Page 28 of Enticing Monsters

I hop out before he can change his mind and drive away, darting across the lawn to the front door, which opens as I step up. Foster pushes his glasses up his nose as he joins me outside, shutting the door with a quiet click behind him. Just before it shuts completely, though, I see the face of a pale man eyeing me with reverent wonder.

Foster’s father, I realize. I haven’t seen him in…way too long.

“Hey, Lost.” My elemental mate scrubs a hand over his hair, glancing behind him, and I reach out to give his hand a squeeze.

“How’s your dad?” My chest tightens as I think of the broken look in Foster’s eyes when I met his dad and he led him away.

Foster shrugs. “It’s a good day, for the moment.”

“I appreciate your help.” I pat his hand and step back. “I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t necessary.”

I caught enough in my lectures at school to know that there is a type of suppressant that can be taken for trips to Faerie. It’s supposed to dull your powers and trick the world itself into believing you're human, at least for a short while. However, it’s hard to come by, and it’s considered not worth the gamble, so only a few have ever used it.

But what do I have to lose? Ineedanswers, even more than I need air to breathe. And, more than that, lives are at stake. If I can fit the pieces of this puzzle together, I can stop the killer once and for all.

Foster winces, fiddling with his glasses again. “I’m still not sure it’s a great idea for you to sneak in. I mean, if we talk to the others…”

I shake my head adamantly. “No way. I’m not risking any of you. I was born there and didn’t have the virus when my parents took me from that world.”

Unless it’s what caused your stupid health problems.

The snarky thought rattles in my head, but I push it away. I need answers, not to let fear rule me. I won’t let it keep me in a wheelchair, and I certainly won’t let it keep me from seeing where I was born and potentially getting answers about who I am or even what is causing the killings that still seem to be ramping up around us.

Either way, I survived once, and I’ll do it again. It’s not just cocky swagger or unwarranted confidence guiding me down this path. Something innate within meknowsthat Faerie is where I’m meant to be. Perhaps it’s because I was born there. Or maybe it’s because of the rarity of my species. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t change the fact that I know with unwavering certainty that I’ll survive my trip to Faerie. Survive…and hopefully find much-needed answers.

“I’ll be fast.”

He taps a finger on the strap of the bag hanging over his shoulder before nodding. “Fine. But I’m blaming you if anyone finds out. You’re cute, but I still don’t want my ass kicked.”

I laugh and nudge my shoulder against his as I lead him to the car. “You forget, I saw you fight. I don’t think you would be the one getting your ass kicked.”

He chuckles and then nods a greeting at my brother before sliding into the back seat. I hesitate a moment, unsure between sitting in the front with Cal or the back with Foster. Which would be more awkward?

A blush mantles my cheeks as I slide in beside my fire mate, closing the door quickly.

“I thought you’d be trying to talk her out of this,” Caleb comments after a few quiet minutes of driving.

He’s trying to appear nonchalant, but I can tell he’s tensed by how tightly he’s gripping the steering wheel. His knuckles are bleached white.

Foster merely shakes his head. “I’d rather make sure she has the potion and takes it correctly than risk her sneaking in at some point without it because I refused.”

Smartandcute. Seriously, it’s a winning combination.

And he’s my mate.

Heat roars through me at the thought, and I squirm slightly, trying to swallow despite my suddenly stone-dry throat.

Caleb only grunts, but he doesn't disagree. Even brothers can be trained.

It only takes a few minutes to get to the hotel that serves as Fae headquarters, and Caleb pulls into a parking spot, letting the car idle. “I know the portal’s inside, but I’ve got no idea where it is or how to use it.”

Steam comes out of my ears, and I whack him over the head. “And you seriously didn’t think to mention this earlier?”

“It’s down near the room the lords and ladies meet in,” Foster tells me, opening the car door and stepping out to stretch his legs, his eyes darting around the mostly empty lot. “A part of Faeriewantsits citizens to come home, so to speak. The portal reacts to the presence of fae. So, theoretically, you should be able to open it with your blood.”

I doubt that’s a euphemism. Luckily, I’m not squeamish.

“Normally, it’s guarded by at least a few fae guards to keep the riffraff like us away.” He tries for a smile, but it falls flat.

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