Page 20 of Whispers of Wisteria
But my hand still moved through the rippling air, and I didn’t stumble nearly as much when I passed through the veil.
He was already there—the man whose alias I couldn’t pronounce, because I was pretty sure that wasn’t his name—sitting near the fire with his legs crossed as he read the paper.
He looked up as I was catching my balance.
“You’ve returned,” he stated plainly. Or maybe he was surprised? It was difficult to tell.
“H-hello,” I greeted. But then I wasn’t sure what else to do. So I stood there, looking stupid, while he watched me before I finally broke the silence. “I—I wasn’t sure if I was going to come b-back,” I admitted.
“Still, you did,” he responded.
I shuffled my weight between my feet. “Am I bothering you?”
“No.”
“Oh, okay.” I wrung my hands. “Can—can I hide here for a while?”
“Hide?” He folded the paper and added, “If that’s what you need.”
I let out my breath—I hadn’t even realized I cared that much—and crossed the room, making sure to keep extra space between us, before I sat in the other chair.
Honestly, I shouldn’t be here. Finn would definitely lecture me if he knew—he was always so paranoid.
I mean, I was too. But the fae had a foolproof built-in security system.
“You—” I probably shouldn’t ask this, but they’d said fae couldn’t lie. And I needed to know. “You’re not going to murder me, are you?”
He’d been in the process of placing his paper on a side table, but froze at my words. “Is that a common concern for you?”
What kind of response was that? It was a perfectly rational question. One that he hadn’t answered.
I narrowed my eyes. “Well?”
“No,” he answered slowly. “And if anyone tried to harm you here, they’d be dead already. You’re safe.”
Well, that was good to know.
He sat forward. “Who are you hiding from?”
“No one,” I said. “I—I don’t even know… I guess, I’m frustrated.”
He lifted a brow.
“Brayden wants me to meet D-Declan,” I admitted. That tight feeling rose in my chest again, and I curled my fingers under my sweater. “But… I don’t think I can.”
“Why?”
My shoulders tensed. “I…”
I didn’t know why I was even telling him this. But he was easy to talk to despite his dark stares and snobby old man aesthetics. It was nice to have someone who didn’t care about my feelings.
“What if I meet him and it still doesn’t feel right? What if I’m not right?” I asked.
He pressed his lips together. “Explain.”
“You’re all fae—and I guess I am too,” I began, suddenly nervous. “But I—I don’t know what that means.”
He didn’t reply and my skin flushed. I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. But maybe if he understood—
