Page 84

83

Summer

I lay sprawled on top of Connor, both of us completely naked, as he runs his fingers through my hair. After a long day of studying, we all ate dinner together, and Connor conned me into a sleepover. It was only possible because Zach received a booty call request just as we were discussing where Alice could sleep.

“I’m going to miss you,” he says, his voice sounding far away and wistful.

“It’s just two weeks, Con. I will be with Alice for Yule and we’ll be back in time to have Christmas Eve together. Then I’ll be coming to Eden for your birthday.”

Connor sighs. “I just love everything about it this season. It is our first year together, and I want to share it all with you. Are you sure you need to go to Transylvania?”

“Alice needs me,” I say with a gentle smile.

“Fine,” Connor groans. “But you’re with me next Yule and Christmas.”

I press a kiss to his chest. “Deal.”

“I’ve got you presents, you know?” he says, twirling a lock of my hair around his finger.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Two presents, actually. But don’t worry, neither of them are in ring-shaped packages.”

I quirk a brow. “And why did you feel the need to say that?”

Connor smiles, pulling me closer. “No reason.”

I pull back, looking up at him. “Are you saying I’m not worth an engagement ring?” I tease.

“You want a ring?” he asks.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Hm,” he says with a secretive little smirk.

I laugh, brushing my lips over his. “We should sleep. We have lots more studying to do tomorrow.”

Connor yawns and kisses the top of my head before he drifts off.

I check my phone and see I have another message from the stranger.

I shift off Connor. I have learned that my angel sleeps like the dead, but I am still careful not to wake him.

I climb out of bed and pull on one of Connor’s shirts and a pair of snow boots before going downstairs. Everyone is in their rooms, so my path is completely clear as I leave the house. The cold nips at my bare legs and teases beneath the shirt, and I curse myself for not taking an extra minute to pull on some pants and a large sweater.

I feel his hand before I see him. He ruffles my hair. “You two made up,” he says, his voice caressing my ear.

“Huh?”

He nods toward the house. “You and the boy.”

“We weren’t fighting,” I say with a shrug.

I can feel his exasperated look without being able to see it. “You know what I’m referencing, little fae.”

“We’ve worked it out, yes. Have you decided to stop being cold to me?” I ask, lifting my chin.

He crosses his arms and leans against the banister wrapping the porch. “Cold?”

I return his exasperated look.

“This killer,” he begins, pushing past the question, “wants you scared. Which made me wonder why.”

I sit on the porch step to listen. The stranger sits next to me, our bodies close but not touching. I look down at my legs and the goosebumps covering them and tug the shirt down over my knees.

“Which led me to something intriguing about fae. Did you know that while your eyes are a rare color for fae, they are not entirely unique?”

I don’t say anything. The habits of the past keep me from discussing my eyes. I tip my head and watch him, waiting for him to continue.

“One of the first Queens of the Fae had eyes like yours, a bright, pale blue.”

“She did?” I ask.

He nods. “I think there’s a reason you were brought to Avalon, why this all seems to be centered on you. I believe you might be a contender to the throne of your people. That alone makes you very dangerous to the current king and most fae.”

I shake my head. “That can’t be?—”

“The killer references the Mark of Nimue in every killing. Nimue was a handmaiden to the last rulers of Faerie.”

“I know that. I’ve done a little research, not that there’s much to find. But what does this have to do with me? I’m just a fae with weird eyes.”

“You challenge their very existence, little fae. The Fae King has built an empire since the fall of your home realm. He has people who both fear and love him in equal measure, but you’re the candle refusing to extinguish in a howling wind. They’ll want to snuff you out. The king especially.”

I exhale and look up at the sky. “None of this makes any sense. It can’t be true. Did I make a mistake in coming here?”

“No. I don’t know why or how, but you obviously came to someone’s attention, and I think being here is the only thing that’s kept you alive.”

I shift closer to him and lay my head on his shoulder. He tenses for a moment before relaxing again. “Don’t be cold to me,” I whisper into the night.

He doesn’t reply for a long moment. “I’m sorry. I was annoyed.”

“Why? What did I do?”

He exhales and shakes his head. “Nothing.”

“Stranger?” I whisper, shifting a little closer. I swear I can feel the slightest amount of warmth coming from him.

“Hm?”

“You make me feel less lonely.”

“You’re surrounded by friends. What is it I offer that they don’t?” I can hear the confusion in his voice.

I pause for a moment, considering, though I already know the answer. It’s a lonely answer, but it’s a true one. “You understand me in a way they don’t.”

“Your darkness calls to mine.”

Something inside me twists, but it’s not unpleasant. “You feel it, too?” I whisper.

“Yes. Why do you think I started watching you?”

“Honestly?”

He nods.

I feel my cheeks heat. “Initially, I thought it was because you were kind of into me, but I know that’s not the case anymore.”

“Hm.”

There is a long, but not uncomfortable, silence. I lean more heavily against his bulk and truly relax for the first time in days.

“I’m going to look into this lead this week.”

“So you’re not going to be around?” I fight to keep the trepidation from my voice.

“Don’t you have exams?” he asks, and I can hear a little spark of happiness in his voice, or maybe it’s amusement.

I shift, making my head more comfortable on his shoulder. “I do.”

“Then you’ll be busy,” he says, and I feel him lay his cheek against my head.

“I’m ready for the exams.”

“I have to go,” he says reluctantly, shifting beside me.

“You do?” I ask, pulling back and looking up at him.

He nods. “I have things to do. You know the stuff I do when I’m not talking to you.”

I wince a little and look down. “All right.”

He boops my nose with his forefinger. “Sarcasm, little fae.” His voice is gentle, and I can hear the smile in it. He tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “Goodnight, little fae.”

“Goodnight, Stranger,” I say with a smile.

When he leaves, the loneliness encroaches, and I allow myself a moment to sit in it, to feel it, to resent it. Just for a moment, and then I shove it down and go back inside to my family.