Her anxiety wouldn’t allow her to sit still, so Becka stood and walked back to the open window. She couldn’t blame Hawthorne for being upset over Hanna’s accident, but what would Becka do if they wouldn’t relent on their mission against her?
“Then perhaps after I’ve worked with the enforcers for a while, and they can state I’ve been in control of my gift, that would counter Hawthorne’s claim.”
“Assuming all goes well,” Maura replied. “Yes, that would certainly help.”
“Yeah, assuming.” The tightness in her chest warred with the sinking sensation in her gut. No pressure, Becka, just don’t screw up.
“Additionally,” Maura continued, coming to stand next to her, “you need to use this opportunity to better understand fae society and your place in the world, which being in the high-profile position of consulting to the enforcers should more than adequately provide you. In fact, I would bet you’re in for a rude but necessary awakening.”
“Society?” Becka stammered.
“I don’t blame you at all, but we’re in a delicate position. Outcasts are never brought back into the fold, Becka. You’re the first, and not surprisingly, due to your ordeal you lack a degree of empathy for your own kind. So why would you care about fae culture or society? Why would you care to dress and present yourself according to your station? None of this mattered to you for eight years. But you took on other challenges and, by all accounts, performed admirably before the carpet was pulled out from under your feet.”
“I never knew you were paying attention during my time away,” Becka replied, touched and surprised at Maura’s words. “Thank you for understanding my perspective.”
Maura shook her head. “It doesn’t matter that I understand. You need to understand. For other fae to accept you and take you seriously, you must treat them as peers worthy of respect. Right now, you’re a wild card who may well be a danger to them.”
Becka rubbed her temples. “I’m aware things are in a precarious position, especially with House Hawthorne.”
“I have the feeling serving with the enforcers is just the challenge you need right now.”
“As long as I don’t have another incident with my gift.” Saying the words aloud sent a shiver down Becka’s spine. Just don’t screw up again or it’ll be bad for the entire house!
“I knew you’d understand if I was blunt about your situation.” Maura put out a hand and squeezed her arm gently through her sleeve. “You have my blessing to work with the enforcers.”
Becka stood, gaping, trying to process what was happening at this moment.
Maura turned and walked toward the door, talking as she went. “Oh, I’ll send up the porters to help you pack and I’ll send word to your Aunt Lydia. Of course you’ll return home for holidays and events, but you might as well get started ticking down the years towards your civil service quota.” Maura opened the door and paused. “Safe travels, dear.”
Becka blew out a long breath. “I got what I hoped for,” Becka said to the now-empty room. “And I don’t even know how to feel about it.”
Chapter 32
Denver - Midwest Region
Becka collapsed against her bed, surrounded by suitcases and boxes of things she couldn’t begin to dig her way out of. She closed her eyes and breathed deep, recognizing the smells, the sounds, the feel of home.
Oriani jumped up onto the bed next to her and mewed a plaintive cry. She rolled over and scratched him behind the ears.
“Sorry, little fella. This might be home to me, but it’s got to feel pretty crazy to you.”
But whoa, does it feel good to be back at the townhome! She didn’t have other fae underfoot constantly or listening to everything that came out of her mouth. She’d get some alone time again, too!
There was a soft knock on her bedroom door.
“Come in!” Becka called.
The door swung open, her Aunt Lydia leaning on the door frame.
“How are you doing?”
“I don’t even know how I feel. Did I really just arrive here under the cover of darkness this morning?” Becka glanced out the window. It was already dusk out and she’d been resting in her room all day, luxuriating in the solitude.
“It was more like under the semi-cover of dawn, but yeah. Be glad I didn’t rent out your room while you’ve been gone.”
“Doesn’t this townhome belong to House Alder?”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s a figure of speech. How’s the cat managing?” Oriani pranced to the end of the bed and mewled in Lydia’s general direction. She held out her hand and he head-butted it, displaying no shame in his hunt for attention. “He seems okay.”
“Yeah, he’s just gonna whine for a while, but I didn’t want to leave him at House Rowan. Every time I scratch his little chin, I think of Tesse.”
“Aw, that’s sweet. I can’t blame you for keeping him with you.” Lydia looked her over and cocked her head to the side. “How’s the unpacking going?”
“I pulled out my pj’s for tonight, but I haven’t gotten any further yet.” She could have explained about the hours she’d spent pouring over the Shadow-Dweller books but decided against it. Becka didn’t want to pull Lydia into that world.
“I wouldn’t worry about it. Hey, you busy?”
“Only sort of,” Becka replied. Those books weren’t going anywhere, and besides, she’d missed hanging out with Lydia.
