I stepped closer to Tavlor. “Are you okay?” I asked, tilting my head to the side. I didn’t think this was how he would respond to the revelation.
Bella began to step backwards. “How about we get back to the house?” she suggested, her voice careful as her eyes darted between the two of us. “I can make some tea?”
Tea sounded absolutely fabulous right now, especially tea from Bella. My sister was great at potions and I thought with the right training she could become an incredible healer. Plus, she always made my tea a little sweeter than it should be because she knew I liked it with extra sugar.
“That’s a great idea,” I said. I turned my attention back to my companion. “Come on, Tavlor. Bella makes the best food.” I tugged on his hand. “Plus, you’ll be able to meet Courtney—if she deigns to grace us with her presence, that is. She has a mini-fridge in her room, so I’m not sure if she’ll come out at all.”
I was glad to see that Tavlor followed us. Making a man his size come somewhere he didn’t want to go would be near impossible. More than that, a small part of me wanted him to see my home. It wasn’t the home we grew up in, but it was one my sisters had created. Plus, I wanted him to meet my sisters. It felt nice being able to finally tell someone about them and not have to worry about the consequences.
We walked over the field and up to the gorgeous little house my sisters had created when my mother’s magic had disappeared, taking our family home with it.
“The garden’s looking great, Bella,” I said, noticing the additions she’d added since I left. Bright red, pink, and yellow flowers were in full bloom, lining up around a white picket fence that reached our knees. There was even a vegetable garden over to the side with juicy red tomatoes and carrots stuck in the ground, tantalizing wild rabbits.
“Thank you.” Bella opened the front door, bypassing the garden nonchalantly. “Courtney! We have company.”
I pulled Tavlor through the front door and into the small living area.
I could let go of his hand at this point, but I didn’t want to. I hung onto him. This was as new for me as it was for him.
Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach as we waited for Courtney to come down.
“Have a seat,” Bella said, pulling out a chair at the dining table.
He went to step forward, then stiffened as a set of footsteps we
re heard on the floorboards.
We both turned.
“Did you say we have company?” Courtney called out, moments before she stepped into the room. Her eyes bugged out of her head. “Ava!”
Courtney, my gorgeous little rebel of a baby sister, ran straight for me and grabbed me up into a tight hug. Tears filled my eyes. I hadn’t been expecting that. If anything, I thought she’d be mad that I had stayed away for such a long amount of time. The only time I sent them word was when I’d sent them that note from the Fae realm. I didn’t even know how much time had passed.
She pulled back. “We just received your letter!” Her face was completely lit up. She actually looked happy and not filled to her head with sarcasm. “You said you wouldn’t be able to contact us or come home for ages. What happened?”
I pulled out of Courtney’s grip and moved back, next to Tavlor. He kept looking between me and my sisters, his mouth hanging open like he was a fish. I stifled a giggle.
Bella had gone to the kitchen and was stirring and crushing plants and medicines as we spoke. The soft tapping could be heard from where I was in the dining room, and it soothed me more than I realized.
“Court, this is Tavlor,” I said, turning to Courtney. She stared wide-eyed at my companion. I couldn’t blame her. He was absolutely gorgeous. “He’s the head guard to the High Warlock and has come to escort me home.”
Courtney stared at him, then a huge smile crept over her face as she looked at me.
“You brought a boyfriend home?” she asked slowly, her eyes glittering with teasing. “He’s gorgeous! Wow, Ava, I’m surprised. Did you find one for us too?”
Tavlor collapsed into his chair, shaking his head.
I couldn’t stop the chuckle that rose in my throat. “See?” I asked, knocking his shoulder with my hip. “Told ya.”
“Told him what?” Courtney asked, grinning with impetuousness.
I sighed, wondering how to explain everything all at once. “Well, long story short. Tavlor is half Fae, half Warlock, and most of the Witches in the magical realm think that’s some sort of crime and have treated him like an ugly outcast for most of his life.”
“Ava...” Tavlor said, his warning clear.
I sat down into the chair next to him as Bella brought over two steaming mugs of tea.
“Thanks, Bella,” I said, taking the mug from her and rewarding myself with a long sip of the hot liquid. Already, I was relaxing under its spell. I turned to Tavlor, offering him a small smile. “And sorry, Tavlor, but these are my sisters, and I tell them everything. You can trust them.”