“Hey, bug,” I whispered, smiling again. This one was so wide that it hurt, and suddenly my heart felt lighter, as if it had become the window lit up with all that sunlight. “Don’t tell anyone, but I missed you the most.”
Matthew held something in front of my face. The tiny object caught the light, and the silver it was made of glinted. “Mine,” he said.
I glanced at my finger, already knowing I’d find it bare. Little thief.
“This is called a ring,” I said, gently taking it from his sticky fingers. “We need to be very, very careful with it. Okay?”
Giggling, my nephew whirled and ran, moving much faster than he’d been able to the last time I’d seen him. He left the door ajar, making it easier to hear sounds drifting from the rest of the loft. Damon and Emma’s voices went back and forth. Something sizzled and fried in a pan. Matthew’s bare feet slapped against the wooden floor.
It was a lullaby I could’ve listened to all day long, but I didn’t have that luxury. Swallowing a reluctant sigh, I put the ring back on and pushed the covers aside. My feet landed on the plush rug Collith had chosen. Grimacing, I leaned forward and turned the bedside lamp on, adding its glow to the streams of pink and gold coming from outside. I looked around, searching for my nameless kitten, but she’d apparently grown accustomed to this room being empty.
“Finish your breakfast, kid,” Damon called suddenly. The words echoed, which meant he was in the other bathroom. “We’re leaving in fifteen minutes!”
It was the motivation I needed to leave the bed. I finally stood up, and part of me expected to be sore after everything I’d been through in Germany, not to mention the injuries I’d gained during Collith’s jailbreak. But Maria’s healing and using my abilities had made me good as new. There was even a tiny bounce in my step as I padded into the small but lavish bathroom Collith had designed for us.
Minutes later, I reemerged wrapped in a towel. A cloud of steam followed me as I went to the closet and tugged at the double doors. The moment they opened, I discovered that all of Collith’s clothes were still there. Any lingering remnants of my smile promptly vanished. I should’ve expected it—after all, I had magically banished my ex from the barn, and he’d been taken prisoner a day later. He hadn’t exactly had an opportunity to pack.
Of its own volition, my hand lifted and touched one of the wool sweaters hanging there. I had a sudden, inexplicable urge to lean forward and press my face against it. As if there were memories clinging to the material, Collith’s voice murmured into the stillness. For me, you were never a Nightmare, Fortuna Sworn—you were a dream come to life.
Thinking of that last day we’d spent together, I gave in to the impulse and reached for the sweater as if it were the person it belonged to.
At the exact instant my fingertips made contact with the wool, I heard Viessa’s voice, too. Every time Collith has sex, he takes a piece of his partner. Just a tiny piece. You hardly would’ve noticed its absence.
My fingers closed into a fist. I drew back and closed one of the doors, hiding Collith’s clothes from view. I imagined the heart inside me transforming into a diamond, cold and hard and glittering. Tight-lipped, I pulled a pair of jeans off the shelf, along with a long-sleeved shirt, and closed the other door a bit too hard.
As the shirt settled into place, I saw instantly that I’d lost weight during my time at the Seelie Court. I had already been too thin from all those runs through the woods and not eating enough. I’d have to make some changes now that I was back. Fighting Belanor had resurrected my desire not only to survive, but to live. From this point on, I wanted things to be different. Better. With a fresh surge of resolve, I yanked the jeans on, noting the bagginess of those, as well.
Taking a breath, I raked my damp hair back and headed for that open doorway.
The first thing I noticed was the aroma of fresh coffee. The second thing was Lyari, and her presence made me falter in surprise. She sat at the kitchen island, looking out of place and decidedly uncomfortable. Emma probably forced her to, I thought.
It was also likely that Emma had forced the fierce warrior to borrow some of her clothes. Considering there was at least a six-inch height difference between them, the old woman’s jeans looked like capri pants on Lyari’s tall frame. I’d only seen her remove her armor once before, and without it, the faerie made me think of a cat dropped in a bathtub. At least her braid was the same; it hung down her back in a thick, gleaming rope.
Recovering, I finished crossing the space and climbed onto the stool next to my friend. I wasn’t sure why I’d expected her to be gone by the time I woke up—maybe because that was how it had always been. But now she had nowhere to go. When she’d sided with me and fought against Viessa, defecting from the Unseelie Court, Lyari had sacrificed everything she held dear. Including a place to live.
Guilt expanded in my throat like a sponge filling with water, and I hastily fixed my attention on the other details of this place I’d missed so much. This place I had fought so hard to return to.
There was no sign of Finn, which probably meant that he’d gone on a hunt. Nym wasn’t there, either, but the door to his bedroom was tightly closed. Emma stood in front of the coffee maker, of course. She wore her old robe and her blue hair was still in rollers. At the sound of my weight settling on the stool, she turned. My muscles tensed as I braced myself for sympathy or more questions about Belanor.
“Good morning! What are your plans this week, now that you’re safe at home?” Emma questioned. Her demeanor was warm but brisk. She slid a cup of coffee across the island, and she gave me a fleeting smile before presenting her back again. She retrieved a spatula from the counter and her arm moved as she attended to something on the stove. It smelled like bacon.
Trying not to appear relieved, I cupped my hands around the coffee mug. Its heat seeped into my palms. I lifted one shoulder in a shrug and said, “I’ll ask Bea to put me back on the schedule, I guess. If she hasn’t fired me by now. I haven’t exactly been a consistent employee these past few months. Do you need help with anything? We should be waiting on you, Ems, not the other way around.”
“I already tried that,” Lyari muttered.
Ignoring both of us, Emma set a plate down beside my hand, then did the same for the faerie next to me. “But what about the goblin ring?” she asked. “If you’re wearing it, Bea won’t know who you are.”
“I thought of that. It’s probably time to tell her the truth, anyway. About everything.” I stared down at the pancakes and bacon Emma had made, oddly emotional at the sight. After a few seconds, I noticed how a trickle of melted butter ran into a pool of syrup. My stomach rumbled, and I remembered that I hadn’t eaten since leaving the Unseelie Court. Succumbing to the hunger, I picked up a fork resting against the edge of the plate and dug in. Lyari followed suit, but with notably less enthusiasm.
“I think that’s a good idea. She’s been worried sick since you disappeared from the hospital. Maybe you should give Consuelo a call, too,” Emma added, still using a casual, offhand tone that wasn’t fooling anyone. She returned to the stove and flipped another pancake.
Stalling for time, I took a sip of coffee. It had been sweetened with milk and sugar, exactly how I liked it. I took a few extra beats to swallow before I responded, matching Emma’s nonchalance, “Actually, I’m done with therapy.”