Page 97 of The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire
He doesn’t need to know yet. His arms tighten around me and chase all thoughts of anything outside of this room from my head. He kisses me so hard I doubt I’ll ever remember how to breathe, and I certainly don’t care about the rules I learned back home when I pull him over me and twine my fingers into his hair. Our hands look right locked together, tossed haphazard on the pillow by my head. And later, when I’m more tired and happy than I’ve ever been,I don’t regret it, either. I curl up in Neirin’s arms, and I’m safe. I’ve never been held like this before. I wonder if I’ll be able to sleep. He’s so solid beneath me, and his heart beats too fast at first.
Icaused that, and still, I marvel at it.
I stare at Neirin for a bit before I search for my sister. His court duck their heads in reverence as they offer directions, and I’m not humble enough to stop them from whispering thanks on my route to Ceridwen’s room.
Morgen is there when I enter, standing on uncertain feet, stumbling like a drunk and leaving pools of water in her wake. Her feet are webbed, and scaled with a blue shimmer. My sister lies in bed, wearing a pretty silk nightgown. They talk quietly, with that same ease I’ve grown into with Neirin—only their bond comes with more tenderness and less bickering.
“Being a lady of leisure suits you,” I say.
Ceridwen starts, too absorbed in Morgen to have noticed me opening the door.
“Thanks.” She tucks her hair behind her ears. “But I don’t intend to spend another day of my life rotting in a bed.”
Morgen looks to my sister, and Ceridwen nods. She turns toward a second room, then thinks better of it, and races toward me, her arms open.
I jerk back. “Please don’t.”
Morgen ignores me, of course, and yanks me into a bone crushing hug. “Come visit us,” she says in my ear. “Dwp misses you.”
As she draws back, I can’t help smiling as I say, “If you saw what I did to the coblynnod, you wouldn’t want to know what I could do to that little beastie.”
She rolls her eyes. “You and Dwp will be best friends.”
“That will never happen.”
Morgen disappears into the next room, calling over her shoulder, “But stranger things have happened, Habren!”
There’s a splash as she dives into a large bathtub, and her tail flicks water against the walls.
She leaves me and Ceridwen in silence. My sister pats the bed beside her. It’s too normal, too like home, but we’ll never be in that tiny room together again.
I nod toward the bathroom door. “She loves you very much.”
“I know.” The corner of Ceridwen’s mouth twitches.
“Not many people would deal with me willingly, but she did, for your sake,” I say. “Just make sure she keeps that horrible frog away from me when I come for tea.”
She laughs, her smile splitting her face. “What’s wrong with Dwp?”
My brows shoot to my hairline. “Everything, Ceridwen. Absolutely everything.”
“Sabrina?” I jump, hearing my real name. “Tell me a story”—Ceridwen smiles—“the very best one you have.”
“It’s a long one,” I reply, taking a tentative step toward her. “With tricky pwcas and iron-toothed hags, and I did it all for you anyway. But…” I trail off and watch her quietly, comfortable in her bed, and accept that this is the end of something, and that what comes next will be different, maybe a little sad. We’ll never share a room again. But it’s still ours, whatever it might be. I swallow and match her smile.
“I want to hear your story, too,” I finally say.
I hope that tells Ceridwen everything I need it to. That I love her too, that I love everything she’ll do with her life as well—that I want to be a part of it.
Ceridwen pulls back the covers and I curl up at her side.
“You can have it,” she says, and places a kiss on my forehead.
30
dyma lle dwi’n eich gadael chi
(HERE IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU)
