***
"I didn't tell you where Pandimora was so that you could endanger your life," Irfin said irritably.
Drew stared at the portal outline. "I don't plan to endanger her life. Tell me what to do."
Irfin heaved a sigh. "I can see there's no changing your mind. Run into the portal, but don't hesitate or it'll bounce you right back out."
"That's not how Pandimora does it." Drew stared at the eight-foot high portal Irfin had materialized in his office hallway. Luckily he had nine-foot ceilings.
Irfin waved his hand impatiently. "That's because she's faerie and of a lighter vibration. Humans have no choice but to rush forward." He hesitated then cleared his throat. "Mmm, now -- there's one more thing. If you see a goblin, don't say a word. In fact, if you can stay out of sight. They're not fond of humans."
"I'm sure the feeling is mutual," Drew said. He wondered when he'd stopped being amazed that faeries existed and that they used portals like humans hopped trains. And now Pandimora was somewhere beyond that portal in a place where goblins lived. What if they didn't let her leave?
Drew watched the fluctuating outline of the portal, brown with a tinge of green along the edges. It wobbled like gelatin. With a last look at Irfin he jumped feet first into the center and landed on the other side, falling to his knees in gooey blue stuff. Looking around, he was immediately disoriented as everything looked disconcertingly upside down.
He stared in awe at a translucent green sky with what appeared to be two suns, aware of distant rumblings like thunder. Drew lunged almost drunkenly to his feet, weirdly off balance. Pandimora ran toward him and he could see her panicked expression. Drew stood, prepared to run to meet her when he realized there were a dozen or more ugly, frightening creatures of all sizes and appearances giving chase behind her.
Goblins. Heart hammering, Drew lurched toward her, reaching out to grab her hand. "Hurry!" he yelled. "You're being chased." The mob behind her could have been a scene from a horror movie.
He turned back to the portal, but somehow it was further away than he'd imagined and it kept bouncing backwards. He ran as hard as he could, Pandimora's hand in his, and then suddenly she passed him and hauled him along behind her. He had all he could do to keep up with her petite frame as her slim legs moved like pistons.
The goblins were almost on them. He moved even faster, pushing himself to the limit. They were not going to get her. His free hand pressed against the medallion in his pocket. Irfin's device. Knowing it was worth a shot, he squeezed the device. Nothing happened. "Really?"
He looked back. A long spindly goblin arm reached out to Pandimora. Drew slowed down to intercept the creature, but Pandimora pulled him hard toward her. God! she was strong. His feet left the ground and then he landed and ran again. Frantically, he pressed the device again.
Pandimora gave a hard tug and propelled both of them into the portal and they tumbled through and out the other side. Drew landed on the wood floor of his office and rolled, arms around Pandimora, cradling her protectively. Their momentum brought them against the wall and Drew grunted at the impact of the hard wood against his back. At the rate he was slamming into walls, he'd have to make an appointment for a chiropractic adjustment.
Pandimora immediately shoved him away and jumped to her feet.
"Hey --" he said as he slid across the floor. She was strong!
Standing over him, hands on her hips, she looked beautiful ... and furious, her clear blue eyes shooting angry sparks toward him. Drew blinked. Holy cow.
"What have you done?" she demanded.
"I got you out of harm's way," he said, annoyed.
"You may have ruined everything I accomplished," she snapped.
Drew came to his feet. "You were in danger."
"I was not!"
"Irfin said --"
She looked around. "Where is he? I will have a word with him."
"Why are you so angry? I got us out of there in time -- did something terrible happen with those goblins?"
"It could have. You have no idea the danger. You don't enter a world you know nothing about. The goblins could have taken you to a dark hole and I can't even envision the torment they'd heap upon a human for daring to enter their realm."
"Wait a second. You're angry because I could have been hurt?"
She glared at him.
"This isn't about me," Drew said. "I saw them, they were after you. If it wasn't for this device --" He pulled Irfin's device from his pocket and waved it.
"No!" she retorted, not even glancing at the medallion, impatiently shoving her red braid over her shoulder. "I was leaving quietly. The goblins were fine until you showed up. They were after you. You!"
"What?" They hadn't been chasing her?
She paced away from him. "Now I'm not sure they'll allow my return."
"Why would you want to go back?"
"They might have helped me shift into Aisywel."
"Irfin told me --" he tried a different tack. "I thought you were in danger. And after seeing those goblins --" It had been an eerie experience, seeing real life goblins chasing her -- or him.
"They became incensed when they smelled a human," she said, obviously trying to hold back her temper. "I was trying to bargain with them."
Drew's uneasiness increased. "What kind of bargain? Not like with your soul or something?"
Pandimora looked at him incredulously then shook her head. "You watch too much television."
A short laugh escaped him. "And what do you know about television?"
She placed her hands on her hips and glowered at him. "Drew, you cannot distract me from my anger."
"I can feel it," he said ruefully. "It's practically burning the clothes off my back." He sighed. "Listen, this is all new to me. Irfin had me convinced you were in trouble. So I took a leap of faith and jumped the portal."
