by Martha Carr
“Yeah. A fae smell. I don’t know.”
“I never picked up on that. And the whole thing about drow having a seriously intense sense of smell is true.”
Ember shrugged. “Maybe it’s ‘cause you didn’t know I was fae ‘til, like, last week. And you just thought it was me.”
“We can stop talking about your fae scent any time now.”
Laughing, Ember spread her arms. A glob of ice cream dripped off her spoon, but she didn’t notice. “I’m just laying it out for you, Cheyenne. Unless there’s a way for me to look fae, I can’t go down there.”
Cheyenne frowned with another bite of ice cream raised halfway to her mouth. “Maybe there is.”
“I don’t mean face paint, Goth girl.”
“Very funny.” The halfling stuck the spoon in her mouth. “I’m talking about illusion spells. It’s not like they’re human-illusion specific. I bet we could figure out how to cast a charm that makes you look as fae on the outside as you are on the inside.”
“What you see is what you get, halfling.”
“That’s my line, by the way.”
Ember laughed. “I’m pretty sure it belongs to everyone.”
“Yeah, but I’ve been saying it a lot longer than you.”
“You don’t know.”
With a snort, Cheyenne glanced into the almost empty pint in her friend’s lap and turned to stick her spoon in the dishwasher. “Man. Nice kitchen, huh?”
“Yeah, I really picked a winner.” Ember finished the rest of the ice cream, then rolled backward away from the island to search the rest of the kitchen. “So that’s how you know it’s just a demo apartment. No trashcan.”
“Huh. You found the weak link.”
“Didn’t I just? All right. First empty box is our temporary trash can, I guess.” The fae stuck the container on the counter, and Cheyenne took the spoon from her before the girl had a chance to wheel herself across the kitchen. “I can put a spoon in the dishwasher, Cheyenne.”
“I know.”
“Okay, so you’ll be gone tomorrow on your awesome adventure at Peridosh with a family of trolls, and I’ll just…” Licking her lips, Ember pulled something up on her phone and grinned. “How do you feel about me having someone come over to help put everything away?”
“Like who?” Better not be Trevor or any of those other cowards.
“There’s a company that brings boxes from the store to our front door. If I had an extra hundred bucks, I’d bet you there’s a company specifically for people who need help rolling out rugs and hanging curtains.”
Cheyenne glanced at the huge wall of windows. “Please tell me you didn’t order curtains for the entire wall.”
“No, just my bedroom. I like curtains.”
“Sure. Hire someone to help you with curtains.”
“Oh, I will. And it’ll be awesome.”
“Whoa. Settle down, fae girl.” With a short laugh, Cheyenne headed back across the apartment toward the door. “I’m gonna go bring up all our stuff from the car. Probably make a couple trips again. I’m really loving the elevator in this place, lemme tell ya.”
“No problem. I’ll be here.” Ember nodded as the halfling stepped out of the apartment and closed the door behind her. Then she grinned and wheeled herself back into the living room to eye all the boxes of things she’d ordered in the last few hours. Physical therapy’s gonna be great. Dr. Andrews should’ve stuck retail therapy on the list too.
* * *
The magicless fae and the drow halfling settled down in front of the coffee table an hour and a half later, with Netflix pulled up on Cheyenne’s laptop. “And you’re in the mood for…”
Ember shrugged and finished her third bottle of water. “Whatever. I don’t even care that it’s on your laptop. This is a million times better than the ridiculously awful selection of channels at the hospital.”
“You’d think having more entertainment options would help people recover, huh?”
“Right? I guess they don’t want their patients distracted from the hard work of lying there and getting better.”
“Well, you’re done with that. Roomie.” Cheyenne snorted when her friend stared at the laptop screen and shook her head. “I’ll grab your TV tomorrow if you want. Hook up the surround sound. It’ll be very different in here.”
“What about your desk?”
Both girls glanced at the narrow iron staircase up to the mini loft above the laundry room. “Yeah, I didn’t think about trying to get that thing up those stairs.”
