by Amelia Shaw
I pawed at my face, trying to wipe away any drool that pooled on the corner of my mouth. I made a move and his grip on me tightened, as though he didn’t want me to leave.
It made me feel hot and cramped and so totally different! It wasn’t exactly a bad thing, but it wasn’t something I was used to.
Maybe I could run into the bathroom and at least brush my teeth so my breath wouldn’t smell.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, his voice filled with slumber.
“Oh... hey,” I managed to say, though my eyes were fogged from sleep and I needed to throw the blankets off. I was way too hot. I thought about magicking myself near the door and giving myself the space to breathe.
“Good morning, Ava,” he said, and the words rolled over me like a caress.
I closed my eyes and relaxed into it. Despite my discomfort, I enjoyed being with him in this embrace. I sighed, wishing I didn’t actually have to get up, that I could just stay here and pretend bounty hunters weren’t after me and I wasn’t a threat to an entire magical realm based on outdated laws.
I shivered and closed my eyes, locking his words and the feeling they created in place, forever. My perfect moment.
His hand reached out and touched my naked shoulder.
“Are you alright?” he asked. It was like he could read my thoughts.
Then again, he could.
But I knew him well enough to know that he would never do so without obtaining my consent first.
I opened my eyes and beamed at him. Just the thought of him, how much he cared for me, was enough to make my worries disappear. “Absolutely.”
He smiled softly then glanced at the door. “Shall we get up and go see your sisters?”
I looked in the same direction. “Why, are they calling for me or something?”
“No, but I think they need to know the plan. I can hear them bustling about. They’re anxious.”
“Plan?” I pulled away from him so I could sit up. The cover fell away but I clutched at it, not because I was embarrassed by my body, but because I was cold due to not being close to him any longer.
“Yes.” He nodded once.
“Okay.” I pressed my lips together. I decided not to question him, at least not right now. “Sounds good,” I said, though I wasn’t sure what I was agreeing to.
Since we’d agreed last night to be partners and support one another, I was willing to forego demanding an explanation from him.
He slipped from the bed and instead of standing up straight away, I laid back and watched him. Part of me enjoyed seeing him this way. Completely vulnerable, naked, in a way that most would never get to see him.
He moved like a large cat, sleek and dangerous. His muscles were so defined and beautiful, and his ass flexed as he picked up his clothes and began to dress. Every time he moved, his muscles rippled. It was hypnotizing. I was in awe.
I sighed with disappointment as the clothes covered his perfect body. I may as well get dressed then since there was nothing keeping me in bed. A small part of me had hoped that we would be able to tangle ourselves back up once again, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen.
Embarrassment flowed over my cheeks as I stood up, naked. The cooler air of the room wrapped around me and as Tavlor turned to look at me, I had to swallow the squeal that rose in my throat. Now, I was nervous being naked in front of him. Now, I wanted nothing more than to crawl under the covers and pretend I couldn’t see him.
Outside the heat of passion and lust, awkwardness and my own insecurities had crept back in. It was like I was comfortable with him looking at me with lust if we were going to make love, but once the sun came out and we were getting dressed to resume our normal lives? Then, I was nervous.
I closed my eyes, visualized a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, and magicked my outfit together.
When I opened my eyes again, Tavlor was smiling at me.
“That was unfair,” he said. “I was looking forward to the reverse strip tease.”
I laughed. It was still strange that he was attempting to make a joke.
“Reverse strip tease?” I asked, arching a brow.
He nodded, sobering for a moment. “Yes, your body is very beautiful. I look forward to having you beneath me again.”
I rubbed my lips together, my mouth going dry at the raw honesty in his words. My hands touched my cheeks, as though I wanted to mask the flush that currently encased my skin. “You’re embarrassing me.”
He chuckled, then ambled towards me and bent forward before he curled a stray strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered on my skin and I shuddered. He had such power over me, it was almost as embarrassing as being naked in front of him.
“I’ll have to speak that way more so you get more comfortable then,” he said in a husky voice.
I closed my eyes, letting his words wash over me. “Yes,” I said. “That sounds good.”
Then, before I could be seduced into bed again, I turned towards the door and forced myself to leave our little cocoon and step into the world once more. I was already dressed and my stomach was begging me for food. Plus, I didn’t want to keep my sisters waiting.
The noise from my sisters hit me right away. Courtney’s music, thumping in her room. Bella clanging and banging around the kitchen. I smiled. It was the sounds of home.
My heart clenched painfully. I didn’t want to leave. Now that I was home, I didn’t want to go back to the magic realm. I wanted to stay.
But if I stayed, I would go stir-crazy, just like I was sure Courtney already was. I would start to resent this wonderful home the same I used to when my mother was alive and refused to let us leave. If I didn’t go, if I didn’t continue with this plan—whatever Tavlor had come up with—then we would be trapped here forever. Nothing would get done. My life would be at risk and since I was staying with my sisters, they would be at risk as well.
I couldn’t do that to them.
