Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31462 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 157(@200wpm)___ 126(@250wpm)___ 105(@300wpm)
“That’s okay. Saving Maddox from being swallowed by a purple fungus is more important.”
“Did it earn me brownie points even though I had to use magic?”
“Yes. I don’t know if that counts as magic. That was more like…cleaning, right?”
Sky’s expression brightened, his eyes widening as he sucked in a gasp. “You’re right! That was cleaning. I just had to clean Mad’s house. That’s all!”
They climbed into the car and Sky made a U-turn to get them out of the quaint residential area and back to the shops and restaurants.
“Maddox mentioned something about Moving Day and the fae. What was he talking about?”
“Crap,” Sky cursed under his breath. “I was afraid you’d remember that.”
Nolan’s heart sped up, and he leaned forward a little to see Sky as he worried his bottom lip. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! I swear! It’s just…I didn’t want to throw more new things at you yet. You’re still getting used to witches, vampires, and shifters.”
“But the fae…like fairies and elves…they’re real?”
Sky shrank in his seat, his shoulders rising to his ears. “Yeah,” he replied, though it came out as a whimper. “And it’s a whole lot more than just fairies and elves. There are…fuck…a lot of them fall under the fae classification. It’s pretty much anyone who has to answer to the king and queen of the fae. But, that’s beside the point.” Sky waved a hand at him quickly as if to shoo away his own words.
Nolan could agree with that. They could talk about the fae and their kind later. His bigger concern was what would drive Maddox to risk casting a spell that he got from a questionable source. “Okay, Moving Day.”
“Yes. Moving Day is May first on the calendar. There are a lot of myths about it in books and even more misinformation in the human world. How it really works is that the fae are allowed to spend only ten years in the human realm at a time. Otherwise, they spend their lives in their world, which is sometimes referred to as Avalon from the King Arthur myth. Anyway, every hundred years, the door opens between worlds, and all the fae who want to return to play on this plane come back. A.k.a. Moving Day. Once here, they have ten years to play and cause mischief. At the end of that time, they all have to return to their world, or die. At least, that’s the legend.”
“You’re not sure?”
Sky shook his head. “I’ve personally never met a fae, and I don’t trust the word of people who claim they have. Most people don’t survive the encounter.”
“So…in a week, fae are going to be popping up all around the world because doors have opened between the two planes.”
Sky lifted his hand from the steering wheel and held up one finger. “No. There’s just one door. And as of last summer, every indication is that the door is going to be here. Or rather, somewhere very close to Hartford, which is why Mad and Red are kind of in a panic.”
“Because they’re witches? You don’t seem to be worried.” But if Sky wasn’t worried, why was his chest suddenly feeling tight and his mouth dry?
“Mad and Red are worried because they use earth magic, which attracts the fae like bees to a field of wildflowers. They generally have a ‘Don’t fuck with us and we won’t fuck with you’ policy for humans. And, well, they don’t like my magic type or even Moon’s, so we’re safe.”
“Oh, so Mad and Red need to take extra precautions for the next ten years to keep the fae from bothering them? That fucking sucks!”
The witch grunted and hit the turn signal as they neared the lot where he’d be leaving his car. “Pretty much. They just need to strengthen the barriers around the house. When they go out, they’ll need a special talisman that will help to mask their natural energy. But I think it’ll help for them to be around Moon and me. Our magical aura will help to camouflage them as well.”
Sky deftly maneuvered his little car through the crowded lot and slipped into an open spot. He turned off the engine and smiled at Nolan. “But you don’t need to worry. They won’t bother you.”
“And they won’t bother you?”
“Nah. They won’t give me a second glance unless I go looking for trouble. And right now, I’ve got all the trouble I could ever want right next to me.”
Nolan snickered. “Shameless flirt. It never stops.”
Sky huffed. “Stop being so sexy, and I just might stop.”
They climbed out of Sky’s car and walked the short distance to the long street they’d blocked off. White canvas tents and plastic booths had been set up along either side of the road to allow artists to display their artwork. There was everything from paintings to sculptures in stone, glass, and clay. There was even a woman who had woven exquisite tapestries.