by M. J. Haag
My throat closed as I stared at the pair then slowly shuffled toward Azio. He still towered over me with shoulders that probably brushed the sides of any door he passed through, but smaller was smaller, and I’d take it.
“May I carry you, Terri?” he asked.
My grip tightened on the baby clothes, and I forced myself to nod, but immediately flinched when he moved to pick me up. He paused, and I flushed.
“Would you prefer Groth?” he asked.
My gaze flicked to the other fey watching us.
“N-no,” I managed through my tight throat. “You.”
He nodded once, his green, vertically slitted eyes watching me closely as he slowly bent to pick me up. He lifted me like I was nothing. The end of the world and the food shortages had done a number on me, but I knew I weighed more than nothing.
“Am I holding you too tight?” he asked, looking down at me.
I shook my head and focused on my hands.
“I won’t drop you.”
“Okay.”
I’d barely managed the words when he leapt up and over the wall. I screamed the whole way.
“You’re fine, Terri,” Brooke called. “No more screaming, okay? I haven’t seen any infected yet and don’t want to start now.”
Clamping my mouth shut, I nodded and looked around. This was the first time I’d been outside the wall in weeks. It was exceptionally normal looking. Trampled snow filled the quiet clearing. Nothing creepier than the fey lurked nearby.
“I’m sorry for scaring you,” the fey holding me said, making me flinch in his arms.
“The jump just surprised me. That’s all.”
He grunted and looked at the other two fey.
“They’re going to run now,” Brooke said. “Turn your face toward him so you can breathe and not freeze. We’ll be there before you know it.”
I nodded and did as she suggested, but with my eyes closed.
A moment later, I felt him moving against me, the barest jostle of his chest against my side. If not for the wind battering the back of my hood, I wouldn’t have believed he was running. Within minutes, the cold bit into my jean-clad legs, proving he was though.
I shivered. Then he did the strangest thing ever. He leaned into me, pressing his cheek to the top of my head. I felt…hugged.
The second jump twisted my stomach just as much as the first one had, but I swallowed my scream.
“Would you like to walk now?” the fey holding me asked.
I lifted my head and looked around. There were fey everywhere. Lurking between houses. Stalking along the top of the wall surrounding Tolerance. Hiding behind trees.
“Um…I…”
“I think that’s a ‘yes,’ Azio,” Brooke said with a chuckle.
I kept my gaze locked on Brooke as he carefully eased me to my feet, and I tried not to feel the way his hands slid over the backs of my legs or down my arm.
“It’s impressive, right?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“This place. I saw the way you looked around. It’s so much calmer here—laid back. I went to Jamaica once before the world fell apart. It feels like that. Slower. Calmer.”
She motioned for me to walk with her, and I cautiously stepped around my fey-barer to do so.
“I’d never traveled until the evacuation,” I admitted. “If not for that, I probably would have died in the town we were born in.”
“We?”
“Wayne and me.”
“Wow. So high school sweethearts?”
“Yeah. We got married right after graduation. And after that, there was always some reason not to leave,” I said.
“That’s a shame. There was so much world to see. Not so much, now.”
In all honesty, traveling had never interested me. We’d been so busy working and saving so we could fix up our house. If there had been any idle time, I’d spent it on researching items to create a perfect nursery. So many hours wasted.
I closed the door on that bitter thought even as my fingers twitched on the bag of baby clothes. If I had any hope of having children of my own, I would have left these in the basement regardless of how much food I might be able to trade for them. While I put a very high value on the clothes due to what they represented, I knew not everyone saw them in the same light, which meant I would need to take what I could for them and let them go to someone who might someday have a use for them.
“So which of the fey should I talk to about trading?” I asked.
She glanced at Solin. “Do you know?”
“Who wishes to exchange food for baby clothes?” Solin asked.
It’d been a conversational tone, not a yell. So I was completely unprepared for the number of fey who swarmed from everywhere like cockroaches in a kitchen as soon as the lights are turned off.
I stumbled back a step, crashing into one of them.
His grey fingers curled around my upper arms. Heart jackrabbiting in my chest, I tilted my head to look back at my captor and met the unblinking gaze of the fey who’d carried me.
His vertical pupils narrowed. My grandparents had a cat with eyes that did the same thing just before it pounced on its prey.
My throat closed, and my vision tunneled, a sure tell that I was going down.
Oblivion cushioned my fall.
Chapter Three
Warmth pressed against my cheek, and I exhaled heavily, feeling weak and shaky. Rather than opening my eyes, I focused on my breathing, counting the steady in and out rhythm.
“She’s waking.” The strange masculine voice brought back the memory of exactly why I’d fainted.
“Good. We should still have Cassie look at her.”
There was a sharp, rapid knock that tempted me to open my eyes, but I resisted. Someone was carrying me, and when it came to the identity of who, ignorance was bliss. At least until I had a few minutes to recover from the last faint.
“Hey, Cassie,” Brooke said. “This is my friend Terri. She fainted.”
“Bring her in,” the woman replied. “Did she hit her head when she fell?”
Brooke snorted as we moved again.
