Total pages in book: 162
Estimated words: 151630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 758(@200wpm)___ 607(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 758(@200wpm)___ 607(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
I nod, happy that I got this time with Shy. I feel like I know her better. And hopefully she knows I’ll protect her while we’re dealing with my in-laws. Who will likely absolutely think Rhys should be with a proper sidhe girl who won’t mind him performing crazy fertility rituals with numerous partners and spreading his seed all through the sithein. “Of course. And then we can do some shopping.”
I want Shy to feel confident in everything she wears while she’s in Faery.
Danny sighs but doesn’t argue as he lets us walk past into the bookstore that smells like coffee and baked goods and old books. I kind of love it.
We’re almost to the front door when Neil stops. “Huh, those dogs are closer now. Be careful. We don’t know if they’re feral. I’ll handle them.”
“I feel something, You… I feel something, Zoey,” Shy says. “The magic is closer. It’s calling to me.”
I look to Danny—who is legit made of death magic. He shrugs. “I feel nothing except an instinct that tells me you’re going to spend a shit ton of money.”
He knows me well. Neil steps out of the store and I follow.
“Can you tell us which way it’s coming from?” I ask Shy.
But both she and Neil answer. They point to a place around the side of the shop.
“Is there something supernatural walking around in the open?” That could be bad for us.
“Don’t worry,” Danny reassures me. “The place is warded. If you have supernatural blood, you can see everything. If you don’t, well, there’s a reason people think this place is haunted.”
“Oh, it’s super haunted.” Shy moves down the stairs. “But then pretty much everywhere is.”
And that’s when I hear it. A low growl, and then Danny is cursing, trying to get me behind his back as a big animal moves around the side of the bookstore and into the parking lot.
It’s a dog, though it’s as big as a horse, it’s fur a stark white and eyes blood red.
Cŵn Annwn.
We’re in serious trouble because I left my treat bag at home.
Chapter Five
Shy
I was serious when I told the queen I never saw a real live Fae creature until I came to Frelsi. I definitely have never seen an adult hellhound, but that’s what this feels like. Except the magic pouring from the massive creature doesn’t feel demonic.
The eyes, though… They look a little like a portal to Hell.
If Rhys hears about this, he’s going to lose his shit and try to find a way to never let me leave Frelsi again. Even as this deadly creature growls my way, I’m thinking about how Rhys is going to explode. The plant thing does seem harmless, but you’ve never seen what a root can do to a home’s foundation. Even magical ones.
“Shy, I need you to get behind me,” the king says. He stands in front of the creature, his arms out like he’s trying to show he isn’t a threat.
Except he is, and it’s not like the big predator is buying it. The hound growls, and the hair on the back of his neck stands up. That is not a happy puppy. And yet I’m not entirely afraid. Which kind of makes me afraid.
I find myself with the queen, letting the king stand between us and the dog who does not look like he did well at obedience school.
“Neil, shouldn’t you change?” Danny asks. “Let’s see the werewolf that loves to take a bite out of strange creatures.”
I hear Neil’s long sigh. “My wolf is not going to scare that buddy there. We’re all safer if there’s not another canine to try to dominate. That is a Ci Annwn. It’s a Welsh hellhound. He’s not going to be impressed with a werewolf, so I’ll keep my favorite pair of jeans intact, thank you, very much. I no longer have access to Dev’s endless cash, so my wardrobe is important to me now.”
I manage to get a look at the creature Neil calls a Ci Annwn. It’s like an oversized dog with stark white fur, except there are streaks of red around its long ears and on its tail. And yet the magic coming off it still feels…right to me.
“Danny, we’ve got another one.” The queen moves from my side, pressing herself to my back so I’m surrounded by Rhys’s parents. Rhys isn’t the only one with a protective instinct.
I manage to turn just enough to see our friend is not alone. There’s another Ci Annwn coming around the opposite side. And yet another follows him. “Uhm, shouldn’t they be in Wales?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the Drowning Woman has joined us. She’s closer than before, and I wonder if she wants to attack like the dogs seem to.
“Not if Myrddin sent them,” the king says, his voice tight.