Page 58 of Enticing Monsters

“And I’ve never seen anything like this before.” The fae heaves out a tired breath and runs a hand down his face. Exhaustion lines the skin beneath his eyes, creating dark shadows. “My magic shows that he’s perfectly healthy. I don’t detect the fae virus or anything of the sort. And if itisthe fae virus, then it’s a mutation that I’ve never seen before.”

The drawing Devyn showed me pops to the forefront of my mind, but I need to rule out all other possibilities.

My heart pounds erratically, and I turn towards Xander. “Could this have anything to do with visiting Faerie? The drug we took?”

Even before I’m finished speaking, Xander is shaking his head, the slightest tightening of his jaw the only outward sign of his distress.

“No. That drug V must’ve taken is perfectly safe in small doses. It's different from the one Foster gave you.” He casts a pointed look at the fire elemental, whose cheeks tint crimson with shame. “Thatdrug only works for a few hours, at most. But V has access to a higher dosage, which can last up to a week. It’s designed to trick the world into thinking you’re human. Yes, if he were to stay longer than a few days, the drug would have adverse effects, but he was only there for a couple of hours.”

“What kind of adverse effects?” It feels as if I just swallowed a hairball that has gotten stuck going down my throat.

It’s hard to speak, hard to even breathe.

“Well…” Xander absently scratches at his chin, where a tiny bit of stubble resides. “After a few days, you’ll slowly start to lose your powers. And it’s been rumored that if you stay in the world longer than a week, you’ll turn completely human. Any longer than that, and you’ll be dead.”

A week.

One week.

My brain examines all of this information.

Gage—one of the most powerful fae healers in the world—is under investigation and is unable to leave council headquarters. Devyn made sure of that. I understand his reasoning, even if I don’t have to like it.

V is sick with something that no one can detect. A sickness he received shortly after he arrived in the fae world but that I suspect has to do with the killer. Somehow, he or she created a mutation of the virus that can’t be cured by a normal healer. I doubt even Gage will be able to use his abilities to help V.

So where does that leave us?

“And are we even sure V took the drug?” I press.

I wouldn’t call V reckless, but if he discovered I was going to Faerie without him, there’s a chance that he might’ve slipped through the portal without taking the liquid designed to dampen his powers. Maybe he was exposed to the virus while there.

“My shadows tell me that a vial is missing from the labs,” Xander tells me severely. “So yes, I believe he took it.”

“Okay…” I lick my lower lip as my thoughts whirl. And then, with more confidence, I repeat myself. “Okay. There’s only one thing we can do.”

Kian, who has been talking to the healer—no doubt using his powers to make the old man forget this entire conversation—turns to me with his eyebrows scrunched together, a deep furrow forming in the center of his forehead. “And that is?”

“Xander, I need you to get your hands on higher doses of that drug. Then, I need you to stay with Gage and V. Use your connections to free Gage and also do what you can for V. If he wakes up, he’s going to need an explanation for why I’m not here, and you’re the hardest to stab.”

Xander frowns. “And where exactly willyoube, Ms. Jenkins?”

I turn to address the others. Kian, Tristan, and Foster. Some of the very first friends I made when I arrived in this town and started at a new school. Who would’ve thought that they’d come to mean everything to me?

“We’re going back into Faerie to find a cure for the virus. Or someone who can help us make one.”

And pray that whatever happened to the psychotic fae prince doesn’t happen to all of us as well.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

SERAFINA

Ifold another shirt, settling it into my backpack on top of my weapons. I know we can’t actually spend more than a few days in Faerie, not without risking getting ill, but it feels better to pack for all contingencies.

I tuck a few bottles of painkillers, tissues, and handkerchiefs for nosebleeds, some instant ice packs, and a few instant heat packs in amongst my clothes. Hopefully, I won’t need to use them—or worse, try to explain to the guys how to help me use them—but I’ve learned over the years to be prepared. I’d feel stupid if I remember to carry them to school with me every day for episodes but forget them now.

With my luck, I’ll get lost, not be able to find the entry point back to this realm, and be stuck in stinky clothing with a bleeding nose when Devyn and Xander come to haul my ass back out. I have no doubt they’ll be watching the clock, counting down every minute we’re all gone. It has to be a struggle for them to let the rest of us go—as much as they argue with V, I think even he would have been a preferable chaperone in their eyes.

Foster and I have only a tiny bit of experience traveling between worlds, and Kian and Tristan have never visited Faerie before, but it isn’t going to stop us. For V, for Gage, we have to keep moving forward.

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