Chapter 22
TRACE
“He’s snoozing on the back seat of my car. He rather overdid it with the magic and I wasn’t letting him go back to Dalziel without a rest. I offered him my new bedroom, but he wouldn’t take it.” I peered at the basket in James’ grasp. “Why, what do you have in there?”
“Food that will give him an energy boost,” James said, his gaze steady, almost fierce.
“Using magic here takes twice as much energy as it does for a Fae in their own realm. I’ve been researching.
That’s why Charley looked done in when he made the ice lawn.
He’s having to pull any magic he does across two planes of existence.
Isher is probably exhausted, even with his royal blood. ”
I reined in my smile. I knew all this, but it was encouraging to see James was keen to absorb as much knowledge as possible about supernaturals of all kinds. It did make me wonder though…
“You seem very invested in the Fae. Any particular reason?” I couldn’t forget he’d insisted he could see Charley’s magic working. It had to be a coincidence, a trick of the light, surely.
“We’ve had an exciting day, haven’t we, love?” Edwin’s smile was tight, almost as if expecting me to react negatively.
“Go on,” I prompted.
I sat on the steps Isher had constructed for me, my mind whirring to keep up as they explained what had transpired. Well, that certainly cleared up a few things.
I gathered my thoughts. What to say first? In the end I went with an apology. “The pink lights you said you saw?”
James set his lips in a straight line. “I did see them. I’m hard of hearing, not blind.”
“I beg your pardon. My wording was poor. I’m going to suggest that seeing as you don’t have a history of unexplainable magical happenings, perhaps your talents lie in seeing Fae magic, being aware of it, rather than any direct ability to use it yourself.”
Edwin shot me a loaded glance. “You’re saying you can see Fae magic?”
“Usually only if you’re Fae,” I confirmed. “Which is why I was surprised when James remarked on it.”
“You were a bit more than surprised,” James accused. “I think you saw them too, or you know a lot more about Fae magic than you’ve been letting on.”
“Hey, love, no need to go on the attack. Supes are notoriously cagey about sharing info with humans. I don’t think it was unreasonable of Trace to be wary, or surprised. We all assumed you were human. Saying you see stuff others can’t can be a red flag to let us know we’re not necessarily safe.”
Well now, Edwin jumping to my defence was something that made my insides heat. I’d not expected him to do that, nor to caution James in front of me. It seemed he’d been sincere about my being part of whatever it was they had going, on top of our mutual physical attraction.
James narrowed his eyes at Edwin. “I thought I was human. Don’t have a pop at me because you’ve had a century to get paranoid.
Remember, I’ve spent my whole life looking over my shoulder to make sure I’m not about to get jumped by some arsehole who thinks it’s funny I have a hearing deficit.
I know about being careful, Edwin.” He glared at us both.
“I’m going to take this inside and make myself something to eat. ”
He stalked off without a backwards glance. I raised my eyebrows at Edwin. “Trouble in paradise?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t think so. Perhaps he’s hungry. Or maybe he’s not as okay with this discovery as I thought he was. He seemed fine at Baxter’s.”
“Give him some time to cool off,” I suggested. “He’s had a shock, although why Fae blood would come as a surprise when he’s spent his life with suspiciously pointy ears, I don’t know.”
Edwin flicked my shoulder as he followed me up the steps.
“Because he’s human, or thought he was, you knucklehead.
You lot have a wonderful capacity for not seeing the obvious, because the obvious is explained as folklore, and has been since forever so we don’t get hunted out of existence.
” He scoffed. “You could cut your hair and caution your familiar to fly under cover of darkness and no one would even catch on you’re a witch.
At worst, they’d think you were an obsessive gardener with some weird plants.
Try being a vampire and not alerting your neighbours.
That takes some doin—” He broke off as I opened the door to the living room.
“Bloody hell. That’s not a tarting up, that’s a full-on miracle.
” He stared around for a moment. “You like silk then. A lot, it seems.” The living room ceiling was tented in fabric, as was the ceiling in the bedroom.
I smiled at his open-mouthed amazement. “He’s quite talented isn’t he?
” Isher had gone all out in his efforts to turn the empty carriage into a home.
