by Hannah West
‘I see the resemblance,’ he mutters.
‘Does anyone want to explain what’s going on,’ the blond asks in an American accent. He looks at Zephyr and says, ‘hey, Zee can you let go of my mate now? She’s lost the lunatic look in her eyes and the blonde chick said she’s forgiven.’
Zephyr releases Caligo and she scowls at him while rubbing her wrist. ‘I’m sorry I reacted that way,’ she tells me. ‘I just saw you hugging my mate and felt a wave of love from you.’
‘You felt it?’
She nods. ‘You’re Lumen too, aren’t you? Female Lumen can sense the emotions of those around them.’
Well that answers why Zephyr never seems to feel what I can. The fact Caligo knows about Lumen Fae sends a thrum of excitement down my spine. I wasn’t looking forward to picking through the archives in Aric’s palace, and hopefully I won’t have to now.
‘I felt it,’ I answer. ‘And I felt love for your mate because I thought he was my friend Drew.’
My heart clenches at the thought of Drew. The Trackers haven’t found him yet, and the more time that passes the dimmer my hope of finding him alive becomes. Surely if he was alive he would’ve found his way back to me. He obviously knew enough about fae to open a doorway once his light was activated, so surely he’d know how to at least get a message to me.
Unless he doesn’t want to be found.
The thought hits me like a slap to the face. Drew’s good at running away when life gets too much, and the last time we met my life was steeped in drama.
‘It doesn’t upset you that your mate loves another?’ Caligo asks Zephyr, drawing my focus.
‘Blake Frost looks almost identical to Primrose’s best human friend,’ Zephyr answers. ‘What she feels for him is akin to the love I feel for you, as my sister.’
‘Blake Frost?’ I whisper.
The American – Blake, holds his hand out to me in greeting. ‘Blake Frost, Caligo’s Halfling mate.’
I take his offered hand, while the fae watch us shake in fascination. I don’t think they’ve seen a handshake because they all stare at our joined hands with unabashed curiosity.
‘Primrose Finley,’ I grin. ‘Zephyr’s Halfling mate and Queen of the Fae.’ I release his hand. ‘Sorry for crying all over you like that. Drew is my best friend and when I saw you I thought-’ I cut myself off and look at Zephyr. ‘Drew’s last name is Frost, and he looks like Blake’s long lost twin. You don’t think Drew could be-?’
‘His brother?’ Zephyr murmurs, finishing my thought.
His expression is as incredulous as mine, before his gaze slides to Caligo.
‘Uncle Jack,’ she whispers.
Zephyr nods. ‘It’s got to be him. He carries the sapphire light and has a thing for human females.’
‘Uncle Jack?’ I butt in then it hits me and I start laughing. ‘Are you kidding?’
‘What?’ Blake asks still not getting it.
I take pity on him. ‘They’re saying your fae father’s name is Jack!’
‘Why is that funny?’ he demands.
I stop laughing and wipe a tear from my eye. ‘Your surname is Frost and so is Drew’s,’ I spell out. ‘Your dad is Jack Frost.’ My grin fades and I scrunch my nose up, looking at Zephyr. ‘If Jack’s your uncle and Caligo has mated Blake-’
‘He’s not actually our uncle,’ Caligo says in understanding. ‘He’s just very old and has no heirs, so everyone calls him Uncle Jack.’
‘No heirs that he knows of,’ I correct. ‘I’m counting two and-’ my gaze whips back to Blake and the sapphire glow of his irises. ‘Make that a possible three,’ I mutter.
Zephyr’s eyes are full of intrigue and I supress a snort. ‘Who?’
‘Amber was glowing sapphire,’ I say.
‘Amber?’ Caligo asks.
‘Lucas found his mate and she’s half fae,’ Zephyr answers.
‘Lucas, Alpha of-’
‘The very same,’ Zephyr says then mumbles something about a Halfling epidemic.
‘Jack always was one for flouting the rules,’ Alissa mumbles.
‘I’ve got a sister?’ Blake asks, excited.
Everyone looks his way and I remind him about Drew. ‘And a brother.’
‘I already have a brother,’ he says then shakes his head, answering my question before I can ask it. ‘We have different dads.’
