I couldn’t get the guard out of my head.
Tavlor... Tavlor... what sort of name was that?
And why had his eyes turned so dark when I’d gotten closer? Had that been a sign of arousal? Or was he two seconds away from taking my head off my spine and I hadn’t even known it?
I really needed to do some more research on the Fae.
I turned away from the Council building and headed ‘home,’ to Mallory’s café and my tiny bedroom. My stomach rumbled with hunger as I practically floated back to Mallory’s café.
“How did it all go?” Mallory asked as she stepped out of the café, anticipating my arrival perfectly.
“Woah.” I laughed at her ability to know when I was coming down the street. “My mother used to do that. She always knew when we were coming back from a walk, or anywhere, really.”
Mallory looked like a dog on a scent, hungry for the news. Considering how much she hated animals, I didn’t think she would appreciate the comparison.
My stomach growled again and Mallory glanced down. “We better get you fed. Come on in.”
The café was quiet, with only two couples sitting having cake and coffees.
Strangely, it looked like any other human café. If I hadn’t known better, I’d half expect Aunt Alison to turn up for lunch.
“Sit here and tell me everything while I make you lunch.” Mallory pointed to a stool on the other side on the counter and I sat down, watching as she bustled around the kitchen, casting spells and making magic.
My lunch came together like a dream. Fragrant rice, beef casserole and spinach leaves on the side. And then as Mallory waved her hand once more, my favorite dessert appeared. Apple pie with cream on the side.
The dessert for people who didn’t always like sweet things.
“This looks amazing. Thank you.”
The food moved forward on its own merit an
d I picked up the spoon that arrived at the side of my hand.
I scooped up the rice and casserole and got some in my mouth before the questions started. I needed to eat. I was beginning to feel strange.
“Did you get to see Matlock?” Mallory asked, conjuring a platter of fruit, I assumed for after dinner.
“Hmmm...mmmm.” I nodded, and kept eating, the delicious flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg bursting through the meat. “Yeah, I did.”
“And? What did he say?”
I swallowed my food and shrugged. “Not much new stuff, to be honest. He recommended getting tested for my magic, placing me in a job so that I can bring my, uh, cats across and we can settle in. He was really nice actually.”
I kept eating, my happiness radiating through me. It hadn’t exactly been the father/daughter reunion I’d been expecting, but meeting Tavlor at the end had definitely made the whole experience more... memorable.
Not that I would ever see the guy again. Considering he was a guard and I was... well, no one. My father refused to claim me. I had been isolated from this whole world for so long. He would probably forget about me – hell, he probably already had.
I clenched my jaw as I stabbed some more rice and piled up as much as I could onto my fork. What had I expected from my father anyway? To have him welcome me into his arms? To throw away his legacy? Tradition? Our lives? All for what?
I shook my head as I continued to eat.
I’d been a fool to think anything amazing would happen. That I’d learn anything about myself or my larger family.
“That’s it?” Mallory asked.
“You seem disappointed.” I said to her, though I didn’t know why she would be. Perhaps she just wanted me to dish the dirt, the gossip.
“Oh... I’m not. I just...” Then she broke off and went about cleaning up the kitchen.