“Even with super drow strength?”
“Sure, if I wanted to throw the whole desk up there and hope it landed perfectly without breaking anything.”
Ember laughed so hard, she choked on nothing and had to cough. “I’d love to see that. Not in this apartment, but I’d still love to see it.”
“Next time we find someone else’s apartment where a desk needs to get upstairs like that, I’ll make sure to let you know. I guess the showroom furniture already up there will have to be good enough for Glen. For now. She’s like me, though—adaptable and nearly indestructible and can do what she does from just about anywhere.”
“As long as there’s an internet connection.”
“Okay, that’s only half-accurate.”
“I get it. Just play something on the damn laptop already so I can turn my brain off and zone in on someone else’s story for a minute.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
The next morning, Cheyenne went out to grab them breakfast sandwiches and lattes from some bakery trying to play off upscale chic two blocks away. By the time she got back to the apartment, three huge guys in matching shirts walked out her front door.
“Uh, can I help you?”
“We got it, but thanks.” The tallest guy with both arms covered in tattoos gave her a friendly smile and a nod, then the guys headed down the hall toward the elevators. “Em?”
“Yeah!”
She found her fae friend leaning over an open box on the floor, pulling out the wrapping of whatever she’d bought. She’s gonna fall out of that chair. Cheyenne turned around and grabbed the door.
“Oh, hey. Leave that open.”
“Enlighten me as to why, exactly?”
Ember looked up and laughed. “I ordered more stuff. And I’m pretty sure I can get those guys to help me with the curtains when they bring up the next couple boxes.”
“Em, it’s not even nine-thirty in the morning.”
“Yeah, I’m getting a head start.”
Stepping over opened boxes and loose pieces of packaging, Cheyenne made it safely to the coffee table to set down their breakfast and coffee. She almost fell on her face when her next step was jerked back by packing tape stuck to both the area rug and the bottom of her shoe. “I feel like I’m walking on a minefield.”
“Sorry.” Ember chuckled and wadded up the loose piece of packing paper. “You know what I need? One of those claws on a stick.”
“A trash grabber?”
“Exactly! Trust me, I’ve already figured out how far I can bend down in this chair, and it’s not all the way to the floor. I should order one.”
Cheyenne stared at her friend, then she hooked her fingers into claws and roared, throwing her head back. “I’ve created a monster!”
Ember jumped in her chair, barked a laugh, and threw the balled-up paper at the halfling’s face.
“It’s destroying the apartment and taking my sanity with it!” Cheyenne stomped around, her voice bouncing off the wall of windows and the hardwood floors.
“I’ll destroy you.” Ember laughed when the halfling snarled in her face, shaking her head with her tongue hanging out. “Seriously, what the hell are you doing?”
“Ahh! Raaawwrrrrrr—”
Someone cleared their throat in the doorway, and Cheyenne shut her mouth before slowly turning to see who was there.
“I hope I’m not interrupting.” A tall man in his early thirties stood outside the open door,
his hands thrust into the pockets of his jeans.
The halfling stayed in her crouch, hovering over Ember’s chair with her monster claws. “Kinda.”
“Shut up.” Ember smacked her friend’s arm, and Cheyenne chuckled before giving up the act. “Sorry. There’ve been a lot of people in and out of here already this morning. Remind me who you are?”
“Well, we haven’t met yet, so don’t feel bad if you don’t remember me.” With a lazy, crooked smile, the man ducked his head to peer around the apartment and raised his eyebrows. “I thought they used this apartment for showings?”
“Not anymore.” Cheyenne spread her arms and crunched across a pile of bubble wrap toward the front door. “You have your eye on this place or something?”
“No.” He glanced at her briefly, still smiling, and bent through the doorway to look up at the bottom of the mini loft. “I live across the hall. Seemed a little weird to have so many people stomping up and down, and the curiosity finally got me.” The man pointed to the loft. “You know, I really wanted one of those.”
Cheyenne snorted. “Yeah, me too.”
