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“Rival factions and then a question of birthright? That does sound tricky.” Morgan paced the living room.
The way she fiddled nonstop with a pencil, spinning and flicking it with her fingers, made Ella want to scream. But, at the end of the day, Morgan was still her superior and Ella had to respect her. This was how she gathered her thoughts and Ella would have to learn to accept it.
“You don’t suppose she’s a supe, too, do you?” Raven spoke around a mouthful of chips and Ella put her hands over her face. The three of them couldn’t be any more different. Getting out on her own was going to be a blessing, truly.
Morgan stopped and looked at them. Ella and Raven sat side by side on the sofa, Ella’s legs crossed so she could angle her body away from Raven, who had a tendency to take up space. Her presence wasn’t just physical, but mental, as if she had an aura about her. It was something she also seemed to project more when she was deep in thought, so Ella tried to appreciate that Raven was helping her work through this problem.
“That’s crazy. We don’t get assigned to other supernaturals.” Morgan stopped and pursed her lips. “Well, not generally. There can be exceptions.”
“Such as?” Ella tried to think of the class they’d covered this in, maybe Supernatural Races 101, but she was drawing a blank. Faerie godmothers were assigned to human women, full stop. End of story, no two ways about it.
To Ella, that was outdated thinking. First of all, women didn’t need extra help. Not these days. At least, though, faerie godmothers were no longer expected to resolve women’s problems with a romantic relationship. The idea that a woman needed a “Prince Charming” to complete her was insulting on many levels. These days, godmothers focused on helping women achieve other things, like career goals.
But it still seemed odd that Ella’s assignment was to get a woman to slow down, not make something big and meaningful happen in her life. Furthermore, having other factions pursuing Addison complicated things. Why would anyone want her to fail at relaxing?
“I don’t know, but stress causes some humans to manifest certain tendencies.” Morgan exchanged a narrow-eyed glance with Raven that made Ella’s heart leap.
“What is it?”
Morgan smoothed out her knee-length skirt and sank down into the floral armchair across from the sofa. “Do you remember your studies about other supernatural creatures and races, and how they sometimes come to be? The transformation process for humans, and all that?”
Of course Ella remembered. She hadn’t aced her studies just to forget all of it during her apprenticeship.
“Sure, some humans don’t realize their lineage, and then a stressful event pushes them to become the thing they actually are or, if they’re half human, manifest the traits of the other race.” Ella mulled over the words, and her fellow faerie godmothers seemed content to wait for her to work it out for herself. “You’re saying Addison Blaine might not be human?”
“Ding, ding, ding, she wins a prize!” Raven reached out and ruffled Ella’s hair. Ella slapped her hand away, but the other godmother was undeterred as she leaned in to elbow her. “Sounds like you’ve got a hot assignment this time. Congratulations!”
“Indeed. Addison being part or full supernatural is the only thing that makes sense. Why else would the witches be interested in her?” Morgan shot a stern glare at Raven, who went back to munching on her chips.
Ella frowned. This was getting complicated. “Unless she’s one of them, I can’t see why. But I wouldn’t be assigned as godmother to a witch, would I?”
“It happens and the assignment chooses the godmother, so...” Morgan trailed off and shrugged. “You should continue to keep an eye on Addison and I’ll talk to my contact in the Winslow Coven. Maybe she can give us some insight.”
“Talk to someone in a coven?” Ella didn’t like the sound of that. Witches weren’t as capricious as fae, but they were far less trustworthy and honest. It didn’t help that Anthea was the first witch she’d ever met outside of an Academy setting. By and large, witches were considered a shady bunch, so the idea that Morgan had one as a contact made Ella shudder.
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” Morgan said gently. “You have good witches and bad witches, just like faeries. I know you’ve been taught not to trust other supernaturals, but there are plenty of exceptions.”
Ella scoffed and folded her arms, eliciting a sideways glance from Raven. “What?”
“You’re so prejudiced, blondie. Lighten up.”
“I... Me... What?” Ella couldn’t help but sputter in indignation. The idea that she was prejudiced against other supernaturals was absurd. “I just know what they taught us at the Academy.”
“Yes, which is why a three-year apprenticeship is the most important part of your training. No short-cuts out of it” After throwing a disapproving glare Raven’s way, Morgan reached out to pat Ella’s arm. “We can only learn so much from books and lectures. Practical experience sometimes contradicts what the professors at the Academy teaches us.”
That didn’t make any sense to Ella. “Then why teach it? Why not correct the information?”
Morgan blew out a long breath, her brow furrowed. “Because the people who set the Academy curriculum haven’t changed with the times, but those of us out here know the world isn’t black and white. It’s many shades of gray. The sooner you accept that, the better.”
“I guess.” Ella quirked her lips to one side and mulled over what they’d discussed. “Well, at least I know one thing for certain.”
“What’s that?” Morgan asked.
Ella sank deeper into the sofa and tightened her arms around herself. “I can’t leave Addison’s side for a minute. Not with Anthea the left-hand path bitch after her.”
She saw Morgan and Raven glance at each other again, but decided it was safer not to ask what they were thinking.
