Chapter 7
But it had to be, right?
That’s all she kept thinking about as she re-engaged all three of her locks before returning to her room. That this had to be Ash’s way of saying goodbye, only… why would he bring her the freesia?
He’d done it once before. Last summer, when Callie discovered that Ash was responsible for the kobold that tried to attack her, she was so pissed off that she kicked him out of the apartment.
It was like a slap in the face. After spending weeks naively believing that Ash was being honest with her because he couldn’t lie, she was hurt to learn that the Light was just as tricky as the rest of his kind.
He hadn’t understood why she was so upset.
The way he saw it, he’d changed his mind about using the kobold against her as soon as he released it from his burlap sack.
He burst past the veil, skewering the beastly creature with the tip of his sword before he could get a single one of his sharp teeth in her. That should count for something.
Not to Callie.
To her surprise, it seemed to hit him after she threw him out of her home. And even if he didn’t, he made an attempt at apologizing. Instead of returning to Faerie, he left to let her cool off, then came back carrying a bouquet of flowers.
They were freesia, he told her. When she made a jab that he could’ve at least brought her roses, Ash had sneered. Anyone could say “I love you” with roses, but the freesias meant he loved her unconditionally.
And now he had brought her another one, months after he dumped her.
What the hell was that about?
After hiding Ash’s flower in the top drawer of her dresser, beneath a stack of dainty panties she hoped to fit into again one day, Callie dropped onto her bed and cupped her chin with her hands.
Okay. Forget what her fae wanted. What did she want?
And when the hell had she started to think of the jerk fae who abandoned her as hers again?
Ugh.
To think that she believed sleep was hard to come by before she realized that Ash was sneaking around outside of her apartment.
He should’ve been back in Faerie by now, but unless someone else just so happened to know to drop the yellow flower in front of her apartment while also making her sense a Light Fae’s aura, it had to be Ash.
But why?
That thought kept her up later than she wanted to admit. Or maybe it was the way she had her ear cocked, her senses reaching for Ash. Would he come back? Had he even stopped by in the first place?
All good questions and, the next morning, Callie woke up before Mitch did in the hope that she could get the answers to them. She shrugged on her coat, thinking that her best bet was to start at the park where she’d first seen Ash.
That was the downside to having a fae for an ex. It wasn’t like she could just call him on the phone to get a hold of him. And, sure, she could try shouting out his true name, but after it had failed so many times before, she had a knee-jerk reaction to keep it to herself.
Maybe later. First, the park.
Tiptoeing past Mitch’s room, she thought about leaving him a note but decided against it. He had work in two hours, and if he wondered where Callie was on her day off from Buster’s, she could always tell him that her boss called her in last night.
Anything was better than admitting she was looking for the male who knocked her up and got out of Dodge before he ever had the chance to figure it out.
But now he knew. Would that change things?
He’d warned her that she was in danger. Callie had no doubt that that was true.
Then again, she’d been in danger her whole life courtesy of her gift.
Hopefully, she’d find a way to use it to save her baby.
And if it meant relying on a fae soldier protector?
He used her once. It was about time she returned the favor.
And she had that thought in mind for about, oh, fifteen seconds? Because that was how long it took for Callie to hook her purse past her wrist, unlock the door, and slip outside only to come face to face with Ash.
He had his back against the wall opposite of her door. The faint haze surrounding him told Callie that he was wearing a heavy dose of glamour—in case he ran into one of her neighbors, probably—but she could see right through it.
Oh.
She didn’t ask what he was doing out there. It was obvious. Almost as obvious that her suspicions were correct.
He never returned to Faerie yesterday evening and, for the first time, Callie finally understood why it was so important for the Light Fae to leave once night fell.
Already, Ash looked super different. His bronzed skin had faded, his bright eyes losing some of his shine. He had dark circles under his eyes that she’d never noticed on her fae before.
“You didn’t return to Faerie.”
It was a statement.
“If I didn’t make it clear to you, that was my fault. I’ve returned for you, Callie. I’m not leaving you again. I made that mistake once before and it’s one I won’t make again.”
He sounded so solemn, so sure. Callie’s heart began to thrum, that same old lump lodging in her throat as she—for a second—let herself believe that he really meant it.
