16. Talon
TALON
What are they doing here? I stop Wren from going any further until I can talk to my mother and sister.
“Stay right here,” I tell Wren before I trot over to my family.
“I wasn’t expecting you today.” This week or this month.
My sister Leslie glares at me like she always does when she thinks I say something ridiculous. “We heard there was a Fae banished from the Winter Court in Hex. We came to make sure that you were safe.”
I chuckle. “Safe? What do you mean to make sure I was safe?”
Leslie’s mouth opens and closes before she shakes her head. “They can be dangerous. It takes a lot for the Winter Court to banish someone. They banished two Fae within the span of two weeks.” She holds up two fingers as if I don’t know the number.
“Wren’s been here for a month, and you’re just now showing up? It doesn’t make sense.”
Mother holds up her hand. “We just now heard the news. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have shown until our usual time.”
“I wasn’t aware news was so slow in the Spring Court.” It used to be the premier Fae court for gossip. At least that’s what it felt like.
Leslie sighs out. “Unfortunately, news from the other courts has been taking quite a while lately.”
“You don’t think that’s a problem?” I ask.
“This happens sometimes,” my sister says.
“I’m aware, but I hadn’t known it to take months for so-called important news to show up.”
“Well, apparently it does.” Leslie rolls her eyes.
“I’d be more concerned about that than Wren.”
Mother seems like she’s going to shift out of her skin. “So you know this banished Fae, or at least one of them?”
“I’ve known Wren for years.”
“He could be dangerous,” Leslie says.
“I doubt he’d hurt a fly.” I have to keep in a chuckle. Wren has a bit of a brat streak in him, but he’s not dangerous, I don’t think.
“Little brother, that’s what people say when they don’t know someone.”
I absolutely roll my eyes. “I’m trying to get to know him, but you’ve crashed my date.”
Mother looks horrified. “Crash your date? You’re dating a Fae? Not only a Fae, a banished Fae?”
I chuckle. “Why are you so horrified at the prospect of me dating a Fae?”
“Because they’re tricky!” Mother throws her hands in the air as if that drives home her point.
“I’ve never had a problem with any of the Fae in Hex. Wren is very sweet. Lark, his brother, is also very sweet. I don’t know what the problem is.”
“They’re probably tricking you.” Mother runs her hands through her blonde hair and shakes her head. “I taught you better than this.”
“Oh, yes. The Fae who can’t lie are tricking me.”
“How do you know so little?” My sister shakes her head as she paces. “They can’t lie in Fae lands. But they can lie in the human world. Or so we’ve been told.”
“Told by who? People that want to make you believe Wren is a bad guy? No, I won’t believe it.”
“Have him lie.” Mother meets my eyes with such intensity I have to look away.
Wren takes a few steps and waves. “Hi, I’m Wren, the banished Fae.
What would you like me to say? Honestly, I haven’t tried lying in the human world, so what you say could be true.
But since I’ve never tried, I don’t know.
And I’ve only been here about a month, but I’ve been walking between the veils for years. ”
“You’re the Fae that walks between the worlds?”
“Yes, I’m the fae that walks between worlds.” Wren tips his head from side to side. “Well, I did until I was banished, and His Majesty took my ability, snatched it right out of my hand.” He lifts his palm and rubs his thumb over it.
Mother’s mouth drops open. “I didn’t know the Winter King had the ability to take away that kind of power.”
“I assure you, he does.” Wren’s grin is manic. “I haven’t been able to jump between the veils since my banishment. Do you know what it’s like to have something you’ve fought for, taken away from you? I do, and I’m not a fan. It’s like I can’t hear anything because my magic’s stifled.”
Mother’s hand goes to her mouth. “I can’t imagine.”
“It would probably be like if our griffins stopped talking to us,” I say.
My sister shakes as if that’s happened to her. “That’s horrifying.”
“Exactly,” I say. “Wren’s not the problem. The problem is the toxic Fae courts you still prop up.”
“They pay well,” my sister says.
“And what do you get out of the arrangement? You’re required to be by your assigned Fae’s side at all times.
You rarely get time for yourself. And worse of all, you get put into breeding matches instead of being allowed to fall in love.
” My face flames and I’m happy to have a beard because, hopefully, no one can see the extent of the blush that burns across my face.
“It’s what we were born for.” Mother says the same line she’s said my entire life. Griffins are born to guard. Well, not this griffin.
“We’re not born to just do whatever the Fae says. We’re born to have passion and be ourselves and find what makes us tick.”
“You have too much of my mother in you,” my mother says with a chuckle.
“Maybe she had it right. She knew what to prioritize instead of working all the time. She found herself, she took care of her family, and I wish that’s how our family was. Is it so bad to have my grandmother’s compassion in me?”
Mother’s lips twitch, and she doesn’t look at me.
“I left the Fae lands to get away from the toxic Fae courts and everyone in them. Not for you to come and harass me every couple of months.” My heart pounds as I try to stand up for myself.
“You’ve always been soft for griffin.”
Wren shakes beside me. “What do you mean, he’s soft for a griffin? He is such a strong person. He gets up every day and—”
I grab his hand and squeeze. “Wren don’t. They don’t care. They just want to rub their noses in how much they get paid to protect some Fae that doesn’t give a fuck about them.”
Wren laughs. “It’s pretty ridiculous. Like, why did Lord Beason have to have a griffin after the last solar festival? Because he was an asshole to the wrong person.”
My mother and sister gasped. “You can’t say stuff like that.”
“I just did,” Wren says. “I say stuff like that all the time, and I always have. No one wants to hear the truth. I’m glad I’m banished. I don’t have to deal with any of the stuffy politics anymore. And my life is much better here in Hex. Maybe you should try it sometime.”
