Motor City Witch (6 page)

Elise knew the old Celtic mounds and monuments were often early portals between worlds. But how were they supposed to get there from here? She’d only been Underhill with Aidan once and that had been to the palace. She had no idea where anything there was in relation to anything in this realm.

“Done,” Aidan snapped. “We’ll be there at sunset. And if there’s so much as a scratch on that girl’s skin, you’ll be able to count the minutes you’ve left to breathe on the fingers of one hand.”

“Your precious little witch is unharmed. Do as you’re told and she’ll remain that way.”

There was a click as the other man hung up.

Elise dragged in several deep breaths while Wallis’s fingers flew across the keyboard. Aidan hadn’t even hesitated to offer himself in trade for Dina. Her head swirled.

“Sunset in Edinburgh is roughly 6:30 p.m. local, which is 1:30 here,” the security chief said. “That gives us five hours. The drive from the Edinburgh portal to Bald Tor is about 30 minutes.”

Five hours? Was it really only eight-thirty? Time seemed to be crawling at an unnaturally slow pace, like in a bad stop-action film.

“Elise and I will have to drive from the Edinburgh portal,” Aidan agreed. “I’ll call and arrange to have a car waiting there. I want a team to move in from somewhere Underhill and go overland to the circle. Wallis, pull up a map of Underhill Britain. See what estates are nearby.”

“Closest friendlies look to be the Night Sky family, but that’s out on the Isle of Skye.” Wallis typed rapidly on a laptop. “There’s the queen’s hunting lodge in Edinburgh, though.”

Ric whistled. “The Wild Hunt. Most of the regular members aren’t exactly dependable allies. But Her Majesty still owes me a favor or two. I can probably arrange for you to borrow horses from there.”

“Thanks.” Aidan rubbed his hands through his hair, making it stick out sideways. “As I recall, there’s a small wood not too far from Bald Tor. If Ric can arrange horses, Toby can lead a group from the hunting lodge to the henge. They may not expect a wolf, so Greg might have more mobility than any of the rest of you. Wallis, you’ll come with Elise and me as far as Edinburgh. Ric and Meagan, you can be our ears at the palace.”

Part of Elise thought she should object to him taking charge, but everything he’d said made too much sense—including putting Ric and Meagan under the direct eyes of the queen and her guards, rather than leaving Meagan here on a computer.

Ric stood. “We’ll leave now, get things set up with Her Majesty and meet the rest of you there.”

“Take a couple guards,” Aidan added. “Remember, you’re likely to be a target as well.”

Ric nodded and helped Meagan to her feet. “We’ll start by contacting the Willows.”

Meagan leaned over to kiss Elise on the cheek as she darted a look at her cousin. “Hang in there, honey. We’re going to get her back. Without sacrificing Aidan to do it.” She left the room on her husband’s arm. Elise watched them go, wishing their happiness didn’t serve to underscore her own misery.

“Elise, can you manage without anything from your house?” Did Aidan’s expression gentle when he looked at her? How could he be so kind after all that had gone wrong between them?

“My passport’s in my safe, if we’re going to Scotland. Otherwise, I’m fine.”

“We’re not going in any official capacity, but if you want it, we’ll have George and Jase run it over. There’s no reason for them to wait at your place now that we’ve been contacted. Greg, what about you?”

“Have George stop and pick up mine along the way, in case we get stuck on this side of a portal. Afterward, he and Jase should get some sleep before they open the bar tonight.” Greg paused and thought for a moment. “Unless you need some extra wolves? The club will be okay without George or Lana for a night or two. And Jase may be human, but he can handle a gun and hand-to-hand. I’ve seen him sparring with George—he’s not half bad. Apparently he did a stint in the military before he became an artist.”

Elise nodded. “He was born in Jamaica, but went to high school here. Going into the Navy helped him get his citizenship.”

“Couldn’t hurt,” Aidan agreed. “We could use both the fangs and the firepower. Some of the higher-tech weapons don’t work Underhill, but simple revolvers and rifles do fine. Get them over here and Wallis can bring you through the portal, along with Toby and Elise. Meet me at my apartment. I’m going to head through now and start getting things set up.”

Elise took one look at his pale, drawn-out features and shook her head. “Not by yourself, you’re not. Des and Greg can follow with the others, but I’m coming with you.”