“Not a chance. Azio caught her before her knees fully buckled.”
I could feel my pulse pick up again and forced myself to think of breakfast. The oatmeal had been so bland the day before. So this morning, I’d tried adding cinnamon and a dash of ginger and nutmeg. It had helped. Sugar would have been better.
“Lay her down here, Azio,” Cassie said.
A mattress pressed against my back, and the arms around me disappeared, making it easier to open my eyes.
I found Cassie’s worried face, one I remembered from our time in the Whiteman evacuation camp, and stayed focused on her.
“I’m a fainter. I always have been. Usually, I feel it coming and try to get as close to the ground as I can.”
“Okay. That’s good to know this isn’t something abnormal for you. Is there something I can do to help with it? My expertise leans more toward patching up physical injuries.”
“No. I should be fine in a few minutes. If I try to sit up too soon or too fast, there’s a chance I’ll go down again.”
“Wow,” Brooke said. “You’re making it sound like this is a common thing for you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you faint before, though.”
I shook my head.
“It’s why I don’t go on supply runs or help gather wood. I’m too much of a liability when I get overwhelmed.”
Cassie patted my arm.
“You’re not a liability. Play on your strengths and hire out your weaknesses.”
“Yeah,” Cassie agreed. “That’s what the fey are for.”
My stomach dipped, and my gaze involuntarily moved to the two fey hovering in the door way. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes again.
“Hey, why don’t the two of you go help Kerr with the kids? He’s supposed to be giving them a bath, but I think he’s avoiding putting Caden in the water.”
“Babies are s
lippery when they are wet,” one of the fey said.
There was a long moment of silence, then the snick of a door closing.
“You should see Kerr’s face when it’s bath time. Pure panic. He’s terrified he’s going to lose Caden under the water even though he only puts three inches in the tub,” Cassie said softly before adding, “We’re alone. You can open your eyes now.”
I glanced at her and Brooke and felt my face flushing. They’d obviously caught on to why I’d fainted.
“How old is your baby?” I asked instead of addressing the elephant in the room.
“He should be around ten months. It’s hard to know exactly.”
“The days have a funny way of blending into one another now, don’t they?” I said.
“They do,” she agreed.
Cassie lent me her support as I carefully sat up. My vision stayed steady.
“I’m okay now. Would you know any women interested in newborn baby clothes?” I asked.
“Not really,” Cassie said. “Most of the fey with women have been going out for baby supplies on their own. Angel told me that Shax had a whole baby room set up and stocked before she met him. Your best bet is to talk to the single guys.”
I looked at Brooke. “Did yours have a room already stocked?”
“Not a room, no. The fey’ve figured out it makes some women nervous if they come over and see a nursery all set up. He has loads of stuff in the basement. Not food. If you had that, my man would be your guy for trading.”
If I had food, I wouldn’t have left Tenacity.
“Look, Terri,” Brooke said. “I know they freak you out, but they’re really nice and wouldn’t harm a hair on your head. Just talk to them. You’ll see.”
“This isn’t a social visit. I just want to trade for food and go back before I’m missed.”
“Grandma knows where you are,” Brooke said. “You won’t be missed. Come on. I’ll help you negotiate. You might even get a free lunch out of the deal.”
We skipped lunch most days in our house, so the possibility of a meal tempted me more than the trade, which would be split nine ways once I returned. Yet, the idea of facing so many of them again set my heart racing.
“I’m not sure I—”
“It won’t be a big crowd again,” Brooke said quickly. “I think we learned our lesson there. What if we went door to door? Would that be better?”
I flushed at the open acknowledgment of my fear of them.
“Maybe? I don’t know.” I sighed. “I just don’t want to offend anyone.” How many times could I rudely faint at the sight of them before they ripped my head off? I shuddered at the memory.
“I have an idea,” Cassie said. “Come with me.”
I followed her out of the room and up the stairs, where I heard a lot of childish giggling.
“More!” a little girl squealed.
Cassie held her finger to her lips and motioned for me to peek into a doorway. What I saw nearly stopped my heart.
Three of those huge fey were crowded into a modest bathroom. One knelt next to the tub, his hands wrapped around the waist of a little boy, who was grinning up at the foam tower on top of the fey’s head.
“More!” the little girl, no more than four, shouted.
One of the fey scooped a handful of suds from the tub and plopped it on the kneeling fey’s head. The baby clapped his hands and squealed, kicking the soapy water with his feet. The fey holding him grunted.
“His strength is endless. He will be a fierce fighter when he is grown.”
I tried to slowly retreat, but the one who had carried me here looked up just then. Our gazes locked and his pupils did that terrifying narrowing again.
A small sound escaped me.
“Okay, I think that’s enough fun time,” Cassie said, stepping around me. “Kerr, you have more soap on you than the kids. They need actual washing.”
“How can I wash him and hold him at the same time?”
“That’s why I sent these two up here. How can three fey not handle two children?” She didn’t say it meanly but with a hint of humor-filled exasperation.
“Move over, Papa. Let me show you how it’s done.”
