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Falcon was the kind of restaurant that served enough of a variety of food for Ella to choose something easily off the menu. Addison seemed familiar with the place and comfortable chatting with their server. It was nice to see how friendly she was with people, how at ease she was interacting with them. Even though she’d alluded to a less-than-normal human upbringing, nothing about Addison stood out as odd.
Maybe that was the real trick to being a supernatural person in a human world, to behave like the mortals. To be similar instead of different. Ella knew her attempts at fitting had been clumsy at best. She would have to try harder. For now, though, the two of them were face to face at a table, waiting for food. What could be more human than that?
“So, are you from Winslow?” Addison asked.
“No, I’m not even from Arizona.” If she was going to get into questions like this, Ella would have to keep her wits about her and do some verbal tap dancing.
“Where are you from, then?”
Ella shrugged, trying to appear calm even though her mind was racing. “A little country, so small you haven’t even heard of it.”
“Wait, you aren’t even from the U.S.?” Addison’s gaze lit up with interest. “That’s neat! You sound American, you know that. I would never have guessed otherwise.”
There was no way for Ella to fully explain that. Faerie godmothers simply had an ear for languages, accents, and inflection. It allowed them to blend in seamlessly and help people all over the world. That was one of the things that made them so good at their work. If she had been in Japan right now, she would speak the language fluently, with no trace of an outside accent.
“Are you from here?” Ella asked, hoping if she turned the questioning around, she could learn something about her charge.
“Yes, I grew up in Winslow, which isn’t saying much.” Addison looked sheepish. “Not that I’m knocking the town. It’s a sleepy little place and I like it much better than big cities, like Sedona or Tucson. I’m just not a city girl, but enough tourists come through here to gawk at the corner and pay homage to the Eagles so that it keeps the town from being too quiet. I guess that doesn’t make much sense.”
“It makes perfect sense.” Something warmed Ella from the inside out and she drew back against her chair. The love in Addison’s voice when she talked about the town was almost contagious. It made Ella want to call Winslow home, too.
The server brought their drinks and Addison took a sip of her soda. “So many people who grow up in small towns can’t wait to leave. I couldn’t wait to bring something beautiful to downtown, though, which is why I opened the shop. Sure, people could go to Flagstaff or Sedona for the same things, but I have plenty of loyal customers. It also makes a fun stop for tourists who might be overwhelmed by what they find in the city.”
“I’m a little guilty of that,” Ella admitted. “I mean, growing up in a small town and looking forward to leaving. But I guess that’s because I had to prove myself. Now that I’m here, I’m finding it different than I expected.”
When Addison looked at her with interest, Ella knew she’d accidentally opened a potential can of pixie dust. But Addison simply smiled and said, “Ah, one of those. I kind of know how that feels, too. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Maybe... one day. It feels kind of deep and boring right now, honestly.” And it did. Ella was there to enjoy lunch with someone she was attracted to, not dig into her personal issues as a faerie godmother.
“Fair enough.” Addison reached across the table and brushed her fingers over Ella’s thumb, sending shockwaves of lust through her entire body. “Do you know what’s not boring?”
Ella shivered at the contact and closed her eyes, trying to put her thoughts into words. “What’s not boring?”
“Being with you. I feel like there’s so much about you to know, and I’m not sure where to begin.”
“I’ll start, then...” Ella still had trouble formulating sentences, thanks to Addison’s soft fingers stroking her hand, but she did her best. All she had to do was keep the conversation focused on Addison. “Pets. Did you have any?”
“Uh huh, cats, always. They’re one of my favorite animals. What about you?”
“No, but I wanted them. Cats, especially.” It was the absolute truth. Ella had always wanted cats, but they were problematic. Most felines sensed and disliked faeries on sight.
She tried to think of another question and blinked her eyes open as the contact ended, leaving her bereft. The server set their plates on the table and asked if they needed anything else. After they thanked her and she left them alone again, Ella picked up her fork.
Eating remained an interesting endeavor in the human world. Ella was often unsure of when to use her fingers or hands to pick up her food, so she always used her fork. It only took moments for her to realize it wasn’t the right move this time, because Addison squinted at her.
“Do you always eat fries like that?”
Ella looked at the French fry she had speared with her fork and then dipped into a mix of ketchup and mustard. These deep-fried potatoes were one of the most appetizing things she’d ever had the pleasure of eating. Humans might have odd habits, but their food was something she had learned to appreciate every day. It had more complex flavors than the fruits, vegetables, and nectar she had grown up consuming.
“I’m...” She searched for a response, uncertain of how to explain herself, but Addison shrugged.
“I’ve never been out with someone who uses their fork for fries, but I get it. Some people don’t want the greasy fingers that come with eating them. Personally, I think the best part is licking my fingers afterward, especially if the fries are extra salty, but I know that’s kind of gross.”
Ella’s heart skipped a beat at the idea of Addison licking anything. Then her analytical side reasserted itself. Why would a woman who took such joy in life need a faerie godmother? The file had misled her completely. None of this was about Addison’s life, but the people trying to become a part of it. The witches.
