Page 22

Chapter twenty-two

Flyn

I fold another tee shirt and shove it into the suitcase, even though I know it won’t close properly if I keep packing like this.

Half my wardrobe is already in a heap on the bed.

Shirts I never wear, hoodies I live in, socks that haven’t seen their match since last winter.

The rest is scattered across the floor like I lost a fight with a tornado.

The room smells like dust and fabric softener and the lingering scent of the candle Cara gave me last Christmas, all vanilla and cedarwood, something warm.

“I still don’t get it,” Cara says from the doorway. Her arms are crossed, but not in that casual, judgmental big-sister way. This time it’s a shield. “You’re moving. Like actually moving. To the middle of nowhere. With a guy you’ve known for five minutes.”

I sigh and try not to crumple the shirt in my hands. “It’s not like that.”

“It’s exactly like that.”

She steps into the room, dodging a pair of shoes and a pile of mismatched socks.

She looks furious. And scared. And betrayed.

All at once. My big sister, the only person in my life who’s always had my back, who kept me from falling apart when everything else did, she’s looking at me like I’ve just joined a cult.

“This is insane, Flyn.”

I zip the suitcase halfway and sit on it to keep it from bursting open. “I know it looks that way.”

“Then explain it to me. ”

I open my mouth. Close it again. Because I can’t. Not really.

How do you explain that your new boyfriend blacked out and started carving glowing runes into the plaster of your bedroom wall?

That something ancient and terrifying is trying to get into his mind?

That he’s not even human, and instead of running, you looked at the shattered pieces of him and thought, Yeah. I want to stay.

You don’t explain that.

Not to someone like Cara. Someone who believes in logic and structure, who finds comfort in meal prep schedules and spreadsheets. Someone who already lost one brother and can’t bear the thought of losing the other to something she doesn’t understand.

“I can’t explain it,” I say finally. “Not all of it. But this is something I have to do.”

She looks at me like I’ve just slapped her. “You have to? Flyn, this isn’t you. You’re not impulsive.”

“Not usually, no.”

“You don’t just run off to the countryside with someone you barely know!”

I give her a self-deprecating smile. “I do now.”

She throws her hands in the air, pacing a slow circle in the chaos of my room. “God, listen to yourself.”

”I have , Cara. I’ve been listening to myself more these past few days than I have in years. And you know what? I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. Even with all the weirdness. Even with…”

I stop myself. Bite the inside of my cheek.

Even with the magic. Even with the danger. Even with the luminescent green light that still burns behind my eyelids.

“Even with what?” she demands.

“I can’t tell you.”

“That’s bullshit.”

”I know. But it’s still true.”

She folds her arms again, jaw tight. “Is this because he’s hot? ”

That actually makes me laugh, loud and unsteady. “It’s not just because he’s hot.”

Cara glares. “You’ve always been a sucker for pretty eyes and lost causes.”

“He’s not a lost cause.”

I say it too fast, too fiercely. And she hears it.

“Flyn…” Her voice softens, just a fraction. “What’s going on? Really?”

I shake my head. “I can’t drag you into this.”

“You already have! I’m standing in your apartment while you pack up your whole life and you won’t even tell me why. You’re moving three hundred miles away! You’re leaving your job, your friends, me. For what? A spark?”

“It’s not just a spark,” I say quietly.

She’s silent for a long moment.

“You’re in love with him,” she says, and it’s not a question.

I run a hand through my hair. “I don’t know. Maybe. I might be on my way.”

“After a handful of dates.”

“They weren’t normal dates.”

She snorts. “Clearly.”

“I don’t expect you to understand. But I need you to trust me.”

”I do trust you. That’s the problem.“ Her voice cracks. “For all your bouncy exuberance, you’re the smart one. The steady one. And you wouldn’t leave me and Sorcha for nothing.

You’re not the type to abandon your family.

So If you’re doing something this wild, then it must be serious. And that scares the shit out of me.”

I move toward her, slowly, and pull her into a hug.

For a second she resists. Then her arms wrap tight around my ribs and she buries her face in my shoulder like she did when we were kids and the world felt too big.

The weight of her is familiar, grounding.