I was surprised they hadn’t come bounding to the room until I saw a tingle of magic shimmer when the window caught it just right. “Damn, I forgot about the privacy spell.” I shook my head and headed down into the dining room. “Morning, Bella.”
Bella turned to me with an excited smile. “Morning, Ava.” She reached out and squeezed my hand, as though she was glad to see I was tangible and I hadn’t disappeared. “How are you doing this morning?”
“Fine, thanks. You?” I asked, focusing on keeping my face looking as normal as possible. I was sure they knew what happened last night—or that they had an idea about it—but I didn’t want to be interrogated by them right now.
She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Do you need a tea?” She squeezed my arm again, trying to reassure me. “Any pain or cramping?”
Tavlor stepped into the room and I shook my head.
“No, no, I’m all good,” I said honestly.
As expected, my sisters knew exactly what happened last night. I was being way more obvious than I intended to be, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I was just surprised that Courtney wasn’t down yet to give me a hard time about my night with Tavlor. I figured she’d be first in line, popcorn in her fingers, ready to pop the salty treat in her mouth.
My stomach rumbled.
Courtney came bounding into the room. “I was wondering how long you guys would sleep for this morning.”
There it was. There was my sister.
I waited a beat to see if she intended to dive into the conversation about my sex life.
She waggled her eyebrows but blessedly didn’t actually say anything more.
“I’ve made breakfast!” Bella announced.
Courtney rubbed her hands together. My stomach rumbled.
“Sit, everyone.” Bella flapped her hands at us and we congregated around the table as she placed platters in front of us.
Cut fruit, waffles, cream, and melted chocolate.
“Wow, Bella,” I said. I was surprised I act
ually had the ability to say anything due to how hungry I was. “You went all out.”
She smiled softly as she sat down.
“Well, I kind of figured this was a bit of a farewell meal,” she said, her tone sad.
She waved her hand and hot chocolates appeared in front of us, melting pink marshmallows sitting atop the rich dark milk. I leaned forward and inhaled deeply.
“What? What does she mean?” Courtney asked, her eyebrows rising high on her forehead.
Bella looked at me pointedly.
I glanced at Tavlor. “He’s the one with the plan,” I said, gesturing over to him. “Ask him.”
I wanted to know too.
I picked up my hot chocolate and took a sip, moaning with the flavor that burst across my tongue. God, I’d missed the decadence, the sweetness. I didn’t think I could go anywhere and have hot chocolate as good as this one. This one reminded me of home.
I grabbed a waffle and poured chocolate over it. If this was the last meal I had with my sisters for a while, then I was going to enjoy it. There was no such thing as calories at a goodbye meal.
“Today, I will take Ava back to the magical realm and we will go to the High Warlock with our plan,” Tavlor said simply.
“And what plan is that?” Courtney asked. She looked at me, shaking her head slightly, as though she was tired of playing these petty games and wanted an actual answer.
Tavlor motioned to Bella. “We will take the book that Bella and I were studying yesterday,” he said. “I plan for us to argue that the Council has no right to convict Ava or to do anything illegal to her, and that she should be the true heir to her father’s throne.”
I glanced from Tavlor, to my sisters, and back again. His face was passive, but his jaw was tight. His eyes also left little room for argument.
Woah. He was serious.
I looked down at my food and stabbed at a strawberry. I wondered what he and Bella found in that book that made him seem confident enough to try and use it in order to get what we wanted. It had to be something even if we were grasping at straws.
“How are we going to get in?” I asked, arching a brow at Tavlor. I didn’t want him to think I doubted his plan, but we needed to get on the same page about logistics. “I’ll be recognized so easily.”
He nodded as if he expected that question. “We use magic to disguise you,” he said. as though it could be that simple. “A lot of it will wear off once we enter the Council buildings. The Council and the High Warlock have safeguards and wards set up to stop people from hiding their true identities. But I’m sure I can conceal you well enough to get you there.”
I stared at him, amazed. Why had I not thought of that? The answer seemed simple enough. Too simple to work. But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t. In fact, I appreciated how intuitive the approach was.
“That’s a great idea,” I said.
“So, you’re going to take Ava into the lion’s den, so to speak, and hope they don’t kill her on the spot,” Bella said, her tone flat. It surprised me to hear her speak that way only because she was typically much politer.
“Yes,” Tavlor said, nodding.
I shivered, the fear of impending death a strange feeling indeed. I rubbed my lips together, trying to hide my worry from my sisters. If they were going to be on board with this, I couldn’t let them think I was worried about anything.
“Well, it sounds like the best plan we have so far,” I admitted. I took a deep breath, trying to get my sisters to understand. “And I want to go. I want to fight for the life I want, and for the lives you guys could have.”
Courtney frowned. “And you still want us to stay here?”
“Yes. Please. I will feel so much better, and safer, knowing that you guys are out of danger.” I glanced over at Bella. “Plus, you guys have already helped me shield myself the best I can. The rest is up to the Universe.”
Courtney swallowed hard. “And if you don’t come back?”