He’d done way more than I could have dreamed of, and more than I would ever have been comfortable asking of him, even if I did suspect he was immensely powerful.
He’d had to push me to be honest about my likes and dislikes as well as my needs, so he could create a home that would be to my taste rather than merely convenient.
I leaned against the door jamb and gestured for Edwin to check out the rest of the place, reminding him not to touch anything that looked like silver as it probably was.
I still needed white goods in the kitchen and sanitary ware in the bathroom, but I could move in and use the bedroom and living room.
Knowing I had a place to lay my head was huge.
That two rooms were complete and ready for me to move my own possessions into was a load off my considerable anxiety about this move.
Isher had suggested colours and shades that were soothing and complemented each other so the whole carriage became a seamless transition between the separate spaces.
He’d even conjured me up sets of bedding and towels, wincing when I’d meekly suggested my old sets would have been fine.
Edwin returned from the bedroom looking pensive.
“I’ve sent in the plans for joining you up to the water supply, and Baxter’s got a guy leaning on the planning team for a speedy approval.
I’ll also get an electrician to come and get you wired up.
You’re totally happy with the position of the carriage?
” I nodded. “Good. We’ll get someone down here ASAP.
Might be helpful if you could choose what things you want for the bathroom and kitchen so we can get them ordered and book someone to fit them. ”
I groaned. His questioning look encouraged me to admit how much I loathed using computers. “I don’t suppose there are any local showrooms that might post out brochures?”
Edwin smirked. “You’re not supposed to be more old-fashioned than me. James thinks I’m weird for using a pencil and notepad.”
I chuckled. “They don’t need electricity and you can’t lose a file. What’s not to like?”
He nudged my shoulder in a conspiratorial way.
“Exactly. Let’s go and use my computer, which I’m perfectly happy to employ as a tool when needed.
And maybe James won’t bark at me when I ask if there’s anything for you to eat.
” His flippant tone didn’t match his concerned frown, so I decided to hang back.
“I’ll check on Isher and join you in a minute.”
Isher blinked sleepily when I tapped the car window, then unlocked the vehicle and peered out. “Is everything all right?”
I reassured him. “Come and join us, please? I think James would like to see you. He has food,” I added when Isher hesitated.
Terrance swooped down to say hello as I stepped up to open Edwin and James’ front door. “Your new friend is a powerful Fae,” he croaked, fixing beady eyes on Isher. About to chide the crow for being rude and not saying hello, I was amazed to see Isher execute a fancy bow to my familiar.
“Isher Merryfield, very pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said. “I believe I know one of your kin.”
Terrance couldn’t smile — he was a crow, of course — but he did the birdy equivalent and sidled nearer.
Isher grinned at me. “I’ll be through in a minute.
Please apologise to James and Edwin for me.
” As I pulled the door closed, he’d slumped onto his elbows on the rail, his eyes alert with interest and what looked like a deep familiarity with my crow, which was both strange and quite endearing.
James seemed to have recovered from his snappish mood and greeted me warmly, offering me the run of the kitchen cupboards if I was hungry.
He confessed that Edwin had forbidden him to make me anything to eat until he himself was fed.
I made myself a cheese salad sandwich and a mug of herbal tea, and rejoined them in the lounge.
Edwin was tapping furiously at his keyboard. He glanced up.
“There are a decent selection of places that do bathroom and kitchen wares,” he announced.
“James said he’ll go out early and pick up some brochures for you if you can wait overnight.
It would mean you’d be back later to Essex, but you could look through them quickly here, or take them with you.
If nothing suits, he said he’ll try some others. ”
I saw the way James was watching me. It would delay me getting back to my plants, but if I could choose everything in the morning, it could be ordered and installed quickly.
The Council had agreed a budget to help me move, which was a handout I couldn’t afford to refuse.
It made me squirm that I had so little in my bank account that I couldn’t turn it down, but we couldn’t all be loaded like Baxter and Dalziel.
Even Edwin didn’t seem tight for cash and he was a young vampire.
My calling as a witch hadn’t exactly filled my coffers.
More truthfully, I’d not been concerned with money as long as I had enough to feed and clothe myself. Or rather, not for some years.