The one watching me focused on Cassie as she knelt down and started wetting the baby’s hair.
“He doesn’t like water in his face,” the little girl said.
“Exactly,” Cassie agreed. “We have to be careful. We don’t want Caden to be afraid of bath time.”
All the fey watched raptly as she bathed the boy first then the little girl. It didn’t take long before the little boy was wrapped in a towel and handed off to the fey who’d carried me and the little girl was delegated to the man beside the tub.
“I want six braids this time,” she said, looking him in the eye.
“Is that how we ask, Lilly?” Cassie asked.
“Papa, may I please have six braids?”
She was adorable, and I ached as I watched him nod in agreement. My gaze shifted to the little boy. He and the fey holding him were staring just as raptly at one another. Then, the little boy reached out, took one of the fey’s braids, and stuck the leather-wrapped end of it into his mouth.
“He is hungry,” the fey said, looking at Cassie. “May I feed him?”
She pried the braid from the boy’s grasp. “He’s not hungry. He’s tired because he was up way too early this morning. Come on, you. Let’s get you dried off and put you down for a nap.”
With longing, I watched her and the baby leave.
“Feeling better about the situation?” Brooke asked softly beside me.
I understood what she was asking and what Cassie had been trying to do by letting me glimpse this little slice of domestic bliss. However, I’d already known the fey loved children. Who didn’t love kids? It was what the fey did with the adults that gave me nightmares.
“I just want to trade food for these baby clothes and go home,” I said carefully.
“I will trade with you,” the fey who’d carried me said.
“That’s great, Azio.”
Azio. I needed to remember that. Azio. Azio. Azi—
His gaze met mine, and my mind went blank.
“If you don’t mind, Solin and I will tag along to your house, okay?”
The fey grunted, not looking away from me. His pupils narrowed. My throat started to close, and my heart started to race.
Brooke turned me and nudged me down the hall.
“What kind of food are you hoping for?” she asked. “If Azio doesn’t have it, I’m sure some other fey will.”
Clinging to the change of subject, I took a steadying breath.
“Anything really. Neither Bram or Bobby went out on a supply run today.”
“Why didn’t Wayne go?”
“He’s cutting wood like he always does.”
“Right.”
Not liking her tone, I gave her a sharp look.
“That was rude of me. I’m sorry. Your husband. Your business.”
We left the house in silence, and I’d almost forgotten about the two fey trailing behind us until Brooke asked Azio which house was his.
“This way,” he said softly. Rather than leading, he merely pointed and continued to walk behind us along with Brooke’s fey.
Eventually, we found our way to a cute brick tri-level home with faded green shutters and a blue front door. Smoke curled up from the chimney, and my steps slowed as I took in the extensive array of solar panels on the attached garage.
“I bet they never run out of hot water,” I said under my breath.
“I don’t think anyone here runs out of anything or has to have designated shower or laundry days.”
Brooke led the way forward and opened the door for our party. A fey rose from the sofa and paused the movie he’d been watching.
I froze.
“Groth, she fears our eyes,” one of the fey behind me said in an angry tone.
The fey staring at me quickly averted his gaze, but it didn�
��t matter. I’d done exactly what I’d feared I would do. I’d offended one of them.
A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I quickly squatted down and set my forehead on my knees. A hand brushed over the back of my head, and I flinched, waiting for the second one to join it.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean it.”
“Terri, it’s okay,” Brooke said. “I promise.”
The hand continued to smooth over the top of my head.
“Let’s just get her some food and get her home, okay?” Brooke said.
There was a grunt close to my ear. I jerked my head up and found myself face to face with the fey bent down in front of me. Our gazes met for a second as he continued to pet my hair.
“I wish I had different eyes. I’m sorry they frighten you.”
Chapter Four
His words, along with the regret in which he’d delivered them, humanized him in a way nothing else had. They also caused a wave of shame to wash over me. Could this fey honestly care what I thought of him?
“There’s nothing wrong with your eyes,” I managed. “And I’m very sorry I gave you that impression. It wasn’t intended.”
He grunted, stood, and offered his hand.
I glanced up at him in surprise. Intentional or not, his gesture felt like a test to see if I meant what I’d said. However, he quickly turned his head, averting his gaze from my wide-eyed focus. Another nudge of shame prompted me to accept his hand.
My fingers trembled as they slid against his warm palm, and his hold remained light while he helped me to my feet. As soon as I was steady, though, I tugged my hand free.
Brooke watched me with sad disappointment while all three fey did their best not to look at me at all.
“All of the food is in the kitchen,” Azio said. “Go look and tell me if any of it interests you.”
Likely, it would all interest me, but I didn’t say that. Instead, I removed my shoes and hurried across the room to go through his cupboards. He hadn’t been kidding about all the food being there. Where most houses had one or two cabinets dedicated to food and the rest chock-full of dishes to prepare them, Azio had done the opposite.
Everything was neatly organized—cans with cans, boxes with boxes, bags with bags, and so forth. My gaze wandered over the quantity in awe. I hadn’t seen so much food in one place since my last trip to the grocery store months ago.