Page 65

"Like your nightmares?" I asked.

She nodded. "And like your marriage?"

"He’s not a bad man," I confided.

Her body trembled, and her eyes darted anxiously from side to side. Then she seemed to shake herself. "I-I didn’t think so. Not really. I’ve known some bad men."

I glanced back over at Forrest and the white-haired fae.

"Oh, no! Not him. I know how he looks, but he’s one of the good ones, I swear."

I was still studying them as Liliana, Queen of the Sun Court, joined them.

"That’s good," Clara muttered, watching the odd group as well. She turned her attention back to me. "Want to go sample some cordials?"

I nodded. "Absolutely. Food, too."

Clara linked her arm through mine, and we began to drink hop around the courtyard. I stopped several times to peer through dense foliage or study a promising plant. So far, no signs of my missing susurrus, the final plant I needed to complete my garden.

As we walked, Clara began to link a daisy chain. "Are you an herbalist?"

I fought a blush. "Just a gardener," I replied, realizing how bizarre I must appear, staring at flowers and poking around shrubberies. "Can you keep a secret?"

She mimed stitching her lips.

"I’m looking for something. A rare, blue flower. Back home we call it susurrus."

"I’ll let you know if I see it," she promised.

I was three cordials in now—blue, purple, yellow— and I was beginning to feel their effects. Each was different. Blue lowered inhibitions and made your tongue feel like lead. Yellow made you feel warm and energized. The purple one made me spend the next ten minutes blinking at the wisps glowing lights and gorging myself on apples.

"The yellow ones are my favorite." Clara giggled, plopping on the grass and looping her daisy chain into a crown.

"They should be! You had three of them!" I beamed, apple juice running down the sides of my face.

I would have been worried about appearances, but the fae around us were doing far worse. The party had picked up steam. The dance was faster. The clothes were scantier. The drinks were flowing. I could hear moans of ecstasy coming from nearby rose bushes. Other revelers didn’t bother to hide themselves, laying entwined on the grass just outside of the circle.

By now, I was telling Clara all about Forrest, our bargain, and every moment that had transpired between us. Except for the frog thing, of course.

She was an attentive audience.

Finally, when I was done, she looked at me thoughtfully. "You’re soooo into him." She laughed.

I laughed too, leaning back on the grass next to her and staring up at the stars.

"But I get it," she said quietly. "They’re slow to love and hard to read. At least, for us."

I shivered.

"Are you cold?" she asked.

"A little," I said, my teeth chattering.

"That’s the purple ones. You can’t drink too many in a row without that happening.” Clara paused for a moment. “Promise not to freak out?"

"About what?" I asked.

She held out her hand, and a small flame roared to life in her palm. She offered it to me. "Here, it won’t hurt you. It’ll warm you up."