Chapter Ten
Car doors slam behind me, but my focus is on Rose’s figure, glowing green on her porch. Her face is worried as she glances between me and the wolves, and I give her a small wave.
“Can you see her?” I ask quietly, not bothering to turn around.
“Yes.”
“Yeah, it’s fucking creepy.” I frown at Seth, and he lifts his hands in a placating gesture. “Sorry man, I just mean this whole situation. There’s even a ward around this property. You didn’t tell us that.”
I stare at him, confused, and then look to Evander.
“You didn’t know?” Evander asks.
“No. What do you mean, a ward?”
“That’s what it feels like. Someone has put this property under a spell. We have one around the vineyard.”
“And what, you can sense it?”
Both brothers nod. “Our mom is a witch,” Seth adds with a shrug. “We’ve both learned a little more about magic in the last few years. Technically, Ellie is a witch too.”
“Ellie is fae,” Evander says, his brow creased as he stares at Rose. “I see what you mean about them both.”
“There’s almost a resemblance,” I nod, feeling validated. I wasn’t just seeing things; having just spent time with Ellie earlier, the similarities are uncanny. “It must be a fae thing.”
I walk across the front yard, stopping in front of the porch. “What is going on?” Rose asks, glancing behind me and back again. “Zak?”
“Hey, these guys are here to help. I met them at the wedding; we just came from there.”
“That was today?” She plays with the fabric of her skirt, the way she used to when I first started visiting. I hadn’t realised how much of a nervous habit that was for her. “I thought I must have skipped a night here again, since I couldn’t remember a time when you were not here.”
“Nah, I saw you just yesterday.” I climb the steps carefully, avoiding the busted ones. I’m sure my foot will go through the remaining wood one of these days, but it’s the least of my worries. “These guys are both wolves,” I say quietly, reaching out to her. When I brush my hands down her arms her form holds, and I can feel the texture of her blouse under my fingers. That’s a good sign. Her eyes are filled with worry as she cranes her neck to look up at me, her hands clutching at my suit jacket. “I told you I work with a werewolf, right? They’re like him. They’re brothers, and the older one is married to a woman who looks like you. We think you’re the same species, so they came to meet you.”
She peers around me at them, and I move a half step so I’m not completely blocking her view, though her hands still hold my jacket in a tight grip. “Rose, meet Evander and Seth. And this is Rose.”
“Hello,” she says softly. “I suppose I should invite you in.”
With introductions and most of the explanations completed, we stand around in the main room while I confess to Rose that I’ve been keeping a secret for the past week.
“Antlers?” she asks, her hands automatically landing on her head. Her hair is still up in a bun like it always is at the start of every evening, making her look more historic than she usually does. “I don’t have antlers!”
“You did, for a moment before you disappeared. It was when you made the mushrooms appear and glow.”
She shakes her head, her lips pursed. “I don’t remember any of that. I remember hearing the birds, and wanting to see the sunrise.”
“I know. You did so well to make it until then. You were working hard. You were using magic . I’ve seen Ellie use the same magic today; she —” I click my fingers, “ snap , made antlers appear on her head. They’re branches of wood, actually, with little flowers on them.”
“That makes no sense.”
“Rose, baby, we’ve spent the last month thinking you’re dead and a ghost. Your house has stuff preserved from 1915. Nothing makes sense anymore. And your ears are the same. You’re not the only one who is like this; there are others out there. It means one of your ancestors was fae.”
“I know it’s a shock,” Evander interjects, his voice very much fitting the profile of a serious alpha. “My wife felt the same when her antlers first appeared. And I was just as confused and worried as you are, Rose. But I think this is potentially good news. I don’t know what happens to people when they die,” he says, his voice turning sombre, “but I don’t think a dead spirit could use magic that way. I could be wrong,” he shrugs.
“I don’t think you’re wrong,” Seth adds, hands in his pockets. He’s been pacing around the room for the past ten minutes, eyes examining every wall and item of furniture in the soft glow of the portable lamp. “She’s gotta be trapped in the First Realm, right? Mom always says we don’t know shit about what the fae are up to behind their borders.”
“If that’s the case, she hasn’t aged since 1915.”
“Yeah, well, she’s fae, right? Maybe Ellie will be the same, and outlive you by a hundred years.”
