Page 13 of White Little Lies (Four Ways to Fate #3)

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I paused with my hand on my apartment door. “You know, you really can go back to the Bogs. I’m home safe now, and I have Sebastian’s card.”

Gabriel’s smoldering dark eyes shifted from my hand on the doorknob to my face. “Nymphs can be dangerous.”

“How did you find me in the woods?”

His eyes lowered, not quite meeting my gaze. “We shall discuss that once your current crisis is out of the way.”

I didn’t like it, but he was probably right. One thing at a time. I had a feeling whatever he had to say, it was going to turn into a whole big conversation.

I opened the door, not sure what to expect. The first thing I noticed was that it

was eerily quiet. The second—the apartment was a mess. The furniture was all out of place, and papers and small tchotchkes were strewn about.

The sofa was halfway across the room, Seraphina sitting on it, arms crossed and a glare locked on her face. She wore jeans and a white linen button up, her long hair skimming her tall frame.

As Gabriel stepped inside behind me, I glanced at Braxton in the kitchen with Ringo on his shoulder. Braxton had kept his hands busy with coffee, sandwich makings, a pile of freshly peeled fruit, and a bunch of shelled peanuts. He had clearly been busying himself away from the nymph for quite some time.

He gave me a get her the hell out of here look, nodding toward the living room.

Sorry , I mouthed, then walked past him.

Only Seraphina’s eyes moved as they lifted to my face. I jumped when she finally spoke. “Explain to me how a simple delivery ended in my sister almost dying.”

“How do you know about that?” I asked

Her nostrils flared. She held up one hand, letting it turn into tree bark. “I speak to the trees, Eva.”

Ah, I had forgotten about that. I slowly approached the sofa to sit down. “Well if that’s the case, then you also know we found her already near death.”

“This must have something to do with your devil. I should never have allowed him along.”

I lifted a brow, but she wouldn’t have known what happened after we left the park where the trees couldn’t see us. “Actually, without him she probably wouldn’t have made it. He helped me find an antidote for her poison.”

Her expression softened. “Poison?”

I guessed the trees hadn’t seen what happened there either. “Yes, someone poisoned her, we think before she left home.”

“And you sent her back there?”

I winced. “Short of kidnapping her, we couldn’t really keep her away.”

I jumped as Seraphina lurched forward, but it was only to bury her face in her hands, the skin now smooth and brown once more. “They won’t believe her. She’ll be locked away for going out without their permission, and whoever tried to hurt her will be able to do it again.” She took a ragged breath and shook her head. “This was all so stupid. All for her favorite cookies.”

“Cookies?”

“Yes, the packages you deliver. They are her favorite cookies.”

I glanced toward my room where I had left the package, intending on returning it to her when I had the chance. “What’s so dangerous about cookies?”

She moved her hands enough to slide a glare my way from between her fingers. “The danger is not the cookies, it is the contact between us. If my family knew, she would also be disowned.”

“So why risk it?” I asked.

Her fingers slid back over her face. “ Because we are sisters. It was too painful to sever all contact. Now I see that it should have been so.”

Braxton had come into the living room, Ringo still on his shoulder.

Ringo looked at me, then to Gabriel leaning against the wall, then down at Seraphina. “Can we get her back?”

Seraphina jumped, her hands smacking down onto her lap. She stared at Ringo, her jaw hanging open. “It speaks?”

“He’s not an it,” I said. “But yes, he speaks. He was there last night and he could have told you everything had you simply come in calmly enough to ask.”

She looked around my trashed apartment, then shrugged apologetically. “I always check with the trees near the lake after the delivery. When they told me my sister was hurt, and a devil carried her away…” Her eyes slid to me again. “My emotions got the better of me. I apologize.”

“Fair enough,” I sighed. Though hopefully she was planning on staying to help us clean up. I seriously needed a nap.

“Do you have any idea who would have wanted to hurt your sister?” Braxton asked.

Seraphina hesitated. She knew Braxton, had met him a dozen times, but she still didn’t trust him. I wasn’t sure she fully trusted anyone. I could relate.

“She said your uncle was poisoned too,” I remembered out loud. “If that helps. ”

She furrowed her brow. “I have twelve uncles, and not a clue who would want to harm any of them.” She turned away again. “All I know is that my sister is not safe, but there is nothing I can do. I am exiled. I cannot cross into my family domain. I cannot access our well.”

“I’m sorry. We never would have sent her back if we had known your parents wouldn’t believe her. She seemed to think everything would be fine.” I tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. When she didn’t shrug me off, I gave it a squeeze.

“I have to do something.” Her voice trembled. “I have to find a way back inside, if only to pull her out.”

“How were you communicating about the packages?” I asked.

She lifted her head, turning eyes shining with unshed tears my way. “With the packages themselves. I always included the next drop off where she should grow the flower, which she was to destroy before returning home.”

If she only went out to get the packages once per month, it was a pretty big coincidence that she was poisoned right before she left. “What if she didn’t destroy it? What if the poisoner knew she would be leaving, and used it to cover their tracks? It would look like she was attacked in the park. Even the trees said so.”

Her mouth formed a little trembling oh of surprise. “You’re right,” she gasped. “The coincidence is too great. This means she was attacked because of me. ”

I lifted my hands in a soothing gesture before she could break down. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. This is all just conjecture. First we need to figure out how to reach her before something else happens.”

“ We ?” Everyone in the room but me asked at once.

I looked at each of them. “Yes we . She’s an innocent girl. We can’t just let her be killed.”

I jumped as Seraphina abruptly grabbed my hand, but all she did was squeeze it. She met my eyes steadily, her tears still glittering. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I’m not sure if a nymph boundary is one I can cross.”

She continued squeezing my hand. “I will tell you everything I can. Just please bring my sister back to me alive. If exile is the price she must pay, then so be it.”

I looked at Gabriel, who gave me a slight nod. The nymph lands weren’t in this realm. They were a near realm, sure, but they also had a boundary to keep anyone else out. Not only would I have to attempt traveling to the correct place, I would have to cross a boundary to do it. Not to mention dealing with the nymphs on the other side.

If I was going to manage it, it would take at least one of my batteries .

Maybe more.