“Danica—”
“Speed racer—”
But she wasn’t listening to either of them, didn’t want them to convince her not to do it. She knew what she needed to do, whether because she actually did or because she was being swayed by her morality, she wasn’t sure. Either way, Danica wasted no time. Pulling the emergency brake, the tail of the car swung around and slammed into the feet of the troll, throwing it off balance. It wouldn’t kill the creature—Danica knew that—but she hadn’t meant to kill it. The troll went down hard, and before it could reach for them, Danica was already shooting forward, coming even with the Fae team, who’d been a split second away from death.
“What did you do that for?” Arden growled, snarling at her. “It would have solved our problem!”
But Phi was silent for a moment, his eyes on the Fae team. Danica looked over at them, too, just in time to catch the male Fae nodding his head respectfully to her. She returned the nod before they both took off again, neck and neck.
“No,” Phi whispered, amazement in his voice. “The Fae believe in transactions. Danica just saved them, which means they’re in her favor. They likely won’t hand us the victory, but they owe her now.”
Arden blinked. “Wait. You mean to tell me that—”
“Danica’s humanity just gave us an advantage?” Phi nodded, a smile spreading across his face. “Indeed, I am.”
Danica stayed silent, not sure what to say, but when both of the men touched her gently, she leaned into the touch. They wouldn’t talk about how her instincts had worked so perfectly, at least not yet. There was too much they’d have to discuss after the race, but for now, they only had to focus on winning.
The Fae and they raced side by side, perfect positions for firing weapons back and forth but neither team pulled out weapons and fired at the other. Instead, they were letting the cars and drivers do the work on this last part of the race. Perhaps it was a response to the favor being owed, or perhaps it was pride. Either way, Danica focused completely on the track ahead of her and put her skills to good use.
“Four miles,” Phi commented.
A beeping echoed around them, softly at first, and then louder.
“What is that?” Danica asked, her face twisting. She didn’t risk looking away from the track, not when the obstacles could change suddenly. The traps weren’t marked, but they were moving too fast for the traps to catch them. Spikes burst behind them a split second after they passed, both the Fae and the others behind them avoiding them.
“A sponsor,” Arden replied. “Roll down your window and hold your hand out. It’ll be meant for you.”
Danica did as he instructed, rolling down the window and sticking her hand out. Almost instantly, a package dropped into Danica’s hand, making her flinch. She quickly brought it inside and rolled up her window. “I can’t open this while I’m driving.”
“Allow me,” Phi said, reaching for it and slowly unrolling the cloth. A large dagger rolled out, the silver glittering in lights of the instrument panel. “The note reads, ‘for your protection against betrayal. Sincerely yours, Theo.’ It’s addressed to you, Danica.”
“But I already have a blade,” Danica commented, glancing at the large knife on her thigh Arden had attached there.
“Doesn’t matter,” Arden ordered, grabbing the blade he’d given her and setting it aside. “Switch them out. The warlock of the North has gifted you a weapon. That means he’s foreseen you needing this exact blade. Keep it on you at all times.”
Ahead of them, the finish line glow came into appearance and Danica’s breath shuttered. “We’re almost there.”
“Another two miles,” Phi nodded. “It’s about to get intense.”
Before he even finished his sentence, the sky exploded with fire around them.