“Can we talk about next steps,” I interrupt, before Evander can speak. The deep frown he wears says enough. “Will you talk to your mum? Will she want to help?”
“She’ll help.” Evander turns his attention to Rose. “You wouldn’t happen to know who the current owners of this property are, would you?”
She shakes her head, and I step closer to her, putting my hand around her waist. If she’s annoyed at me for not telling her about the antlers, she at least doesn’t shrug me off. After a brief glance upwards she leans into me, wrapping her arms around my middle.
“Why would that matter?” I ask.
“Apart from the fact that you’re trespassing on private property daily?” Evander says, nodding to the pile of things I’ve left stacked on the floor; blankets, pillows, torches, snacks, and the lit up lamp. “I can’t ignore the ward here, and the more I think about it, the more fae it feels, which makes me a little nervous. You’re sure the ward isn’t something you’ve put in place?” he asks Rose again for what I’m pretty sure is the fourth time.
“It wasn’t me, I swear it. I thought I was human until Zak told me otherwise.”
“I don’t sense any fae from it, it just feels like magic to me,” Seth mutters, frowning off into the distance.
“Yeah, well, you’re not mate-bonded to a fae woman like I am. It has the same quality as Ellie’s magic; I keep getting stuck on that fact. I don’t think we’re in danger here,” he adds quickly, seeing the panic on my face. “I know what it’s like to be at the mercy of fae magic that is dangerous, and this isn’t it. Not all fae are of the kidnapping, let’s rule the world variety.”
“Right. But who’s behind it, if it’s not Rose? And it can’t be Rose, she doesn’t have any control over any of this. It’s why we need help.” I’m still worried that at any moment Evander will turn around and say this is all too weird and back out of the whole situation.
“It’s gotta be a relative, right?” Seth asks. “If the magic is fae like Van says it is, then it would make sense that it’s from someone already connected to this house and to Rose.”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Evander confirms, pulling out his phone. “Why else would someone be protecting this house and preserving some of your things? I know, Rose, that you’ve mentioned your sisters and believe me, I understand that it’s probably difficult for you to talk about your family given the circumstances, but if you could give me their names — the names of your parents, siblings, anyone that lived in this house — it’ll be a good starting point for finding out more information.”
“Alright. Well, in 1915 it was my mother and father, Harriet and Theodore Copthorne, myself, and my two sisters, Amaryllis and Iris. Amaryllis was fifteen, Iris was only five years old.”
“That’s everyone?”
“Yes. Is this something you’re an expert at? Finding information like this?” Rose asks. Her fingers dig into my side, and there’s a worried frown on her face.
“No. But I can easily find people that are, and I can cover the cost of that without worry.”
“And you would do that for a stranger, sir? Go to all this effort, to try and discover what is going on, to try and help me, a person you don’t know and just met, who is probably already dead?”
“I’m doing it for my wife.”
I can appreciate Evander’s honesty, at least.
“And also for myself,” he continues, “because I sure as hell won’t be sleeping well at night, having been here and met you — a changeling that I suspect has been taken by the fae — without having more answers. I’ll be completely honest with you; you seem like a lovely person but I don’t like being here. I don’t feel comfortable inside this ward. My wolves are on edge, and I can’t help but…” His words cut off in a growl that has Rose freezing like a prey animal, and I tighten my grip around her waist.
“The fae threat is always at the back of our minds,” Seth says, his tone more serious than it has been all night. “We’ve seen it first-hand. We don’t want to lose the people we love. Ellie has been in my brother’s life since before I was born; she’s always been a sister to me, and a member of my pack. We’re here because we’ll do anything to protect her.”
“Do you think I can be saved then, or am I just a lost cause? Or maybe I truly am dead.” Rose’s voice, so forlorn, is like a dagger through my heart.
“You’re not a lost cause,” I say immediately. “You’re here. Look at you, you’re solid.” Even as I say it, I can tell that she’s fading a little. Some nights are better than others, and tonight isn’t a great one. I hug her against me, but I can feel the fuzziness to her edges that often indicates she’s going to start disappearing fast. Soon my arm will pass right through her.
“I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep, Rose,” Evander says quietly, levelling his gaze at her. “But I will do my best to help you here, so long as it doesn’t put my family or my pack in danger.”