“Then let me tempt you with bingeing episodes of the latest season of Baking Wars. I hear the hosts actually swear once this season and the bakers all walked out in protest over the incivility.”
“No!” Becka shouted. What could have happened to drive the hosts to swearing? “Oh my gods I’ve missed that show! It’s the best!”
“Yes! Or, there’s also new episodes of that old-timey human show where they reenact how royalty used to live in an old manor house?”
“Hmm, no. As in, never again am I watching that tripe.” If Becka wanted to see an old manor house, she’d go back to House Rowan to visit.
“But you used to love it.”
“You know, that was before I had to live day in and day out in proper, cultured fae fashion. It’s only entertaining when it’s on television.”
Lydia wobbled her head back and forth. “So, it’s the baking show, then?”
Becka nodded. “But only if you have Oreos.”
“What do you think I emergency shopped for at two a.m. this morning after Queen Maura’s phone call?”
Becka laughed. “Be careful, she might just show up here someday.”
“Let’s hope not.” Lydia held out her hand, and after a pause, Becka took it, and Lydia hauled her up off of the bed.
“I forget, are we allowed to binge-watch before dark?”
“Girl, you have been gone far too long if you can’t remember the house rules.”
Becka laughed along with Lydia, who seemed to know just how to break her out of her funk. She curled up under her favorite fuzzy pink blanket, ate Oreos, and laughed at episode after episode of great bakes that invariably went horribly, awfully wrong.
At eight o’clock, there was a knock at the door.
Lydia set aside her tin of chocolate sandwich cookies and paused the show.
“Are you expecting someone?” Becka asked.
“No, but you are,” Lydia replied, sashaying her way to the front door.
“My lady, I’m afraid you must be mistaken.” Becka stuffed another Oreo into her mouth. “Gods, how I missed this creamy, crunchy, chocolatey goodness!” Becka mumbled around the cookie.
There was a second knock just as Lydia got to the door. “Hold up, I’m here.”
She opened the door while Becka watched from the couch. Somehow she managed to stuff a fresh Oreo into her mouth at the moment Quinn walked through the front door.
“Hey,” she said around a mouthful of cookie, smiling reflexively at his arrival. She’d expected him to check in on her, but she hadn’t even had a full day back to herself to enjoy. Nonetheless, it was go
od to see him.
“Good evening,” he said, dropping a large duffel bag to the floor.
“Good evening,” Lydia replied, and then closed the door and returned to her perch on the couch.
Quinn walked up behind the couch, taking in the empty Oreo tins and fluffy bunny slippers. “Are you busy?”
“Yeah, sorry, I’m catching up with this season’s Baking Wars. It’s macaron week.”
“Macaroon?”
“No, macaron. Super important. Perhaps let’s catch up on the case some other time?” Becka raised another cookie to her lips. Quinn raised an eyebrow at her, so she bit into the cookie extra slow.
He shook his head. “Where’s the room?” he asked Lydia.
“First floor, down the hall and all the way to the back.” Lydia pointed, helpful as always.
Becka ate another cookie, watching him closely.
“Cool, thanks.” He grabbed his bag and walked down the hall out of sight.
Becka turned to Lydia. “What’s going on?” she asked, muffled by the cookie in her mouth.
“He’s renting one of the guest bedrooms,” Lydia replied. “And he’s not the only one.”
“What?” Becka shot to her feet. “Since when do you actually rent out rooms?”
“Since Duke Vott ordered it. Or it might have been Chief Elowen. Maybe both.” Lydia shrugged.
Becka sucked in a breath around another cookie, feeling her heart rate spiking. Oh my… he’s going to be living here?
“He gonna be a problem?” Lydia asked, brow arched.
“Yeah, he’s trouble.” The temptation of not just working with Quinn, but also living with him day in, day out?
Lydia pinned her with her glare-stare. “You need me to handle it?”
Who is this woman, and what is she planning?
“No, no.” Becka waved her off. “He’s my trouble.”
Lydia’s tense stare softened, and she raised a curious brow as a smile tugged at her lips. “Your trouble?”
“I mean, I’ve got it.”
The doorbell rang again.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” Becka exclaimed, then moved to open the door.
Saige, suitcase in hand, stood on her stoop. “Fair evening, Becka.” She walked in, glancing around the space. “Room’s at the end of the hall?” she asked Lydia.
“On the right,” Lydia called back.
Saige turned to Becka and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m here to help you hunt down Luce’s killer. My cub-mate died being true to her own skin, and I’m here to be true to mine.”
Becka’s eyes teared up. “I never said…”
“You didn’t have to,” Saige interrupted her. “I’m going to unpack.” She gave Becka a quick squeeze and then headed off down the hall.
