Page 77 of Fairies Never Fall

“Where’s Ezra’s house? I want you to take me there.”

Orion narrows all four eyes at me and tosses the ruined egg into the bin. “I dunno if that’s a good idea.”

“I don’t care.” I cross my arms. “He needs me. You told me to figure out what’s wrong, and that’s what I’m doing.”

“Oh, brother.” Orion’s eyebrows are exasperated, but his tone is amused. “I guess I did.”

“You want me to stay?” Orion asks as I get out of the car. “This isn’t a great part of town.”

“No, thanks.” I shut the door. “Thank you for this.”

He shakes his head. “Syril won’t be happy about you leaving The Sanctum again so soon. But hell, you gotta spread your wings. Just don’t stay out after dark!”

“Ezra will drive me back before then,” I reply confidently.

I knock twice on Ezra’s door. He doesn’t answer, so I knock again. Ezra likes to sleep late, but surely he’s awake by now. I’m about to look around for a window to climb through when the knob turns.

“Fitzie, you have the key —” Ezra stops short when he sees me. “Lysander?”

I can’t help but stare. His hair is sticking up, his jaw is dusted with dark stubble, and there are dark bags under his eyes. A fluffy pink robe engulfs him, his bare feet sticking out the bottom. His cheeks and nose are pink and his eyes are glazed over.

I stare. He bursts out with one of the sneezes I’m starting to hate.

With a groan, he rubs his nose, making it redder. “Damn it. So am I hallucinating or are you really here?”

I find my tongue. “I came to see you.”

Ezra scrubs his hand through his hair, making it even more wild. “How did you…?”

“Orion snuck into Syril’s office to find your address.”

“Ah, shit. Your nightmares. I’m sorry, Lys. I just caught a bug and it finally ran me into the ground.”

“I’m sleeping fine!” I can’t believe he’s worried aboutme. “You’ve been acting different, and I’m worried. Orion is worried, too.”

He groans. “It’s this stupid cold.”

“It’s practically summer,” I counter, unsure why he’s talking in riddles.

“Oh.” Understanding dawns across his face. “No, baby, I’m sick.”

“You’re sick?” Alarmed, I take a step toward him.

He steps back. “I don’t want you to catch it off me.”

“I told you, human diseases don’t affect me.” I hesitate. My fingers itch to reach out to him, but his eyes are shuttered. My wings twitch in agitation. “Do you need medicine? Tinctures? You should be lying down. How ill are you?”

“It’s really nothing,” he insists.

“Should I go?”

“No — no, don’t do that, sweets. You can come inside. Fitzie’s not here — he’s been avoiding the apartment because he loathes being sick.” He steps back, letting me in, and I hear Orion’s car pull away from the curb.

Ezra shuffles around me to shut the door.

Eagerly, I drink the room in. His home is small, the walls mostly bare and the furniture sparse. Still, glimpses of him shine through. A poster hangs on the wall. His boots lie discarded by the door. A music player sits under the television. Little fragments that make me burn for more.

He hovers awkwardly next to me. “Does Syril know you’re here?”

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