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Ella didn’t have a come-back for Anthea or her purple-haired freak of a friend. She still didn’t even know what to do with the realization that, for the first time in her life, she wasn’t avoiding witches. She was hanging out with one of them. It flew in the face of everything she’d been taught and Ella didn’t know if she could go back to Addison.
But she did, turning and trudging back to the blanket, and sinking to her knees on it. Addison squinted at her.
“Is that your ex?” Addison asked.
“Huh?”
“Is that your ex-girlfriend? You know—the reason you aren’t ready to date yet?” Her voice was tender with sympathy and it made Ella shiver.
“Uh...” That seemed like the most plausible explanation for the awkwardness coursing through her, and she couldn’t very well ask Addison about being a witch. “Yeah.”
Addison nodded, a knowing grimace on her face. “It’s never gets easier to see them, especially in public. Sometimes, I think that’s worse.”
Ella didn’t know what she meant by that, so she nodded along as if she understood. The truth was, she’d never been in a relationship. She’d had sexual encounters among her fellow fae, mostly with females. It felt more natural to her to seek their soft caresses. But nothing had ever turned into something more, as the humans liked to seek. Mortal women often seemed in search of someone to “complete them.” Faeries were a free-love type of people. Raven was the rather extreme end of the spectrum.
Thoughts about sex and relationships, however, didn’t answer the more pressing question: how was Ella supposed to deal with having a witch for a charge? For the first time in her life, her assignment wasn’t human and everything in her file was wrong.
She knew this happened from time to time. It wasn’t wildly rare, but it also wasn’t normal. Morgan would be able to reassure her, but the case still belonged to Ella. Eventually, she would have to work it out for herself. Her mentor could only offer so much guidance. So Ella smoothed out her dress, tucked her knees under her, and tried to think of something to say to eliminate the awkwardness.
“I’d rather forget about her, thank you. Why don’t you tell me about your mother? You said she was a witch?” At least it was an indirect way for Ella to pry, considering Addison had brought up the topic in the first place.
“Bruja and, yeah, that’s kind of like being a witch. I mean, not in a made-for-TV supernatural, all-power way or anything.” Addison wrinkled her nose. “But she’s a witch of sorts in her beliefs and practices.”
It was a good thing humans had a tendency to not believe in such things, especially considering supernatural things existed in front of their very eyes. Ella drew in a breath and folded her hands in her lap. This would get easier if she kept Addison talking about herself, she surmised.
“Do you have the same beliefs and practices as your mother?”
“Mostly. I respect my mother and her ancestral traditions. It’s important to me to keep them alive. Especially since my mom doesn’t really have any of her family left.” Addison’s gaze finally dropped, and some of the tension lifted from Ella’s shoulders.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is her family gone?” Faeries didn’t know loss to the extent humans did, though they did reproduce at such a slow rate that their family networks were usually contained to parents and child. Ella had always wanted sisters or brothers, or a big group of cousins, and she had none of that. She tried to imagine what it would be like to lose her family, but since she’d never experienced having a large one, she couldn’t.
Addison lifted her face, but still didn’t look at Ella. Her attention seemed fixed on the stage, even though her eyes had gone misty. “Mom had a sister, but she told me she died a long time ago. My dad has a big family here in Arizona, and we spend a lot of time with them. I love my dad and his family, of course, but my identity isn’t completely wrapped up in being white, like him. I come from two worlds and I want to honor both.”
It seemed like there was something else in the sentiment, something that brought Addison pain. Ella wanted to know more, but she hated the idea of drawing out whatever was hurting the smart, beautiful woman sitting next to her.
Slowly, not sure if it was the right thing to do, Ella reached out to lay her hand over Addison’s. “I admire that. You have to be the person you choose. It’s not up to anyone else who you decide to be, not even your parents. Just you.”
The words came out more forcefully than Ella had intended, but when Addison turned to her again, she knew it had been the right thing to say. Addison’s smile returned and she moved her hand to curl her fingers around Ella’s.
“I appreciate that, especially since it’s sometimes a bit of a tug-of-war between my mom and dad. Even though I tell myself that every day, it’s nice to hear it from someone else. Thank you for listening to me and validating that.”
“You’re welcome.” Ella glanced down at their joined hands and tried to ignore the way her heartbeat sped up.
She didn’t have to worry about falling in love with a human anymore, but a non-fae supernatural was another matter entirely. Most of them were at odds with the fae, especially faerie godmothers. Ella knew what the other supernaturals thought of her type. Perky, bubbly, do-gooders without any other powers or ways to make a difference in the world beyond making humans a little happier. Anthea was a fine example of the animosity between their races.
