“You mean through the fae book yesterday?” Ash lowered his arms, peering over at me.
“Was that yesterday? Like I said, time is a funny thing to me now.” His attention went back and forth between Warwick and me intently. “Incredible... I have never seen anything like this before. And I have lived for many, many centuries and seen the most unbelievable things.”
“What?” The sensation of bugs crawled over my skin.
“Still no auras, but there is now an astonishingly bright glow between you two.” The Druid’s brows creased. “Life connects you, but death binds you.”
As if Tad could peel back my skin and see everything inside, letting in the chill of truth, my limbs started to tremble.
“And your sexual glow... oh my...” His eyes widened.
“Yeah, we heard and felt it.” Kek snorted. “Allllll night and morning nonstop. Do you want to know how many times I had to take matters into my own hands or out on the grumpy coffee guy? Like an obscene amount.”
“Jan? Really?” Luk’s mouth dropped in shock. “Wow, I guess he’s cute in a gruff, cranky way.” Luk tilted his head in thought.
“He’s pretty decent in bed. Next time you should join us, pretty boy.”
“Okay, enough,” Warwick barked. “We are wasting time. We need to get back on mission.”
“For the nectar,” Tad said evenly, snapping every head to him.
“H-how did you know that?” My eyes widened; my muscles tightened defensively.
“Because I am old and wise.” He winked. “And because there is no other reason to come straight into Killian’s domain. Most people have forgotten the rumors, lost over the years into the void. As I keep saying, time is a funny thing to an ancient mind. What it remembers was yesterday and yesterday is what it forgets.”
“You know about the nectar? What it is?” I licked my dry lips.
“The last object to hold pure fae magic? So strong it can survive being in Earth’s polluted realm.” His head dipped. “Yes, I am aware of it.”
“Is it here?” I advanced to him. “Have you found it?”
“Would I be here if I found it? Still look like this?” He motioned to his bowed body, a flinch of pain straining his cheek. “No, if it is here, it is not showing itself to me. I have hunted it for years, and even I have not been able to locate it.” Tad reached for my hand. “Help an old man sit down. I can’t stand for long like I used to.”
He grunted as I assisted him onto the floor, taking a seat in front of the small altar table. “I only know of a possible rumor stating it was last seen here.” His eyes slid to Ash. “But possibly our old friend on your back might be able to help us.”
Ash automatically touched the strap of his backpack.
“I can feel it,” Tad said. “It calls to me. In the ancient days, Druids were the historians for the old high fae kings and queens. The original fae books are of our making.”
Ash’s unsure gaze went to me. I nodded, having no other ideas about how to find the nectar. He pursed his lips but walked over to us, shedding the bag off his shoulder, dropping it next to the table.
“Sit down, girl.” Tad motioned for me to sit opposite him. I lowered on my knees as Ash dug the book out of his pack.
“Those little fuckers!” He growled. “They got into my mushrooms again!”
My attention shot down to the bag as he yanked the book out. Two passed-out figures snored and drooled on the cover, tiny crumbs of mushroom stuck to them. Bitzy was curled up, sucking on her middle finger, on top of her crumpled paper wings. Opie was spread eagle, his crown down over his eyes, his dress askew, showing off his naked bits.
My hand went to my mouth, trying not to laugh.
“Oh my.” Tad fought a smile. “I wondered why the book was so vexed.”
“I thought you sealed the mushrooms away from them,” Warwick grumbled, stomping over to the brownie and imp, picking the pair up off the book more gently than I thought he would. Bitzy opened her eyes for a moment, reaching out to Warwick with a coo before passing out again. Warwick shook his head. “You know better.”
“I did secure it!” Ash exclaimed.
Except locks didn’t work on them.
“Never underestimate sub-fae. Especially when it comes to their mushrooms.” I winked at Ash, making him grumble under his breath. He wiped the gummy remnants of the fungi off the book cover and placed it in front of Tad and me.
Instantly, the mood shifted.
Tad inhaled shakily, his hand hovering over the book, his chest heaving.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes.” He nodded, swallowing. “Just been a long time since I’ve been in the company of such a powerful book. It’s even older than I am. It holds so much knowledge.” He tilted his head in wonder. “Except for a time in the 1400s, there seems to be a few pages of a war missing.”
All eyes turned to the creatures in Warwick’s arms, donned with the omitted pages.
Ash grunted and swore with fury.
“Oh well, they are being used for a much better purpose. War is always the same, no matter what time period. It was a horrendous, dark, and bloody time anyway. Not missing much.” Tad winked at me, smiling. “I, for one, am glad to see it gone.”
I grinned back at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ash still shifted with irritation.
“Good to see you, old friend.” Tad reached down, palming the book. “Hmmm... that’s interesting.”
“What is?”
“This book seems very interested in you.” Tad’s piercing eyes met mine. “I was wrong when I said you were an ordinary human. You hid yourself well.”
My throat dry, I tried to swallow. “What do you mean by that?”
He stared at me like I was a bug pinned to a board. Heat filled my face, a trickle of sweat sliding down my back.
“There is something about you.” His brows furrowed together, his gaze intense. “Familiar... but not. I can’t place it. I ignored it when we first met, but I can’t now. There is something there I should know, but I can’t grasp it. It’s like a wisp of a cloud I’m trying to capture.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Me neither, child.”
“Please...” I begged. “I don’t know what I am. Do you?”
Tad studied me for a moment, his brows furrowing.
“I don’t.” He looked astonished at his own claim. “Which is extremely perplexing. Everything is something... but you and him.” He nodded to Warwick. “I can’t fathom it. I used to think it was because you hid your auras from me. It was the only explanation. Everyone has an aura... like a fingerprint. I have been alive a very long time and have seen every possible species of human, fae, and animal. I don’t understand, but you and Warwick aren’t in any of them... you’re somewhere...”
In between.
Gray.
I gritted my teeth, keeping back the flood of emotions. I kept hoping someone would come along and tell me all the theories had been wrong—I was a normal girl, or at least have an idea, a name. Tad of all people should see what others couldn’t. He should be the one who would know. But even he couldn’t see what I was.