61. Chapter Sixty-One
~Evalina~
After leaving Vaughan’s office, I realized that although I knew what I wanted to do, I still didn’t know my way around. However, it turned out I didn’t need to worry. All I had to do was stand in the large entrance hall at the end of the hall, looking lost, and one of the large men by the door walked over to me, a friendly smile on his face. “You’re Felix’s mate, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. How did you know?”
His smile grew wider. “Well, everyone’s talking about the Beta’s new fairy mate, and since you’re the only fairy I’ve ever seen, I made an educated guess.”
I supposed my chances of blending in were pretty low.
“And you have his mark on your neck,” he added, his eyes dropping to my throat with a knowing look that made my cheeks blush.
“Right.”
That reminded me that I still needed to make Felix something to wear in exchange for the brand he’d placed upon me, so when the man asked if I needed help, I had a small list.
“I need a pen and some paper, please, and some thin metal that can be shaped, if that’s not too much trouble.”
“Nothing is too much trouble,” he assured me. “The pen and paper are no problem, and I’ll send a message over to the jewellery store in town to see what they’ve got. It might take a little longer, but we’ll get it for you.”
“Thank you. That’s very kind.” Having people willing to help me would also take some getting used to. Life in the Crimsontooth pack would be very different from my life in Etta. “Could you send it to the room my mother is staying in?”
“Of course.”
Glancing up the large staircase, I asked for one more favour. “And can you remind me where I can find that room?”
He chuckled softly. “The pack house is a bit of a maze. Up the stairs and to the left, second door on the right.”
“Thank you.” I turned to go before realizing I didn’t even know his name, and I spun back. “I’m Evalina, by the way.”
He bowed his head politely. “A pleasure to meet you, Evalina. I’m Connor.”
“Nice to meet you too, Connor.”
Feeling more at home already, I skipped up the stairs and returned to my mother’s room. Felix’s father still sat in the chair by the bed, still reading his book to my enraptured mother. They both turned to look at me as I walked in and I got the distinct feeling I had interrupted something.
“Felix is busy so I thought I would come spend some time with you,” I explained almost in apology. “Is that okay?”
“Of course,” they both said almost in unison, though Archer couldn’t hear my mother.
“I can go if you’d like to be alone,” he offered but I quickly shook my head.
“Please don’t leave on my account. We’re actually going to try something to see if my mother can communicate with you. Not just you, but all terrestrial beings, as a short-term fix until we figure out how to make her visible.”
“That would be wonderful,” Archer said, and from the way my mother smiled at him, I could tell she agreed.
We made small talk for a few minutes until one of the staff knocked on the door with the pen and paper I’d requested.
“Try writing something on it,” I instructed my mother, passing the supplies to her. Archer gave a startled laugh when she took them from me, and I realized that to him, it must appear they were floating in thin air.
In her beautiful script, my mother wrote My name is Maudi before looking up at me expectantly. “Now what?”
Taking the paper from her hand, I passed it to Archer. “Can you read that?”
A smile that reminded me strongly of his son’s spread across his face. “I can indeed. It’s a pleasure to finally hear from you, Maudi.”
My mother’s cheeks flushed and she quickly scribbled something down on the next piece of paper. That time, she handed it directly to him, and Archer plucked the paper from her, chuckling as he read it over.
“She says I should tell you some of the stories I told her last night about Felix as a young boy.”
“I could tell you myself, but Archer tells it better,” my mother added, and I grinned at them both.
“I would love that.”
For the next hour, Archer regaled us with stories about Felix as a boy, usually getting into some kind of mischief, until another knock sounded at the door and another staff member appeared, this one bearing a small box.
“The jeweller has sent over some leftover gold shavings. If these weren’t what you wanted, let me know and I can ask for something else.”
I peered into the box and the narrow strips of golden material inside. “This is perfect. Thank you.”
“What’s that for?” my mother asked when the woman left.
“I’m going to try to make something for Felix. Do you mind if I go next door to my room so I can spread this out on the bed?”
“Not at all,” she assured me, and I left her and Archer to their notes and stories.
Back in my room, I laid out the scraps and matched them up by size as I tried to decide what to make. I could design a necklace that covered the same spot on his neck where a mark would go, but I worried it might choke him when he shifted. Similarly, a ring like the ones he told me humans used might fall off his finger when his hands changed to paws.
Maybe something for his wrist would be best? That should stay on in either form.
Laying two of the gold strips next to each other, I imagined them intertwining, weaving around each other to form an impenetrable lock, and energy began to build in my chest. As I watched, the metal began to move, fashioning itself into the exact image in my head.
It seemed my magic wasn’t limited to simply opening or closing things after all.
Pouring all my focus into the work, I built up a chain, layer by layer until it formed a knotted, golden rope. I barely realized how much time had gone by until Felix appeared in the doorway and my stomach flipped at the sight of him standing there, tall and strong and smiling at me as if I were the greatest thing he’d ever seen. How on earth did I get so lucky?
“It’s time to eat,” he announced. “Normally, I eat downstairs with the other members of the leadership team, but if you’d rather stay here, we can have something brought up.”
My stomach growled as soon as he mentioned food, confirming that I had indeed lost track of time. “I’d like to meet more of your friends,” I told him. “But first, will you come try this on?”
I held up the chain and Felix immediately stepped forward, his eyes bright and interested. “You made this?”
“For you,” I confirmed. “Instead of a mark. Hold out your hand.”
He offered me his arm and I wrapped the chain around his wrist, its golden colour gleaming beneath the overhead lights.
“It shows that you’re bound to me,” I explained, starting to babble when he didn’t say anything. “A symbol of the link between us. If you don’t like it, I can do something else.”
His eyes jumped from his wrist to my face. “Don’t like it? Are you kidding me? It’s incredible.”
He leaned forward to capture my lips in a sweet kiss before glancing down at his wrist again.
“How does it close? There’s no clasp.”
“Like this.”
Summoning my magic again, I directed the ends of the chain to wrap together, melding themselves into a perfect, unbroken circle around his wrist.
Felix’s eyes were filled with awe when he looked back up at me. “That was so fucking cool.”
His enthusiasm earned him a giggle. “The downside is you can’t take it off. Only I can remove it.”
“That’s perfect,” he stated firmly. “I never want to take it off. Our bond is forever and this is too. It’s perfect, Evalina. Thank you.”
He kissed me again, deeper and harder that time, and as his tongue slid into my mouth, my body instantly caught fire with the sparks only he provided. By the time he pulled back, I was panting for air and my body ached for him all over again.
“You know, maybe meeting your other friends can wait.”
A knowing smile spread across his face. “Should I order some food for us?”
“In a minute. First, I think I’m ready for another lesson.”