“How’d you pull that off?”
“Oh, you know. Just negotiated a good deal.”
Nodding, he straightened again and stayed put in the hall. “Well done.”
“Thank you. I’d stick your name on the end of that, but you haven’t given it yet.”
The man blinked quickly and finally looked at her for the first time. Then he stuck out his hand. “Matthew Thomas.”
“Hey, Matthew Thomas, neighbor across the hall.” The halfling grabbed his hand with her usual firm grip, which made his smile grow wider. “Cheyenne.”
“I’m assuming you have a last name.”
“Yep.” She raised her eyebrows and stepped aside to gesture toward Ember. “This is—oh, crap.”
Ember had gotten the wheels of her chair tied up in loose strips of packing tape, and her struggle to push free had made it worse. Cheyenne jogged across the room and bent to rip off the tape before muttering, “You should’ve said something.”
“Yeah?” Ember gritted her teeth and added in a harsh whisper, “I should’ve shouted across the room, ‘Someone help me. I’m stuck in a wad of tape and can’t free myself’?”
“Sorry.” Cheyenne crumbled the tape into a tight ball and tossed it on the kitchen island. Then she straightened and nodded at Matthew Thomas standing in their doorway. “This is—”
“Ember. Hi.” The fae wheeled back to chart a new course around the scattered boxes and packing trash. Cheyenne hurried in front of her to kick as much as she could out of the way.
“Hey, don’t worry about braving the wreckage,” Matthew said. “I helped my sister move recently. I totally get the chaos. Mind if I come in?”
“Enter at your own risk, but sure.”
Ember shot Cheyenne a warning glance, and the halfling shrugged in reply. What crawled in her lap?
“Yeah, I don’t envy anyone the—” Matthew grunted as he stepped over a stack of boxes, then side-stepped to avoid more piles of bubble wrap. “Dangers of unpacking.” He finally reached Ember in the center of the living room and stuck out his hand. “Matthew.”
The fae’s eyes narrowed as she reached up to shake their neighbor’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, Ember.”
Cheyenne glanced at them and stuck her hands in her pockets. That’s a pretty long handshake.
Matthew cleared his throat, their little moment ended, and he released her hand. Ember tucked her hair behind her ear and kept smiling, though a small frown creased her brow.
“Well.” He chuckled. “I guess I should be welcoming you to the neighborhood, huh?”
“Thanks.” Ember stuck her hands on the wheels again and rolled back a little. “Just got here yesterday, so everything’s still...well, I guess it’s obvious.”
“Happens to the best of us.”
Look at that grin-fest. I can’t sit through this conversation. Cheyenne pulled her hands out of her pockets and clapped. Matthew and Ember both jumped and slowly turned toward her. “So, Matt. What do you do?”
“Matthew, actually. I’m a dabbler by trade.”
Ember chuckled. “I didn’t know dabbling was a trade.”
“Well, if you’re good at what you do, you can turn almost anything into a business.” He shot the fae girl a winning smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Sounds pretty exciting.” She grinned right back.
Cheyenne blinked. Not.
“Sometimes, sure.” Matthew-not-Matt shrugged and took a slow, lazy step closer to Ember’s wheelchair. “Most of the time, I still feel like there’s something missing, you know? Like it’s right there in front of me, and I can’t quite reach it.”
Ember and Matthew kept staring at each other.
Oh, for Christ’s sake. Cheyenne turned away and brought her fist to her mouth to fake a cough.
Their neighbor took a sharp breath and glanced around the apartment again. “So, I just keep looking. And dabbling, while I’m at it.”
“Well, whatever it is, go get ‘em.” Cheyenne pumped her fist in front of her with a sharp nod.
“Yeah, okay. Thanks.” Matthew chuckled a little and stepped back again, glancing at his newest neighbors. “What about you ladies? What do you do?”
Ember glanced up at Cheyenne and tilted her head. “Uh, we’re grad students, actually.”
“Really?”