I snort at the face my mother and sister make.
They’re totally scandalized. If it wasn’t rude or disrespectful, I’d laugh in their faces.
But I’m still a griffin, and while I’ll take a stance, I also have great respect for my family and all the other griffins.
But without them, things would be so different.
If no one propped up the shitty systems anymore, things would be different and hopefully better.
I’m still so sad for Wren, because he can’t teleport anymore. I understand where he feels like that was his identity, but I hope somehow I can help him find himself underneath everything.
My mother and sister fume while Wren looks smug. He crosses his arms and pops out a hip. “So, what do you do in your free time if you’re so adamant that your life is so much better? Because running around after Fae can’t actually be fulfilling. Because I know as a courtesan, my life was hell.”
“You can’t say that,” my mother says again. As if Wren didn’t already say it.
“I think you need to learn the rules in Hex if you’re gonna tell me what to do.
Newsflash, you can’t tell me what to do.
No one can. I am the person to choose my life.
No king, no griffin, not anyone but me. And even if I flounder, I will figure it out.
I always do. I’m quite intelligent, despite everyone thinking I’m a brainless Fae courtesan. ”
“I never said that,” I say.
Wren gives me a smile. “I know, but you did think all I did as a courtesan was sleep around. Which, if anyone is curious. This wasn’t even my choice.”
I shoot him a look of concern. “What do you mean? It wasn’t your choice?”
“This is part of what I don’t want to talk about my past. It’s too hard. But His Majesty told me that if I wanted to stay with my family, I had to be a courtesan, just like my mother.”
I suck in a breath.
“I was seven when His Majesty told me I had to choose between staying with my mother or being sent away. Staying meant following in her footsteps. Who does that? Who tells a child that? I stayed. I learned. I did well, but it’s obvious why I was given the choice.
I was excited for my wings to glow, but do you know when they glowed? Twelve.
“I was fucking twelve. As soon as your wings glow in courtesan training, you’re sent to the proper house to learn pleasure.
Mother, in her infinite wisdom, bound my glow so that no one knew, except for the two of us.
Not even Lark knew. It took every ounce of me not to hate her after she bound my glow, but I thank her every day that she did. ”
Wren shakes, and I pull him into my arms. I can’t imagine what he went through.
“That’s such a fanciful story,” my sister says.
I want to bite her. Wren’s been through so much and through it all he’s still so sweet. “Don’t say that.”
I turn to my family. “Do you have anything else you want to discuss? Or is this the end of our visit?”
Mother sighs and throws her hands up again. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”
“And you see that I am.”
She eyes Wren. “I suppose.”
“If you’ve said your piece, Mother, I think our visit is over.”
My sister fidgets and looks away. “We came because we also wanted some pastries for the party we’re having tomorrow night.”
“Pastries for a party,” Lark says. “After you came in and insulted Talon over his choice of lover?”
I can’t look at Wren because who uses those kind of words in front of someone’s family? Lover? No, just no, but I’ll let Wren talk however he wants to. I’d never stifle him, ever. Wren deserves to be the most happy Wren he can be.
“You want me to bake for your party, that one I’m not invited to, and two, you were just was an asshole to me about who I want to be with.”
“Nailed it,” my sister says. At least she has the decency to look embarrassed about the request.
“Well, no,” Wren says.
I hold up a hand. “I don’t want to, but since I do enjoy baking, and Wren has asked me to teach him how to bake. We can make something together.”
Leslie snorts and shakes her head. “What do you mean, make something together?”
“This is our date. That way, if they taste horrible, you just have to deal with it.”
Wren bounces on his toes. His wings flutter. “Oh, I could over salt everything, can’t I?”
I winked back at him. “Yes, but then that hurts my reputation as well, so I’d rather you not.”
Wren laughs, and he wraps me in a hug. “I’d never purposely do anything to mess with your reputation.”
“I didn’t think so.” I squeeze his hand and look to my mother. “When do you need the pastries by?”
“Whenever you can get them to me?”
I shake my head and sigh. “That’s not an answer. I need a solid deadline, so I know what to prepare.”
“Oh,” Mother chuckles. “I think we’ll tell you what you’re gonna prepare.”
Wren stiffens. “Why are you being such an asshole after he’s already said yes? You’ll accept what he makes without being a dick about it.”
I’m so grateful to have this fiery Fae on my side. “When do you need these by?”
“Tomorrow,” Leslie mumbles.
“They’ll be ready to pick up in the morning. 5am at Warwick’s Wicked Bakery. If you’re late, I’m putting them out for sale.” I turn on my heel and face Wren. “Now, I’d like to get back to my date.”
Mother’s nape feathers ruffle, and I hold off my laugh. Of course she doesn’t like it when I stand up for myself. She nods and they both disappear.
Wren watches them shimmer from sight from beside me and his face falls.
He can’t walk between the veils anymore and they just rubbed in his face that griffins can do it at will.
It’s an ability we’re gifted at birth and hone as soon as possible.
When we’re young, we have to shift to teleport, but the more you practice, the better you get and you can do it without the shift.
“I forget griffins have the gift. I’m not very special.” He looks up at me with a small smile.
“Fae don’t usually have the gift, so you’re special.” At least to me and I’m sure to his brother as well.
“We can still fly, right? Or do we have to start the pastries now?”
“I’d still like to share my griffin with you, but if you’re anxious about—”
“Fuck the baking. If I get to see your griffin, the treats can wait.” He grins and all the sadness washes from his pretty green eyes. That’s how I want to see him always.
“Close your eyes,” I say.