As I sat there, tiny lights started to twinkle in the air. I realized after a few moments that I was looking at a rainbow myriad of fireflies, all dancing over Cerridwen’s bed. As she inhaled in her sleep, the fireflies drifted closer to her. When she exhaled, vines unfurled from her bed. They spread about the room, climbing the walls until they could hang great swaths of purple flowers over her like a veil.
My lips parted in awe.
If I hadn’t been convinced that this woman truly was the Seelie Princess, I was now. The landscape spreading around her as she healed was the spitting image of home. A yearning tore my chest open and reminded me of all I’d lost.
Thankfully, Cerridwen slept, so she couldn’t see the tears that slipped down my cheek.
Cerri
Beryl plungedher razor-sharp fingers through my chest and wrapped them around my heart before pulling it free of my body. I gaped as I watched the still-beating organ thump in her hand. She grinned down at me and licked the blood from her fingers while holding my gaze.
I gasped and woke. The room tilted. I had no idea where I was. A scream sat on my lips, but I couldn’t get it out. Though I opened my mouth, there was no sound. I scrabbled, clawing at my throat like that was the problem.
“Shit, all right,” a man muttered under his breath.
I looked up to find the fae warrior slowly approaching, his shoulders stooped to make himself less imposing. His hands hovered in the air between us like he didn’t know what to do with them.
“Fuck,” he whispered as he hung back with a confused grimace on his lips.
His uselessness made me laugh. Sound poured out of me again. I felt a pang of guilt that it was at his expense, but the relief of being able to speak again overwhelmed it.
He rocked back on his heels, a flat look on his face before he shook his head at me. I smiled and let out one last soft laugh. Throwing the sheets aside, I moved to get out of bed.
The room tilted again. The events of the night before came back to me. Though the memories chased away the nightmare haunting me, it wasn’t much better. I pressed my hand to where the hole in my chest was. The leftover wound from the crossbow bolt ached fiercely.
“You bled all over the damn place,” the man said.
I snorted. “That’s not a first.”
A fierce flush turned his pale fae skin a bright red. He straightened and turned away. The man was quick, though. I was surprised he caught my meaning so fast.
The smell of fresh flowers tickled my nose and brought my attention away from the bed. My jaw dropped. I wasn’t sure how I hadn’t noticed it sooner. Wisteria drooped over my bed like a curtain. It hadn’t been there when I’d passed out. The room had been empty. Now, it was a botanical garden.
The sensation of warm sunlight drifted over my bare arms and rushed up my shoulders and neck. My arcana. I must have lost control of it in the night. That was new.
Spinning away from me, the fae warrior put a bit of distance between us. He clapped his hands together and slid a tired sidelong glance in my direction. “I need a drink.”
After last night, I wanted one, too. I had work to do first.
The fae warrior stalked towards the bedroom door like he might find a bar in my living room. At the threshold between rooms, he vanished. One step, he was there. The next, he was gone. I gaped at his slick exit and wondered how he’d managed it.
Then I remembered why I’d gone to him in the first place. I needed someone to protect me, not someone who was going to run off for a drink the moment I woke up. Glaring at the doorway, I crossed my arms over my chest only to annoy the bolt wound. I hissed and scurried off to the bathroom so I could take care of it.
“I don’t even know your name yet,” I grumbled as I pulled out the first aid kit.
I had work anyway. Vi was on the schedule for this morning. With how many times she’d accidentally set Bad Moon Café on fire, I wanted to get there and make sure the place was still standing.
Cleaning my wound was easy, if a bit painful. Once that was done, I gulped down another healing potion to mend the wound. After showering and getting dressed, I headed off to work.
The café was still standing, much to my relief. If Vi burned it down, I would cover her house in poison ivy. Sure, Morgan might hunt me down and kill me, but it would be worth it.
He was there when I arrived. The dragon shifter with salt and pepper hair leaned against the counter and watched Vi work with open love in his eyes. I turned away from them when jealousy reared its ugly head.
When would it be my turn? I’d had a hot man in my bedroom last night, but he’d made it very clear that he wasn’t interested. He’d been insufferably crass upon first impression, too. The fae warrior wasn’t an option at all.
Vi didn’t see it that way, though.
As soon as the last human left the premises, she turned to me. “Last night was wild! I had no idea who I was supposed to find last night, so I started a bar fight.”