“Yep. I’m on a little...hiatus, I guess. The university was pretty understanding about the whole thing and told me to take as long as I need. You know, recovery-wise.” The fae swallowed thickly and plastered on a different kind of smile.
“I’m sorry.” Matthew’s eyebrows flicked together.
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” Ember shrugged. “So, I’m just moving into a new apartment with Cheyenne and ordering a bunch of crap in boxes from a wheelchair. Hopefully, that doesn’t last too long.”
The man quickly gave a self-conscious smile. “I’ll cross my fingers for you.”
“How nice.” Cheyenne grinned so wide, her cheeks hurt. Watching this is a whole new level of torture.
Ignoring her, Matthew nodded at Ember’s wheelchair. “How long will you be...recovering?”
The halfling bit her bottom lip, and this time, the glance Ember shot her had the same thought written all over it. This guy’s pushing it with the questions.
“I’m, uh, not sure.” Ember blinked and stared at the wall behind him.
“Well, if you need any referrals, I know one of the best physical therapists in the state.”
“She’s got it covered, man. Thanks.” Cheyenne nodded.
“Yeah, I appreciate it anyway.” Ember drummed her fingers on the armrests of her wheelchair. “Starting PT on Monday, actually, so you can cross your fingers for that too.”
“Oh, man.” Matthew’s airy chuckle was a lot more self-conscious. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep. That’s none of my business.”
Damn straight. Cheyenne glanced from the guy’s sheepish smile to the open door behind him. Take the hint, guy.
“No, it’s okay. I need to figure out how to have this conversation sometime, right?” Ember tucked her hair behind her ear again. “Still figuring out how all this works. This thing especially.” She slapped her palms on the armrests and shrugged.
Matthew nodded and stepped toward the door. “I’ll, uh, let you guys get back to it, then. Nice to meet you, Ember.”
“You too.”
He nodded at the halfling. “Cheyenne.”
“Matthew.”
He spun slowly on one foot, reached the open front door, and turned halfway back around again to catch Ember’s gaze. “Just, for what it’s worth, it looks like you’ve already figured out how it all works. At least from where I’m standing.” He didn’t quite wink at her, but his eye twitched as if he’d wanted to but realized it was a bad idea. Then their odd new dabbling neighbor stepp
ed quickly across the hall.
Another door opened and closed in quick succession, and Cheyenne walked swiftly to their front door to close it. “What a guy, huh?”
Ember burst out laughing and buried her face in her hands. Her voice came out high-pitched and muffled. “That was awful.”
“Who gets up in people’s personal business like that? I mean, seriously?”
“I think he was just trying to be nice, Cheyenne.”
“I think he was just trying to get you hooked on that smile before he grabbed those handlebars and wheeled you right out of here.”
“Oh, please. That’s not what he was trying to do.”
Cheyenne leaned back against the kitchen island, propping her forearms behind her on the granite countertop. “Oh, yes, it was. I stood right there and watched the whole thing. He’s super into you.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Ember laughed again and smoothed her hair away from her forehead. “’It looks like I’ve already figured out how it all works?’ Seriously?”
“At least from where he’s standing. Don’t forget that little nugget.” The halfling stared at the door and shook her head.
“Like he was surprised that I haven’t been in a wheelchair my whole life. What? I don’t even know if I should be insulted or flattered by that.” Ember glanced down at her lap and wrinkled her nose.
“Uh, maybe don’t be anything?” When her friend looked at the closed door and started blushing, Cheyenne stepped away from the island toward her. “You okay?”
“I have no idea.” The fae looked disbelieving. “That was the weirdest conversational Tetris I’ve ever had to play.”
“That’s a perfect analogy, Em.”
“I mean, I can’t just come out and say, ‘Hey, I just got shot and lost the use of my legs a little over two weeks ago. Not looking to date someone right now, so kindly back off.’”
The apartment fell silent as Ember’s words settled between them.
Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh.
Cheyenne snorted.
“It’s not funny.” Ember went through the motion of throwing something at her half-drow friend, but her hand was empty.