“I guess it’s a weird habit of mine. I pretty much use my fork on everything.” Ella tried to infuse her voice with confidence. “It might seem fussy, but it means I can spend more time thinking about what matters.”
“Such as?” Addison leaned forward, her burger halfway to her mouth.
Ella couldn’t tear her eyes off that mouth, those soft lips that had kissed hers time and again over the past week. “You.”
“Good. You can eat ice cream or cereal with a fork, for all I care, if that’s your reasoning.”
It was, Ella decided, going to be a very good date.
They walked hand and hand in the park where they’d spent all that time kissing. For Ella, it was becoming less of an opportunity to analyze the case as her mind was drawn into thinking about kissing again. So much for telling Addison she wasn’t ready to date. They were deep in dating territory, and then some, and Ella found that she liked it more than she was ready to admit.
“This is my favorite place,” Addison remarked.
“Why is that?”
“Because.” Addison turned to face Ella and put her finger to her own lips. “I’m going to show you a secret.”
“A secret?” Ella tried not to breathe out a sigh of disappointment as Addison’s hand slipped from hers.
The not-quite-human woman backed away a few steps and then crouched in a patch of dirt and held her hands above it. Green sprouts pushed up through the soil in a circle around her. Addison raised her hands until the plants stopped growing and unfurled beautiful petals. Daisies, all perfect and in varying colors—not just white, but also pink and purple.
Ella’s breath caught in her throat. She didn’t know what to say, but the gesture reminded her of what Raven had done earlier. Maybe she had been wrong about Addison. Maybe she was part-fae, not a witch. “You planted seeds and made them grow. That’s incredible.”
“No, no seeds.” Addison shook her head.
“No... but how?” The idea made Ella’s head spin. No seeds? That was impossible. It was one thing to plant the beginnings of life and then use magic to draw it out to its fullest potential. It was quite another to make something from nothing.
“I don’t know what it is or why I can do it, but it makes me happy to know I can create something so beautiful for others to enjoy.” Addison looked up at Ella. “Do you think I’m a freak?”
“No, I think you’re wondrous.” Ella took a step toward her, not sure what she intended to do. This didn’t seem like a crossroads. Not yet, anyway, but it was still a punch to her gut. That moment of decision would come soon, especially now that Addison had revealed herself.
Addison laughed and straightened to her feet. “Good, because it felt right to share this with you, so thank you. You’re the first person I’ve ever shown this to and it seemed like it had to be you.”
Ella basked in the reassurance that this was a moment they were meant to share. “When did you realize you could do that?”
“It was always with me and, well, I don’t know...” Addison wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged. “It’s gotten bigger recently. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like the power flows through me all the time and it wants to come out. Some days, I wonder if I’ll be able to keep it inside. I never told my mother, though, or anyone until today. It felt like something I should keep to myself. Like, even she shouldn’t know.”
Something about the confession touched Ella’s heart and she reached out to rub Addison’s shoulder. “Then, why me?”
“Because I feel safe with you, like you would protect me, if that’s what it came down to.” Addison leaned in, her eyes closed and lips only inches from Ella’s.
The idea that Ella of all people could be a protector made her hesitate. She was many things, things that nasty Anthea summed up in two cringe-worthy words.
“Hey, Fluffy Bunny. Hope we’re not interrupting your date.”
Ella froze in place and Addison’s eyes flew open.
“Actually, yeah, I hope we are. Though I don’t mind watching if that’s what you both want.”
Ella tightened her jaw and turned, ready to tell Anthea off until she saw not one, not two, but three witches facing her. Anthea stood at the head of the trio, hand on one jutting hip and a smirk plastered to her face. The other two stood behind and to either side of her. They both emulated Anthea’s punk aesthetic with their dark, torn clothes, fishnet stockings, and corset tops. Ella could easily imagine the coven taking unironic inspiration from Harley Quinn.
Ick.
Anthea’s eyes narrowed. “What did you just say, Fluffy Bunny?”
Unaware she’d made the sound out loud, Ella swallowed and turned to face them fully. “It doesn’t matter, because you aren’t going past this point.”
“Really? Who do you think you are, Gandalf?” Anthea folded her arms across her chest, while the witches behind her laughed.
The air around Ella prickled with heat as she glared back. “You aren’t getting her, not now or ever.”
“Are you sure? Why don’t you let her decide?” Anthea pointed her chin at Addison. “What do you think? Come hang out with some real witches. We appreciate your talents and could help you learn to do more with them.”
Ella didn’t dare look back at her date. The longer she stood watching those witches, ready to fight, the hotter the air around her became. Invisible flames seemed to lick at her skin, an invitation to fight, rather than flee.
This was the one thing she’d never had to face at the Academy—a danger bigger and possibly better at magic than her. Sure, they’d practiced magical dueling and combat, but only against other faerie godmothers. Everything else had been taught in theory.
“If you ever face a witch...”
“If you ever encounter a shifter...”
“If you ever...”
There were more ifs than there were definites when it came to other supernatural creatures, but Ella knew one thing for sure.
This bitch is not getting near my girlfriend.
She held her hands in front of her, fingers spread, and let the power cascading through her body do the rest.