Page 90 of Fool Moon First Aid

Shaken, I dart into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. My heart’s still racing when I realize I left my bag outside. I whip the door open and grab it before anyone has the chance to knock me off my feet again with a touch or a kiss.

As I stand in front of the mirror, I’m hit by this wave of impossibility. The girl staring back looks like me but also different. Ava’s still in there, somewhere behind those shockwaves of emotion flashing across her—my—face. My hair has decided to star in its own shampoo commercial without me, thick and glossy, and my eyes used to be this kind of meh brown, but now they are popping with every shade of magic. And my skin… Did I suddenly stumble into a filter? It’s clear, glowing, and just so…perfect.

Shaking my head to clear the surreal feeling, I dig through my bag for toothpaste and PJs, only to face-palm myself because my phone is still on the floor at the Castellons’. As I’m mentally kicking myself, there’s a knock at the door.

With my toothbrush hanging out of my mouth, I open the door to find Ethan looking concerned. “Are you all right?” he asks like he’s genuinely worried I injured myself in a battle with dental hygiene. “I heard a moan of frustration.”

“Mmmy phmmne,” I mumble around the toothbrush, give him the one moment finger, and then rinse. “It’s in my clutch,” I finally tell him, feeling a mix of annoyance and sheepishness. I’m mentally face-palming again. “What if someone decides to snoop?”

Ethan nudges me. “I’ll pick up a new one for you and see if one of the clan members can erase it from here.”

“You can do that?” I ask, amazed yet also kind of not surprised.

“I’ll have someone else do it,” he corrects with a half smile, but there’s this tension, like he’s carrying the weight of the world in that smirk. “Good night,” he says, all formal and stuff.

“Thanks, really,” I blurt out, gripping my toothbrush like it’s my lifeline. “Good night, Ethan.”

He nods and steps back, but I’m not ready to let him go. “Wait.” When he looks back, his stare nearly knocks the wind out of me. “Why do they call you Huggie?”

“Tomorrow,” he promises. “Get some sleep, Ava.” He disappears into his room, and I’m left there, still holding my toothbrush and a bucketload of curiosity.

I quickly clean my wound that’s already healing and slip into my PJs, noticing my period has basically disappeared—something that has never happened before. I head back to Tyler’s room with Bean still curled around my neck.

Walking into Tyler’s room feels like slipping into a favorite pair of jeans—just right. He’s there, doing the whole responsible pet owner thing, swirling a mouse in a box for Bean. She senses dinner and makes a beeline for it, sliding down my arm with all the grace of a slinky.

“Do snake shifters exist?” I ask, watching Bean strike her mouse.

“They do,” Tyler answers as he scoops me up and plops us both on the bed. I’m lying on top of him, my chin on my hands, and he has this look like he’s just so damn happy to have me here in his room with him. “But not like normal snakes,” he starts. “When I was a wee little pup, I went for a run.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Why does this story sound like you were up to no good?” My gaze shifts back to Bean, who seems like she’s plotting her next daring escape. The last thing I want is for her to vanish into thin air right after her meal.

“Because I was,” he admits with a playful wag of his brows. “I ran because I needed to test my limits. I wanted to see how far I could push myself, so I let my paws carry me for miles upon miles, until I found myself in an unfamiliar forest.”

Intrigued, I scoot up to sit beside him. “Where were you?”

“Faerie. The fae lands are deceptive. It’s easy to wander into their territory without realizing it. They often harbor spiritkin that can’t live in our realm,” he explains, adjusting a pillow under his head. “Like snake shifters. I stumbled upon the entrance to a cave, feeling the presence of someone—or something—else. My curiosity got the better of me when I saw glowing eyes.”

My eyes widen in anticipation. “How big?”

“Like saucers,” he says, framing a large circle with his hands. “Spiritkin that get trapped in their form sometimes can’t remain in our world,” he continues, noting my rapt attention.

“Tell me more,” I urge, glancing at Bean as she peeks over the box’s edge. Rising to put her away, I catch Tyler yawning and shivering before he positions himself at the bed’s edge.

“Griffins. Dragons. Gigantaboa,” he lists, smirking at my shock. “Yes, you heard me.”

Looking down at the small corn snake in my hands, I chuckle. “See, you aren’t the biggest snake,” I tease her before placing her back in her enclosure, “but you definitely have the biggest personality.”

With Bean settled, I climb into bed with Tyler, snuggling into the space closest to the wall. Tyler seems both shocked and pleased as I crawl under the covers and claim one of his pillows. He leans over to turn off the light, then curls up beside me.

“So, gigantaboa?” I continue, yawning and nestling closer to him.

It feels so natural, I don’t even second-guess my actions until he groans, his arms encircling me tightly. “I’m trying to play the gentleman, Ava,” he murmurs, his voice a mix of frustration and restraint.

“Sorry,” I squeak out, my whole body tensing at his words.

He snuggles me closer, deliberately keeping a respectful distance, and I can’t help but blush as I realize why.

“The fae, not being from this world, have always found it appealing here. They’ve created doorways to their realm all over the globe, offering refuge to those spiritkin stuck in their forms or those who choose not to stay in our world. Like dragons,” he explains softly.

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