‘Well, now you have two,’ I tell him, feeling defensive of Drew. I shake my head still looking at Blake. ‘There might even be more of you.’
‘That’s likely,’ Zephyr agrees, ‘though, Halflings remain human unless their light is activated.’
I think of Zephyr’s essence orb hitting Drew in the shoulder. Aric said something like that would kill a human, but Drew wasn’t dead when the doorway shut between us. And he’d opened a doorway, meaning he had light inside of him.
‘You must’ve activated Drew’s light when you hit him with that orb, Zephyr. He could still be alive,’ I murmur not knowing how to feel about it.
Is he dead, or alive and avoiding me? Why would he let me grieve him if he’s still alive? My chest aches at both possibilities and it’s difficult to breathe. I blink fast to hold back tears and focus on Zephyr.
He gives a reluctant nod. ‘If Drew survived the transformation into fae,’ he says, like he hates to be the one to remind me how low the odds are.
My heart squeezes in my chest and I close my eyes to hide the tears I can’t hold back. The conversation dies around me and I feel the concern of everyone in the room turn my way. The weight of their stares lay heavy on my shoulders, and I wish for just a few minutes alone.
Like a miracle their emotions disappear, and I open my eyes to find myself in Zephyr’s domicile. Holy crap, did I just teleport? I haven’t been in Zephyr’s home since the night of the equinox, and I stare at the ransacked space. It’s obvious he was frantic when he returned to find me gone, and guilt slashes my insides. The guilt builds when I think of Aunt Katherine and Uncle David. I’ve been gone a long time, leaving nothing but a scribbled note for them to find.
I go the mirror in the corner of the bedroom, which is miraculously whole again, even after Zephyr blasted it to escape my father. I think of the mended mirror in Anima’s bedroom and wonder if Zephyr fixed that one too. I press my palm to the glass and open a portal. Mum’s bedroom in the Realm of Man comes into view and I step inside. I glance over my shoulder to watch the doorway close then inhale the familiar scents of Mum and home. It doesn’t make me sad anymore, not since seeing how happy Mum is. And she has Aric, so they have each other.
I go downstairs and turn on the TV. The menu bar tells me the date and time, and I just stare. I know time passes faster here compared to the fae realms, but I’ve been gone longer than I thought and it’s hard to wrap my head around. I leave the TV running and go make coffee, the mindless task centring my focus. Hands shaking, I lift the steaming mug to my lips. The bitter taste helps soothe me and I close my eyes to appreciate the flavour. Coffee isn’t something the fae have embraced. In fact, not many of them know what it is, which I think contributed to some of my mood swings in the Dark Realm.
I sigh and sit at the table. It feels surreal to be back in the cottage. It’s been my home for as long as I can remember. My mum inherited it from her parents and I inherited it from her, so I’ve lived here my whole life. But it doesn’t feel like home anymore. There’s something missing and it isn’t Mum. There’s a niggling sensation in my stomach, a yearning for something I can’t identify.
‘Primrose?’
I turn in my chair to see Zephyr standing in the kitchen doorway. His uncertainty permeates the space between us, so I offer him a smile. Relief floods me that he’s here, and the hollow in my chest closes. The itch niggling my insides settles, like he’s rubbing a balm over my soul.
‘How’d you find me?’
He shrugs. ‘There are few places you’ve been to in the Light Realm. Your fragrance was strongest in my domicile and I reopened the last d
oorway in the mirror,’ he tells me then steps closer. ‘Why did you leave?’
Something occurs to me. ‘I thought that mirror only went where you wanted it to go.’
He shrugs. ‘Our lights are tied now, Primrose. We’re one.’
Okay then.
‘I came to see my aunt.’ I drop my gaze and trace the grain in the wooden table. ‘I guess I just needed a few minutes alone, before I go to find her.’
‘I can leave,’ he offers.
I shake my head and meet his gaze. ‘I don’t want you to go.’
Zephyr closes the space between us then crouches at my feet to look up into my face. ‘You’re worried,’ he murmurs.
‘What do I tell her?’
‘Your aunt?’
