Cakes were great until they tasted like skunk butt. I spat out the cake and started wiping at my tongue. The taste wouldn’t go away. The dangling cakes did, though. They vanished like popping bubbles as skunks came marching in, two by two, to start humping.
I woke with a gasp and sat straight up in my bed.
“Good morning, beautiful. Your prince has returned.”
The prince in question was lying like a starfish on my pillow, pointy side up.
“Piepen, where are your clothes? And what are you doing here? You have a new home. Go back to it.”
His little face scrunched up in a scowl, and he gestured at his naked self.
“I flew all night so you could wake up to this, and you start in on me as soon as you open your eyes. Woman, learn to be grateful.”
I raised my hand to flick him away. He squealed and rolled off the pillow.
“Okay, Okay,” he said, lifting his hands. “I can see your hormones are swinging hard. Maybe you’ll change your mind when you see what I brought you.”
He flew to the window, which was partially open, and lifted a bag from the floor. It weighed him down so much he could barely fly up to the bed. He made it and collapsed panting.
“Did you come in through my window?” I asked.
“Of course, my Juliette.”
I needed to check my windows better before bed. I didn’t remember leaving it open.
“You are not my Romeo, Piepen. And I can’t accept any gifts from you.”
“Well, it’s not really for you. Go ahead and open it. See for yourself.”
I loosened the cord on the cloth sack and stared down at a matching set of manual breast pumps.
“For the baby, when your milk comes in.” He smacked his lips and stroked himself. “The baby and I are going to eat like kings.”
Dropping the string, I glared at Piepen.
“I have exercised an incredible amount of patience with you, Piepen. But that ends now. Get your prepubescent butt out the window and back into your own bed immediately, or I will drive you to Megan’s house and feed you to Elbner. Am I clear?”
“You seem tense. Maybe I should rub your—”
“Continue speaking and die, brownie,” I said.
Piepen paled and escaped into the predawn light. I growled, got out of bed, and slammed the window closed, this time making sure to turn the lock.
Too angry to sleep, I went to the bathroom and turned on the shower. While the water warmed, I stripped out of my warm pj’s, grateful I’d been wearing my old ones again. Turning to place them on the counter, I blinked at my reflection. My emaciated self was back. Sort of. I didn’t look as wasted as I had a few days ago. Still boney, though. Only now, I had a dumb glowing strip down my middle.
I leaned toward the mirror, wondering what the heck was going on. Why was I seeing myself like this? Was it because everyone kept telling me there was something wrong with me?
They were getting into my head. Squaring my shoulders, I looked at myself in the mirror.
“You are not sick or dying, Eliana Barchim. You are stronger than them all.”
I showered quickly and got dressed for the day, noting that my clothes fit me just fine. Everyone was crazy.
The faint sounds of groaning reached my ears a moment before the low beat of music drowned it out. I grabbed my phone to check the time and saw it wasn’t even six yet. I was about to toss it to my bed to go pound on Mom’s door when the phone started to ring. I saw Megan’s name, recalled the text I sent her last night about Mom being free but not leaving, and quickly answered.
“What do you mean she’s not leaving?” she asked. “Does she have a choice?”
“Apparently she does now,” I said.
“What does that mean?”
“Adira thinks she is seeing a positive change in me with my mom being present. She also thinks I look healthier. I don’t look healthier; I look angrier. The Council obviously can’t tell the difference. I think they’re confusing me with you.”
Megan laughed.
“Give them hell, then,” she said.
“Oh, I plan to.”
“So, other than your mom staying, how are things back home?”
My stomach dipped as I thought of Ashlyn’s disappearance.
“Not too bad,” I said quickly. “I found some brownies who were willing to take Piepen in. He was a little upset, but I think he’s adjusting. I’m planning on visiting him later today. And, Elbner is making great progress on your house. For being such a grumpy, unkempt thing, he sure has that place looking nice. He’s even started scraping the loose paint off the outside.”
“Wow. I’m impressed,” she said. “He knows that it’s winter, though, right?”
“It doesn’t seem to bother him.”
“Other than that, anything new?”
“Nothing worth talking about,” I said quickly, thinking of Ashlyn again. “How about you? Is it true that a druid was involved in the deaths?”
“Yes. That would be Zayn. He’s not wicked, though. That much I could sense.”
“Be careful around him, Megan. It’s not safe to trust druids.”
