“Of course I will.” Ella slid down from her stool. “I’ll be in touch. Thanks for a wonderful birthday.”
She found Vadim’s car keys in his jeans pocket and bundled the rest of his clothes in a deliberately untidy heap to take with her. The hint of his aftershave made her bury her nose in his T-shirt with a pang of what felt suspiciously like longing. Damn the man. She needed to be angry, not a moping fool.
The drive back to San Francisco was uneventful, the sky a bright uncaring blue, the sun warm on her newly acquired face. Every time she glanced in the rearview mirror, she was shocked by her appearance. It was worse than when she’d dyed her hair black and been a Goth. How long would Adam wait before he came back? Had he already fought Vadim? Wouldn’t she know if her mate were dead?
Pushing her fears aside, she parked under the SBLE main office on Market and headed for the elevators. There was no one around when she walked into the department, so she headed for Feehan’s office, knocked on the door and went straight in.
“Hey, boss.”
He leaped to his feet, half a dripping tuna sandwich clutched in his hand. “Who the hell are you?”
She waved her ID badge at him. “It’s me, Ella. Something’s up with my face.”
He grabbed his phone. “Security!”
“Boss, calm down. Adam got me last night after he got Vadim.”
Feehan clutched the phone to his chest and stared at her. “Ella?”
She took a seat in front of his desk. “Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
She patted her torso. “Same crappy attitude toward authority figures? Yup, I’m sure it’s me.” The door behind her burst open, and she turned to the two security guards. “Hey Mitch, hey Frankie, what’s up?”
Feehan waved them away. “False alarm. Ms. Walsh has suffered some kind of magical accident. Can you ask Liz and Sam to come in here, please?”
After a long look at her new face, the guys departed and were quickly replaced by the rest of the special team. They all started talking at once.
“Everyone, sit down!” Feehan shouted. “Ella, shut the door and tell us what the hell is going on.”
She told them the bare minimum of what had happened on the previous evening. For a change, no one interrupted her, their expressions ranging from horrified to appalled. Liz’s Fae-Web hovered over her head like a billowing veil in a storm.
“So I need to get to Otherworld, find out what Adam’s done with my face and get it back before he decides to come after me.” Ella concluded. “I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I don’t think I have much time.”
“You don’t.” Liz said. “Adam is very sure of his victory.”
“Not until I’m dead, he isn’t.”
Sam raised his hand. “What about Vad?”
“What about him?”
“Aren’t you going to save him, too?”
“That idiot?” Ella snorted. “He went to Otherworld to prove what a big bad fairy he is. I’m not getting involved in his petty squabbles.”
“Ella—” Feehan hesitated. “You might have no choice.”
“Because of the mating crap? He’s the one who left, not me. I don’t owe him a thing.”
“Hang on,” Sam said. “You’re, like, mated to Vad?
Liz reached out and touched Ella’s knee. “You have to save him.”
“I damn well do not!”
“Whatever you think, he did what he did to save you. That’s his primary goal. That’s all I see.”
Ella swallowed hard. “
Even as Feehan was promising her backup, she left and magicked herself directly to the portal. She could probably get there without one, but this wasn’t the occasion to be trying new things. Time sometimes moved differently in Otherworld. She might arrive and find Vadim hadn’t even got there yet or that he’d already fought and died. Not that she cared. Not that the bastard owed her anything...
Then why was she so pissed at him? Because he hadn’t believed in her after all? She swiped at something wet on her cheek. Dammit, was she
Had she really fallen for all his shit about forever together?
Apparently she had.
She checked her weapons and stashed a silver dagger in her back pocket. Didn’t he know that saying about scorned women and revenge? She’d go to Otherworld, kill Adam and reclaim her face by herself. If she did see the slimy worm, she’d make him grovel and beg for forgiveness before she killed him with his own magic. Buoyed by this magnificent image, she stepped into the portal.
“Otherworld central, please.”
Within a heartbeat she was stepping out into a wide paved square with a fantastic fountain set in the center of it. She’d arrived at this point in Otherworld once before, so was familiar with the layout. The sky overhead was a bruised purple and filled with storm clouds. Warily, she approached the statue, which depicted a male Fae dominating a female. She angled her head to study the face of the woman who appeared to be having an orgasm. Or was she? Clutched in the female’s hand was the hilt of a dagger that had already pierced the male’s side.
“Checkmate.” Ella murmured.
“Indeed.”
She spun around to see the still-beautiful-but-elderly woman she’d met briefly on her last visit to Otherworld. This time the Fae queen mother was unattended. Not that it mattered. Her power was immense. She wore a pale yellow gown made up of a thousand floating panels that shifted and mutated at will. Her dark hair was unbound and reached her waist.
“You are cygnet’s mate.”
“So he says.”
“I am his grandmother.”
“He already told me that.”
The female raised her chin. “Did he also tell you who I am?”
“Don’t you mean, what you are?” Ella studied the older woman. “You’re wearing a crown, so I guess you’re Fae royalty. Do you want me to curtsy? The thing is, I’m not in a curtsying kind of mood at the moment.”
“Why are you here?”
“Don’t you know?” Ella pointed at herself. “I want my face back. Where’s the creature called Adam?”
“Where is cygnet?”
Ella grimaced. “What is it with you Fae not being able to answer a simple question? I have no idea where Morosov is, and I don’t care. I
“He is not with you?”
Ella pretended to look around. “Nope. He left last night with Adam.”
A tiny wrinkle appeared on the queen’s perfect brow. “That wasn’t what we agreed.”
“I don’t actually care what you agreed. I simply want to find Adam.”
The Fae queen studied her. “I’m afraid I can’t let you meddle.”
“With all due respect, it’s not up to you what I do, is it?” She scanned the empty square and drew her weapon. “All I need to do is get a fix on Adam, and I’m off.”
“No, Soul Sucker.”
The Fae snapped her fingers and Ella was hurtled backward through walls and time and...oh, God, she was going to puke. She landed with a thump on a stone floor. Manacles slithered toward her and attached themselves to her ankles. By the time she righted herself, all sense of the Fae queen had gone. She was alone in what appeared to be a castle dungeon complete with burning torches in sconces and an arched oak doorway up a flight of stone steps.
“How very Disneyesque.” She raised her voice. “Where the hell am I?”
