Page 100 of As Above, So Below

“Oh, hey!” Cora greets merrily from across the shop. “You’re okay! Eve and I were worried when we saw you with that male. Who is he?” her eyes glimmer with mischievous interest.

My nervous laughter causes her stare to intensify. “Someone I met while out with Eve the other night.”

Eve folds her arms over her chest, scoffing a quiet laugh as we cross the shop. “He’s taken an interest in Ves.”

Cora’s eyes widen, a sparkle of dreamy admiration in the deep blue of her eyes. “Someone’s taken interest in you?” She places a gentle hand on my arm. “Oh, Ves, I’m so excited for you! Fae courting is incredibly romantic.”

“Courting?” I forcibly laugh the question, doing my best not to grimace.

Contextually, I understand the idea of courting.

But I highly doubt whatever is going on between Ryc and myself is courting. It’s nothing more than superficial desires of a body I’ve yet to fully adjust to. And if I’m not careful, this damned body is going to ruin everything.

“It starts with a gift.” She smiles and I tense, all of my muscles growing tight.

My mind races to the dagger on my thigh.

“An interested prospective partner will send a gift. Eve gifted me a basket of herbs and teas and wrote me the most adorable letter expressing her interest.”

The note.

What?

No.

Panic rips open my stomach and I fall face first into the bottomless abyss, once again struggling to breathe.

“I worried you weren’t going to accept me,” Eve admits with a reminiscing smile.

“How could I not?” Cora laughs brightly, shifting the basket hooked over her arm to the other. “I adored it, and I adore you. If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t be here. I would have never been brave enough to say something.”

“Is there any way out?” I blurt the question, and both Cora and Eve turn to me, their faces concerned.

“Out of courtship?” Cora asks, her face pinched with equal parts confusion and worry. “I mean, if a fae presents you with a courting gift, they’re confident you’ll make an ideal partner. Fae don’t just offer courting gifts to anyone.”

Only this one did.

“Is there a way out?” I ask again and Eve begins to laugh.

“Why are you so stressed?” she teases. “Just don’t accept anything from Ryc and you’re fine.”

Too little, too late.

Heaving a sigh, I close my eyes and pinch my brow as I gesture to my thigh. Cora nearly squeals in delight, prompting my eyes open, and Eve folds her arms across her chest.

“You can’t be serious,” Eve levels in flat tones.

“Is there a way out?” I repeat the question a third time, exasperated.

Eve shrugs, shaking her head. “You can try returning it. But there’s no guarantee the refusal will be accepted. Not now that he’s seen you with it.”

“How am I supposed to know these convoluted customs of mortals?” I whisper fiercely, my hands balling into fists.

“We’re a lot like demons, Ves. No gift is without strings,” Eve counters coolly.

Eve throwing the nature of demons in my face stings more than it should. I should have known better. I do know better. I purse my lips, bristling in defensiveness.

“I never received gifts. Netharis made sure of that,” I snap back, my voice a hushed whisper.