Chapter 5 #2
“Like they have to kill someone?” I asked in shock, thinking about that whole Bladesmith thing.
Wylen cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “No. We are not heathens. They sacrifice their ability to ever cross freely into Ashtabulah again. They must live outside our world until they perish, or they are granted permission to return.”
“Oh,” I breathed. That kind of sacrifice.
“Not many of us choose to leave,” Wylen added as though that was important to know. “It is…frowned upon. Humans are a weakness.”
I decided to ignore that remark. “So, Gil. His last known destination was at a mystical festival. Know anything about those?”
“I do not,” Wylen said.
“Is the mystical part real? Do humans really have healing powers?”
“Not healing. But some do have the Second Sight.”
Tris cleared his throat. “My dad once accused my mom of having a Second Sight when she busted him for cheating.” He laughed to himself as Wylen and I stared. “What?” he asked.
“Time and place, Tris. Time and place.”
Tris stood and walked to the cabinet where I kept my snack food. He didn’t say anything else as he sank back into his chair, dug into a bag of pretzels, and stuffed his face without offering any to the rest of us.
“Wylen, does the name Razi mean anything to you?”
He shook his head. “A single name?”
“Yeah. Well, it’s all I’ve got right now.”
“There is only one species in your realm that likes to use single names.” Wylen wrinkled his forehead and looked toward Tris. “The trolls.”
“Why are you glaring at me, man?”
I burst out laughing at the way Tris suddenly became defensive. It was nice to have the pressure off me for a few seconds.
“Do you know who your father is?” Wylen asked him.
Tris huffed. “ Of course.”
Sniffing the air, Wylen continued pressing him. “No, not a parent. A grandparent? Maybe even a great-grandsire.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Tris asked, slamming his feet to the ground and standing so he was almost at eye level with Wylen.
“She is fae. You are troll.”
“Oh my god.” I laughed, my wine-inflicted brain loving the twists that just kept coming. “This is perfect!” Not thirty minutes ago, we were talking about goblins and trolls, and to finish off this awesome day, here was a faerie telling Tris that he was also part something else.
It was definitely a Tuesday.
“I think I’m going to go home,” Tris grumbled, throwing the bag of pretzels on the counter.
“Are you sure?” I asked, heart sinking at the thought of him not staying here with me tonight. Standing to meet him, I let my hand brush against his arm. “You don’t have to leave.”
He glared at Wylen. “It’s late. We should let Sosie go to bed.”
“That is fine with me,” Wylen said with a little bow. “I shall stay here tonight.”
I stopped Tris from stepping closer to the faerie the second I felt his muscles tense underneath my hand. “Yeah, that is not going to happen, buddy,” Tris growled.
Wylen looked surprised. “Sosie is my kin. I will stay with her.”
“Nope.” Tris pushed past me. “That’s not how it works in my world.”
Wylen studied Tris, sniffed the air again, and then looked down at me. “I see that you two have started your mating ritual, and I understand that means something different to humans. I promise you I will not interfere with your courtship.”
Seriously? My face flushed a thousand shades of red. I could feel it in my heated cheeks. “Where will you sleep?” I asked Wylen.
“I do not sleep.”
“At all? ”
“Not when I am on the hunt.”
I squeezed Tris’s hand and sighed. Looking up at him, I said, “Why don’t you take the bed? I’ll sleep on the couch, and Wylen can…pace all night.”
“I don’t pace,” the fae added.
“Sosie, this is weird,” Tris complained.
“Is it, though?” I asked with a smile. “Come on, it’s too late for you to drive home now. Just stay here and we’ll sort all of this out at work tomorrow.”
Tris squeezed his eyes shut and blew out a deep breath. “Fine, but you take the bed. I want to watch Wylen.” He said that last part with an added glare across the room at my visitor.
“No. I don’t trust the two of you in the same room together.”
“Trolls cannot be trusted,” Wylen commented as he picked up a pretzel and nibbled on it.
I giggled, and Tris glared at me. “What? He has good timing.”
Kissing the top of my head, Tris hesitated a moment.
“Fine, but I’m only agreeing to this because my brain is fried and I’m exhausted.
” Then he wiggled his brows and pulled me closer to him.
I enjoyed how his hands slipped down and brushed against my hips in a way that promised so much more.
“You know,” he said with a smirk, “we could just share the bed and pick up where we left off earlier.”
I swallowed hard. Tris’s offer sent my hormones spinning out of control again. Knowing just how tempting that was, it took all I had not to go to my bedroom with him. With honest disappointment, I sighed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea with our guest here right now.”
“Fine,” he mumbled, kissing the top of my head again. “But I’m leaving the door open.” He’d said that last part loud enough for Wylen to hear. The faerie ignored him and continued crunching pretzels.
As Tris stomped off to bed, I fluffed the pillows and got the blankets ready for the couch. “I’m turning off the lights now,” I said to Wylen .
“I don’t need them.”
“Well, la-te-da.” I’d mumbled those words to myself but thought Wylen might have chuckled.
In the dark, I did my best to let the wine put me to sleep and ignore all the life-altering events that happened today. I smiled as I thought about Tris and what happened between us, but then I remembered that Wylen was sitting at my table somewhere, licking the salt off pretzels in the dark.
Strange times.
I finally let my brain relax by focusing on Razi.
I hoped Investigator Caldori would come through for me since that was the only clue we had right now.
I didn’t let my thoughts drift to the troll comment, or the disappearance of ten faeries, or that I might not be able to help Gil at all.
Instead, I focused on the next step and hoped it would lead to more clues.