Once Addison knew what she actually was, would she also see Ella in that same light? Would she treat her derisively, without any care or concern for her feelings?
Ella wished that she had a standard human charge, after all. Even if she broke the rules by falling in love, at least it would be straightforward. If a human found out she was a faerie godmother, they would be awed, not scornful. If Addison discovered her own powers, and then Ella’s identity...
“You know, this isn’t going the way I planned.” Addison shrugged, but kept her hand on Ella’s.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I thought we would sit and talk and get to know each other, while listening to really cool music. But I think maybe it’s too public or something. The truth is, even though I hardly know you, there’s something about you that I feel drawn to.” Another lovely, pink blush colored Addison’s cheeks and she edged closer to Ella. “Maybe we could go somewhere quieter and talk.”
It was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever said to Ella, and she wondered if she was blushing as much as Addison. She was supposed to be plotting how to keep Addison and her witchy legacy apart, and going somewhere else might help her think more clearly.
“That would be nice. What did you have in mind?”
“There’s a park not far from here. We’ll still hear the music, but we won’t have to worry about the crowd. How does that sound?”
It sounded like the perfect way for Ella to determine if Addison was a friend or potential foe.
The park was empty, and Addison was right that they could still hear the music, though it no longer dominated the sounds around them. Without all the noise and bustle, Ella had an easier time getting in touch with her faerie intuition. Right now, it was telling her Addison was a kind and innocent woman, not someone drawn to the darker paths available to her. So why did she need a faerie godmother?
They sat on a pair of empty swings, side by side, Ella's feet barely touching the ground. She was short, even for a faerie. Anyone at the Academy would have told Addison that. Perhaps Raven would have even taken great pleasure in pointing it out. One of these days, Ella was going to have to come up with a good come-back for the other faerie godmother, just to put her in her place.
For now, she let the swing move with her body weight, unsure of how to proceed. At least Addison seemed comfortable with taking the lead in the conversation.
“So, it sounds like you were raised kind of differently than most people.”
“Uh, yeah, really sheltered.” It was as close as Ella could get to telling a falsehood. Half-truths didn’t roll off the tongue easily, but they also didn’t taste as bitter as lies.
“Me too, so I get it. My family was different, but I think they tried to shelter me because of that.” Addison kicked off and then pumped her legs until she was swinging gently, not too high.
Ella mimicked her movements. The air against her legs was refreshing, even in the heat. She tried to think of what to say next. So many questions filled her mind and she’d learned so much in the past several minutes. Every bit of it centered on witches, both Addison’s upbringing as one and the fact that a coven of them was after her.
Whatever ideas about romance Ella had entertained vanished in the face of that reality. Witches and faeries didn’t get along with one another. No matter how drawn she was to this woman, there was no hope for anything between them. Ella was here to do her job and move on, nothing more.
“It’s funny how that works, isn’t it?” Addison’s feet scraped against the ground, jerking her to a stop.
Ella allowed her swing to slow down on its own until she could reach one toe to the dirt and turn toward her. “What’s funny?”
“How you’re kind of like me—you know, different, grew up in what might not be considered a normal family, and all that—and how we would end up meeting just when I needed you the most. I’ve been having kind of a rough time lately, not sure where I fit in these days, and it’s like the universe knew we would understand each other.”
It was a pretty thought, but Ella knew that was all it could be.
Until a pair of warm lips settled against hers, soft and insistent. Ella released a sound that was somewhere between a moan and a whimper. It took all her strength to keep her fingers wrapped around the cool, smooth chain on the swing, instead of reaching for Addison’s shoulders.
Every moment the kiss continued tempted her to give in completely, testing her fae resolve. She didn’t dare fall for the woman she was supposed to help. She didn’t dare fall for the witch kissing her. And she certainly didn’t dare hope that, if she did, there was a way they could be together in the end.
Addison drew away and then pressed her palm to Ella’s cheek. “You’re glowing.”
“Meep?” It was the only sound Ella was capable of making. She blinked, her face hot, her mind and body both eager for more of the witch’s spellbinding touch.
“I’ve never kissed anyone speechless before. Let me see if I can do it again.” Addison leaned in and Ella surrendered to her kiss.
Maybe there was a loophole. A chance that Ella could be the exception, instead of the rule.
That thought was enough to loosen her fingers from the chain and draw her close enough to Addison to wrap her arms around her shoulders. The witch’s mouth quirked against hers. A smile that Ella couldn’t see, but felt down to the very tips of her toes.
Addison was right. Out of all the people in the world, what were the odds that the two of them would have otherwise been brought together? This was meant to be and Ella wanted to know more about why this had happened.
They kissed until the sky was starry and the only heat that remained was generated by their own bodies.