Page 182 of Bitten By the Fae
I didn’t know how to articulate it, so I kept the knowledge to myself while we waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Ella picked up her phone for the millionth time to check for any updates, then set it down again. Zeph did the same. I just sat with my hands clasped together on my lap, useless. Elemental Fae didn’t really do technology. We preferred more natural methods of communication.
I pinched my mouth to the side and glanced around for the thousandth time. Zeph looked at me, his dark green eyes sheltered and not giving anything away. I wanted to ask him if this had ever happened before. I also wanted to tell him what Shade had said about the future being now. And I sort of wanted to confide in him about what I felt out on that field.
What if he betrays me again?
Can I really trust him?
A few nights of sexual torment didn’t really mean much, and while he’d been against me unweaving the bond, there still wasn’t a lot of evidence that he cared about me.
Except he’d guarded me on the field today.
No, he’d shielded the whole class.
Hmm, however, he’d yanked me beneath him in a protective gesture, and I’d felt his concern for my safety. Unless that had all been in my head.
His gaze narrowed at me now, my emotions probably running across my face with reckless abandon, making it obvious what I thought about.
Because I was still staring at him while I ran through all my considerations about trusting him or not.
I swallowed and looked away just as a cawing sound echoed through the suite. Clove swooped in through the threshold, her black and white feathers splayed in a manner that showed off all her falcon glory. My lips curled at the sight of her, my heart warming from the nearness of my familiar.
“Hello, Clove,” I welcomed her.
She cooed in response, then dropped something in my lap from her long talons. I glanced down at it, curious, then froze at the sight of blood on my blouse and skirt.
“Oh,” I breathed, my eyes widening.
“It seems your familiar brought you a present,” Zeph said, his amusement palpable.
“What the hell is it?” Ella asked, clearly horrified by the dead, uh,thingin my lap. It was definitely an animal of some kind, but it seemed to be a cross between a rodent and a bird.
Zeph reached over to pick up the item by its long, wiry tail and held up the grotesque sight before us. “It’s a stonepecker,” he marveled, his tone suggesting we should be impressed.
“Awhat?” Ella gaped at it. “It looks like a possum mated with a… a…” She squinted at the sharp-looking beak. “A woodpecker?”
Zeph considered and nodded slowly. “I can see the resemblance, yeah. They’re a bit of a nuisance, yet incredibly powerful. And they’re known to absorb enchantments from whatever rock or stone they choose to destroy by pecking, hence the namestonepecker.”
He set the dead little guy on the coffee table, then glanced at Clove. She’d perched on the back of the recliner chair and was busy preening her feathers.
“Seems someone’s been playing in the LethaForest,” he mused.
“The LethaForest?” I repeated.
He nodded. “Stonepeckers are nearly extinct as a result of them being a nuisance to Midnight Fae housing structures. Their ability to absorb enchantments also enables them to be used for nefarious purposes, such as circumventing wards or runes.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, not understanding.
Zeph brought his ankle up to rest on his opposite knee and stared thoughtfully at the animal, his brow furrowing. “Many important Midnight Fae establishments are protected by wards. You’ve seen the Academy walls; they’re riddled with protection charms.”
“The snake vines,” I said, nodding.
“And many others,” he replied, his expression darkening. “They’re controlled by a variety of spelled runes to ward off any evil intentions. But if a stonepecker were to peck at some of the surrounding walls, it could absorb the magic, which could then be used by a Midnight Fae to create a counterspell.”
