Chapter 1 #2
“Well, I made that suggestion, and according to Tink, he’s not ready for that kind of commitment,” Ren replied dryly.
“What? That’s not a commitment,” I reasoned. “It would only be temporary, right?”
“We tried explaining that to Tink.” Ivy rolled her eyes. “But you know how he is.”
I didn’t. I really didn’t. I lowered my voice so we weren’t overheard. “Why can’t he stay at Hotel Good Fae?” That was what Ivy called the compound the Summer fae lived in. “They love him. Like near worship levels.”
“We suggested that, but he said, and I quote, he can’t ‘be himself’ around them. That their admiration is too much pressure on him.”
I stared at Ren. “You’re joking.”
“I wish.” He leaned back. “You know we can’t leave him alone. He’d burn down Ivy’s apartment.”
“He’ll spend all my money on shit from ,” Ivy added as her phone rang. She picked up her bag. “Anyway, we’ll talk out the details later.”
We were so not talking out the details later. “But—”
“What’s up, Miles?” Ivy held her hand up, and I snapped my mouth shut. “What?” She glanced at Ren, who was alert and all eyes on Ivy. “Yeah, we’re nearby. We can check it out.” There was a pause. “I’ll update you in a few.”
Disconnecting the call, she pulled out her wallet and said, “Miles said Gerry didn’t show up for his shift and no one can get ahold of him,” she explained, and that wasn’t normal at all. Gerry was habitually on time. “He asked if we could swing by his place and check things out.”
“Can do,” Ren answered as Ivy dropped several bills on the table. “By the way, I’m pretty sure Tink is at your place now with Merle.”
“Wait. What?” I immediately forgot about Gerry not showing up for patrol.
“Yeah, he said something about wanting gardening tips or something bizarre.” Ivy shoved her wallet into her bag. “Honestly, I wasn’t really listening.”
“Oh God.” I fumbled for my wallet as visions of my mom impaling Tink with steak knives danced in my head. “He cannot be there alone with my mom.”
“I think Merle likes Tink,” Ivy said.
“Really?” I dropped cash on the table—more than enough to cover my food and a tip. “Depends on if he’s Tink-size or people-size.”
“I feel the same way,” Ren muttered, and then he slid a sly glance in my direction. “By the way, I’m pretty sure your mom has the hots for Tanner.”
I was frozen, halfway standing. Tanner ran Hotel Good Fae.
In other words, he was a fae and my mom—well, Mom did seem to like visiting him, but she also talked quite frequently about killing fae, all kinds of fae.
Shaking my head, I decided I really didn’t have the brain space to process any of that.
“I better get going. God only knows what my mom and Tink could get into.”
“I figure it’ll either be epic or epically disastrous.” Ivy grinned at me as she and Ren stood.
“Agreed.” Wishing they had mentioned all of this at the beginning of dinner, I slung my purse over my shoulder and said my goodbyes.
Hurrying through the small diner and skirting the oversized Christmas tree, I made my way outside.
Cool wind caught the fine strands of hair around my face, blowing my ponytail over my shoulder.
I lived a handful of blocks from the shopping center, and it was quicker just to walk instead of trying to order an Uber.
Shoving my hands into the front pocket of my oversized hoodie, I jogged across the street.
The Garden District was beautiful any time of year, but it really amped up its curb appeal during the Christmas season.
Lights of all different colors decorated porches and balconies, twisted around wrought iron fences, and twinkled from the massive oaks that lined many of the streets.
I could not believe Tink was at my place. What in the world were Ivy and Ren thinking? Mom didn’t hate Tink, but Mom had also, at one time, suggested to Ivy’s face that Ivy should be put down.
All because Ivy wasn’t exactly a hundred percent human. She was a halfling and there had been this whole prophecy that involved her permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld, allowing the armies of the Winter Court to enter our world, but all of that was over. Thank God.
And Tink was definitely not even one percent human.
Cutting down a side street, I tried not to let my imagination run wild with what could be happening at home.
They could be sitting together and watching Harry Potter.
Or Tink could’ve brought his boyfriend, who just happened to be Prince Fabian—one of the two Princes of the Summer Court—to the house.
I doubted Tink would’ve brought Prince Fabian’s brother with him. At least there was that.
A shudder racked my shoulders as an image of the Prince formed in my head. I’d never seen him when he was under the Queen’s enchantment, masquerading as the Winter Prince. He’d terrorized the city, becoming a living and breathing nightmare who had kidnapped Ivy to fulfill said prophecy.
I’d only seen him after the enchantment was broken, and even then he’d been the most intimidating creature I’d ever laid eyes on. And when he looked at me, I couldn’t help but feel—
“Mom.” My steps drew up short as I spotted her coming down the wide sidewalk, her thin housecoat flapping behind her like wings. “What are you doing out here?”
She stepped under the street lamp, her short blond hair messy from the wind. “Oh, I was just getting… antsy and decided I wanted to go for a walk.”
I hurried to where she stood, taking her hands in mine. Her skin was cold. “Mom, why didn’t you put on your jacket?”
“Honey, it’s not that cold outside.” She laughed, squeezing my hands.
“It’s cold enough for something heavier than this robe you’ve got going on. Let’s head back home.” My stomach twisted with nerves as I looped my arm through hers and turned her back around.
Anxiety and the inability to stay still was usually a sign that we were about to hit a rough couple of days.
It came out of nowhere and nothing and everything could trigger it.
She would go from being clear minded and sharp as a tack for weeks, months even, and then wham!
She would start roaming off and then the nightmares would start.
She wouldn’t be able to sleep and things would… they would just spiral.
Worry was like a virus. By the time you felt it, you were already drowning in it. “How long have you been outside?”
“Long enough to walk from the house to here,” she replied, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “And what’s wrong with my robe?”
There were several things wrong with her roaming around the Garden District in a robin’s egg blue robe.
I slowed my pace to match hers as I guided her across the street. “Did you have company while I was gone?”
“Company?”
Maybe Ren and Ivy were wrong about Tink being there. “Did Tink come by?” I asked, starting to get nervous.
She was quiet for a moment and then she chuckled. “Actually, come to think of it, he was watching a movie and then he stepped outside to make a phone call.”
“So, he was still there when you—” The street lamp above us flickered once and then faded out.
All the way down the block, as far as I could see, the lights flickered and then disappeared.
“That’s odd,” Mom commented, a shiver working its way through her. “Brighton?”
“It’s okay,” I said, swallowing hard. “Everything is okay.”
A blast of what felt like arctic air swept down the block, lifting the edges of Mom’s housecoat and stopping both of us in our tracks.
The tiny hairs all along the nape of my neck rose as I scanned the empty street, only lit by the faint, twinkling Christmas lights.
I recognized the for sale sign in front of the empty antebellum home. We had another two blocks to go.
“Mom,” I whispered, heart pounding in my chest as I started walking again, dragging her along with me. “We need to—”
They seemed to come out of nowhere, moving so fast they were nothing more than shadows at first, surrounding us.
A scream built in my throat as I saw them. Silvery skin. Eyes filled with hate. Four of them, and they were on us before the scream could even part my lips.