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When my phone lit up and Judah’s name flashed across it, it took me a moment to realize he was calling me. After two failed attempts, I was able to figure out how to answer the phone.
“Yeah.” I winced at the gruffness of my voice.
“Is this Joslyn? This is the number that was texted to me.”
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, it is me.”
“Oh. Are you sick?”
“Fae don’t get sick.”
“Right.” Something ruffled on the other end. “I have someone I think you’ll be interested in talking with.”
I sat up from my bed. It was early morning. I’d heard Foster return a couple hours ago, and shortly after that, the suite had grown quiet again. My mind hadn’t wanted to shut up, so I had lain there for the rest of the morning. The sun filtered through the window, warm against my skin. I had curled at the foot of the bed so I was in the early morning light.
“Who? Where?”
Judah chuckled. “Calm down. There’s still time. Well, not a lot of time. He’s in Boston. You’ll want to leave now so you can meet him this afternoon. He’s a prominent fae, and he’ll be flying out of the country early tomorrow.”
“How can he help me?”
“He studies fae magic in the human realm. If there’s one person to talk to about what is possible and how, it’d be him. I think he can help you understand better what Laikynn is up to.”
“Right.”
“I’ll text you the address, you should leave now. Traffic sucks, and I’m sure you still need to find a car.”
“I’m with some old friends of mine. I’m sure they’ll let me use one of their cars.”
“You can drive?”
I smirked. “I think I can remember. It’ll just take a couple of fender benders to get used to it.”
He was laughing as we hung up. It only took seconds for his text to come through with an address to a university in Boston.
“Road trip?” I asked Berry. He was on the floor, dozing.
Yes.
“All right. I’ll get ready.”
He didn’t move as I dressed.
I was halfway down the stairs when I froze, staring at the living room. All three guys were passed out, sleeping on the two couches, with Foster on the floor. I frowned. Maybe I should clear out the guest bedroom so they could make use of the bed at least.
My focus narrowed on Jason. His head was peeking out of the blanket he’d burritoed himself in. I was shocked that he was even there. Most likely, Foster had dragged his ass over. I crept down the rest of the stairs. No one moved.
I contemplated who to wake up. I didn’t want to disturb anyone’s sleep. I did enough of that last night with Waylon. They all had to be working on minimum sleep at this point. My gaze landed on Foster and there was a pull in my chest, my fae telling me to go to him. Ever since he practically gave himself to me, something between us opened. He really did feel like mine.
So I followed the pull to him, unable to stop myself. The moment I gently touched his shoulder, his eyes snapped open, zeroing in on me. His entire body stiffened, and I had a distinct impression that he was wide awake, alert, and ready for battle.
My smile was shaky as I whispered, “Can I borrow your car?”
He blinked.
“There’s a contact I need to visit.”
“Who?”
“A research professor in Boston.”
“That can be four or five hours of driving.”
I nodded. “So I’ve been told.”
He sat up and rubbed his face. “I’ll go with you.”
“You don’t have to.”
He rested his hand on mine. I hadn’t realized I was still touching him until he did that. “I want to. It’s a long drive, and it’ll probably be best to spend the night there before coming back. I’m not leaving you alone.”
His concern for me warmed me to my core. I smiled. “Very well, but we need to leave now if we want to see him this afternoon. If we miss him, then we won’t be able to see him until he comes back. He’s leaving the country tomorrow.”
“Then let’s get going.”
“I’m going,” Waylon said from the couch.
“Me too.” Jason’s voice was gruff as he peeked out of his blanket.
I bit back laughter. He looked like he didn’t want to come out of his burrito. I didn’t blame him. It used to be our favorite thing to do, being wrapped up together in blankets, snuggling and talking.
His cool gaze took the amusement out of me. He wouldn’t even appreciate me touching him right then, let alone cuddling him, even if my body hummed in anticipation to do so.
The guys were fast in getting ready, and then we all piled into Foster’s huge four-door truck. Berry managed to wedge himself in the back seat, between Waylon and Jason. They weren’t amused, but I wasn’t going to leave him behind, and Berry would never willingly leave my side for any amount of time if he didn’t need to.
As soon as the last door was closed, I grimaced.
“What’s wrong?” Foster asked, noticing my expression.
“It feels like I’m disconnected from the world. Everything’s mute,” I said and pressed against the window.
“The iron?”
“What’s wrong with iron?” Jason asked.
“Fae are allergic to iron,” Foster answered. He frowned and looked me over. “How have you been doing fine? There’s a lot of metal in the world. I know iron is the worst, but all metals are uncomfortable.”
I shrugged, not willing to tell him how I was able to handle it. That was too vulnerable of a secret to tell. “Just drive,” I said.
He pulled out of the parking garage and worked his way through the busy streets. I had to put down my window hoping the air would help clear the muteness of being inside the vehicle. This was my first time in one after becoming fae and it wasn’t pleasant at all.
“Once we leave the city, the air will be clearer. That will help,” Waylon said.
I nodded as a response and focused on the passing scenery and less on how my stomach roiled in discomfort and my skin tingled with agitation. If I had taken the time to eat breakfast, it would have all come back up at this point.
