Page 20 of Silver and Lead (October Daye #19)

Faerie is also a lot slower to adjust to change than the mortal world.

For older fae, pink was still the preferred color for little boys, while blue was generally preferred for girls, and all children were likely to be dressed primarily in white until they were either toilet trained or needed to leave the Summerlands for whatever reason.

“So what are you saying?” asked Tybalt.

“I’m saying we’ve both married women who prefer not to have their choices dictated to them, and who have done a more than reasonable job of keeping themselves alive against the slings and arrows of their stations,” said Simon.

“All you’re going to do by hovering is drive October further from you at a time when you should be drawing her closer. ”

Tybalt glanced at me. “Is he telling me to relax?”

“I think so,” I said, almost cheerfully. “Simon, did you follow us just to lecture Tybalt about not pissing me off? Because it’s sweet if you did, but we really need to get home.”

“I’m aware.” He smiled and held out his hand. “The keys, if you would be so kind.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I’m an excellent driver,” he said. “My safety record is substantially better than yours, as I’ve killed fewer cars, and never driven into a single wall. So I’m driving us home.”

“Didn’t you just finish telling Tybalt he shouldn’t try to push me around?”

“Yes.”

“So why…?”

“Because I am your father, not your husband. I can afford to have you a little angry with me if it means I see you safely home. Keys, please.”

The sheer surrealism of Simon standing in front of me, demanding my keys, was enough that I dug them out of my dress’s side pocket and dropped them into his extended hand. He closed his fingers around them, beaming at me.

“I always appreciated your willingness to see sense,” he said. “Where’s the car?”

Muir Woods officially closes at sundown, and that includes the parking lots. Which doesn’t stop mortals with more longing for the woods than fear of the law, but does mean the authorities will ticket and tow any cars that have been left visible. I indicated a seemingly empty space.

“Over here,” I said.

The three of us walked until the faint, lingering traces of my magic told us we had reached our ride.

I inhaled and let go of the don’t-look-here covering the car, releasing the scent of freshly cut grass and copper into the air.

The copper was bloodier than it had been when I was more human.

The grass was changing as well, coming more and more clearly into focus.

A few more changes to the balance of my blood and I’d be able to identify the type of grass. I had to admit I was curious.

Simon walked around to the driver’s side and unlocked the doors with the press of a button, getting behind the wheel as I checked the backseat for intruders.

Paranoid? Maybe. But someone tried to kill me that way once, and I have a long memory when it comes to assassination attempts.

I don’t enjoy them, and I didn’t want to add one to the confusing mess this night had already been.

Simon watched quizzically until I got into the passenger seat, leaving the door open as I situated myself and fastened my seatbelt. I looked over at Tybalt, who was standing outside the car looking like he didn’t know what he was supposed to do with himself, and smiled.

“You coming?”

Understanding washed over his expression like the dawn.

He folded inward and was gone, replaced by a large brown tabby.

The scent of musk and pennyroyal swirled through the air as he changed, and he stood on four legs, stretching languidly.

Then, tail held high, he leapt up into what remained of my lap, curling himself into a ball with paws tucked under and tail wrapped around his body.

I ran a hand along the curve of his back, smiling fondly. “I love you, even if you are being an overprotective jerk right now.”

Tybalt looked up at me through half-closed green eyes, a purr rumbling in his throat. I sighed and leaned over to close the car door.

“All right, Simon, you can drive now,” I said.

He started the car and pulled smoothly out of the parking space, easily turning us around and heading for the road.

It wasn’t the most impressive bit of driving I’d ever seen, but he did it without hesitation or confusion.

I relaxed, shoulders unkinking as I realized he was as good a driver as he claimed to be.

I should have known. He’d been fond of flashy sports cars before my disappearance solidified him as a villain in the eyes of his brother and drove him largely into hiding; no one spent that much money on a car they didn’t know how to drive.

I leaned back in my seat, the events of the evening running wild through my thoughts.

So much had happened. After months of idleness, I wasn’t used to that sort of thing anymore.

But Tybalt was purring, and the baby wasn’t currently using my bladder as a soccer ball, and the car was warm and I had a safe driver at the wheel and…

Is it really any wonder I fell asleep?