Page 72 of Woven Souls

On the one hand, the distance we’d put between us would be unbearable for all parties, but especially for Willow. Keeping her in sight for as long as possible not only gives the strain on our souls a break but also gives me peace of mind knowing she has plenty of people watching out for her. It also offers a chance to feel my way through this new relationship developing between us.

On the other hand, leaving the Windom Estate, where Willow’s curse is muted, means more danger to all of us, and to innocent lives we come into contact with. With a warlock obsessed with possessing her powers, we’ll have to be on high alert just like before. We also run the risk of someone seeing Jonah’s and Kwil’s monstrous features at a gas station or wherever we bunk down for the night.

These were all issues we faced before when we traveled, they’re just even more problematic now given our destination.

The front door to the house opens, and Jonah strolls out with two backpacks over his shoulders. The hood to his sweatshirt is up to cover his horns, but he seems to have forgotten that he has a tail. It swings behind him lazily as he approaches.

“Here you go, mine and Willow’s bags.”

He hands the backpacks off to me and I toss them into the back.

“Where’s everyone else?” As I ask, Kwil comes strolling out, his backpack slung over his shoulder. His face mask covers the lower half of his face, and his hood is up. I’m sure to the neighbors we look like unsavory characters. Especially Kwil, with the sword bouncing on his hip.

“Willow’s coming. She made a batch of cookies after breakfast, so she’s bundling some up for us and leaving some in the freezer.”

He tosses his bag into the back.

“The freezer?” I frown. “Why?”

“Well, we’re coming back here, right?” Jonah asks as he climbs into the van. “It’s probably so we have some snacks ready.”

That’s our plan: come back here and regroup when we’ve gathered intel. I try not to think of the slim possibility of that actually happening.

“She said it was in case Theo’s family showed up.” Kwil climbs into the passenger seat but keeps the door open while we wait.

Theo straightens. “What?”

I glance at him. The torn expression on his face causes my stomach to turn. We all know the likelihood of this place being used for its intended purpose is slim to none. The Fae are a stubborn and prideful bunch, but the Windom family, being the royal pain in the asses that they are, are even more so. They’d probably rather die than run if most of Everlast decides Theo’s Fallen status is the final nail in the Windom coffin. But I know Theo holds onto the small grain of hope that they’ll see this place as their safe haven and will come if absolutely necessary.

The fact that Willow would do something this kind for people she’s never met, and who would undoubtedly despise her upon meeting her, speaks volumes about the person she is.

“I’ll go get her.”

I start to trudge up the sidewalk, but my vision blurs, and I stumble slightly. I swallow, squeeze my eyes shut, and try not to panic. With a steadying deep breath, I move forward again. This time I keep my eyes closed. Using my other senses, as Willow once suggested, I move nearly as easily as I do when I had perfect vision. I walk up the three steps, into the house, and make it to the kitchen without bumping into a wall or tripping.

“Coming to hound me to hurry up?”

There’s no bite to Willow’s words like there would have been during the first week of our time together. I smile but continue to keep my eyes shut as I focus on the space around me.

Willow is standing by the kitchen table. I can hear her heartbeat and her hands moving through the air as she completes whatever task she’s doing. My hearing is so acute I hear where the sound bounces off cabinets, chairs, and walls. A picture forms in my head where everything stationary is. I really need to practice this more often.

Finally, I open my eyes. Willow zips up a large cooler she must have bought with Theo’s money and looks up at me.

“Well, don’t worry. I’m done. I didn’t know what to do with the sheets since there is no washer or dryer here, so I stripped the ones on the bed that Kwil, Jonah, and I used but remade everyone else’s.” She frowns. “Maybe I should have bought new ones. I’m sure the queen and whatever siblings Theo has won’t be used to—”

“They’ll be fine. They’re in exile, so they’re probably used to unpleasant living arrangements. At least compared to what they used to have. They’ll be thankful for a roof that doesn’t leak and doors that lock.”

Willow blinks in surprise before her brows scrunch together. “It’s that bad?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask Theo since he lived with them before he joined the Brotherhood. But I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how they’ve been living.”

Willow bites her bottom lip thoughtfully as she processes this. The concern written on her face is sweet. You’d never get this type of concern from our people. I walk over to her, unwilling to have the space between us any longer. Her head tilts upwards when I come to a stop directly in front of her.

“You have something on your face,” I tell her.

“Oh, is it flour?” She reaches up to wipe it away, but I capture her hand.

“Here, let me.” Before I can second guess myself, I lean down and kiss her.

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