“It’s not safe to trust most of us.”
“Isn’t that the truth.”
We talked a bit about New York before I had to leave so I could make it to the Academy on time. I didn’t care about classes as much as I cared about looking for the druids and getting answers about Ashlyn.
However, there was no sign of them in the pool bathroom before school or in any of the halls. I struggled to behave normally as I waited for time to move so I could get to Self-Discovery.
Fenris sat in his usual seat, the room once again empty except for us.
“Any luck finding the druids?” I asked, sliding into my seat.
“Nothing yet, but I’ve been putting the word out that I’m looking for them. Quietly, as promised.”
I sat back in my seat and stared at the clock. Where was Ashlyn? Was she safe? Was she running out of time? Was it already too late?
“You okay?” Fenris asked softly.
“Not really.” I scrubbed a hand over my face and turned my thoughts to an annoyance Fenris could help me with. “Piepen crawled through my window at dawn, turning a really good dream into a nightmare.”
“What was the dream?”
I blushed a little.
“I was eating cake like a pig. It was so good, though. I love that dream, and he wrecked it with his nasty lust smell.”
Fenris’s grin widened.
“It’s not funny. I woke up to him propositioning me. And that’s not the worst of it. He brought me breast pumps, Fenris. He still thinks I’m pregnant. What do I need to do to get through to him that I’m not now or ever will be his baby mama?”
Fenris smoothed a hand over his mouth in an effort to stop his erupting laughter.
Sitting there with him, having a “normal” conversation, I realized something had changed. His scent. I breathed it in, trying to figure out what was different. It still smelled sweet and spicy, reminding me of my cake dreams, but it wasn’t as overpowering. Had he found a way to control it to make things easier on me?
“We’ll pay Piepen another visit after school and talk to him,” Fenris said, having reined in his humor. “If he’s not reasonable, maybe his new guardians will be. It’s not safe for him to be wandering anywhere outside of the marshes. His new family will help convince him of that.”
I had my doubts they’d be able to contain Piepen’s infatuation.
“He needs a girlfriend. Big time.”
“Thinking about playing brownie matchmaker?”
“If it keeps him where he should be and not creeping into my windows at night, yes. I don’t even know how he got in. I could have sworn I checked all the windows.”
“You know better than that,” Fenris said. “We’re all taught how to sneak into human homes from a young age. A simple window lock wouldn’t keep the majority of the residents in our fine town out of your home.”
“Perfect. Now I have another reason to talk to the druids. I need warding spells on my windows.”
“I’m surprised you don’t have them already.”
“Not many people would have the jingle bells to break into the Quills’ home.”
He laughed.
“I think you mean balls.”
“You say it your way; I’ll say it mine.”
With a grin, he leaned back in his chair.
“So what do we do today to get LuAnn all excited that we’re making progress?”
“Nothing, preferably. I have enough drama in my life right now. No need to add to it.”
“I don’t know about that. If we do nothing, they’ll think we’re relapsing and push harder. If we give them a little more, they’ll leave us alone.”
“Ha. They might leave you alone, but not me.”
He raised a brow as if to say, what exactly did they do?
“Okay fine. They were treating me like I’d won the human lottery.”
“See. Perfect.” He turned in his chair and patted his lap. “Let’s do a brownie check again.”
I wrinkled my nose but dutifully got up and went to Fenris. Instead of nudging me to stand between his legs, he pulled me into his lap and buried his nose between my boobs just as the door opened.
This time, LuAnn didn’t speak. At least, I think it was LuAnn. The door closed before I could turn my head and look.
Fenris inhaled deeply, sending a shiver through me.
“Do you have to be right up in there to smell it?” I asked, not moving.
“Yep,” came his muffled reply.
I rolled my eyes and held onto his shoulders as he continued to breathe in whatever he was smelling. Finally, he lifted his head.
“Your scent is getting stronger,” he said. “It’s helping to overpower Piepen’s, but I don’t think his is getting any weaker. Did you try the lemon? I couldn’t smell any lingering hint of citrus.”
“No. I forgot.”
He said nothing, and I realized how close we were. And that I was still on his very warm lap. It was comfortable. Cozy.
My pulse picked up speed, and I inhaled slowly, noting the increased scent of his lust. My hunger lazily stretched.
“It would be better if I didn’t sit on your lap anymore,” I said, removing my hands from his shoulders.
“Better for who?” he asked, not yet releasing his hold on my waist.
