Hiding from the Coven

Chapter 2-2

WHEN I GOT BACK TO my cottage, my entire body brimmed with energy.

I paced back and forth, arms gesturing wildly, as I recounted the protection spells I’d learned from Horlow. I needed to know them, inside and out. I had to become as proficient with them as if I had performed them my whole life. I thought I might consider taking that bath I wanted, but I couldn’t force myself to relax even though I tried.

Someone knocked on my door. Relief rushed through me at being disturbed from my own thoughts.

“Come in!” I exclaimed.

Abigail stepped through the door, the smile on her face nothing short of spectacular, her green eyes sparking like the star-lit sky.

“What’s going on?” I asked her, closing the door behind us. I wasn’t sure if this was a good visit or a bad one. She had always been difficult to read.

“I... have a visitor for you.” She gestured to the door. “We might want to let him in, considering he’s not someone you want roaming about.”

I quickly opened the door. A tall figure in a hooded robe stood in the area outside my cabin, a few feet away. My breath caught in my throat.

“Tavlor...” His name felt like a prayer, and because of that feeling, I loved saying it. “What are you doing here?” I glanced behind him and managed to kick my lips up into a smile. “Are you alone? Or are the guards here to arrest me again?”

I grinned at him to show I was joking, as I was sure his Warlock side would know. I knew Abigail wouldn’t have let me get arrested by any of the Guard. If she brought Tavlor here, she did it because she knew he was alone.

“May I come in?” he asked, ignoring my joke. His voice was cold and clipped, as though we were nothing more than strangers.

My heart panged but I ignored the feeling.

I gestured to the small room. “Of course.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Abigail said, and before I could stop her, she shut the door after stepping out.

My face heated with fire and I cleared my throat. I made sure to lock the door—I didn’t want anyone stumbling on Tavlor in my cottage. I wasn’t sure how the other Fae would feel about him being here. I didn’t want to lose their trust after I tried so hard to earn it. But I wasn’t going to lie and say I didn’t want Tavlor here.

The room, which contained my bed and a small couch, suddenly seemed tiny. Tavlor was huge by human proportions, and his aura filled any space around him.

“Please, have a seat,” I said, gesturing to the couch while I plonked down on my bed cross-legged, anxious to put some space between us. It was strange. I wanted to be close but being close felt as though he was smothering me. Distance allowed me to breathe a little easier.

If I didn’t take the proper precautions, I was liable to kiss him, or strangle him for leaving me hanging for so long. I hadn’t decided which desire was stronger yet. Hell, I might do both.

Tavlor glanced around and then lowered onto the couch.

I almost laughed watching him perch on the edge, his back ramrod straight as he tried to appear proper and business-like. It reminded me of pictures Mother had once showed us of a human school, when the adult teacher would balance precariously on a chair designed for one of the child-aged students.

When he didn’t speak, I pushed on. “So, what’s going on?”

I rubbed my hands on my thighs, trying to prevent the perspiration that started to accumulate on my palms from getting out of control.

He lifted his gaze and met mine with an intensity that almost took my breath away.

“The Council have charged me with the job of finding you, arresting you, and bringing you in,” he said, his voice firm and unwavering.

I nodded, swallowing the large lump that gathered in my throat. “Yes, you already told me that.” I released a breath, treading carefully. “Is that why you’re here? To collect me?”

I tried to inject levity into my tone, but it came out strained. I wasn’t sure I was ready for his answer. I didn’t want to hear that he was willing to listen blindly to a group that thought he was some sort of abomination.

But Tavlor had always been the sort to keep his head down and follow orders. We hadn’t known each other very long, but that was something I immediately picked up, right off the bat.

He shook his head harshly. “No, of course not.”

His fingers curled into fists, as though he was offended I would even suggest something like that.

But what did he want me to think?

I stopped rubbing my thighs, relief flooding through my body. “Then, not that I’m not happy to see you... but why are you here?” I said. As much as I liked Tavlor, he wasn’t the type to drop by and say hello. He always had a reason for everything he did. “Isn’t this dangerous? You coming to see me?”

Could he have led people to my whereabouts? Maybe he, himself, wasn’t going to claim me, but others would?

He flared his nostrils, looking at the wall behind me. “I have family in this kingdom, and simply requested a day to visit them as I have been busy searching other realms recently, pretending to look for you.”

“Oh.” How could I have forgotten he was half-Fae? It was a critical reason why he was so hated. I shrugged. “That’s nice. I suppose.”

The room filled with an awkward silence. It was unfair that the only man I’d ever kissed, was sworn to be my enemy.

I didn’t completely trust his intentions, but I was filled with contradicting emotions. Part of me wanted to tell him to leave, that it was too dangerous, while the other part wanted to invite him onto my bed and finish what we had started weeks ago.

God, I wanted him to kiss me again.

“So, did you get to see your family, then?” I asked, forcing myself to find the words somewhere. Considering he had never mentioned his family before, I wondered who they were and if I had met them while out and about in this realm. I hadn’t noticed anyone who looked like Tavlor, but then again, had I been looking properly? Probably not.

“No.” He shook his head once. “I came straight to see you.”

My stomach leapt and twisted, though I was unsure whether I should be excited or worried. I started to rub my thighs again. I felt magic tickle my fingertips, pushing against my skin, begging to be released. I was afraid if I did that, my feelings toward him would be obvious. I would give myself away.

Not that he didn’t know how I felt. That kiss pretty much revealed everything. But I didn’t need to accidentally send the feathers in my pillows flying everywhere because I couldn’t control my magic, either.