Over five years had passed since the one and only time Elise had crossed the portal into Faerie, Elfhame, or Underhill. She remembered stepping through the archway into the silvery mist and the slight sensation of falling that followed before finding her feet firmly on the marble floor of the octagonal portal hall in the Faerie palace. Now, still holding Aidan’s arm, she stepped out into the room and blinked at the two guards who flanked the wood-inlaid double doors opposite the portal. Smooth marble walls and fluted pillars soared up to a plasterwork ceiling that was a bit overdone in Elise’s artistic opinion. Too much gilt, too many clashing colors in the tapestries that covered the walls. Baroque had never been her favorite style.

“Lord Green Oak,” one of the guards said, as both of them bowed. Their swords didn’t even clank on the floor or pillars, attesting to the men being used to wearing their weapons.

The other said, “Welcome.” They cast faintly curious eyes at Elise, but they were too well trained to show any real surprise at the sight of a human on Aidan’s arm.

“If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my apartment,” Aidan said. “Some of my staff and more guests will be following in an hour or so. Please see that they’re not held up.”

“Of course.” They stepped back and each opened a door, holding it for Aidan and Elise.

The corridors of the palace were even more elaborately decorated than the portal chamber, but Elise didn’t take time to look around in any great detail as they passed through. She was too busy trying to keep up with Aidan’s long strides. A few passing Fae stopped to greet him as they walked, but Aidan simply nodded in response and kept moving, until at last they reached a polished oak door inset with a jade oak tree—the Green Oak apartment. Aidan manifested a key and let them both inside.

They’d gotten no farther than the foyer when Aidan’s cell phone chirped.

“It’s Ric.” He flipped it open. “Yes?” After a moment’s pause he said, “We’ll be right there.” He clicked his phone shut and turned to Elise. “Ready to meet the queen?”

Elise looked down at her jeans, black ballet flats and ivory cotton sweater. “Like this?” Everything she’d heard about Llyris Astrella, Queen of the Seelie Court, suggested that formal was the way to go.

Aidan shrugged. “I don’t keep women’s court clothes lying around. If you want to take the time, we can stop by a dressmaker and get you something, but Her Majesty requested us now.” Before she could ask the question on her lips, he replied. “Yes, there are shops here in the palace, for exactly that sort of reason. Besides, people do live here full time. The palace is really a self-sufficient town.”

“You know, I always hated it when you read me without permission. It’s rude.” She did pull a brush out of her purse and give her hair a quick swipe before turning away from the door. “Let’s go.”

“No mind-reading involved,
leannan.
” He chuckled. “I remember all too well the way your convoluted brain works. Trying to keep up with you was a full-time job.”

She took his arm as they sped through a maze of hallways, wondering if that had been a compliment.

The corridors became more and more ostentatious, until they reached one that ended in a set of what appeared to be solid silver double doors, easily ten feet tall and six feet wide each. Liveried guards—their uniforms more embellished with lace and silver than the ones at
the portal, stood to either side of the seam between the doors, with two more posted by the hinges. When Aidan approached, the two in the middle tipped their heads in a semblance of a bow, but their eyes never looked down at the floor—they continued to watch the hallway.

“My lord,” said one of the two in the middle. “Her Majesty is expecting you. Please proceed to her morning receiving room.”

Aidan dipped his chin in return. “Thank you.”

The two guards opened the doors, allowing Aidan and Elise to step through into a wide entrance hall, scattered with plush seating and priceless artwork. A few clusters of Fae chatted or played cards, and a set of French doors on the left-hand wall led to a courtyard terrace where a handful of others gathered. Several sets of eyes swiveled to study Aidan and Elise as they passed through the room to another set of doors on the right, which were again flanked by a pair of armed guards. Directly across from the entrance was another set of the enormous doors, with two more guards.

“This isn’t the ballroom you brought me to before.” She followed Aidan across the room, ignoring the watchful gazes. The one time she’d been Underhill, the queen hadn’t been involved.

“No, these rooms are only used by the queen. The gathering you attended was much less official—merely the birthday party of a friend—in what was essentially a rented ballroom. Those doors there lead to the actual court, or throne room, if you prefer. We’re lucky she’s not in there. When she’s holding court, things get really ceremonial. In her small receiving room, at least we’ll be able to have a conversation, rather than an audience.”