“You, Fenris. I don’t think I could forgive myself if I hurt you after everything you’ve done to help me.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“You haven’t hurt me yet.”
“I have lost control, though.”
“Are you saying I make you want to lose control?” He playfully wiggled his eyebrows.
“Why do you have to turn everything into an innuendo?”
“Because you’re pretty when you blush.”
He finally released me, and I quickly returned to my seat.
“So tell me about your cake dreams,” he said.
I rolled my eyes and started talking.
Without Fenris to distract me with conversation, I dwelled on Ashlyn, Megan, Mom, and Adira for the rest of the day. Ashlyn was gone because of a spell I asked the druids to cast. If something bad happened to her, not only would it tear me apart, but it would make me wicked. Which would mean one stupid mistake could cost me two of my friends. Oh, I knew Megan wouldn’t hold it against me, but her fury would.
Then I’d be on my own to deal with Mom and Adira. Well, not alone, exactly.
From the driver’s seat of my car, I watched Fenris jog from the exit and wave at me. A moment later, he got in. I still wasn’t sure how he’d talked me into letting him come with me to feed Elbner then look for the druids around town.
“Ready to dodge a few shoes?” he asked.
“If you stay in the car, Elbner probably won’t throw any.”
I could tell by Fenris’s grin that he wasn’t going to stay in the car.
“So I might have some good news,” he said as I backed out of my spot. “I got a text from an unknown number. It’s an address. Most likely a druid’s address. Not sure if it’ll be one of the three you’re looking for, though.”
“It’s okay. Something is better than nothing.”
“True. Now about those cakes. Which one is your favorite to eat?”
I rolled my eyes at his obsession with my cake dreams and started discussing the pros and cons of each of the flavors I’d tasted in my dreams.
“It sounds like you’re torn between the spice cake and the lava cake,” he said.
“The Death by Chocolate is pretty tempting, too.”
“You’ll have to let me know if you start dreaming of other flavors.”
I glanced at him, wondering why he cared.
He shrugged slightly.
“Maybe there’s a relationship between what’s going on in your life and what you’re dreaming about.”
I reached Megan’s house before I could figure out how something that tasted as amazing as lava cake could possibly be related to the poo-show that was my current life.
Elbner was outside in all of his ornery glory when I pulled into the driveway. The vines that had been clinging to the front of the house were gone as was the loose paint. The goblin looked up from where he was filling cracks in the foundation with foam and watched me park by the back door. Megan had been smart to send him to her home. Not only was her house looking great, but I bet it would be warmer now too. However, as Elbner continued to scowl at my car, I wondered what she’d do with the little man when she returned. The goblin’s personality was far from pleasant.
I warned Fenris to stay in the car then went inside to make Elbner his daily meal. When I reemerged, I saw Elbner standing next to the car, glaring through the window at Fenris, who was grinning like a madman.
“Is there anything else you need, Elbner?” I asked. “Paint? Cleaning supplies? A warmer coat?”
“No. Elbner needs nothing but the mongrel gone.”
“All right. I’ll get him out of here. See you tomorrow.”
I got in and backed out of the driveway without making eye contact with the angry goblin.
“Did you have to grin at him like that?” I asked once we were on the road.
“Yep. He threw a shoe at me, and it bounced off the glass. It was hilarious.”
I shook my head at Fenris and followed the road back into town. He directed me to the address, and we parked in front of a very standard looking ranch home.
“You can stay here,” I said, reaching for the door. “This will only take a minute.”
He followed me out of the car.
“Like I’m going to let you walk up to a strange house alone. You’re not the only thrill-seeker in this relationship. They might have candy.”
I snorted.
“I highly doubt whoever lives here is stupid enough to try luring anyone in with candy. We’re the predators.”
He flashed a toothy grin.
“It’s cool hearing you say that.”
I rolled my eyes and knocked on the door.
“I’m very aware of what I am,” I said softly. “I’m just choosing to be who I am if that makes sense.”
“It does to me.”
The door opened, and a man a few years older than us stared at us.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“I’m looking for Meg, Anne, and Lauv. Are any of them here?”
“Nope. Anne and her friends went out camping. Winter solstice and all that. I hated that shit when I was their age. It’s fucking cold in a tent.”
“I hear you,” Fenris said.
“Do you know where they are?” I asked.
“Nope. But Anne has her phone. You can call her.”
