Page 20 of Skulk of Foxes
I couldn’t really argue with that. I shrugged. ‘A life less ordinary.’
There was a barely audible chuckle from Morgan. ‘The one thing I’d never describe you as is ordinary.’
I curtsied. I also pretended that I didn’t feel ill that all this gasbudlikin crap was down to me.
Chapter Seven
The Manchester streets were still very quiet when Morgan and I finally ventured back out. I was keeping my fingers crossed for another pink elephant; another sighting might well signal the end of the world, but at least I could spend my final moments parading around with it and feeding it peanuts. And let’s face it, peanuts were more than I was getting for working my fingers to the bone to prevent the apocalypse.
‘How do you know where Charrie’s family will be?’ I asked Morgan.
‘I don’t,’ he said. ‘But I know someone who will. The bogles are a tight-knit community. They found it almost as hard as we did when the borders to other demesnes closed and they were faced by a couple of thousand faeries getting in their way. They tend to keep to themselves. It’s easier to avoid suspicion that you’re not quite human if you avoid spending a lot of time around humans. When we showed up – and didn’t leave again like we usually did – the bogles closed ranks.’
‘Not entirely,’ I pointed out. ‘Charrie worked for Rubus.’
‘There are always one or two folks in every community who buck the trend.’ He eyed me. ‘You should know that.’ When I didn’t immediately answer, he added, ‘The path less trodden can be incredibly alluring to those who are themselves unique.’
‘Mmm.’ I wasn’t entirely convinced that was a compliment, even if he meant it as such. ‘Except my path is filled with weeds and carnivorous plants.’
Morgan’s lips curved. ‘And the odd, stunning, but incredibly rare and wondrous, wildflower.’
I stopped in my tracks. This wasn’t the place and it certainly wasn’t the time. But certain things had to be said and, in light of recent revelations, I wasn’t sure I could keep quiet any longer.
‘Look,’ I said, watching Morgan as he too paused, ‘I know we have a history. Not a particularly pleasant history either, given that I betrayed you and loped off with Rubus. I know I’m highly desirable and highly intelligent, and any man would be lucky to have me. But there’s no getting away from the fact that I’m bitchy.’
Morgan opened his mouth to answer but I held up my hands. ‘Please, let me finish.’
He inclined his head. ‘Okay,’ he said quietly.
‘It’s because of my actions that more than a thousand faeries are trapped here,’ I said. ‘Whether I meant to do it or I didn’t, and whether I can remember it or I can’t, these problems started because of me. I know you’ve already said that it doesn’t matter but it should.’ I drew in a breath. ‘It does. Maybe I’m not responsible for murdering Charrie after all, but there’s no denying that I’m involved with his death. Then there’s this new revelation that I’m responsible for magic leaking out all over this city and causing utter havoc. Artemesia seems pretty convinced that it’s going to happen again. And again. And again. So even though there’s considerable blame to be laid at Rubus’s door, there’s probably just as much to be laid at mine.’
Morgan’s green-eyed gaze held mine unwaveringly, although I noticed the small muscle ticking in his cheek. ‘What’s your point?’ he asked.
‘At risk of sounding like a petulant schoolchild with self-confidence issues,’ I said, toeing the pavement, ‘do you like me?’
His answer was immediate. ‘Yes.’
My next question was obvious. With genuine curiosity, even though I was fearful of the response, I attacked it head on. ‘Why?’
He smiled and I could swear that my knees went weak immediately. I reached out to grab at a lamppost just in case. Unfortunately, someone had chosen that exact spot to place a sticky wad of used chewing gum. Grimacing, I yanked away my hand and rubbed it furiously on my ridiculously baggy jeans.
‘Madrona,’ Morgan said, ‘you are neither as sexy nor as intelligent as you pretend to think you are.’ I gasped in mock horror but he raised his index finger. ‘I let you finish,’ he said sternly. ‘Now it’s your turn to do me the same courtesy.’
Fair enough. I folded my arms across my chest and waited. He’d better not take too damned long, though.
‘Now,’ he continued, ‘that’s not to say that I don’t find you gloriously sexy, both in terms of your brain and your body. But you’re no supermodel.’
I made a face. ‘A supermodel? They’re far too skinny. I’ve got curves in all the right places,’ I purred.
‘Maddy,’ he warned, ‘you promised to stay quiet.’
I didn’t, actually. But the fact that Morgan’s eyes had briefly flashed down to the curves I’d just mentioned, as if he couldn’t help himself gawking, was enough to appease me.
Morgan smiled, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. ‘I’ve always been attracted to you,’ he said. ‘Even when I told myself I hated you, I was attracted to you. Now, all those things that you’ve done? You had reasons for them all. Naïve reasons perhaps, stupid reasons almost certainly – at least as far as the border closures go. But,’ he added, ‘well-intentioned reasons. Slowing down time for a prolonged period to stop us from giving the sphere to Rubus? I probably would have done the same.’
He paused and thought for a moment. ‘As for what happened with Charrie, maybe we’ll never really know. You keep punishing yourself for what you did. You think you deserve to be treated badly so you act terribly to pre-empt that treatment. You put up facades to fool the world and, I think, to fool even yourself. But I can still see the good that shines out of you. You’ve put your life on the line several times to help others. When the situation calls for it, you put your mean streak to one side. Maybe other people can’t be bothered to take the time to see the real you. But, believe me, it’s more than worth it.’
He smiled again. ‘Just don’t use any magic or do anything crazy again without checking with me first.’
