Page 72 of Knowing Trust

“No, but your gut is damn accurate, so what is your gut telling you, Tams?” Neldor asked.

“That it was double the hundred and three thousand. My gut is saying get more people here, and that’s not happened before. My magic is… Sort of bragging. There was a large group on the outskirts of the city hiding out in—a farm I think? My magic kind of panted when it was done, and I got the image of Chief wanting a pat on the head after doing something good.”

“You keep up this rate and we’ll wake the last before spring,” Stefanie muttered as she opened a few portals. People immediately came through and she gave orders to get more help and where to search for awaken fairies.

I recovered and accepted something from Ara. I thought she was handing me a sports drink, so I wasn’t ready when it was a magazine. I caught it before it fell to the ground since it was heavy too. I swallowed a laugh when I saw it was a bridal gown catalog. “Izzy?”

“Yes, but I added a few that I really like and think would flatter you and are simple.”

“I didn’t know you were taking input,” Shael muttered, and I noticed Stefanie and Talila looking over as well.

“I’m not,” I drawled. “No, seriously, if Sasha or Mrs. Von Thann hear that you all were giving input—you are not ruining my life and those women taking over. There is no reining them back in.”

“I would suggest you have three final choices that you ask them which they prefer,” Talila muttered after a moment. “The more you let them help with firm boundaries, the more they will get the itch out with and not just go crazy. It was how my mother handled my brother’s crazy mother-in-law and he said it helped.”

That was actually a great idea. “Or you can all figure out food maybe after I talk to Julian since apparently I was a fool to think we could just elope with a few people.”

“You could, but the pouting you’ll have to deal with after wouldn’t be worth it,” Stefanie muttered, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Irma alone, and Elasha wants to be a flower girl after she heard Esta is making the cake.”

“Fuck,” I groaned with feeling. There was no way I was turning down the hobgoblins. That seemed to amuse people around us, and I shot Stefanie a look that she played dirty.

And clearly, she knew it.

I told her I’m not sharing food with her in the next dozen meetings and she just snorted at me, knowing full well I wouldn’t do it.

“You were right that there are even more on the outskirts,” Neldor told me. “Get home and rest up and start your refueling before cleansing. I’m taking more squads to scour all over the area. We’ll handle it.”

I nodded, but he was already gone. My detail came with, but while Shael and Talila stayed to help coordinate, Stefanie came with and so did Morgan because… I forgot. He was going to send more from the hotels? Seriously, there was always too much going on.

Stefanie went through the portal just a step ahead of me while we were still talking about the catalog. Ara was a step behind me.

I crossed through focused on finding the next flagged dress and that was why I missed it. I’d stopped being the boss for a minute and wanted to just be a person enjoying being happy. Just for one fucking minute.

And all hell broke loose when I did.

Stefanie’s magic went from nothing to full throttle when we weren’t two steps from the portal. That was the only warning I got as her wings popped out. Mine did in response, and I went to throw up a barrier to protect all of us.

But I wasn’t fast enough.

The only way I could explain it was she brought the magic to protect me first, so it was up from the ground to block me. I went the other way and dropped it from over us and down. That would matter later, but all I heard in that moment was the scream Stefanie made as magic more powerful than hers hit the barrier and it shattered.

Hitting her as she blocked me, knocked me out of the way.

My barrier came down the next instant and we were safe. I was about to yell at her for being stupid when I always had my charms and everything in place… But I didn’t. I couldn’t to wake fairies.

It was the one time I couldn’t besides riding unicorns.

I threw out my magic even as I caught her, yelling for Morgan to heal her. The squad of fairies was down but alive, knocked out from what I could feel.

“The threat is still there, Your Highness,” he argued right as an attack hit my barrier. He was pointing towards where it came from like he was going to go for them.

I grabbed his arm, feeling the magic now that it had touched mine. “No, they’re related to me!” I nodded when his eyes went wide. “Heal Stefanie!”

“She cannot take me to Faerie,” Stefanie stuttered out, her eyes too wide in shock as she shivered.

“I won’t risk it,” I promised as I threw magic out and caught the person who was still trying to attack us. I put up a barrier to drain him and let his energy charge me up as I used advanced healing runes on her. Morgan did the same, nodding he was with me.

I also opened a portal to my dad under my barrier.

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