I gave him a sheepish look.
“I would, but I don’t have her number.” Suspicion crept into his gaze. “I swear she knows me. And I really need to talk to her.”
“About what?”
I struggled to think of something quickly.
“Spell work,” Fenris said. “The Academy kind. Maybe you could pass on a message to her?”
The man nodded and pulled out his phone.
“Sure.”
“Tell her that Eliana needs help finding some missing spell ingredients. And I’m running out of time.”
I didn’t know what else to say without tipping my hand that something was wrong. So I gave him my number and just had him ask her to call me.
“Got it,” he said. “I’m sure you’ll hear from her soon.”
“Thanks.”
Walking away from the door, I noticed Fenris’s unsmiling expression.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I wished you would have let me give him my phone number.”
“Why? I’m the one who needs to talk to her.”
“Yeah, but now some random guy has your number.”
I laughed.
“I’m pretty sure he already forgot it.
Fenris shook his head. “I’m just as sure he’s going to be messaging tomorrow to see if Anne got back to you. It’ll be a conversation opener. Just wait and see.”
“You’re so wrong.”
We both got into the car.
“Want to bet on it?”
“Sure. If he doesn’t message me, I’m off the hook for hugs.”
Fenris actually winced, then grinned.
“Okay. And if I’m right, the daily hugs double.”
“Fine. It’s a deal.”
“Ready to get rid of your last lover boy before I have to help you with this new one?”
I gave Fenris a dirty look then headed for the marshes. While I knew Piepen’s infatuation was due to his age and nature, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilt over my part in it. Would Piepen be so obsessed if I hadn’t accidentally fed from him?
Probably.
The marshes were quiet when we parked, but I wasn’t fooled. Piepen was out there somewhere.
“You sure you want to say goodbye to all of this?” Fenris asked, gesturing to the reeds. “There could be a nice little home out there somewhere for you and the baby.”
“Get out and help me like you promised.”
He grinned and left the car with me. Neither of us said anything as we stood in the parking lot. Thankfully Piepen didn’t leave us waiting long.
With a squeal that sounded like my name, the small brownie who’d marked me came flying out of the reeds. I barely had time to register that he was aimed to land right on my face before Fenris stepped between us.
I heard Piepen’s outraged shout when he realized he was hugging the wrong person.
“No one stands between me and my woman,” Piepen yelled.
“About that,” Fenris said. “I think we need to have a man to man talk.”
Piepen shot up over Fenris’s shoulder and looked at me.
“Why did you bring him?” he demanded.
“Because I needed help,” I said.
Fenris turned and held up a hand.
“Would you mind waiting in the car?” he asked.
I retreated into the lingering warmth of the vehicle and watched Fenris lead Piepen to the edge of the marsh. He spoke quietly for a while. Piepen stopped flying and perched on a cattail stalk, his wings dropping behind him as he looked down at his hands. Then his dejected gaze flew to Fenris’s and his wings started to perk up again.
As I watched, more brownies appeared in the stalks. All males from the looks of them. All of them raptly listening to whatever Fenris was saying.
My curiosity got the better of me, and I rolled down the passenger window a crack.
“Desperation has its own scent. Females can detect it even if their sense of smell isn’t evolved like mine. It turns them off in a big way. If you want to win a woman over, you have to get rid of the desperation.”
“How?” Piepen asked.
“You’re not going to like the answer,” Fenris said.
“Tell me. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“You need to win over another woman.”
Piepen looked over at me. I could see the longing in his gaze and wanted to hide. When he turned back to Fenris, he looked determined.
“For Eliana, I’ll do it. She’s a goddess.”
“Remember, you have to let a woman come to you, not the other way around. It won’t be easy. It’ll take a lot of time and a lot of patience.”
“I understand.” Piepen held out his tiny hand to Fenris. “Thank you for your advice.”
Fenris shook his tiny hand then headed for the car, a slight smile tugging at his lips. When he got in, he rolled up his window and winked at me.
As I started the car, I glanced at Piepen, who was watching me. The little guy nodded in my direction then flew away.
“Did you just encourage him to keep harassing me?” I asked.
“He thinks that’s what I did,” Fenris said. “But what I really just convinced him to do is find another girl. He’ll be married with a baby on the way before he figures out what happened.”
I should have felt bad for Piepen, but my relief was too consuming.
