Chapter 7
The Good Tea is Upstairs
Ifocus on Keira’s nails. They’re perfectly shaped and gel-painted with a sophisticated pale pink.
Even her manicure makes me feel inadequate.
“Keira’s right, Rowan,” Mrs. Neilfellow says.
“And we are overjoyed that she is willing to let bygones be bygones and move forward. Now, Anna mentioned that you’d like to return to Mablemyer.
I’ve talked to the college and paid the tuition for your final year.
All I ask in exchange is for you to pick up where you left off.
We lost so much time.” She pleads him with her eyes. “Let’s not waste any more.”
“I…” Rowan looks gobsmacked. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t have to. I want nothing more than to see you succeed.” Passionately, she adds, “You know that, darling.”
He exhales heavily. “I do.”
I was right when I said the Neilfellow’s issues stemmed from more than a lack of hugs. It’s honestly a miracle this woman’s children are as stable as they are.
“All right,” Mrs. Neilfellow says, as if Rowan’s response was an agreement.
“A spring wedding is ideal, but we don’t want you getting cold feet and turning yourself into a bird again.
So, we can’t wait that long. Winter is abysmal, so that leaves fall.
Obviously, that doesn’t give us much time, but if we work fast, I believe we could hold the wedding the first weekend of October.
We’ll have to hope for mild weather, though.
An early snowstorm could destroy everything. ”
“We’ll have to think of a backup venue,” Keira says. “Just in case.”
“I suppose we could book the ballroom at the hotel.” Mrs. Neilfellow sniffs. “Though someone else will have to contact Mr. Eastwilden, the foul man, because I won’t do it after what he said at the Christmas gala in 2015. I won’t.”
“Enough,” Rowan says. “Keira and I are not getting married.”
Mrs. Neilfellow looks back at him, her face pinched. “Why are you fighting this?”
“Probably because he accidentally fused his magic with Kit’s during the reversal,” Ash says. “And now they’re playing fated mates.”
The room falls silent, as if everyone in the tea shop is listening. And judging from the owlish stares, they are.
“There are humans here,” Rowan quietly snarls to Ash.
Thankfully, it’s only one couple. Right now, the rest of our patrons are fae.
Ash clears his throat and scans the room, finding the humans in question. “I’ll take care of it.”
“What does he mean you ‘fused your magic?’” Mrs. Neilfellow demands, her eyes going between the two of us, looking like we told her all her stocks just crashed.
Rowan sighs. “We can’t do this here. We’ll talk about it later.”
“No.” Mrs. Neilfellow takes his hand and squeezes it…scared. “Tell me, Rowan. What do you mean?”
He frowns at his aunt’s hand, unnerved. Perhaps, like me, he expected her to be mad, not terrified. What is this reaction?
The bells on the door chime as another patron walks into the shop.
Ryder pauses in the entryway when he sees Mrs. Neilfellow and Keira at the counter, rightly assuming this isn’t a mess he wants to get tangled up in. Too bad for him, Rowan calls his name, waving him over.
“Hey, Mrs. Neilfellow,” the elf says when he reluctantly joins us, uncomfortable. “And…Keira.”
“Watch the counter for us, will you?” Rowan asks.
Ryder’s eyes go wide. “What?”
“Just do it,” Rowan all but snaps.
“Sure thing.” Ryder gives me a grin. “Hey, Kit, how do I make tea?”
I pull my phone out of my pocket and open my notes app. “My tea journal is in here. It has notes for steep temps and how much to use.”
“Send it to me, and then you don’t have to leave your phone.”
I nod, deciding that’s a good idea.
After I have him set up, and Ash has worked a little memory magic on the humans, Rowan, Keira, Mrs. Neilfellow, Ash, and I head up to the apartment.
To be honest, I’m not sure why I’m here. Surely Rowan and Ash can handle this conversation on their own.
But then Rowan meets my eyes, and I realize he needs me for emotional support. I nod, giving him a small, encouraging smile.
“Tell me what happened,” Mrs. Neilfellow demands.
“Ash summed it up pretty well,” Rowan says with a sigh. “Ansel used Kit and Ryder’s magic to reverse the metamorphosis. What we didn’t realize until later was that it somehow created a bond between Kit and me, linking our magic in a way that’s behaving nearly identically to a shifter bond.”
Keira gasps, but Mrs. Neilfellow goes white.
“I believe I can undo it,” he says, “but I need time to examine the magic—”
“No!” Mrs. Neilfellow exclaims, her eyes wild as they dart between us. When she controls herself, she says, slightly more calmly, “That sounds too dangerous. You won’t do it. You can’t. I will not lose you again, not a second time!”
“I don’t think it’s dangerous,” Rowan says, frowning. “And I don’t have a choice. I can’t leave Kit tied to me.”
“You certainly can’t,” Keira snaps, angry.
Like, really angry.
I shrink back, feeling like a bug that’s about to be squashed.
“Because I love her,” Rowan exclaims vehemently—right to his ex-fiancée’s face. With a pointed look, he adds, “And I will not trap her into a relationship she doesn’t want, even if it suits my purposes.”
The woman rears back as if he slapped her.
Meanwhile, I stand quietly to the side, hyperventilating.
“You love her?” Mrs. Neilfellow says, looking at me as if confused. “This little…tea pixie?”
There are never any convenient holes to crawl into when you need one.
“Yes, I love her,” Rowan says firmly. “I loved her before we linked our magic, I love her now, and I will certainly love her after I undo this bond.”
It’s not a great time to glow, but goodness. Even though I tamp back my reaction with all my strength, I think a few sparkles must escape because Keira narrows her eyes at me.
I’m pretty sure she’s planning my funeral.
“Fine,” Mrs. Neilfellow says, startling everyone. “Good. That’s lovely. Stay with her—but do not tamper with your magic. We’ll plan your wedding to her instead.” Abruptly, she turns toward the door. “Keira, we’re leaving.”
Stunned, Rowan, Ash, and I gape as Mrs. Neilfellow effectively shushes Rowan’s sputtering ex and ushers her down the stairs.
As soon as the door closes, Ash mutters a baffled curse and then turns to Rowan. “What in oblivion just happened? Did Mom just give the two of you her blessing?”
“I think so,” Rowan says, looking freaked out as he stares at the closed door. Slowly, he turns to his cousin. “But why?”