Page 80 of Quiet
Briar snorted. Then he signed, “Fair point.” He stared down at his hands like they’d surprised him. It looked like he’d calmed down enough to be able to sign again.
Briar took Isa’s hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
Marie and Fiona both relaxed visibly.
“You said fae-touched. Did you know he’s part fae?”
“He’s what?”
“Is he, really?” Unlike her sister, Fiona was far from astounded. “I’d always suspected there was something funny about our family tree—assuming it comes from our side, that is. Marie, do you remember the stories about Great-Grandpa Fergus?”
Marie snorted in amusement. "Of course I do. He vanished for three years and came back with Gramps with no explanation. Had to raise him on his own and everything. That sort of tale tends to stick with a person, Fee.”
Fiona frowned at her sister like she’d stolen her chance to regale them with the tale of their mystery grandpa. “Anyway, to answer your question, Isa, where we’re from, fae-touched refers to children who present differently than most.”
Apparently, there was more to learn about his new boyfriend and his family than Isa had previously thought. He couldn’t wait to uncover every facet.
“Where did the spell come from?” This was Isa’s question, not Briar’s. Maybe they could help him learn more about what he and Briar were facing.
“It was from Gramps. He had a book of folk remedies.”
Isa perked up. “Do you still have it?”
“I’m sorry. It got lost years ago when we moved to America,” Marie said.
“Crap.” Isa’s eyes went wide in alarm. He wasn’t supposed to say things like that in front of parents. “Shit, I’m sorry!” He clamped his jaw shut in horror and slapped both hands over his mouth before it got him into any more trouble.
“Merciful Goddess, Briar. He’s just the sweetest thing. Where did you find him?”
Oh right. He’d forgotten not all parents were as strict as his and the others in his father’s congregation were. That was going to take some getting used to. It wasn’t like they would hit him in front of Briar anyway. Not at their first meeting.
Isa took a deep breath to calm his racing pulse. Briar was here. Nothing could hurt him.
Briar turned a pointed look at Isa. He wanted him to tell Briar’s parents how they met.
“Ah . . . we met at school.”
Briar circled one hand motioning Isa to continue, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t think he was physically capable of saying he met their son at a right-wing rally and ended up getting carried away from trouble like a toddler. Or a pet.
Marie and Fiona looked so eager though. They probably wanted to know everything about their beloved child. If only there was some way for Briar to talk to them. It was tragic. If Isa had such kind parents, he’d want to talk to them all the time!
His eyes welled up with tears, and he blinked furiously. He was ruining his first impression! They had seen him maul their half-naked son, heard him swearing, and now he was about to break down and cry all over them just because they were nice?
Stupid, stupid, Isa. If only he weren’t so useless. If only there was some way he could let them talk to each other.
Starlight twinkled in the back of his mind, stirring, like a sleepy cat.
Without warning, it reached out and took hold of Briar, binding them like they had when Isa cast the fairy’s spell on him. But it didn’t stop there. As soon as it had a firm hold on Briar, it reached out and grabbed Marie and Fiona as well.
Then Isa was gone. He was no longer in a comfortable room with well-loved furniture. Instead, he was drifting in a sea of starlight. He could feel Briar, filled with a mixture of concern and bemusement, but still a comfortable weight in his soul. Outside of his special Briar-spot, two new weights settled in. One was earth and sunshine, the other soft, rainy days under a plant-covered porch.
Isa drifted in the hazy world connecting both women’s inner landscapes. The earth and sun, he realized, was Marie. She loved Briar more than her heart could bear. She would do anything for her son. Anything he needed, anything that made him happy, she would gladly give without hesitation. Fiona was cool greenery and mist. And she considered joining her life to her sister’s to raise her son the best decision she’d ever made.
They’d never hit Briar. Never even laid a hand on him. And Briar had been a tiny terror as a child. Before the spell, rather. After the spell, the three of them had become a tight-knit group, all working toward a common goal of exploring Briar’s fascinating world.
Isa felt a large hand cradle the back of his neck, but he couldn’t open his eyes. He was too far gone in the in-between place.
“I understand why you love him, Briar.” Marie’s voice came from somewhere far away. “He’s absolutely beautiful inside.”