That he wasn’t just saying what he wanted her to hear.
No. No. She had to protect herself. She had to protect her baby. So, rather than fall into his arms like Ash obviously expected her to, she crossed her arms over her coat and said, “I thought the fae don’t make mistakes.”
It was a flippant comment, but Ash surprised her by taking it seriously.
“You have a point. If it was a choice between my happiness and your life, I would’ve made the same choice.”
“My… my life?”
Ash nodded. “Didn’t you wonder why I couldn’t come back? I’m fae, Callie. I live and die by the bargain. I made a deal with Melisandre. If I stayed in Faerie, if I stayed away from you, then she’d spare your life. I accepted her terms.”
It was the explanation she would’ve done anything to have six months ago while she was still reeling from Ash’s rejection.
She’d hoped it had been something like that, some noble reason why he couldn’t come back to her before she remembered that he was fae.
Though he’d been a different male from the one she met by the time he was gone, it was like expecting a leopard to change its spots.
Fae were cunning. Callous. Demanding. They sure as hell weren’t noble.
For a while there, she’d thought Ash might’ve been. Was she right?
Or was this just another trick?
“Then what are you doing here?” she tossed back at him.
“I told you before. I bargained for your life because it’s the only one I knew about.
As soon as I discovered there might be a child…
I didn’t bargain for anyone else. She’d kill our child, and then she’d kill you, too, just because she could.
So, I figured, I’d break the bargain first. That’s why I’m here.
And it’s why I can’t go back. Even if you want to pretend our bond doesn’t exist, I have a duty to my mate and my child. ”
“Oh, yeah?” dared Callie. “And what’s that?”
“I’ll stand right here, watching you. Protecting you.
Whether you want me to or not. Of course, it would be easier without the door between us.
” Ash gestured at the apartment door. “Besides, I have even more to tell you. More to explain, if you’ll let me.
Maybe inside? With your permission, I should be able to step in there. ”
Callie thought of Mitch, still sleeping in bed. He’d be getting up soon. What was worse: her roommate meeting Ash, or Ash meeting Mitch?
“No, Ash,” she said firmly. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Because of your wards?”
She didn’t ask him about how he knew she warded the apartment. He’d already confessed that something was keeping him out yesterday so she knew the warding recipe did what it was supposed to: keep faerie creatures out.
“No,” she told him. “Not because of the wards.”
Could she find the words? It was tough, and she struggled to tell him the rest of it—but she didn’t have to. He flared his nostrils just enough, eyes narrowing when he finally figured out what she was hiding.
“The wind blew by us yesterday, bringing the scents of countless humans with it. I didn’t notice… I didn’t see. I do now. Better yet, I can smell it.”
“Smell what?” bluffed Callie.
“Another male’s scent clings to you. Not your skin… you still wear my brand so I know you haven’t taken another lover. Even so, I know another male has imprinted on you.” His lips thinned. “Mitch.”
No point in denying it. Everything he said was right. She hadn’t taken another lover since Ash left, but she’d only grown closer and closer to her best friend since he came back and offered to help her with her baby.
After what Ash put her through, though, she didn’t owe him an explanation. With a shrug that probably wasn’t as careless as she hoped, she simply said, “Yes.”
The hallway felt like its temperature had gone up fifteen degrees in the next few seconds.
Callie braced herself for Ash’s response.
Part of her expected that Ash would, in his lord-ish manner, immediately order her to send Mitch away.
That’s what he had done those early days.
Even before she knew he was interested in her, Ash was telling her that Mitch had to go, that he wasn’t going to share her with another male, even a human one.
He’d finally stopped with that bullshit, but that was only because Mitch suddenly decided he couldn’t hack living in the city anymore.
She’d also figured Ash had something to do with his abrupt decision, especially since Mitch came back with his proverbial tail between his legs mere weeks after Ash chose his queen over Callie.
He had no right to be pissed that Mitch was back, Callie told herself. No right at all.
So why did the nagging feeling of guilt make her stomach queasy? Especially when Ash didn’t do anything except funnel his anger in a way that turned the chilly corridor into a friggin’ sauna.