1
EFFING FAMILY REUNION
The whipping winds of the portal slowed, and a brilliant light appeared at the end of the infinite vortex. My lids snapped shut, the brightness too much after the extended period of black. A second later, I landed on the quiet cobblestone street, my ears still buzzing. Cobblestone? Ornate iron lanterns lined the quaint sidewalks along the row of shops and boutiques. Scanning the old Tudor-style buildings with thatched roofs and dark oak trim, my heart let out a whimper. I was so sure I would’ve landed in Moon Valley next. I’d already been in shifter territory after all. What the hell was I doing in Maginaria?
It took a minute for the relief to set in. As much as I wanted to see Knox, the idea of facing Kole had my stomach twisted in monster-sized knots. And after that tumultuous goodbye with Deacon, another drama-filled situation would’ve ravaged my broken heart. No, this would be good. I’d take the break and enjoy it.
Now… where was Fallon, and why were we in the land of magic?
I hadn’t had much time to think about the bastard Fae prince, but now that it was his turn for a family visit, I wondered what he’d been doing this whole time. I’d briefly asked Deacon about it, and he claimed to have no idea. Which I wasn’t sure I fully believed. Deacon… another sliver of my heart splintered.
Fallon—wait a second. Deacon couldn’t just leave the show even if he wanted to. He’d been hired to protect the Fae royal. His duty came above all else and abandoning Fallon wasn’t in his blood. Maybe my tiger’s return to the villa wasn’t only about me.
The whoosh of rushing wind jerked my attention down the quiet street. Another portal appeared down the block, and a familiar body tumbled out of the spiraling vortex. Fallon barely stuck the landing, strands of his typically perfect hair whipping in the mystical wind. His arms shot out, and he teetered for a second before turning to face me.
“Well, hello there, stranger.” He strode toward me, his silver locks glistening beneath the moonlight.
“Long time no see.” I shot him a smirk. There’d been something intriguing about Fallon from the beginning. Maybe it was the whole lying about who he was that I’d immediately gravitated toward. I was a sucker for guys that were trouble.
He stepped closer and pulled me into his broad chest. Every time I was in Fallon’s arms, I wondered what the hell kind of faery he was. I’d never seen a Fae stacked like this guy. “I missed you,” he whispered, his icy breath skating over the top of my head.
“Me too.”
“I hope you got a nice break from all the murder and mayhem.”
My thoughts flitted back to the past week, to my stay in the third realm of the Underworld and camping out in High Claw Cliffs. “Not exactly,” I muttered. “Actually, it was anything but relaxing.”
Fallon’s silvery brows shot up. “Really? What happened?”
“I’ll fill you in when we get home—” I paused and chomped down on my bottom lip. “Where are we going by the way?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea. I thought you’d know.”
“Me?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe the producers had filled you in on their master plan.”
Damn, I’d totally forgotten about that. Weeks ago, Shep had mentioned they had something in mind since we couldn’t exactly spend time at Winter Court with his secret dad the king.
“Why do you think we’re in Maginaria?”
Fallon’s shoulders lifted for an instant before his brows slammed together. “No… it can’t be.”
“What?” I squealed as he paced a tight circle, his breaths suddenly ragged.
He eyed the dark sky above us, then his gaze dipped back to mine. “You remember what I told you about my mother? The one I’ve never met?” he whispered.
My mind flickered back to the conversation when he finally came clean about everything. I checked the darkness for a roving drone, which I imagined was what he’d been doing a moment ago, and it was all clear. “You said she was a witch,” I whisper-hissed.
He nodded slowly, paling.
“You think Shep found your mom somehow?”
“Maybe…” He raked his hands over his pallid face and loosed a breath. “Why else would we be here?”
“Then what are the producers waiting for? Where is everyone?” My head whipped back and forth, scanning the dim streets. Was this all a set up? Were they watching us on hidden cameras like the time we’d been attacked at the bath house? The hair on the back of my neck rose, and a faint growl ricocheted across my chest. I moved closer to Fallon.
His head swiveled from side to side, but a long minute later the tense set of his shoulders relaxed. Nothing. “Come on, let’s walk into the center of town. The crew will come find us when we’re needed.”
He offered me his hand, and I weaved my fingers through his. We strolled down the cobbled sidewalk, like a normal couple out on a quiet date night.
“This is weird, right?” I finally asked.
“Very.”
“Unless something happened that’s keeping Shep and the crew away.”
“Like what?” Fallon arched a silver brow.
“Maybe there was another attack on the island.”
“But no one’s there.”
That reminded me… “Where have you been this whole time?”
“Hiding out.”
“Where?”
He dipped his gaze to the floor. “It’s probably safer if you don’t know.”
For a second, I’d forgotten how annoying all of Fallon’s secrets were. “Look, whether you like it or not, I’m involved now. I have been since the moment you set foot on the island. So don’t be shady with me. I’m in it up to my eyeballs.”
A rueful chuckle slid out as he slanted me a sidelong glance. “Okay, I’m sorry. I get it. I was in the human world, nowhere special. Kind of embarrassing actually. Just spent the week in a rundown motel off I-95 somewhere in Georgia and ordered lots of delivery.”
I cocked a skeptical brow at the big Fae. “I would never in a million years see you in a place like that.”
“Exactly the point.” He ticked his head at a small café at the end of the street, a light flickering on the neon sign that read Fay’s Fixings. “Speaking of delivery, are you hungry?”
“I can always eat.” And it was almost dinner time.
“Let’s go check it out.”
Fallon held the door of the café open, the tingle of the bell over the doorway sharp against the odd stillness surrounding us. As soon as we stepped inside, the charred, smoky scent of magic assaulted my sensitive nostrils. Even though I couldn’t shift, I’d inherited my MIA wolf’s enhanced senses. Which was not always a good thing.
A tall blonde walked toward us, her hair in a messy bun with a pen sticking out the top. A red-and-white checkered apron was cinched tightly at her waist, revealing a surprising hourglass figure. She was probably in her mid to late forties, but if she’d been in a dress instead of a diner, she could’ve easily passed for a model or movie-star. I eyed the woman, something weirdly familiar about her. “Table for two?” she asked.