Page 38 of Sharpen Your Claws

“We don’t have pubs in Faerie,” Nicholas explained as they sat. “But I find them rather charming.”

“I’m surprised. Fae love to drink. All they did during the war was fight and party.”

“Oh yes, we throw revels at our home or in the fields. No one has built an establishment for food and drink, although I imagine it may not perform as well in Faerie. There is always at least one death at a revel and much destruction.”

He actually laughed, having not forgotten Nicholas’ strange tales of Faerie, and thus found the story believable. “This may be too tame for you, then.”

“I have no quarrels, so long as I am with you.”

He watched carefully, feeling awful to treat their time like an experiment. He had to know if being together would lead to catastrophe. With an illness, one tested methods to discover what caused harm and what healed. He had to do the same for Nicholas, although he wasn’t sure it would be of any help.

“Is that truly all you want, to be with me? You do not have other desires?” he asked.

Nicholas perched his elbows on the table, smiling with all his teeth.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” he muttered.

“Because you’re picking me apart like a puzzle trying to get answers. Because you want me, or rather, what we had. That comforts me,” Nicholas replied fondly.

A tavern girl came to the table. She didn’t realize Nicholas was fae until she already spoke. He paid her no mind, focused entirely on William, who ordered for them. She ran into a patron in her rush to leave the table, resulting in a spill of ale. The commotion did nothing to deter Nicholas’ attention.

“I want you to lead the best life you can,” William muttered and gave the poor tavern girl a kind smile when she shakily delivered their meal.

“My best life will be one spent with you.” Nicholas drank, then smacked his lips together.

“How romantic, but you didn’t answer my question.”

Nicholas ran a finger along the rim of his pint. “There are moments where my mind wanders, but ultimately, I think of you. I imagine us traveling, seeing both of our worlds while hand in hand, and I wonder if,” he licked his lips, suddenly nervous, “if your family could accept me and I could be a part of that.”

What a beautiful future that William desired more than ever. That also meant Nicholas didn’t always perceive his family as obstacles. What happened the other day may not happen again. Nicholas wanted to be part of his family and if they could achieve that, maybe they could…

“Would you really like that? My family are mortals and they aren’t exactly, uh…”

“Aren’t like fae,” Nicholas finished for him. “Which means they would be kind, as you described them, and yes, I do think I’d like that.”

He warmed at the image of Nicholas seated at their dining table surrounded by family who loved and accepted them both as they were. It was the dream, the perfect happy ending that he wasn’t so sure he believed in, but oh, how he wanted it.

“If my family got to know you, I believe they’d adore you,” he said.

“Does that mean you are open to letting them get to know me?”

Swallowing hard, he spoke over his drink. “I’m not opposed to the idea, if you are willing to be patient.”

“Fae aren’t known for their patience.”

“Which is precisely why I brought it up.”

Nicholas laughed into his pint. They drank and ate to the bard’s song and the patrons’ laughter. The evening was fun, normal, so William lost track of the drinks, thus spending more time there than they should have.

By the time they left, William stumbled outside with a bottle of rum in hand. A carriage rustled down the street. The driver snapped the reins, and the horse galloped. William saw the puddle before the wheels hit, but nothing saved him from the murky water dousing him. The carriage passing left him drenched and Nicholas bone dry. The fae snickered, then snorted, then howled.

“This isn’t funny,” he said.

“It is terribly funny,” Nicholas countered.

The chilled water made his coat heavy. He tore himself free of it, but his shirt had been dampened, too. Nicholas stared.

“Stop gawking,” he said, feeling a blush form from head to toe.

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