Page 88 of Faerie Fate
We needed him, but if our relationship meant anything to me, I had to give him the choice.
Especially when so many of them were taken away from me. Still, we were trapped in the past if Mike decided to steer clear of EverRose.
Noren had curled at my side and fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted by the events of the day. Outside the wavy glass windows, a twilight hush fell over the fields, and beyond the orchard, black smoke brought an early and unnatural night.
Elfhame returned first and handed out blankets and pillows. “The guest rooms are on the second floor but my sense tells me you’d rather stay together.”
She lifted a hand, the graceful sleeve of her gown sliding back to her elbow, and with a twist of her fingers, she multiplied the pile of blankets until there were more than enough for all of us.
“If you have no more need of me, there are things I must do in preparation for our departure.” Her hands moved to her belly to rub soothing circles.
Bronwen and I called out weak goodnights, and Noren stirred only long enough to flick his ears. Out of all of us, he was having the easiest transition.
He hadn’t left my side once I shifted back into my body, and stuck close enough to touch without letting me out of his sight. The feeling was mutual. We were both relieved to have the company.
I scratched between his ears absently.
Bronwen snuggled underneath a blanket. “What do we do?” She worried her lower lip. “If Mike decides to peace out, we’re screwed.”
“He’ll walk off his mad. But there’s no guarantee he’ll want to talk about it when he gets back,” I muttered.
Odds were good he wouldn’t.
I knew him too well to think he’d be open to my convincing, as pitiful as it was these days. He still couldn’t look at me. He might act like things were normal, but we both knew they weren’t. They never would be again.
I didn’t know what we’d changed in the past, but I knew messing with time only complicated things. The easiest course was plotted to EverRose?—
As long as nothing else went wrong.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“You guys have a mass of problems. Anyone ever told you? When you figure out what the hell you’re doing, you let me know. Until then, I’m done.”
Poppy rolled her eyes and grabbed one of the blankets and a pillow. She shoved them under her arm then stomped up the stairs, making sure we heard every dull clunk of her boots on the tread.
Whatever guest rooms were up there, she’d obviously decided against bunking down with the rest of us. I didn’t blame her.
To be fair, none of the fae I’d met were fans of the cuddle puddle. Wolves, on the other hand, even halflings like me and Bronwen, needed the closeness of pack. Of family.
She and I snuggled closer on the couch beneath the soft weave the color of a ripe peach. I stared at the pile of blankets and quilts. The one on top appeared hand-stitched, the threading delicate perfection in the design of a flower I’d never seen before.
I’d have never guessed that Elfhame conjured them out of thin air.
“There’s so much we don’t know,” I said with a sigh. A little helpless, a little scared, and a lot exhausted, I dropped my head on Bronwen’s shoulder. “How much has been kept from us, and how much do we just not get?”
Bronwen rested her head on top of mine and her hand found my knee, squeezing. “You’re talking about the EverRose stuff? The Great Pixie War?”
“I was thinking about the blankets and pixie magic, but yeah, all of it. It just seems like we’ve been plunked down into this entirely new universe where the past is written by people who don’t think anyone needs to know the real details.”
“That’s nothing new,” she groaned. “It’s true in the mortal realm. You know what people say about history written by the victors.”
“It doesn’t help us now.”
“Of course it doesn’t,” she agreed. “We’re flying blind the same way we have since this whole business started. At least we’re together. It doesn’t matter what Poppy says. I know we’re all fucked up. But there’s a difference between traumatized and screwed.”
She pushed off the couch and grabbed a pillow for herself, smashing the edges to fluff up the middle. She tossed it on the couch opposite and spread two of the blankets out flat before shucking her shoes. A comfortable little nest.
“I’m happy to be here, you know. Even though I’m scared,” she admitted. Her eyes rounded. “I’m happy we’re together.”
