Page 102 of Forsaken Royals

“Okay. We can all go, if you want to join, Lex.”

“I’ll definitely go.” The fierce protectiveness coming from both of them comforted my nerves.

I bit my bottom lip. “Okay, let’s go. But what about the festival?”

“We just have more social events for the next two days, then another blessing in the sequence the day before the eclipse.” Flint stood. “We should get going if we’re going to get there as fast as possible. It’s just close enough for us to be able to get there, investigate, and get back before the next events.”

“All right. Let’s go.”

The efficiency of their aides and enforcers still impressed me, even after all this time. Before I knew it, we were in a car driving out to Trysthaven.

The drive was mostly silent. I was squished between Lex and Jagger, who were so warm and cozy that I fell asleep on Lex’s shoulder.

“We’re here, Kitten,” he said, nudging me.

I squinted against the light coming through the window until my eyes adjusted. How were we here when here was more or less empty? The town we’d stopped in looked like it had come from fifty years in the past—a few old buildings falling apart and next to no fae. The few that were here quickly made their way inside. We looked wildly out of place.

“You’re sure this is right?” Lex asked Flint.

“It’s what he told me.” Flint opened the door and stepped out.

Jagger helped me out of the car, and an enforcer shut the door behind us. Even though it was empty, I felt a magnetic pull toward the path through town.

“What’s that way?” I asked.

“No idea, but we can explore,” Flint said. “You feel it?”

“Yeah, I do.”

I frowned. Feeling another fae’s magic wasn’t weird—it was as common as smelling something in the air. But this magic called to me intensely, like I had to go see it. I had never felt anything like that before.

We took the short walk through town, the Royals following me as the pace of my footsteps increased. I followed the feeling as it intensified and made my heart race.

“Here?” I stopped outside an old warehouse, where the pulse of magic was the strongest. The door was hanging off its hinges, like someone had broken it and not bothered to put it back properly. Windows had been busted out, and the siding was rusted. The silence was unnerving. Not a soul was anywhere near us.

“Either the source of that magic is standing really still, or this is some kind of trap,” Jagger said. The three of them stepped between me and the doors of the warehouse.

“No, it’s not a trap.” I didn’t have any concrete evidence that was true, but it felt true deep down inside. This place was safe. “Let’s go in.”

“We’re going in first.” Flint stepped forward before I responded, pulling open the beaten-up door. It fell to the ground, a musty scent coming from inside. He, Jagger, and Lex peered in, stepping inside cautiously.

“Nothing’s here,” Lex called out.

“So, I can come in?” I walked in before they could stop me.

Something vibrated through me, like a pulse. I put my hand on my chest and looked at Jagger and Lex, who had to have felt that. The call of the magic was even more intense now.

“Watch the door,” Jagger said to the enforcers. “Don’t let anyone in.”

Jagger, Flint, and Lex followed me as I walked across the warehouse. I wasn’t sure what it had been used for, but it had long been abandoned. I eased open another door at the far end, which opened up into a thick, lush forest.

“How…” I stared, reaching my hand out. The forest was so dense that a tree was within arm’s reach. I touched it. It was very real. The magic pulsed through me. “This can’t be a glamour, can it?”

“No.” Flint stepped in first, frowning. “It’s a portal.”

“A portal? I thought that ability had died out,” Lex said, following him in.

Jagger took my hand and pulled me through as well.

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