“Summer of the Gentle Winds,” a victorious male voice shouted. “Face me and I might allow your companions to live.”
Fear raced through my system and I felt Daniel stiffen in front of me. He’d been “driving” the bike, but the truth was Taggart had control. He would likely have to let us all flee on our own if any of us were going to escape, and I didn’t know if Danny could control the thing without guidance.
Dev’s arms tightened around my waist. Well, one of them did, and I realized he was getting ready to do something.
The ground rumbled beneath us, though I couldn’t feel it shaking since we hovered a few feet off the ground. I could see the grass tremble and see the way the horses were suddenly moving as though they knew something was about to happen. A wall of green blasted up from the ground between us and the army. It reached at least ten feet high and stretched out in either direction.
“That’s impressive,” Taggart said. “All right. Let’s see how much distance we can put between us and them. We’ll head east and try to get to the door to Tír na nÓg from there.”
That was the moment the bikes died and we all hit the ground with a resounding thud. Luckily they landed upright and hadn’t turned us over on the ground. I could hear the shouts of all those warriors coming through the wall of green and the thud of something hitting our barrier.
Likely arrows. I really hate arrows.
“Fuck.” Taggart was off his bike in an instant, his helmet flowing back so I could see the anger on his face. “Summer, get the bikes moving. I’m sick of this shit. You can do it. Do it now.”
He was pointing behind me, likely to where my daughter was. Dev eased off the now not functional bike and helped me off, Daniel stepping down next to me. He immediately turned on Taggart.
“Don’t you talk to my daughter that way,” Daniel threatened.
“And what are you going to do about it, human?” Taggart had obviously had enough stimulation for one day.
“I can tell you what I’m going to do,” Dev said, looking slightly feral. “How about you take a little nap?”
I moved between the men as Charlotte did the same. “Or we can figure out how to get that gate behind us open and run. I don’t know if you noticed but there’s a fairly large army and they’re ready to kill us all.”
“They only want me.” Summer’s helmet was gone and she looked so young in the afternoon light. Young and fragile. “I’ll go to them.”
Marcus was trapped in the prime of his life, and he didn’t look even close to fragile. “You will not. If you cannot bring yourself to take off that charm, then you will stay behind me while we fight our way out of here.”
Taggart and my husbands seemed ready to win the stare war at all costs.
Adam handed me one of the cool pistols I’d been told worked based on sonic energy. “It’s good to know Tag isn’t the only one in all the worlds with that much testosterone in his system. Here, Your Highness. You point and shoot. Bad guy goes bye bye. I’ve got it on a kill setting.”
I gratefully took the gun, though it felt so light in my hand. I missed my custom-made Ruger. It was back at the Council headquarters. I hadn’t used it in years for anything beyond target practice.
I’d been worried our lives had gotten too safe and we were missing the old adventures, but in that moment I would have given a lot to be staring down another night of watching TV with the guys and putting the kids to bed.
I strode to where my daughter stood with Marcus. She’d gone pale, and I worried she might pass out. She hadn’t eaten much this morning. “Are you all right?”
She nodded. “But I should go and talk to him. I can’t put everyone at risk.”
I knew the play well. It never ended the way we wanted it to. “Marcus, don’t let her go. If you have to, put her to sleep and we’ll carry her out of here.”
I felt a sizzle along my skin and it felt…irritated.
Was Taggart right? Was that my daughter’s magic starting to assert itself even while she denied it?
“I’d like to see him try,” Summer said tightly.
Marcus’s eyes had flared, so I knew he’d felt that sizzle,