Born Of Nothing

13

“I’ll try, but it’s not easy. I brought a few things for you.” She stood and hurried over to the loaded suitcase we had brought with us and lifted it easily onto the bed. Even though Becca was now Fae, she seemed like any other human such that I forgot our differences until she exhibited her superior strength or magical abilities. The stuffed luggage popped open the moment it was unzipped, and Fen’s face looked stricken at the mountain of items packed inside. “What in the seven hells is all of that?” “I brought some clothes and supplies for you, including a phone. We don’t have to go over it yet, but eventually you need to be able to work one.” She set an old smartphone on the bed and turned back to Fen. “I’ll let you go through this stuff later. I thought we could do breakfast in the morning and then shop for anything else you might still need. Cat and I haven’t checked in yet, and it’s getting late—you ready to settle in, Cat?” Rebecca asked with her attention now directed at me. I swiftly rose to my feet, despite my urgent desire to stay right where I was. “Of course.” My eyes returned to where Fen still stood staring at the luggage. “It’s been a pleasure meeting you.” Heat rose in my cheeks, and I was sure they had flooded with color. Fen turned back to look at me, his eyes tightened almost imperceptibly, but his features were otherwise unreadable. I had no clue what he was thinking, and it made me even more selfconscious. Fortunately, Becca came to my rescue when she grabbed my hand to pull me toward the door. “Okay, we’ll see you in the morning, Fen.” I glanced behind me to where he stood, and again my eyes became ensnared in his gaze. When he opened his mouth to speak, I nearly lost my footing as his words sent me reeling. “Sleep well.” His voice had been a gentle caress laced with a lethal warning. Even more unsettling, I could have sworn that he’d spoken directly to me. Becca tugged me behind her to the front desk and then led me to our room once she had checked in. “Holy crap that was awkward. I have no idea what was going on in there. Fen’s not exactly social, but that was odd even for him,” Becca mused as we settled into our room. “I’m sure it’s not easy, adapting like he’s had to do.” Outwardly the man was contradictory in every way, I could only imagine what a mix of emotions he was on the inside. She plopped herself onto the bed, back against the padded headboard. “I know, I just worry. Plus, I’m on edge lying to Lochlan, and something is going on with Ashley, but she won’t talk to me about it. I need to just lose myself in some mindless television and go to bed.” “Sounds like a plan to me.” We watched a couple programs before turning out the lights, both of us more quiet than normal. It took me forever to get to sleep, which was why I was so resistant to wake when I first detected talking in the room. “Listen, I’m only an hour away. I was wrapping up here anyway. I can hop in the car—” Becca spoke on her phone in a soft, calming tone as if she were reassuring a small child. “Are you sure? I hate to not be there if you need me.” After another pause, I roused myself to fully awake, the beginnings of concern setting in. “Anytime, Ash. You know I love you,” Becca said sadly before hanging up. I rubbed my eyes as she lay back on her pillow. “Everything okay?” She let out a long sigh. “I don’t know. Ashley was really upset—I think I need to have Lochlan check on her, and that’s going to give away the fact that I’m not actually staying with her tonight.” She sat up and grabbed her phone off the nightstand before lifting it to her ear. “Hey, I’m sorry to wake you. I need you to do me a favor.” She paused and bit down on the edge of her bottom lip. “Can you go check on Ashley for me? Something’s happened, and she’s extremely upset—I’m worried about her.” Becca’s eyes slid over to me and I could hear Lochlan’s menacing voice on the other end but couldn’t make out the words. “I’m sorry I lied about where I was, but I can’t tell you what I’m doing. You’re going to have to trust me,” she said in pleading a whisper. There was silence for a long minute before the line went dead. Becca pulled the phone back and looked at the screen in bemusement. “He hung up on me. He’s so pissed.” “I’m sorry, honey.” She shrugged, but I could tell it bothered her more than she was letting on. “He’ll get over it. There’s no way I can go back to sleep now—you want to get dressed? I know it’s early, but Fen will be awake. If living with him for two months back in the Shadow Lands taught me anything, it’s that Fen’s internal clock is impeccable, and he’s always awake before dawn.” “Sure, let’s go.” Once we had dressed, we stopped by Fen’s room to collect him and headed out to find breakfast at a local café. Considering the intense vibes I received from the man the night before, I was surprised to find that Fen hardly paid me any mind at all. I, on the other hand, repeatedly found myself staring at the Fae man as the morning progressed. Knowing so many everyday experiences were totally new to him made me fascinated to see his reactions. His grimace after his first sip of coffee, or the way his eyes widened when we walked into a shoe store—seeing things through his eyes gave me a fresh appreciation of all the little splendors around us. Rebecca, on the other hand, checked her phone religiously. She was clearly distracted, and her unease was infectious. “Bec, we can head back anytime. I know you’re anxious to check on Ashley,” I offered as time drew closer to noon. “I didn’t mean to rush us, I’m just so worried about her. And I don’t want to leave too quickly because I don’t know when I’ll be able to get back here.” “You know I’m happy to come back to Strabane for you.” As I said the words, I could feel the heavy weight of Fenodree’s stare prickling the back of my neck. Her eyes glanced over my shoulder at Fen before settling back on me. “That would be a huge help.” She stepped back to include Fen in our conversation. “I know you can take care of yourself, Fen, but I refuse to drop you here and abandon you.” “How would I survive in this treacherous landscape without you?” he quipped wryly. “Yeah, yeah. I get that you’re Mr. Survival Man, but that won’t stop me from worrying or coming out here to check on you. One of these days you’ll need to leave Ireland, but I don’t think that’s a good idea until you’re more adjusted to human culture, and we figure out a way for you to make a living.”