Chapter 18
I fall onto the bed back in Dae’s room and laugh. “For someone who complained so much on the way to the rave,” I say, “I think Dae had the most fun of us.”
Shiva collapses onto the sofa with a groan of agreement while Kaya gracefully settles onto the mushroom-shaped sofa. “The Faerie King is the eternal partier,” she says. “And he’s been a little trapped here.”
“The important question, Elly,” Dae says, strolling into the room and dumping a grocery bag overflowing with tea, biscuits, sugar, and milk onto the floor, “is if you had fun.” He drops a kiss on my nose, and I can’t help but smile.
“Yes,” I admit, “but I think my chances of escaping have officially vanished.”
Dae snorts. “You mean they’ve gone from non-existent to non-existent?” He buries his face in my exposed stomach, making me giggle. “I’m not letting them take you back,” he mumbles against my skin, “so none of this even matters. Do whatever you want. Run, don’t run, you won’t get out.”
I pull his face up to mine, a mischievous glint in my eye. “What if what I want is to get fucked by four demon princes at once?”
“Elysia!” Kaya gasps, cutting me off.
Dae just smirks. “Let’s start now. I’ll send them a message to join us.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re a dirty boy, you know that?”
He bites my lip, hard enough to draw blood, before letting go and licking the drop away. “You sound surprised.”
“Alright, alright,” Abnehor walks in, carrying the cauldron full of steaming water he went to fetch. “Break it up. You’re making my skin crawl.”
“Just because you’re a one-person kind of guy,” Dae retorts, his eyes locked on mine. I shiver, the intensity of his gaze making me squirm, and finally break eye contact. He releases my hips and sits beside me.
“How do I do this?” Abnehor asks, holding out the cauldron to Shiva.
She rolls her eyes. “Put it on the floor,” she instructs before expertly brewing us all some tea. When she’s finished, she presses a cup into my hands and tilts her head. “Do I get to watch a film now?”
I let out a shaky breath, clutching the warm mug. “I could accidentally kill you all,” I whisper, the reality of my power hitting me like a wave. “In one quick swipe, everyone here would be dead.”
Dae opens his mouth to speak, but Shiva cuts him off. “I don’t think you will,” she says confidently. “Besides, Abnehor won’t let me die. Come on, Elly, it’s been a long time since I got to watch a mafia film.”
Biting my lip, my hand trembling slightly as the adrenaline from the night before fades, I nod. Dae retrieves the laptop and places his makeshift tool in front of me. “Think of the forest and blow. Right here.”
“That’s it?” I ask, surprised by the simplicity.
He nods, and I close my eyes. I think of mushrooms and forest leaves, the earthy scent of rain in mid-spring. I think of bluebells, damp soil, and the deep thirst of ancient roots. I think of Dae. Whispers enter my mind. Ancient voices carried on the wind. But today, they are not angry. Today, they want to share a secret. I blow a gentle breath before they can slip too far into my mind.
My eyes fly open. No one is dead. No roots or trees have invaded the room, no blood has been spilled. Shiva is smiling as the familiar whirring of the old laptop fills the room.
“Well done, love,” Dae murmurs, kissing my forehead before getting off the bed and joining his friends on the sofa.
Shiva and I snuggle deeper into the bed, pulling the blankets tight around us. With the laptop glowing and Goodfellas playing softly, we drift off to sleep.