There were only so many ways to plan a “casual” meeting with someone, human or otherwise. Ella had watched her fair share of friends do that to bump into another faerie they liked. It always involved quite a bit of faux surprise and “Oh, I didn’t know I would see you here!”
Ella had never used that tactic on a love interest—then again, she’d never had a love interest—or a charge, so she tried to think of a genuine reason to encounter Addison.
Grocery shopping seemed like a legitimate way to keep Addison in her sights. Ella knew humans had to go to stores full of prepackaged food in order to eat. The films they watched at the Academy showed humans pushing wire carts along aisles flanked by shelves with bags, boxes, cans, and other packaging.
Apparently, farming was only something certain humans did and it was considered a job, not a normal part of life. Ella didn’t understand this need to eat a varied diet. Food was something beyond her, other than the basics.
The grocery store offered plenty of fresh produce, and Ella quickly heaped her cart full of fruits and vegetables. These were the only things she knew how to prepare. But when she started walking up and down the aisles, the packages and foods made her pause.
She was supposed to be keeping an eye on the human, but then she got to the cereal aisle.
Ella’s eyes must have gone wide, because they went dry as if she’d forgotten to blink. She shook herself out of her stupor and gazed again at the dizzying array of boxes. They were lined up in neat rows, vibrantly colorful and each promising new and improved flavors.
“You too?” There was no mistaking that lovely voice, with its soothing cadence.
Ella turned and focused on keeping her expression neutral. She wasn’t surprised to see Addison here, since she’d already done her homework as far as her charge’s habits. But Ella wasn’t prepared for the way the human’s proximity made her warm all over. Again.
She tried to find her voice. “Me too, what?”
“Cereal. When you get to the cereal aisle, it’s like being a kid all over again, isn’t it?” Addison plucked a bright red box with a rainbow off one of the shelves and handed it to her. “This one is my favorite.”
Ella squinted at it. The box purported to include magical unicorn marshmallows, and Ella couldn’t help but scoff. “No leprechaun would endorse this. The unicorns alone are worth their weight in gold, and you know how precious that is to leprechauns.”
When she looked up, she saw that Addison’s face had twisted into an expression of surprise. Before Ella could correct her all-too-fae gaffe, Addison burst out laughing and shook her head. “I suppose it’s a good thing leprechauns and unicorns don’t really exist, huh?”
But they do! Ella wanted to yell. She bit her lip and looked again at the large box of cereal.
“How’s that rose quartz working out for you?” Addison changed the subject so quickly, Ella barely had time to blink.
“I... well... it’s...” Ella set the box of cereal atop the produce in her cart, suddenly weak in the knees. “Not much has changed since I bought it.”
Addison nodded, her expression now sober. “That’s too bad. If someone like you, pretty and funny, can’t find love, then I suppose that doesn’t leave a lot of hope for the rest of us.”
Had the human just complimented her? Ella liked the way it felt, especially since it had nothing to do with the things she usually got praised for, like her ability to solve problems, knowledge of faerie laws, or talent with spellwork. Of all the things that mattered to a faerie godmother, being attractive and witty weren’t priorities.
“You think I’m pretty.” It came out as a statement, not a question.
“I do, and I think it’s unfortunate that you seem to doubt it.” Addison leaned against her cart and narrowed her eyes at Ella, as if scrutinizing her. “You know, I don’t usually pick up women at the supermarket, let alone my own customers, but I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me sometime.”
It was another first for Ella. Fae didn’t ask each other out on dates. They expressed interest, maybe passed notes to one another, and then started taking long walks in the woods together. Held hands. Courted.
Dating was a uniquely human experience, one Raven indulged in almost every week. “It’s their mating ritual,” she’d explained to Ella one night as she primped for one of her many dates. “If I want to get laid, I need to do as the humans do.”
Raven had even gone so far as to adopt modern human language, calling herself “pansexual” and “polyamorous.” The fae had no need for such designations. Attraction, if experienced by two or more of their kind, could be acted upon with permission by all involved. Humans had much more specific ways of addressing sex and romance, none of which Ella had experienced until now.
Her mind and heart both raced. The ethics of dating someone she was assigned to as a faerie godmother were clear. It was a huge no-no. Dating would certainly give her a valid reason to check on Addison often, but it would also involve deception. It didn’t help that lust roiled through Ella from head to toe every time she was in Addison’s presence. Ella wanted her, but she knew she had to turn her down.
“I’m sorry, but I’m... not ready to date.” There, that was the acceptable response to decline a date. Human movies used that line all the time. Her voice had even betrayed her regret, perhaps more than she’d intended to reveal, because Addison didn’t look hurt or disappointed. Just sympathetic.
“Oh, you don’t have to explain. Well, what if we just become friends? I’d love to get to know you. There’s a concert coming up, really low-key, outdoors, local bands. I don’t know if you like folk music, but it would be fun to just hang out together. It wouldn’t have to be a date. What do you think about that?”
That was a good question. What did Ella think about that? She opened her mouth and said the first thing that came to mind.