Page 62 of Fae Games

I stepped back, raising both palms. This was such a precious heirloom. If I lost it or it got confiscated on my arrest, Flora would lose a piece of her father. “Why are you going so far to help me?”

“Lady Gala is an evil cow, but her father’s ten-times worse. When she got arrested, she was cozying up to Prince August, looking like she was angling for the throne. If she ever succeeds, it will be the Duke of Nevermore ruling us with an iron fist.”

“Thanks.” I accepted the cloak and slipped it over my shoulders.

“It only works if you pull up the hood,” said Flora.

“Right.” I reached back and pulled the massive piece of fabric over my head.

Flora gave me an approving nod. “Completely invisible. Now, stay on my heels and try to move in time with me. We could be lucky, and the guards have gone, or someone already spotted you, and the Duke of Medietas is on his way.”

“Okay,” I whispered.

The walk through the building was uneventful, and no one suspected I was walking behind Flora. I probably should have asked where we were going, but I didn’t want to cause any fuss by being a disembodied voice.

Flora walked down the hallway and out through the back doors, where the sun shone on the white patio, making it glimmer like polished stone encrusted with tiny diamonds. I kept pace with her as she strolled between the tables and chairs toward a black horse that stared at us with its head tilted to the side.

“Where are you going?” asked a voice from behind that made my spine stiffen. “Lessons haven’t finished.”

Flora turned around and placed her hands on her hips. “Sorry, who are you?”

I pivoted on one foot and glanced over my shoulder. A faerie clad in white stood behind us with his dragonfly wings spread wide. Given that he hadn’t retracted his wings, he was probably a half-blood like Elijah.

He folded his arms across his chest. “Corporal Darners. And who might you be?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Flora snapped.

“I would, actually,” he said with a chuckle. “Why don’t we have a sit-down and get to know each other.”

“No, no, no. You’re probably better off leaving,” she said in a meaningful voice that could only have been for me.

The guard chuckled. “And why would I walk away from such a pretty fae?”

“Half-blood,” she said.

His lips curved into a smile. “I know.”

I stepped back, giving Flora a silent word of thanks for holding up the guard, and walked to the end of the patio. The black horse peered at me with mahogany eyes, and I wondered if it could see some displacement in the air. None of that mattered. As long as it didn’t speak or whinny or warn the guard.

“Very nice,” he drawled.

After scrambling over the fence, I glanced at the scene playing out on the patio. The guard had one arm around Flora’s waist, pulling her close, and he wrapped his other hand around her wrist and guided it to his crotch.

I bared my teeth in a snarl. What the fuck was wrong with these guys, thinking half-bloods were easy and less worthy of respect?

“Get off,” Flora shrieked, but the guard continued trying to get her to touch his dick.

My breath quickened. If I didn’t do something now, that guard would keep pushing until Flora got hurt. I placed both hands on the wall and paused. What if this was an attempt to lure me out of my hiding place? For all I knew, four guards were waiting for me to defend my friend.

I bit down on my lip. How could I escape and help Flora? The black horse nickered, giving me an idea. I tiptoed around the beast and slapped it hard on its rump. With a loud whinny, the horse galloped through the meadow of wildflowers, heading for the trees.

“Bloody bitch,” the guard growled. He released Flora with a shove and sprinted down the patio. “You were just a diversion!”

I stood to one side, watching him vault himself off the wall and sprint after the speeding horse. Hopefully, it wouldn’t stop running until it reached the Mound or somewhere equally as far.

“Thank you,” I said to Flora.

“Go,” she mouthed back.