Page 6 of The White Stag
I was with Finnan on this one. Some people had preferences and went with that over personality, but no one was allowed to shame or force those preferences on someone else. Reagan had always enjoyed food, and he had forced her to restrict because he couldn’t handle a curvy woman. Shit head. We all sprung into action.
“Go take your shower, Reagan,” Cyrus said. “We’re going to cook up a feast, and we don’t give a shit how much you eat. There’s something satisfying about a woman eating whatever the fuck she wants until she’s full.”
“Thanks. I won’t be long.”
This was important. I knew Finnan had learned to make all kinds of gourmet dishes, but now that we knew Alastair had been starving her, this had to be the most critical meal we had ever come up with.
Reagan
Ididn’t know where we were, and I hadn’t asked yet. I was just happy to be far away from Alastair. There was a lot of green here, and this cottage was lovely. I wasn’t expecting my bedroom when I opened the door. It had been a long time since my monsters were around me, but every detail about this bedroom was perfect.
My bedroom at Alastair’s was sterile. I had zero input about any of it. It was pretty, but it wasn’t me. I’d always loved color. My entire bedroom at Alastair’s was done in shades of white and beige. This bedroom wasperfect.Someone had painted the walls purple. There was a soft sherpa blanket on the bed in lilac, and there were different colored throw pillows all over it.
There was art everywhere, but it wasn’t landscapes like back at Alastair’s. My monsters used to tell me all kinds of stories about the Fae courts and the creatures who lived there. I used to love those tales, and now they were depicted all over my walls.
I could stand here gaping all day, but now that I had a chance to eat until I was full, I wasn’t going to pass that up. I wasalwayshungry, and Alastair put locks on everything in the kitchen so I couldn’t sneak food. But first, I needed to shower.
I had my own bathroom, and oh, wow. There was a shower with so many showerheads and a large clawfoot tub to the right. They filled the ledge next to the tub with every bath product I’d never heard of. I was going toadoresoaking in that tub, but first, a shower.
The shower was totally luxurious, but I took a quick one. I didn’t get to eat my small breakfast because the guys were rescuing me. So I was even hungrier than usual. They tried to buy clothes for me, but most of them were a little too big. I didn’t care. These clothes were more like what Iwouldhave worn if I had been allowed to pick them out myself.
There seemed to be an argument in the kitchen when I got there. They all had food in their hands and were waving it around passionately.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Moment of truth, Reagan,” Oisin said. “Is mac and cheese still your favorite food, and are you a little savage who likes it with jalapeno peppers?”
My stomach rumbled. That had always been my favorite, and my foster homes had no problem making it because it was cheap and easy.
“I miss mac and cheese. Alastair wouldn’t serve it. He said it was poor people's food. Can we have that tonight?”
“I’m going to kill him,” Cyrus growled.
“We can’t kill him yet, you knob,” Finnan said. “We need to feed Reagan first, and youare notserving her mac and cheese out of a box when I can whip up a gourmet mac and cheese. When did you sneak that in here, anyway?”
“When I knew we’d found Reagan, and it was her favorite. You’re being a food snob,” Oisin said.
“You’re both being idiots. She’s hungry. That should be all that matters,” Cyrus said.
“Honestly, I could eat everything in sight right now. Why don’t you make both? Finnan can make his, and Oisin can make it from the box while you explain everything to me.”
“Sit,” Finnan said. “I’m going to blow your mind with my mac and cheese.”
“Shut up about the fucking mac and cheese and get cooking. It’s time we got Reagan some answers. Get comfortable.”
I sat at the bar and folded my hands. I loved this kitchen. It was homey, and nothing was locked. I looked at Cyrus while Finnan and Oisin bustled around the kitchen.
“Do you remember the stories we told you about the Fae courts when you were younger?”
I loved those stories. I begged for them all the time.
“Yes, but what does that have to do with Alastair and me?”
“Everything. Tell us what you remember.”
“There are two Fae courts. The Seelie and the Unseelie. Everyone thinks the Unseelie are bad and the Seelie are good, but it’s not entirely so black and white. The Seelie can’t lie, but the Unseelie can, so that is one reason. Several years ago, the Seelie had a blight on their lands. So they went to the Unseelie for help.
“The king and queen offered resources, but it wasn’t enough. The Seelie prince wanted to join the lands by marrying the Unseelie princess, who was just a baby. Her parents wouldn’t allow it, and the Seelie prince took offense. He once tried to break into the palace and steal her. The Unseelie king and queen sent her to the mortal realm with her protectors to hide from him until she came into her powers.
