Page 23 of The White Stag
The cat shook its head, and then a swirling red cloud surrounded it. When it dispersed, an absolutely adorable man was crouched on the ground. He was smaller than I was, with shocking pink hair that he wore in a mohawk. He looked young, but there was really no way to tell with the Fae.
“As soon as you get some fucking pants on, tell us why you are here,” Cyrus growled.
Tucker yanked the bag from around his neck and slipped a pair of sweatpants on.
“Stop growling at me, you oaf. Estrella sent me.”
“Horseshit,” Oisin said. “Estrella knows Reagan is detoxing from iron poisoning. She hasn’t even spoken to her own daughter yet. You literally just got hired as Reagan’s stylist two years ago. She’s sick. She doesn’t need pretty dresses right now.”
Tucker was much smaller than all three of my monsters, but he wasn’t remotely afraid of them. Instead, he struck a sassy pose and stuck his hand on his hip.
“No, she needs someone to talk to who is her age, motherfucker. You crusty bastards are justnotgood at girl talk. I’m sure you assholes are talking violence and mayhem. I’m here for everything else.”
“We can talk about girl stuff,” Finnan huffed.
“Even if you are Unseelie, as straight men, you are unqualified to serve as the gay best friend. Step off. This is gay boy territory.”
All three of my monsters huffed, but they looked at me.
“Do you want him to stay, Reagan?” Oisin asked.
I looked at Tucker. First of all, he was absolutely adorable and wasn’t afraid of my monsters. Second, I think every child who ended up in the foster system wanted a chance to look their parents in the eye and ask why they gave them away.
I knewwhyshe did it and why she couldn’t take it back once they banished Alastair here. She sent protection along with me, but he still got to me. Honestly, she terrified me, and I wasn’t ready to say what was on my mind.
I knew she wanted to get to know me and make amends. From everything they told me, she missed me terribly, and they constantly had to leave to check in with her. I knew that was all about me. My mother thought Tucker would make a good friend. It sounded like he was my age too. Plus, I just got great vibes from him. I tried to smile, even though my face and teeth seriously hurt.
“Is there some kind of initiation ritual for the gay best friend thing?” I asked.
“Well, first of all, these straight boys need to vacate the premises.”
“Absolutely not!” Cyrus said.
“Don’t you need to go kill something? I might be a fabulous stylist, but I’m still Unseelie, so I’m deadly gay. So off you go now.”
“It’s okay,” I said.
“Maybe we should,” Oisin said. “You should probably fill us in on what you’ve been doing when you disappear.”
“Fine!” Cyrus said, stomping off.
Tucker plopped down on my blanket and looked down at me.
“Girl, not to be offensive or anything, but you look like death.”
“Ifeellike death. Did anyone tell you what’s been going on here? And why do I have a stylist?”
“Oh, yeah, iron poisoning. Nasty shit. You have a stylist because you are rich as fuck, and that’s just what rich people do. It’s the same in the mortal realm, I’m told.”
“I’ve never owned anything in my entire life, and I’ve never had a job. So I don’t feel rich, even though Alastair had a mansion.”
“I’ve never laid eyes on that bastard. I’m only two years older than you are. The entire Unseelie realm hates the shit out of him because you got sent away. They tend to spoil their royalty. Some of my boyfriends are in the royal guard. They can’twaitto get a piece of him.”
“You have more than one?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Oh, child, we don’thaveto stick to one in the Unseelie Court. Your mum fell hard for your dad and never had eyes for anyone else, but some of us like to collect a set of boyfriends. I have four, and they are all good at different things. Two are in the guard, one is a healer, and the other is the perfect househusband who is going to raise our babies when we decide we are ready for them and find the perfect surrogate. I adore my family. I adore your family too, even if it’s not like mine.”
“I have so many questions about my family and the Unseelie Court, but there are so many, I can’t ask them all at once. Plus, I just feel terrible.”