I nod. ‘I can’t be the queen of two realms and live in this realm, Zephyr. And I can’t tell Katherine the reasons I’m leaving.’
‘Why not?’ he asks.
‘I, well-’ I shake my head. ‘Isn’t telling her against the rules?’
‘You’re Queen of the Fae, Primrose. You can do as you wish.’
‘Oh,’ I murmur thinking of Katherine’s reaction if I tell her the truth. The way she worries about me has always been borderline obsessive. I’m not sure she’d cope learning everything I’ve been through recently. ‘I’m not sure telling Katherine is a good idea, Zephyr.’
‘You’re not sure telling me what is a good idea?’ Katherine asks from the kitchen doorway.
David is standing right behind her, his hands on her waist, like he’s holding her upright. She’s got a few silver hairs she didn’t have the last time I saw her, and hurt radiates from her in waves. Zephyr and I were so focused on each other that neither of us heard them come in. Some king and queen we are, when two humans can sneak up on us unawares. Saying that, my darkness knows they’re not a threat, and I rely on it to warn me of danger.
‘Tell me what?’ she repeats. ‘And who the hell is that?’ she asks gesturing to Zephyr.
Zephyr has his back to them, still crouching on the floor before me. I look down to meet his gaze and my eyebrows inch toward my hairline. He looks decidedly less fae. His ears are rounded, like mine, and his irises are a rich shade of brown. He’s still inhumanly handsome, but he’d fit into human society with ease. He squeezes my hand and gives me a reassuring smile, before pushing to his feet and turning to face my aunt and uncle. Katherine sucks in a quiet breath and her cheeks turn pink. She might be married but she’s not blind to his beauty.
‘I’m Zephyr,’ he says surprising me by holding his hand out for a handshake.
Seems he’s been paying more attention than I realised. Fae don’t shake hands because it’s considered rude to physically touch another’s mate, probably because it aggravates the wild creature in our middle. But I was raised in a different culture, and my wildness accepts simple contacts like this for what they are.
‘Hello,’ Katherine murmurs tone wary.
‘Nice to meet you?’ David says, confusion drenching his features.
Katherine looks at me. ‘Primrose, what the hell is going on?’
‘I got married,’ I blurt, saying the first thing that comes to mind.
It’s not a lie. Bonding with Zephyr is the fae version of getting married. Katherine’s mouth drops open and she stares at me in utter shock. I feel her panic attack building to a crescendo, before she manages to rein it in. If hearing I got married has her teetering on the edge of a breakdown then there’s no way I’m telling her any of the fae stuff.
‘To him?’ she breathes in disbelief, pointing at Zephyr.
‘Is that so hard to believe?’ I ask sounding as offended as I feel. ‘I know he’s out of my league, but you don’t have to be so obvious.’
She snaps from her daze and shakes her head. ‘I didn’t mean it like that, Prim. I just…You disappear and come back married? It’s only been six weeks.’
I shrug and give her what she needs to hear. ‘He’s my soul mate.’
I don’t know if Zephyr’s my soul mate. We need each other to balance, and my insides light up when I see him, but our love is new. I know anything less than him being my soul mate won’t be good enough for Katherine though, so I roll with it.
‘And you know that, after a month?’ she scoffs.
I sigh and soften my tone, knowing her defensive attitude is born of love. ‘I love him and he makes me happy. What more could I want from life, Aunt Kat?’
Katherine turns her gaze back to Zephyr. ‘And you? Do you love her?’ she demands.
‘Primrose is my everything,’ he answers sending threads of warmth through my heart.
‘But do you love her?’ Katherine presses.
‘I love her very much,’ he answers then meets my gaze. ‘I know our love is new and fragile,’ he murmurs, like he’s been stealing my thoughts and feels the need to reassure me. ‘It can be terrifying to stand on the precipice of something wonderful, with the knowledge it can grow into something unbreakable,’ he tells me. ‘But a terrifying moment can be the start of something beautiful, and I want to be the one to create it with you.’
Katherine’s lips curve into a wobbly smile. She wipes a tear from her cheek and nods her head. She takes a deep breath then lets it go, before coming to wrap me in a hug.
‘I love you, Primrose,’ she whispers. ‘Don’t ever scare me like that again,’ she chastises.