“Thank you,” I said. “For your help with Piepen and the druids. Do you want me to drop you off at your cabin?”
“Nah, the Roost is fine. I’ve been avoiding the girls too much, and they’re complaining to my dad.”
“You mean hugging me today won’t be enough to keep him happy?”
“Hugging doesn’t cut it in my world,” he said.
“Right. The mate run.”
“Yep.”
He started tapping his leg, an indication we’d touched on an uncomfortable subject. I didn’t know what else to talk about, though, so the rest of the ride passed in an awkward silence. When I pulled in front of the Roost, he immediately got out but then leaned down to look at me.
“Thanks for the ride and the distraction. See you tomorrow.”
“Yep. Tomorrow.”
He closed the door and walked into the Roost without a single comment or backward glance.
Worried, I sat there for a moment before starting home. Fenris didn’t do silence, and he never forgot to flash his flirting smile and try to talk me into joining his herd at the Roost. Was his delayed mate run really bothering him that much? I felt bad for him and wished there was something I could do. Sighing, I added it to my list of things to try to fix.
Mom was waiting for me in the kitchen when I walked through the door.
“I was just about to call you,” she said, standing.
“Did they find Ashlyn?”
“Not that I’ve heard. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
My steps slowed as I noted her glittery, floor-length dress and short white fur coat.
“Are you going out?” I asked.
“Since we’ve rid ourselves of the useless pretext of partaking in human meals, I thought we’d go to the Roost. Back in my day, it was called the Fledgling. Dumb name. No one wanted to go there. Mrs. Quill said it’s changed drastically since then and that everyone your age spends their spare time there. I’m eager to see that for myself.”
“It’s a teens-only place,” I said. “Except for the staff.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” she said with a wave. “I already cleared it with Adira and swore I wouldn’t feed while out of the house. This is just for a look so I can see where Adira has you spending your time.”
That she and Adira both were okay with this meant they were up to something. What, though? Probably to get me to feed. Everything revolved around that with them.
Mom watched me expectantly, and I smiled, already knowing this plan of theirs would backfire spectacularly.
“You know what? Sure. Let’s go to the Roost so you can see the wild nightlife of the young and imprisoned. You’ll love it.”
I turned around and went to my car, opening the door for Mom.
She smiled and patted my cheek before getting in. I hurried to join her and got her talking about New York and all her amazing parties during the short drive. Her amazingly high-end parties.
“Here we are,” I said, parking on the sidewalk almost a block away.
Mom leaned forward to look up at the neon sign in the distance.
“The sign’s a little tacky, I know, but it gets better inside,” I said.
She didn’t say a word as she got out and followed me down the sidewalk.
“It’s usually not this packed,” I said. “Most of the time I can park by the door. There must be a decent crowd tonight.”
When I parked by the door, it was because I normally arrived early enough to avoid the late crowd. I’d probably go to hell for the way I was bending the truth, but at the moment, I didn’t care.
Music floated on the air and became blaringly loud once I opened the doors. Two sirens were on the stage already, singing for a crowd of maybe twenty, which included Fenris and his girls. None of the humans were here yet, so I headed for the back booth and slid in.
“Don’t lean back against the seat,” I said. “It might be a little grimy. They don’t clean very well in here.”
Despite her best efforts to hide it, Mom’s horror was showing as her gaze swept the space.
“And if you have to go to the bathroom, check the bowl before you hover. I’ve had as much as I can stand with brownies,” I said as if the two topics were related.
The horror in her eyes grew.
“Do you want something to drink?” I asked. “I can run upstairs to get it.”
“Upstairs?”
“Yeah, you didn’t see it when we came in? There’s a staircase over there that leads up to the loft and the bar. There’s not a lot of sitting room, but it’s a great place to watch the dancers.”
Her gaze drifted to the dance floor again.
“This is a crowd?”
I frowned, doing my best impersonation of confusion.
“Don’t you like it?” I asked.
She made a sound of disgust. “It’s no wonder you’re starving. There’s nothing here. This is no feeding ground for a creature of your distinction.”
She got out of the booth and motioned for me to join her.
“That woman is a menace,” she said. “This place is a complete waste of your time.”
She started for the door, and I got up to follow her, more than a little satisfied I’d won this round.
A tingle of awareness raced over my neck before I reached the door, and I turned to see Fenris watching me.
With a smile, I waved and pushed the door open only to walk into the last person I wanted to face.
Eras.
