Page 16 of Wake the Dream

“You’re wrong.Weare. It’s not exactly common knowledge, but paths to Fairy are cut off. There’s no way back, and for those trapped there, they have no way out. Yelena and I have been together since the gate closed.” Illaria turned her attention out the window and watched the passing trees.

Golden sunlight streaked through the overhead clouds, giving her hair the appearance of snow. Sparkles caught the light and Kieran had to force his gaze back to the road.

“You think she had some feelings of resentment? For being stuck on the mortal plane?” He’d never heard the story before. Then again, he didn’t spend much of his time talking to the Fae, either. There were only a few in town and one he’d been warned to steer clear of. He’d taken the memo to heart and done his best to stay away from the lot of them.

“She never mentioned anything to me. But yeah, that’s what I think. She’s done this before when she wanted to get my attention. Thinks the world can stop and wait for her to...I don’t know. I’m not sure what she thinks, really. I just want her back.”

“You feel the same way?”

“I’m not the one on trial,” Illaria spat.

“Well, I didn’t grow up in this town either,” he said conversationally. “My parents were both from Wisconsin. Moved us to a place by a lake when I was five.” And he’d almost drowned in the weeds before he learned to swim. “I didn’t even know this place existed until I got out of the police academy looking for a job.”

“Good for you. Can’t wait for you to tell me the rest of your life story.”

Kieran chuckled, which only serve to rile her up further. “You don’t like me very much.”

“Whatever gave you that impression?” she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Oh, I don’t know. The way you avoid eye contact with me seems to be a good first indication.”

“It’s a good thing you don’t need me to like you in order to find my sister.”

It was Kieran’s turn to shrug. “Fair point.”

The GPS pinged in announcement of their arrival. Although he hadn’t really needed it in the first place. Illaria had given him the address to the Frosty King. His stomach knew the address by heart.

For some reason, he hadn’t been able to put two and two together.

“I thought we were going to his house?” he asked, pulling up, his gaze darting around the parking lot.

“The damn fool sleeps in a Winnebago behind the restaurant. If he has another place, I haven’t been able to wring it out of Yelena,” Illaria protested. She shifted in her seat to stare at the jaunty red tin roof of the fast food joint.

Kieran took a left into an empty spot and scoured the entrance.

The fuming fairy stormed out of the car and he had to struggle to catch up before she blasted a hole through the front door.

He caught Illaria by the elbow and jerked her back a step. If he’d been a gambling man like Pembroke, he would have bet on her ire and lost.

He would have never guessed her to be shaken up. Fragile, and grief-stricken. “Hold on, there. What do you think you’re doing?”

She pulled away from him. “I’m going to decapitate him. Duh.”

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