Becka wiped her hands free of crumbs, took a deep breath to dispel the sudden heaviness in her heart, and stomped down the hall. When she reached the first guest room, she stepped in.
Quinn stood unloading clothes into the dresser. “How’s the reentry been so far?”
“It’s been a quiet day, until now. I was liking the quiet.”
He let that pass without comment. “I see Saige has arrived.”
“Did you two coordinate this invasion?”
He shrugged and then looked at her side-eyed. “You’re upset I’m here?”
She shrugged back. “I guess I thought when they sent me back to Lydia’s I’d have a few days of normalcy before jumping into working for the enforcers.”
Quinn stopped what he was doing, turned, and crossed the room to her. Becka backed up, running into the wall. Quinn stopped just as their bodies touched.
“Even if Saige and I weren’t here, do you think that would be possible?” he asked.
Between the sugar on her lips and the smell of his skin, she couldn’t remember what she thought. “That what was possible?”
His lips hitched a grin. “Normalcy.” When she didn’t answer, he continued. “Do you think after you’ve become who you are now that things could ever go back to how they were?”
Becka sighed. “No. I’ll always have the Null gift and I’m heir to House Rowan unless they kick me out again. But I can want what I want.”
He leaned in and took a deep breath. “There’s what we want, and then what life throws at us.”
“Uh huh,” she answered.
“So, I’ll ask again. Is me being here a problem? Because if it is, I can get another room somewhere nearby.”
“You can stay,” Becka replied. “I know it’s safer and smarter all around. But you have to get your own Oreos.”
He laughed. “Noted. Have you looked at those journals yet?”
Becka nodded, but then pressed a finger across his lips. “I know there’s a mountain out there waiting for me, but can you just give me tonight to do something mindless so I can stop worrying about who will try to kill me next?”
Sadness flitted across his expression, but was soon replaced by a heat burning deep in his amber eyes. “I can think of a few mindless activities to pass the time.”
Her lips grazed against his cheek, the heat between them electric. “I’m confident you can,” she whispered. Becka slipped sideways out from underneath him and backed out of the doorway into the hall. “But for tonight, it’s all about Baking Wars.”
THE END
Join my mailing list
If you'd like to know when my next book comes out and want to receive occasional updates from me, then you can sign up for my newsletter at candicebundy.com or via the link below. I promise I will never sell your email to the daemonic marketing hordes.
Sign up for my newsletter here
Want an exclusive prequel story to The Shadow Series? When you sign up on the mailing list above, I will send you your free copy of Shadow in the City, a Shadow Series Prequel.
Do you want to receive updates on new releases (without the newsletters)? Consider following Candice Bundy on Amazon or Bookbub via the links below. They will let you know when new books come out!
Follow on Amazon
Follow on Bookbub
Leave a review, show your love
Reviews are the single most powerful tool I have with generating attention for my books.
If you loved the book and have a minute to spare, I would really appreciate an honest review on the page or site where you bought the book. Your help in spreading the word is greatly appreciated. Reviews from readers like you make a huge difference to helping new readers find similar stories.
You can jump right to the review page via the link below:
Leave a Review
Thank you so much for reading and supporting my work.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Zippy Wizard Redaction and 5280editing for their editing services.
Special thanks to Jen for her support, critiques, and insight.
And to my friends and family who've been a source of unending strength, laughter, and wine over the years: thank you for the inspiration.
And lastly, to my partner, Lee. Thank you for running alongside me in this journey. Your enduring support and candor mean the world to me.
About the Author
Candice lives in Denver, Colorado with her son and their cat Newt. A professional hedonist, rabble-rouser, winemaker, and goat-herder, she adores archeology and mythology. Candice focuses on habit hacking to meet minimalist, health, productivity, and positive mojo goals, and sometimes even blogs about it. An unrepentant epicurean, she grows heirloom tomatoes and ferments a variety of sauerkraut, sourdough, kombucha, pickles, and water kefir.
If you would like to know when she has new books out, please sign up for her newsletter here. Email her if the mood strikes you.
For more information:
candicebundy.com
[email protected]
Also by Candice Bundy
The Shadow Series
Shadow in the City, Prequel Short
Twinned Shadow, Book #1
; Buy here
Poisoned Shadow, Book #2
Buy here
The Depths of Memory Series
The Dream Sifter, Book #1
Buy here
Dreams Manifest, Book #2
Buy here
The Liminals Series
The Daemon Whisperer, Book #1
Buy here
Ripples, A novella
Buy here
For a list of my full catalog of available titles, visit my Amazon Author Central page.
Poisoned Shadow: An Urban Fantasy Supernatural Detective Mystery (The Shadow Series Book 2) Page 25