Silver?
No, I didn’t think so—not unless he was some sort of Fae shifter, and he’d morphed into a huge lion with a boom box instead of a voice box. Though, to my knowledge, shifters couldn’t speak while in their animal form. My half-sister Toni sure couldn’t when she turned into a wolf. But maybe it was different for the Fae. I’d studied their kind in high school and college, but never in depth. Elf-hame was more vast and varied than my own realm. God only knew all the creatures that could be found in this land.
I listened a little longer, but everything went quiet. After a couple of minutes, I struggled to a sitting position. My shoulders and head screamed in pain as I reclined against the wooden pole I was tied to.
Just the effort of sitting up left me panting. I inhaled deeply for a minute, and once my breathing evened out, I called on my healing powers, focusing on the pain and tightness around my jaw. The spot where Kryn punched me felt swollen and was probably bruising already.
The first chance I got, I would kick him in the balls. I didn’t care if he decked me again.
Without being able to use my hands to direct my healing magic, it took longer than normal to repair the damage the asshole Fae caused. I cursed under my breath, frustrated. Normally, an injury like this would require no time to heal, but it took at least ten minutes for my headache to finally go away.
Damn! I didn’t know I had become so reliant on the use of my hands to channel my powers. Of course, I’d never been kidnapped and tied up before. My siblings were the ones who normally got themselves into this kind of trouble. I was the sensible one, the one Mom trusted to get the other three in line.
Mom… She would freak out when I didn’t show up tomorrow evening. Once a month, I went home, and we cooked together. Some decadent Italian dish that she wished to pass down to her kids, the way Nonna passed it down to her.
First, Mom would try to call me, and when I didn’t answer the phone, she would call Toni. My sister would try to calm her down, and that might last for a day, but by the next morning, Mom was sure to involve the police—not that it would do any good. I hadn’t told anyone I was coming here, and even if they figured it out, what then? Our police had no jurisdiction here, and at best could use diplomatic means to inquire about my whereabouts. But based on the fact that no one had helped me when those assholes assailed me, it wasn’t hard to guess what would happen if anyone came asking questions about one of the many human visitors who crossed the veil into Pharowyn to purchase goods.
I glanced around the tent. It stood tall, thick fabric draping down from the twelve-foot center pole, many rugs layered below to cover the ground. To my left, a large, gilded chest sat next to a table topped with an ornate metal pitcher and matching cups. A sleeping area made out of thick blankets, furs, and pillows was behind me. Male clothes lay strewn on top, and a pair of tall boots rested at the far end. Folding canvas chairs were pushed against the right side. I thought for a long moment, wondering where I was. Everything looked expensive, but there was no clue as to who had taken me, why, and most importantly, where.
Was I still in Pharowyn?
God, I hope so!
But what if I wasn’t? Would I know where to go if I escaped?