There are tears in Rose’s eyes, and I hate it. I hate seeing her afraid, I hate seeing her sad. I know these feelings already existed; that she fears the unknown the way I do, that she hates being torn away from this world before dawn every night that she is here. I swallow back the lump in my throat as Rose lifts her chin as if in defiance at the world and the cruel nature of it. “Thank you,” she whispers.
The wolf brothers ask Rose if they can search the property. “ I don’t know what we’re looking for exactly,” Evander admits. “Just anything out of the ordinary.”
We follow them from room to room, the lantern in my hand because I lack the eyesight these wolves have, and Rose points out how the personal items in all the bedrooms have remained far more preserved than the furniture in the front of the house, or the curtains and other furnishings. “Is it magic, do you think?” Rose asks.
He touches a finger to the small doll that lies on her sister’s bed. “It could be. That’s beyond my understanding of it.” His lips curl up in a wry smile. “I’m beginning to regret turning down my mother’s offers to teach me, all those years ago.”
“Yeah, same!” Seth says, his voice echoing down the hall from one of the other rooms. “Hey, are these your parents, Rose? There’s old photos on the wall.”
“In the master? Yes.” I trail after Rose’s silent footsteps, her soft green glow casting light on the tattered wallpaper as we pass by, Evander hot on my heels. When we enter, Seth has already moved onto the wide bookcase in the corner, his fingers tracing over the spines. I stand back and watch Evander freeze as he catches sight of the portraits, his eyes focused on the one of Rose’s father.
I’ve seen them before — a pair of large sepia toned photographs in oval frames made of dark wood, both her parents wearing equally serious expressions. I can see parts of Rose in both of her parents; she has her father’s nose, and the shape of his mouth, though her features are much more feminine than the stern-but-youthful man in the picture. The shape of her eyes belong to her mother; large, wide-set, and fringed with dark lashes, they’re the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen.
“Do you mind if I take a picture of these, Rose? They may be useful for research. I know it’s unlikely that there are other photographs around in historical records, but just in case. Has Zak told you about facial recognition software?”
Rose shakes her head, gesturing to the portraits. “I don’t know what those words mean, but you’re welcome to take a picture.”
“It means there’s technology that can read a face, the same way we read words, and identify who the person is. I forgot to ask about their middle names,” Evander continues, lifting his phone to each portrait, snapping a picture. “There might be a ton of Harriet Copthornes to wade through.”
“I believe we were the only ones in town at the time, but of course. Mother’s middle name was Rose. Father’s was James.”
“James,” Evander repeats, and there’s something strange about the tone of his voice that rings alarm bells. “Harriet Rose and Theodore James.” He frowns at his phone screen for a moment, Rose’s father staring back up at him.
“That’s him. He owned a bookstore on Queen Street, if that helps, under the name T. J. Copthorne Bookseller and Stationer.”
“Holy shit, you don’t show up on camera,” Seth interrupts, his phone pointed at Rose. “I didn’t realise. That really is ghost-like.”
“I could have told you that,” I say, pulling my gaze away from Evander and his sudden odd change in demeanour. “I said before, no one else on this street can even see her, and my flatmates are all non-human.”
“It’s the magic.” Evander’s jaw is clenched, his frown more pronounced than it was five minutes ago. “Seth, go shift and search the backyard, see if you can scent anything out of the ordinary. I’m going to look around inside a little more. It’s getting late, and I want to get back to Ellie.”
Seth nods and disappears without a second glance, the dynamic between the two — alpha wolf versus pack member — suddenly obvious.
“I don’t think there’s any ferries running this late that’ll take you back,” I say without thinking.
Evander nods. “There’s water taxis, and helicopters. I’ll go with whatever I can find.”
Of course. He’s filthy rich. He can do whatever the fuck he wants.
“Seth is out there now,” he says, nodding his head in the direction of the back garden. “If you want to see what a shifter looks like in his wolf form, Rose, feel free to go watch him do his thing, the moon should still be bright enough for you to see him in the dark.”
“I would quite like that, actually. I am still very new to this post-Unravelling world, as Zak calls it.”
“What will you be doing in here?” I don’t know why I have the sudden sense that Evander is hiding something.
“Seeing if I can pick up the scent of fae anywhere. There’s certainly other scents present in this house right now.”