“Huh. If that was informal, I’m even more underdressed than I thought.” They passed through the smaller doors into another hallway before they finally entered a chamber roughly the size of a high-school gymnasium. “This is the
small
room?”

“Oh, yes. Instead of several hundred nosy sycophants, there’s only a dozen or so.”

True enough. A harpist played softly in one corner of the room and small groups were gathered here and there conversing in quiet tones. Ric and Meagan, also in modern, casual dress, thank goodness, smiled from the far side of the room. Elise barely had eyes for any of them, though. The focal point of the room was a low dais that filled the center third of the back wall. The only object on it was a blue and silver brocade chaise longue, holding the most arrestingly beautiful woman Elise had ever seen. Hair so blond it was almost true platinum was piled high in elaborate coils studded with pale blue diamonds and pearls, matching the tiara that was worked into the arrangement and the necklace that circled her impossibly slender throat. Her gown was an Empire-waist Regency style made of a watered silk that perfectly matched the diamonds. The bodice dipped low, and the Regency theme was carried out with short puffed sleeves. Eyes of that same pale blue fixed on Aidan and Elise the moment they entered the room, making Elise feel like an insect under a magnifying glass. She suppressed a shiver and dipped into a curtsey as they approached the queen.

“Lord Green Oak. Do rise and introduce me to your guest.” The queen’s voice was as icy as her gaze.

Aidan took Elise’s hand as she rose. “Your Majesty, allow me to present Miss Elise Sutton, art gallery proprietor and retired
Wyndewin
witch.”

“And, as I understand it, the mother of your heir.” Now the ice was even sharper, the words like daggers.

Elise opened her mouth to correct the mistake, but Aidan squeezed her hand sharply. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

That’s right. Dina might lose her value if the kidnappers knew she wasn’t Aidan’s, and spies could be anywhere. Elise lifted her chin and nodded her corroboration. Her embarrassment was nothing compared to Dina’s safety.

“And why wasn’t I informed of this development before?” The queen’s eyes narrowed.

Aidan shrugged. “Interpersonal relationships are complicated at best. Add in the interspecies aspect and it becomes a long story—one with which I do not wish to bore Your Majesty.”

The queen paused a minute, then clapped her hands loudly. Instantly, the music and all conversation in the room stopped. “Everyone out, except for the Roses and my guard. Now.”

Once the room was cleared, she spoke more softly. “Very well. The bard tells me the child has been taken?”

Ric and Meagan had moved closer to the dais, taking up positions on either side of Aidan and Elise. Meagan wrapped a supportive arm around Elise’s waist. In the last few months, Elise had almost grown used to Meagan’s fondness for touching her friends. Usually it made Elise slightly uncomfortable. Today it felt good.

“Yes,” Aidan answered. “They’ve set the ransom meeting at Bald Tor, not too far from the Wild Hunt lodge.”

“I see. So you wish to borrow some of the Wild Hunt horses?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Aidan bowed his head slightly again. “As well as your personal portal between this palace and the lodge.” He’d mentioned to Elise that there was a secret entrance to the lodge, through the queen’s apartments.

“Acceptable. I understand you have reason to believe this is connected with Lord Willow’s missing grandson and Lady Northwood’s errant husband?”

“We do. Our theory is that Lord Le Faire’s purity movement is regrouping and making another move to control the court.”

“That is most unacceptable,” she murmured. “Do you wish any of my guardsmen to accompany you?”

“I think Kieran and Sean should go with us as far as the lodge,” Ric suggested. “That way we’ll have someone we trust at our backs as we ride out.” Elise recognized the names as guardsmen who had helped protect Meagan during her earlier dangers.

“You’re not going.” Aidan turned to glare at his friend. “You and Meagan have life-bonded. If anything happens to you, she dies as well.”

Elise was familiar with that term. That’s what had happened to Meagan’s parents. After her father’s murder, her mother had only survived long enough to give birth. Right before Meagan was born, her mother had begged one of the nurses to adopt her baby. Elise had no idea how Meagan had found the courage to make that same commitment to Ric, even knowing what the cost could be.

“Aidan, we can’t sit here on our butts.” Meagan poked him in the chest. “I’ve agreed to stay here and coordinate with Her Majesty, but Ric’s a master swordsman. You may need him.”

