Chapter Seven
The tightly packedbackpack I carried stuck out like a sore thumb as I made my way to the wall. At least, that was what I told myself to explain why people kept looking at me. They were absolutely not staring at my face, which was puffy from a long night of silently crying and very little sleep.
Sam had been kind enough to wake me at dawn, so I wouldn’t miss meeting up with Azio. Considering what I planned to ask him, I still wasn’t sure if I was thankful for her wakeup or not.
Through my pain, I’d spent a good deal of time last night giving a lot of thought to the future. At first, it had looked bleak and terrifying. While Grandma had been sure that Azio and Groth would welcome me into their home in exchange for baby clothes, the idea of living with two of them had made my vision swim more than once. But then, as I’d sorted the baby clothes after dinner, I’d found a silver lining.
The fey wanted babies. Badly. So did I.
I’d been worried about how long Azio and Groth would let me stay with them and feed me in exchange for the clothes. But if I was pregnant with one of their babies, I’d be set for life.
All I had to do was proposition one of them and not pass out. My vision started to tunnel, and I had to pause and crouch in the middle of the street so I wouldn’t faint. Rather than hating Wayne or dwelling on what I’d need to do with one of the fey, I focused on the end result.
A cute, tiny baby.
What wouldn’t I do to have one of my own?
Yet, my stomach continued to churn with nerves once I reached the wall. I watched the fey arrive and leave again for the daily supply run and gave Bobby a sad smile when he waved and said goodbye to me. A few minutes later, Azio appeared.
My knees went weak, and I immediately crouched.
“Terri, you are safe,” Azio said, hurrying to me instead of waiting for me to come to him.
His hand settled on my head, grounding me. Despite witnessing fey pull heads off of the infected, Azio had never used that strength against me. He was flawlessly gentle, physically and emotionally. I needed to keep reminding myself of that.
“I know,” I said, breathing through the wave of panic-induced dizziness. “I’m sorry.”
“May I carry you?”
I nodded and leaned into him once he had me in his arms.
We didn’t speak as he raced toward Tolerance, which was fine by me. It gave me a few moments to consider how I wanted to broach such a sensitive subject. He jumped the wall and slowed but didn’t offer to put me down until we stood on his stoop.
“Thank you,” I said when he opened the door for me.
Groth was once again watching a movie, which he immediately paused.
“I have a lot more with me today,” I said after removing my shoes and jacket.
They both watched with interest as I went to the dining table and started laying out clothes. I’d taken all of my personal favorites from the basement, including an adorable little ballcap.
Azio immediately reached for it. “I will give you all the food in this house in trade for this hat.”
“It is adorable, isn’t it? But trust me. It’s not worth that much. A baby will outgrow it before it’s worn more than a dozen times. Besides, I’m not interested in food this time.”
Azio lifted his gaze to meet mine. I forced myself to hold it even as my heart started to pound, and I grew lightheaded.
“What do you want?”
“I’d like to trade all of these clothes in exchange for living here for a few days. Maybe a month if you think that’s fair.”
His gaze flicked to Groth, then down to my hand.
“Where are your marriage rings?” The slow way he asked made my stomach dip.
“My husband, ex-husband, removed them. He doesn’t want to be married to me anymore, which is why I need to find a new place to live.”
Azio’s pupil’s narrowed, and his expression changed from calm to filled with rage. It was the first time I’d ever seen one of them angry. Even when they were killing infected, they didn’t look as mad as Azio did now. More fear pooled in my middle at the thought I’d committed a cultural faux pas that would require immediate death by head removal.