When I went to answer, she waved her hand to stop me,
“Not that I’m doubting your abilities but look at this from our perspective. You get to go and come as you please, all because you’re older than we are. You tell us to wait, but what if something happens to you? What are we supposed to do then?”
I sucked in a deep breath. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, she made a good point. “Then you two decide what you want to do,” I said. “Aunt Alison is your best contact, and I can leave all her details here for you. But if something happens to me... and you still want to be part of their world, you need to never tell them who you are.”
Tavlor reached over and squeezed my hand. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting a family, wanting what you are entitled to.” He turned toward my sisters. “I too will leave a list of people you can contact for help. In the Fae realm. Because if Ava goes down, you can assume I’m gone too.”
I squeezed his hand back. My death was much easier to consider over Tavlor’s death. In fact, I didn’t want him talking about his death at all.
Was he implying that he expected we weren’t going to make it? That was an ending I refused to believe.
I forced myself to smile at Tavlor and let the silence around us sit.
“Thank you for looking after our sister, Tavlor,” Bella said, her words soft in the air.
Tavlor looked across the table at her and nodded once. He frowned, obviously wondering why Bella would thank him in the first place, as though he considered this another part of his duty.
And it was, but at least I was confident that there was more to it.
“Well, let’s finish our breakfast then,” Bella said, and began eating.
The waffles before me had lost their appeal all of sudden, but I pushed myself to smile and eat and drink.
Though Courtney’s mood was dark and Bella’s happiness was hollow.
I understood how they felt. Left out, lost, worried. They wanted to help but I was telling them not to, that they weren’t allowed. It wasn’t fair to them.
But I couldn’t empathize too much with them. I had a huge battle ahead of me.
One I wasn’t sure I could win.
At the very least, I was just glad I had Tavlor with me.
We finished breakfast and Tavlor went off with Bella to check out the rest of our mother’s ancient books, saying perhaps there’d be something else useful in one of them.
I put my mother’s locket back around my neck and sat on my bed for a while, gathering my thoughts.
There was no real reason to pack anything else. I could magic up any sorts of clothes, or food I needed. However, I appreciated the quiet I was surrounded with. It gave me time to find peace.
All I wanted was my sisters, at the end of this journey. I wanted them to have freedom. I wanted them to come with me with no risk to themselves. But I couldn’t take them with me.
“You need any help with a disguising spell?” Courtney asked from the doorway to my room. She tilted her head to the side and I could tell she wanted to do something, anything that would make her feel involved.
“Um... I hadn’t actually thought that far,” I replied honestly. As much as I wanted to tell her that of course she could help, I thought it was best to defer to Tavlor. At least right now. I swallowed. “I don’t know if Tavlor wants to do it or...”
Courtney straightened. “I’m pretty good at them,” she insisted. There was a fierceness in her eyes that made me look away. That stubborn streak I missed. “I’ve been using them to visit the village, and I’ve been watching people. I can disguise you as anyone you want.”
I stood up. She needed this. If Tavlor wanted me to look completely different later, fine. We would handle that once we left this realm. But now? I could give my sister something to take her mind off being left behind again. I could give her that little feeling of control, that she did make a difference.
I looked at her and my heart suddenly filled with gratitude and love pouring through me for my sister.
“I’
d love your help. Where do you want me?” I put out my hands, wondering what sort of look Courtney was going to go for.
“Outside is probably better,” she said, nodding in the direction of the front door. “I heard Tavlor packing up and getting ready to go.”
I nodded. “Okay, then we better hurry.”
Courtney whirled around and headed out of my room. She didn’t even bother to turn her head and see if I was following her. I bit my lip to keep a smile from my face and followed her to the front door.
“Ever wanted to be a red head?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows at me.
I laughed.
“You know I’ve always wanted your hair,” I said. And it was true.
I remembered how, right before bed, back when Courtney was about ten, she would come into my room, brush in hand, and demand that I help her brush her hair. She couldn’t go to Bella because Bella would just magic it and Courtney didn’t want it to be magicked. She couldn’t go to Mother either because Mother would say Courtney’s desire for her hair to be brushed before bedtime was just her trying to stay up later than she needed to.
As such, she came to me. I would always brush her hair too, and I would tell her how much I loved her hair.
“Red curls it is!”
Once we got outside, Courtney positioned me with my back facing the trees. I could see Bella and Tavlor coming out too, chatting away still.
The sun was beginning to set, and goosebumps formed up and down my arms.
Now that we were out of the house and Courtney had her finger pointed at me, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see this. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath.
Her spell his me in the chest, but it didn’t hurt. Instead, tingles moved out from the point of impact, like ripples in a pond. Cold and somewhat shivery, but smooth and easy.
Then the sensations stopped, moving away like they’d never been there.
I popped open one eye, making sure I could still see, then the other.
Courtney stood in front of me with a big smug smile on her face.
So, she thought she’d done a good job. Wonder what the others would think?
I twirled around to face Tavlor and Bella. I forgot they had come outside as well. Both of them blinked at me as though they’d never seen me before. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.