Page 93 of Broken Veil
Carys spun toward Cadell and grabbed his arm. “I’m going to need you to shut up so much, especially when we are in that van that’s going to be very crowded now with myverynew boyfriend and yet another magical creature with supernatural hearing.”
“Very well,” Cadell said. “But understand that my protective instincts will likely become even more pronounced if you are with child.”
She was dying. Cadell was going to kill her, and then he’d have to find another nêrys.
The dragon was beaming. “It will be delightful to be in the presence of small children again. Babies love me.”
Maybe Cadell’s next nêrys would be more immune to death-by-embarrassment.
Their driveto the next druid would take them past Birmingham and toward a place called Wyre Forest. It was only four hours, but it felt longer with rowdy Jack poking fun at everyone in the van and shouting random recommendations for pubs and restaurants in every town they passed.
“That one!” he’d shout as they passed an exit. “Crown and Barrel Pub. Excellent fish pie.”
“The most beautiful girls I’ve seen in a hundred years in that town. There’s something in the water.”
“You like beer?” He elbowed Angus. “You want the Three Friars Restaurant. I’m telling you, you can’t go wrong.”
It was like road-tripping with a slightly inebriated college kid with the voice of a radio DJ.
Duncan was whistling as they drove, clearly happy to be back on the road and headed toward something more familiar than a tiny alternate universe popped in the middle of an old forest.
“We should take a weekend in Birmingham sometime,” he told Carys. “I had a restoration job down there a few years ago. Excellent town. Great music scene.”
She smiled. “You’re sounding like Jack a little.”
“I mean…” He glanced over his shoulder and lowered his voice. “He’s better than a brooding prince and a stoic dragon glaring at cars and sunshine, isn’t he?”
“I cannot disagree.” Carys glanced at Lachlan again, wondering if his victory over Jack—though symbolic—had put him in a better mood.
He was staring out the window with his arms crossed over his chest.
Carys wanted to have a conversation with the man, maybe tell him about her dream with Seren, but she didn’t know if that would help him or hurt him. Duncan had told her not to say anything but…
Maybe she should ask Cadell.
“Turn off in forty miles,” Jack said. “You’re an excellent driver, Laird Duncan!”
“Thank you.”
“With the most beautiful copilot, eh?”
Carys saw his reflection in the window and caught Jack winking at her.
“I’m the luckiest of men.” Duncan grabbed her hand. “Now if I can just keep her from starting another magical war, life will be easy sailing.”
That led Jack to let out another raucous laugh, and Carys decided it was time to take a nap or at least close her eyes.
What seemed like moments later, she felt the van exit the highway, but she kept her eyes closed as they twisted and turned on city streets.
They’d reached Birmingham in the middle of the day, and Carys wouldn’t have expected much traffic, but the roads were clogged and she saw two vehicles pulled over to the side of the road. The drivers were out of their cars and shouting at each other, fingers in each other’s chests.
“Whoa.” Laura followed the fighting men with her eyes. “I guess I assumed the States had more road rage than England.”
Cadell frowned. “These days, it does not.”
“That’s intense for a fender bender.”
Another few miles and they passed another accident and a man and a woman yelling from across the hood of a small sedan.