She folded her arms. "Again."
"Yeah, you're right. Again." He cleared his throat. Had Irfin set him up? His earlier suspicion rose again. Was Irfin hiding something that could endanger both of them? "Pandimora, can we talk about this? I want to help." He held up a hand. "But only where you want me to. I really thought you were in mortal danger."
A little more patiently, she said, "In my world, humans are fragile. But what I fear is you will not hesitate to interfere again if you misunderstand a situation."
Drew had a feeling she was right.
"All right, I get that you're self-sufficient and intelligent and know everything about these worlds and I know nothing -- and you don't need me interfering." That was a lot to admit for a guy used to taking charge.
She looked at him in surprise. "Drew, I do not know everything about these worlds, but whether you like it or not, being human puts you at a disadvantage."
"I get it," he said, clenching his jaw. "Can you at least tell me what happened? It wasn't my intention to screw up your mission. I was damned worried."
"Irfin --" she looked around his office, still searching for the little man.
"He appears to be gone," Drew said grimly. "This is a small office and there's no place to hide. Aren't you cold? You're soaking wet," he said, indicating the blue splotches all over her clothes and hair, blue stains running down her neck. His protective instincts rose again, even though she'd proven she could take care of herself.
Pandimora sighed and some of the angry stiffness seemed to leave her. "There was mud thrown." She gripped his arm, her strength surprising him considering she was such a petite woman -- faerie, he reminded himself. "First, I will get your promise you will not jump again into a world you know nothing about. You could be killed or worse. And I don't care what Irfin said, I was fine."
He decided he didn't need to know what could be worse than being dead in another dimension. "I'll do my best not to interfere," he promised reluctantly. Maybe he'd be able to keep the promise.
Pandimora moved away, then restlessly sat down in his desk chair. "There were two goblins, Sirt and Jonic. They threw mud at
me. But it was merely a way to indicate their acceptance of me in their world, for a short time. There was no threat."
"And yet they have no problem coming here and trying to scare people to death."
She brushed that aside. "They come here because they can and it is based on an ancient agreement."
Drew could see they were on two different wavelengths. "Have you been to Isidghe before?" he asked.
"No."
"What I saw would give anyone nightmares."
She put her arms around herself. "You must never return there, Drew, especially since they have your scent."
"I'm worried for your safety. And after seeing what the elder is capable of --"
Alarmed, she reached for his hand. "The elder came after you? You must not admit to any knowledge of me or he'll take you away."
"Irfin arrived and he took off," he said quickly. "Will the goblins help you?"
She chewed her lip. "Perhaps, if I go back at the midnight hour."
He looked at his watch. Almost nine-forty.
"I was trying to get them to agree to help me shift matter so I could sneak back into Aisywel. I can't lose hope, but no one has been aware of my brother's vibration since the time he disappeared. I've never experienced such turmoil within my heart."
Drew, used to taking charge of situations, hesitated. Thinking he might have screwed up her plans didn't sit well with him. He watched her get up, saw the frustration in her beautiful eyes, then she turned and walked back toward the door. He wanted to do whatever he could to protect her, but in reality he couldn't stop her if she chose to keep walking. She paused by the outer door to the street and then began to go through the door.
"Wait," he said, following her. "It's late. At least put on dry clothes. My partner Sara has an office in the back and will have something you can wear. I don't think she'd mind." Tensely, he waited for her response.
Pandimora turned and met his gaze. "I suspect I know why Irfin sent you after me," she said abruptly.
"You do?" He had his own suspicions regarding Irfin. He was getting the feeling Irfin wanted him out of the way.
She nodded grimly. "He wants me distracted from returning to Aisywel, so he's matchmaking."
Again, she'd totally surprised him. Drew lifted a brow. "That's the last thing I expected you to say. And how do you feel about that?" How did he feel about being matched with Pandimora? Warmth released some of the tension in his stomach, but then he withdrew that thought. They were from two different worlds.
Her full lips curved in a slight smile. "We played together as children and now I see you as a man, Drew. I have thought about you for a long time, but ..." she shrugged, "there is so much separating us. You here in your dimension, and if I ever get back to Aisywel ..."
He supposed she was right, but that didn't stop him from wanting to close the space between them and pull her into his arms. Just the thought made a light sweat break out on his forehead. He had the idea making love with Pandimora would be an out-of-this-world experience.
Instead, he said, "Do you think he wants to prevent you from finding the truth about your family? What do you really know about him?"
Pandimora looked surprised. "Irfin is of the fae," she said simply, as if that were explanation enough.
"So is the elder," Drew said dryly. "Listen, I don't want to argue. How about dry clothes and we can go to my place until you have to leave? We can get something to eat," Drew added. He wanted to grab as much time as he could with her. "You do eat, right?"
She smiled for the first time that night. "Of course."
Persuasively, he added, "It's not like you have to be here to access a portal, right? You can do it from my apartment?"
She nodded in agreement. "There is nowhere in any dimension I cannot access a portal."
Drew didn't have the heart to remind her that was true -- except for her home, Aisywel.