“Yeah, alright ,” I say, feeling defensive. Is every fucking alpha I know going to directly point out that they smell my cum in this place? “She’s my mate, I’m allowed to —”
“I didn’t mean anything,” he laughs. He did, and I shake my head.
“Come on, Rose, let’s go watch this wolf.”
Rose is nearly as translucent as when I first met her by the time the wolf brothers leave, despite it not yet being midnight.
“You’re tired, eh?” I ask her. Her form is no longer solid, but I still hold my hand to her cheek, and she closes her eyes, her frown pronounced and her chin wobbling. “Oh babe, please don’t cry,” I whisper.
It’s a futile request. She lets out a sob, and I can’t even hold her in my arms anymore. It’s so fucking unfair. “It’s going to be okay,” I tell her. “We’ll find a way.”
“A way for what? For me to come back from the dead? Or out of wherever I’ve been kept? If fae have had me this whole time, what have they been doing with me? Zak, I’m so scared. Why can’t I remember any of it?”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve got you,” I tell her, but I don’t, and she fades out of sight and out of existence once more.
My phone rings at ten the following morning, waking me up. The name Evander looks blurry on the screen, but my heart begins to race, adrenaline spiking. I’m wide awake as I swipe the answer button.
“Hello?”
“Zak. I wanted to update you; there’s been a lot of developments in the night. I don’t think I explained my mother’s history to you at all, but she was once a core member of the Maheras coven. The current High Witch is my great-grandmother, and has expressed a lot of interest in Rose’s case. She’s concerned that we may miss a window of opportunity, and wants to act tonight, given how unpredictable Rose’s form and appearance is.”
It takes a moment to process what he’s said. “I don’t know anything about the First Realm,” I admit. “I’ve never heard of that coven. I’m the least non-human non-human you could find, in terms of knowledge about that stuff. What do you mean about acting tonight? They’re not going to hurt her, are they?”
“They won’t hurt her, not intentionally. The witches want to save her. I don’t think you realise how big this is. This situation is unheard of, and they think she might be the key to unlocking some new information about the Unseelie fae.”
“She doesn’t know anything.”
“I know, and I told them that. It’s not about what she can say, but more what they can observe.”
“She’s not a science experiment.” This is what I wanted, help , but it’s happening so fast and I feel like I can’t keep up.
“I know. Trust me, I made it very clear that the goal needs to be saving Rose. She’s the priority.”
“Why? Why do you care? I’m not trying to be rude. I’m just trying to understand why you’re so invested. I know you mentioned Ellie, but —”
“Ellie is the reason.”
“Yeah, but —”
“Look, I haven’t even had a chance to talk to her about this. I haven’t even slept yet. I’ve been to the First Realm and back since I last saw you less than twelve hours ago.” I hear him take a deep breath. “It could be a huge coincidence, but fae have long life spans. Much longer than wolves and orcs. It’s very possible that Rose’s fae parent might still be alive. When it comes to people who are mixed fae and human, the parent tends to outlive the offspring, in terms of lifespan. And someone has placed that ward on the house.”
I hadn’t even thought of that. “You think her mum or dad is hanging around?”
“I don’t know, but that’s not why I care, or at least it’s not the core reason. Rose said her father was known as T.J. Copthorne — that was the name of his store, right? Well I know another changeling woman with a father who went by the name TJ. Ellie . TJ is the only information my wife has ever had about her father; it was a one-night stand, her human mother didn’t know him well at all. He left no contact details. It could be a coincidence, but if it is, it’s a really fucking big one. Maybe I’m going crazy, because I’ve always thought Ellie looks like her mom, but I swear, every time I look at that photo of him I see my wife in there.”
Holy shit. Holy shit.
“Rose kept doing little things that Ellie does,” he adds. “Little gestures, like playing with the fabric of her clothes when she’s nervous.”
“They have the same smile.”
“They do,” he agrees. “Their expressions — at least some of them — are identical. It’s personal, Zak. My wife is an only child, but I think Rose is her sister. It sounds ridiculous, but what doesn’t these days? I’m a big believer in fate. I have to be, because Ellie is my fated mate, and we have the bites and the bond to prove it. I think I have to believe that the universe is trying to tell us something here.”
“Are you going to tell her?”
“Yes. I’ll leave it up to you to tell Rose, which you can do later, after we save her.”