Conflicted, Elise looked up into Aidan’s eyes and saw his shoulders lift a fraction of an inch. He didn’t want to put Ric at risk, but he couldn’t say no. She couldn’t help but be touched that Meagan and her husband would literally risk their lives to rescue Dina.

“Fine.” Aidan said with a sigh. He turned to Meagan. “You promise to stay right here in the full view of the court and the guard at all times, right?”

“I’m pregnant, not stupid.” Meagan shook her head in disgust. “I’m not going to let myself get kidnapped again. Once was quite enough. I’ve got Sinead and Liam here to keep an eye on me as well.” Those were more names Elise thought she recognized from Meagan’s description of her adventures last August.

Aidan turned back to the queen. “Thank you for your assistance, Your Majesty.” He bowed again. “We’ll be in touch as soon as we have any further information.”

“Good. I’ll have the two guardsmen you requested waiting for you at my private portal. Go assemble your team, Lord Green Oak, and may the gods go with you.”

Meagan stepped around Elise to hug her husband. “Be careful. We need you back.”

He leaned down and kissed her so passionately Elise had to look away. “No worries, love. I’ll be back before you know it. Don’t forget to rest if you can.”

Her eyes stinging, Elise curtseyed again and slowly backed from the room, flanked by Aidan and Ric. She could feel the weight of Meagan’s anxious gaze as the other woman watched them all depart. Once they left the chamber, the courtiers, who had been hanging out in the hallway, went back inside.

“Time to go collect the team.” Ric rubbed his hands as they walked back toward Aidan’s apartment. “The other advantage to sending me along is that I’ve ridden with the Hunt a time or two, at Her Majesty’s insistence. I’m familiar with the area around the lodge and Bald Tor and I know the Master of the Hunt.”

“Good.” Aidan ran his hand through his hair. None of them spoke as they walked through the occupied entry hall, but once they were back out into the main corridors. “But if you get yourself killed, I’m going to call up your ghost and kill you all over again. Repeatedly.”

“Same goes.” Even when it was strained, the bard’s voice was a lyrical baritone. Aidan might be the more handsome of the two Fae men, but Elise could see how Ric’s voice had seduced her friend. Then that voice hardened. “And remember your promise. If anything does happen to me and Meagan, you’ll raise our son as if he were your own.”

“Of course.” Aidan took a few more steps before he paused. “A boy, is it? Congratulations.”

Ric shrugged. “Not that it matters, but thank you. I’m just pleased the healers say he and Meagan are both healthy.”

“See that they stay that way,” Aidan replied. “There’s so much that can go wrong.”

“Is it true that elves have problems with fertility?” It was probably the wrong time to blurt out the question, but Elise was curious. That was something she and Aidan hadn’t talked about when they’d been together, and
Wyndewin
knowledge was unclear about some aspects of Fae physiology.

“Probably a genetic check-and-balance to counter the long lifespan.” Raw concern for his cousin laced Aidan’s tone. “Lots of couples try for literally centuries without ever conceiving. Even when they do, it can be dicey during the gestation period. It’s rare for a couple to have more than one or two children.”

“We were kind of shocked when it happened so soon,” Ric agreed. “But Meagan has been fully cleared by Maeve Black to be up and about. Maeve is one of our best midwives and healers.”

“Being half-human works to Meagan’s advantage.” Aidan kept walking. “One theory is that our race is a bit too inbred and that adding outside blood improves the gene pool.”

These were things she might have wanted to know, back when she was so horribly sick during her own pregnancy and she felt a moment of regret for not telling Aidan at least so she could ask if there were things she should know. Of course her baby hadn’t turned out to be half-Fae, but she hadn’t known that at the time, as she was fainting every few hours or puking her guts out. Even though she’d been living with her mother, another powerful
Wyndewin
healer, she’d nearly miscarried a couple of times. It had only served to make Dina even more precious once she’d arrived.
And I can’t lose her now!

They arrived at Aidan’s apartment to find a crowd waiting for them. Toby and Mairead, Desmond, Greg, George and Jase, Wallis, two of his guardsmen and two women. One was a lushly built brunette, whose resemblance to the Novaks was unmistakable. The other, a tall, slender blonde, elegant even in jeans and a baby blue polo shirt, was handcuffed and sitting silently on a chair in the corner between the two guards. Elise would have pegged her as Fae by her slanted aqua eyes and delicate bone structure, but there was no aura of magic about her at all.