She smells like geranium shampoo and that citrusy hand cream she’s always using .

“I’m still me,” I whisper. “I’m still your annoying little brother who steals your chips and forgets birthdays.”

She gives me a watery laugh. “You never forget birthdays.”

“Okay, fine. But you know what I mean.”

She pulls back just enough to look at me. “Promise me something.”

“If I can.”

“If it gets dangerous… really dangerous… you’ll come home.”

I don’t like to make promises I’m not sure I can keep. And if things get dangerous, well, it will be Gray eating me, or Jade letting the fey into Earth. Running back home won’t solve either of those, and it might endanger my family.

I hesitate.

She sees it.

“Flyn.”

“I promise,” I say, to keep the peace. “If it gets bad, I’ll come back. Or I’ll find a way to bring you with me. But I’m not walking away from him, Cara. Not yet.”

She nods slowly. “Okay.”

“You mean that?” Hope thuds low in my chest. Cara being upset with me is awful. I’d feel a whole heap better about everything I’m facing if I had her blessing.

“No. But I’m trying.” Her eyes are sad, but her expression is grouchy. I’m not going to get her blessing, but she is going to forgive me.

I smile. “That’s all I can ask.”

“Do you really have to go right now? You can’t wait until Sorcha is out of school to say goodbye?”

My chest tightens. “Won’t that upset her?” I have no idea if a couple of hours will make any difference to Jade’s safety, but it might be worth the risk if Cara thinks it will be better for my little niece.

Cara sighs. “No, you’re probably right. She’s as over the top as you. The farewell would turn into such a drama. ”

I chuckle. “I’ll Facetime her later.”

She sniffs and nods, and then gestures at the mess. “Do you need help finishing up?”

“God, yes. I packed six pairs of the same jeans and forgot underwear.”

“Idiot,” she mutters fondly.

We fall into a comfortable rhythm, her folding, me stuffing things into bags, both of us working in quiet companionship.

The silence between us softens, turns familiar again.

She nags me about the socks with holes in them and sneaks protein bars into my backpack.

I pretend not to notice. We take our time.

At one point she pauses, holding up a photo frame from my desk. It’s an old picture. Me, Cara, and our brother Liam. All three of us squinting in the sun, grinning like fools at some summer fair ages ago.

“You sure he’d be okay with this?” she asks, voice soft.

“Liam?”

She nods.

“I think… yeah. He always said I was too careful. Too good at being safe. He’d probably be cheering me on.”

She sets the frame down gently. “Then I’ll try to do the same.”

We linger a little longer than we need to.

I take one last look around the apartment.

The scuffed wooden floors, the dent in the wall from when I tried to hang a mirror and it fell, the crooked shelf that never held anything heavier than a plant.

It’s not much, but it’s been mine. My first place that felt like home.

And now I’m leaving it behind for something I don’t fully understand.

Though, as I look around, something becomes clear. The happiest memories are recent ones. And they all involve Jade.

That scruffy sofa is where we kissed for the second time. It’s where I first blew him and he blew me.

The tiny kitchen is where I first made him breakfast and where he made me an omelet and was oh so attentive.

The shower is where he washed me so sweetly, so tenderly.

As for the bed, well, it is probably best if I don’t let my mind wander down that path. Not while my sister is here.

But the point is still clear, Jade is everything that’s good in my life. I’m making the right decision, I know it. I’m not leaving anything behind, I’m stepping towards a bright new future.

I take a deep breath. My new found certainty is helping me to breathe a little easier.

Everything’s packed. My mind is made. And now, in perfect timing, the cab is honking downstairs.

Cara hugs me again at the door. It’s tighter this time. Like she doesn’t want to let go.

“Be safe,” she says.

“I will.”

“Call me. Often.”

“Deal.”

I pull away, pick up my bags. But before I leave, I glance back one last time.

“I love you, Cara.”

She smiles, eyes wet. “Love you more.”

And then I’m gone.

Out the door. Down the stairs. Into the cab and on my way to a stately home I’ve never seen, to a future I don’t fully understand. With a boy who is magic, and a heart that’s already halfway lost.

And even though I should be terrified, all I feel is… ready.