‘I love you too,’ I whisper back then, ‘How’d you know I was here?’
‘Jenny saw your light on and phoned me.’
I roll my eyes at one of the pitfalls of village life. Everybody knows everybody else’s business.
I sigh and let Katherine go. ‘I came back because I was coming to see you,’ I say. ‘It’s not my fault the nosey neighbours beat me to it.’
Her smile falters as she studies my expression. ‘You’re leaving, aren’t you?’
How does she do that? Katherine has always been too good at reading me and it can be down right annoying. Anyone would think she was the Lumen Fae in the room with how accurate she can be. Emotion floods around me: fear and hurt and a little bit of grief. When Katherine loves it’s with a fierceness that steals my breath. It’s why she worries about her family to the point of suffocation.
‘This village isn’t my home anymore, Aunt Kat,’ I murmur sliding a look to Zephyr. ‘There are things I need to do and places I want to see.’
‘Are you selling the cottage?’ she asks.
‘Of course not! This place is mine and I’ll come stay sometimes, but I don’t belong here anymore.’ I belong with Zephyr. I take her hand. ‘You’ve been there for me since the day Mum checked out to pine over my father. You were the mum I needed when she struggled to cope, and I love you more than I have words to say. But you have to let me go, Katherine. You have to let me live my life.’
She sniffs back tears and nods her head, unable to speak for a moment. Uncle David comes to stand behind her and puts his hands on her shoulders in a show of support. He gives me an encouraging smile and I feel his approval wash through me.
‘You’ll definitely come back to visit?’ Katherine sniffs.
‘I’ll even bring you the tacky souvenirs you love so much,’ I promise.
She laughs through her tears and pulls me into a rib-crushing hug. ‘I’ve missed you.’
I rub soothing circles into her back. ‘I’m sorry I caused you so much stress,’ I say as she lets go. ‘And I promise I’ll phone all the time and pop in to visit when I can.’
‘Okay,’ she sighs and blows out a breath, ‘enough tears. Let’s order Chinese and open the wine in your fridge. We can get to know Zephyr before you leave, which will be when?’ she murmurs.
‘First, how the hell do you know I have wine in my fridge?’ I ask.
‘Somebody had to clean the spoiled food from your fridge,’ Katherine chastises. ‘You’re just lucky the wine is still there. I nearly passed out from the stench the first time I opened the fridge door.’
I cringe at
the thought glad Katherine was here to deal with it. ‘Did I mention how much I love you?’
She smirks. ‘It’s never a hardship to hear, but you didn’t answer my question. How long are you staying?’
‘Until tomorrow morning,’ I answer. ‘But I’ll be back in a few weeks,’ I add when her eyes well with tears.
She nods. ‘I can deal with that.’
I turn to the house phone before she can see my eyes roll. If only she knew the crap I had to deal with as Queen of the Fae. I dread to think what Katherine would’ve been like in my situation. She probably would’ve exploded into a cloud of terrified glitter the moment Zephyr appeared in the garden. I snort and fish a takeout menu from the kitchen draw, while Katherine takes the wine from the fridge and collects four glasses. Zephyr stands at my side, watching while I dial the phone. I’ve had takeout with Katherine and David so many times I don’t need to ask what they want, and the normalcy of the situation soothes me in a way I desperately needed.
Zephyr puts an arm around my shoulder and leans in close, until his lips rest close to my ear. ‘You can order a Chinese person to eat?’ he murmurs.
I choke on my laugher and shake my head when David looks my way. Katherine is busy pulling dishes from the cupboard in the corner and cutlery from the draw. I meet Zephyr’s gaze and he’s grinning down at me. He strokes a finger down my face then uses it to tuck a length of hair behind my ear. My heart skips a beat and for the first time in my life I feel complete. Violet light flashes in a corona around his pupils, before fading back to rich brown, betraying the heat I feel building between us.
‘Alright you two, break it up or Katherine will be drunk before the Chinese food gets here,’ David says, pulling us from our moment.
I chuckle, when understanding that we’re not eating a Chinese person registers on Zephyr’s face. Our life together is going to be fun.
CHAPTER 22
