Chapter 28

Returning to reality after a day in Faerie was like being pulled out of a dream by a splash of cold water. And then being smothered by the wet pillow.

The music cut off abruptly. The air, which in my previous breath held the earthy smell of the forest and heady laughter, was now too thin, too sharp. It smelled of car exhaust and metal, and it grated against my skin like steel wool. Grave essence, which hadn’t existed in Faerie, crashed against my shields, reminding me that the world around me was dying. Darkness crawled over my vision and for a moment I thought I was blind, but no, it was night, dark, and my eyes were back to their normal, damaged state.

Burning hot tears welled in my eyes. Some were of self-pity. Some were because in returning to reality, to what should have been home, I felt like I’d lost a part of myself. But most were from anger at Falin’s betrayal. I rubbed my arms where he’d squeezed me, intentionally causing pain, and a shiver ran through me as I remembered the glint of his blades in the moonlight.

A tear escaped and seared a line down my cheek. I blinked back the rest—they wouldn’t help anything. Why waste energy on what I couldn’t change?

But that betrayal hurt. Even though I knew it wasn’t his fault. That he was bound to the commands of his queen. It still made an agonizing ache twist under my sternum.

He’s right. I can never trust him. Not while he was hers.

I lifted a hand to whisk away the single tear that had escaped and stopped, staring. My fingers shimmered in the darkness. My hands too, as well as my arms and what I could see of my shoulders and chest. I was glowing, pale light seeping from my skin like moonlight caught just below the surface.

Like a Sleagh Maith.

This can’t be happening. But it was. Even my hair glowed, casting a halo of gold light. Damn the Winter Queen. She’d wanted to see what would happen if I ate Faerie food? Well, it apparently turned me into a glowworm.

And I had no idea how to stop.

How the hell was I supposed to pass for human if I could double as a reading lamp? Maybe it isn’t as noticeable as I think? After all, just because I could see something, didn’t mean other people saw it as well. Maybe I glowed on some other plane.

Only I wasn’t actively touching any plane besides mortal reality.

I looked around. In the predawn the streets were quiet, empty. The early-morning hours, long after the bars had made last call and before business owners prepared for the day ahead, were one of the few times things were quiet in the Quarter. Which I was thankful for—except that there were no taxis and the buses weren’t running yet for the day. I briefly considered calling Tamara, but dismissed the idea. One, I was glowing and I wasn’t ready for the big “F” conversation. And two, if she was already awake she was getting ready for work, and if she wasn’t, I didn’t want to wake her. I’d been asking for far too many favors recently.

I glanced behind me at the door, waiting to see if Caleb and Holly were right behind me. I’d left hours before the end of the revelry, but the slowly brightening sky proved I’d lost the full twenty-four hours just as Rianna had warned. Holly and Caleb would lose the same, but apparently not the exact same because the door remained shut.

What was I supposed to do now? I didn’t have my purse as I’d known I wouldn’t need it in Faerie. I only had my phone and my keys. I paused. My key ring did include the keys to the Tongues for the Dead office, and while it wasn’t the most casual walk away, the Quarter had been designed for foot traffic. It was also considerably closer than Caleb’s house and would get me off the street while I figured out what to do. Turning on my heel, I headed in the direction of the office.

I’d made it a block when a car turned the corner in front of me. The red glow of the brake lights flashing was the first indication something was wrong. I glanced up, hoping for a taxi. After all, who else would be stopping but a taxi that assumed I was a good chance at a fare?

But no, not a taxi. A silver coupe slowed to a crawl as it approached. I couldn’t see how many people were inside, but I felt the stares. Even seventy years after the Magical Awakening, spotting an unglamoured fae on the street wasn’t common—I’d once thought that was because they didn’t like being gawked at, and in part that was true, but recently I’d learned that most used tightly woven glamours to insulate themselves from the iron in the mortal realm. I wasn’t nine feet tall, blue skinned, winged, horned, or any number of the much more other aspects many of the fae displayed, but apparently glowing was enough.

I hunched forward, staring at my feet and letting my shimmering curls fall in front of my face like a shield. The car window opened, and something flew out, crashing into the facade of the building in front of me. The Styrofoam cup exploded on impact, showering me in soda and ice.

“Get out of our town, you faerie freak,” a teenage voice yelled from the dark recess of the car. Then the vehicle sped off in a peel of tires and laughter.

I cursed at the car’s taillights, and then stood in the center of the sidewalk, sticky soda dripping from my arms. Okay, so the glowing is noticeable.

I had to get off the street. I’d never make it to Tongues for the Dead before the Quarter began to fill with people, and I couldn’t let more people see me glowing. If I were recognized…Say good-bye to passing as human.

I ducked into an alley. I’d lose my OMIH license if my fae heritage was discovered. I had to figure out how to stop glowing before more people saw me. But how the hell am I going to do that? Caleb hadn’t left the revelry, and I definitely couldn’t go to Falin—not that he was back from the revelry either. Hell, every fae I knew was in Faerie.

Well, not every fae. I knew of one person I definitely hadn’t seen at the revelry. And not only could he help me; he damn near owed me the help.

I called my father.