Darkness & Light (War of the Fae: Book 3) Read Online Free Page B

spoke up.   “What time will we arrive there?”
    “After our drive from the airport?   About three or four in the afternoon, give or take.”
    Good .   That would give me enough time to visit with Maggie in the woods and get Tim fixed up.
    We arrived at the hotel and rode up the elevator to our rooms.   We had to retrieve our stuff that we’d left there.   Seemed a shame to not even use the rooms we’d already paid for, but I was anxious to get back.   A part of me was worried that Ben’s easy release of Tony and me was some kind of scam that was going to come back and bite me on the ass.
    “Aren’t you going to be too tired to deal with all this stuff – with me I mean – when we get back?” asked Tony as we walked out of the hotel lobby with our bags on our backs, Tim’s box tucked under my left arm.
    “Are you kidding me?   I get up every day at oh-five-thirty, thank you very much.”
    “Wow.   That’s impressive.”
    “Tony, you are looking at a very finely tuned, warrior fae machine.”   I gave him a bicep curl with my free arm for effect.   “I get up at the crack of my ass dawn and work until I drop at the end of the day.   Just like everyone else.   Just like you will.”   I gave him my most brilliant smile and tweaked his nose, for the sole purpose of annoying him.   I hadn’t mentioned that little tidbit of waking up insanely early before, so it was kinda fun to share it now – get him back for making me panic around Ben, thinking for a couple of tense seconds that he was going to change his mind and stay behind.
    Jared walked up to me, nodding at Tony who was now scowling playfully at me.   “Jayne, can I talk to you in private for a minute?”
    “Sure.   Tony, go wait with Chase, would you?”   I knew I could count on Chase to look out for him, just in case Ben decided to make an appearance.
    “What’s up?” I asked when we were well away from the group.
    “I just wanted to talk to you about the issue we still have with bringing Tony back with us.   We really haven’t discussed it.   I figured before there wasn’t any point unless we actually convinced him to come.”
    “Okay.   Shoot.”
    “You remember the rule, right?   That once a candidate has refused to become a changeling, he can never make the change?”
    My ears started burning with fear and a touch of anger.   “Yeah, I remember.   They’re just going to have to change the rules.”
    Jared shook his head slowly, looking down at the ground.   “I don’t think you should plan on that happening.”
    “Well, what the hell did we come all the way out here for, then?”
    Jared shrugged.   “It was better than leaving him to Ben.”
    “Ben would have let him change,” I said accusingly.   “He would have forced it on him.   So if the Dark Fae would do it, why won’t the Light?”
    “I don’t know why the rules are what they are.   I just know this council in particular is set on following them.   They’re very traditional.   They don’t make change easily.”
    “Well, they can sit with their thumbs up their asses all day for all I care.   Tony is making the change or else.”
    “Or else what?” asked Jared, searching my eyes.
    “Or else I’m leaving with him.”
    Jared sighed in resignation.   “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
    “Yeah.   Let’s do that,” I said bitterly.   Friggin’ council .   They weren’t going to decide for me what Tony and I did.   I’d had enough of adults in my life making stupid decisions that affected me negatively.   If they couldn’t see reason, I’d ... I’d ... well, I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to do, but whatever it was, it wouldn’t involve me blowing off my friend ever again.
    Jared and I walked over to the shuttle that had arrived and parked in the valet area in front of the hotel.   “Don’t stress over it too much,” he said.   “I’m sure it’ll all work out.”
    “Yeah.”
    Jared opened