through the gate. We’re moving out in ten minutes.”
Marcus passed me a cube and I was dressed in an instant. There were many bad things about the Vampire plane, but their tech often came in handy. It meant Marcus and I were ready quickly.
He took my hand and we walked outside.
To a different forest than we’d been in the night before. Or rather more of it. It had been green and alive yesterday, but this was…more. It was like every plant had grown and was more vibrant than it had been mere hours ago.
And everywhere I looked there were pixies. Tears sparked in my eyes because it had been so long since I’d seen a kaleidoscope. The gorgeous jewel-colored pixies sparkled in the morning light. They’d been my constant companions when I’d lived by the sea.
“This is what your Fae father can do,” Marcus whispered. “I’ve always been fascinated with this magic. It feels like…life.”
It was life. I breathed in the morning air as I saw Dean and Kelsey emerge. Kaja was in her wolf form, standing by her husband as he gathered their things. Charlotte Taggart practically glowed as she studied the pixie she held in her hand. Her strawberry blonde hair framed a gorgeous face.
“Baby, I know you’re fascinated, but we have to move,” Taggart said.
Charlotte didn’t look up. “It will be well over an hour before they get here, if they even take the same path. And their vehicles aren’t as fast as our bikes.”
“I assure you they’ve got locator spells going,” Taggart replied. “And we’re on foot. We have to hope the kid can throw them off.”
“I can cloak us for a while.” Dean had his backpack on and seemed ready to go. “But if they’re smart, they’ll use a spell that will variate, and it will get through eventually.”
“But maybe we’ll be on the other side of the gate by then.” Miles had his sonic rifle slung over one shoulder.
Charlotte finally looked up from studying the amethyst-colored pixie. “Summer, it’s so important that we can use the bikes, don’t you think? If we can then the likelihood of our getting out of this safe and sound goes way up. I hope we can outrun them. The witches would be cruel to your vampire.”
I wasn’t sure what she thought I could do, but I agreed with her. I couldn’t stand the thought of Marcus being hurt. “Is there any way they can be recharged? Perhaps Dean could think of a spell.”
“Ian, you should check the bikes again.” Charlotte frowned down at the pixie in her hand. “I wonder why they’re not acknowledging you. They practically attacked the priest and your mother when they came out for coffee this morning. Affectionately, of course. But they wouldn’t touch your human father. They gave him a wide berth. Like they’re staying away from you.”
They used to cling to me. I couldn’t walk through our village without a pixie escort. But they knew what I’d done to their kin.
“Yes, I find it interesting.” Marcus sounded thoughtful. “They avoid Daniel and me at home because we’re predators. They love humans, though. They’re fascinated by them. So why would they avoid Daniel now?”
Taggart walked back into view, his jaw slack. “The bikes recharged. We can use them. They’re as good as new.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
“No,” Taggart corrected. “That’s a miracle because the systems were fried. It shouldn’t have been able to recharge. You understand how unlikely it is that all four bikes would go out in the exact same way, and then all four bikes would be perfectly fine the next day. My wife is right. You’re the Day Queen. We need to find a way to get you to the Summerlands.”
“I didn’t do anything,” I protested. But I had wanted the bikes to work again.
Could I wish us out of this?
“She doesn’t think she’s worthy of the power,” a familiar voice said. My dad was standing outside his tent, my mother next to him. “She’s blocked it, and until she accepts that she can handle it, it won’t come back. It’s harder than you think. She can’t simply want to be worthy. She believes if she has the power, she’ll screw it up. Like I believed I was unworthy of my place as a king. I believed it that night she was born. I sometimes still believe it, but my partners bring me back in line.”
My mother was covered in pixies. They clung to her hair and