Waylon was right. It became easier to breathe when we got outside the city and both sides of the massive highway were all trees and mountains. No one bothered to speak. Jason distracted himself with his phone, Waylon stared out the window, and Foster focused on getting us to Boston safely.
“What have you guys been up to?” I asked, wanting to know more about them.
Foster glanced over at me with a smile. He reached over and grabbed me, pulling our entwined hands to rest in the middle. It was nice touching him and helped keep my nerves down. Neither of us was inclined to let go.
“I got out of the army two years ago. Special Forces.”
I grinned. “You made it that far? I know you mentioned it being an option.”
“For five years,” he said.
“Was it everything you wished for?” I asked, remembering the scars on his chest.
“And more.”
Jason snorted. “Don’t sugar coat it.”
Foster sighed. “It was easier after you left to get in. I had motivation.”
“Oh. To find me.”
“Yes.” He didn’t expand, and I didn’t ask him to. Special Forces had to be a sacrifice I’d never understand. He did exactly what he wanted to do, but at what cost?
“What about you, Jason?” I asked, turning in my seat to speak to him.
He glowered at his phone, a muscle ticking in his jaw. My heart fell as I realized he wasn’t going to answer.
“I made it as a lawyer,” Waylon answered instead.
I grinned big. “That’s amazing. I know how hard you worked toward your bar exam. Medical attorney, right?”
“You remembered?”
“I’d never forget something like that.”
Jason made another sound of displeasure, and I wondered if that was going to be the pattern until I went back to Faerie.
“Cut it out,” Foster warned.
Jason shoved his phone into his pocket and glared out the window, effectively ignoring all of us. I tried not to take it to heart but that was impossible.
“Berriar...” Foster fumbled over his name. He let go of my hand, and I missed the touch right away. “How did you find him?”
Berry snorted, making the two guys next to him jump. That amused him to no end, and by the glint in his eyes, he’d found his new favorite game for the ride. I pitied Waylon and Jason.
“I was on a hunt and found him in the forest.” I chuckled and lifted my left hand. “He nearly bit my hand off. Then I almost tore his head off trying to pry him off me. We’ve been together since.”
“Why do I feel like you mean something completely different when you say hunt.”
I blanked out my expression, burying the answer he looked for deep within me. “Because it is.”
“Tell me?”
“No. Just know that it’s another way that the fae entertained themselves. They do enjoy their hunts.” I leaned against the door, letting the cool air comfort me. No one responded to me. They didn’t need to know that criminal fae would have their magic stripped from them, then they’d be released into the woods and we’d be expected to hunt them down and kill them. I never made a kill, though I caught up to my fair share of them. Since finding Berriar, he made it easier, doing the deed for me. The other times, I backed off, often getting punished for letting them get away.
In the end, they’d still be found and killed. At least it wasn’t by my hands. That was blood I managed to keep off my hands. Couldn’t say that with the other games, and the wars. Fuck, the wars.
“Josie?” Foster snapped out
I jumped and glared at him for scaring me like that. “What?”
“I kept calling you, but you didn’t answer me.”
“Oh.” I waved off his concern. “I was lost in my thoughts, that’s all.”
He frowned, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. The drive was silent after that, the low music in the background our only companion.
We stopped once when they heard my stomach growling. Fast food was not something I missed while living in Faerie, it was still greasy and made me feel sick. Before we got back on the road, I had asked Foster if I could drive, and he laughed in my face, jumped into the driver’s seat, and completely ignored my request.
It was when we were outside Boston when Foster hit me with a question I never expected or thought about.
“Madeline is currently in Boston,” he said slowly.
That got my attention as I whipped my head around to gape at him. My little Addie was near?
“Do you want to contact her while we’re here?”
“No!” My response was instantaneous. “No. She doesn’t need to know I’m around.”
“Your disappearance destroyed her.”
“And my reappearance would only do the same.”
“Why?” Jason asked, speaking for the first time in a while. He’d been relentless in making sure I knew he was ignoring me. “You didn’t want us to know, and you don’t want your own sister to know either? That’s fucked up.”
I clenched my teeth until my jaw ached.
“What happened that day?” Waylon asked.
More questions from all three of them were tossed my way. The questions had obviously been building up since we’d met and this had become their excuse to let them out. It came at me from all around.
“Enough,” I snapped out, my magic reacting, hitting the guys. It was more like a shove to make my displeasure known. It still took them by surprise.
“Shit.” Foster swerved. Cars honked until he was back in his lane. “What the fuck?”
I swallowed and blinked past the shock. “That shouldn’t have happened.”
“But it did,” Jason said.
My shoulders slumped in defeat and wariness. At least no one pressed for more information. My loss of control turned into a blessing in disguise.
If my disappearance were as bad as they hinted, it’d kill Addie to see me back. I didn’t want my baby sister going through that again. It sounded like she managed to make some kind of life for herself. I didn’t want to upend that knowing I couldn’t stay here. It wasn’t fair to her.
Fuck, it wasn’t even fair that I was doing that with the guys.
Foster’s hand landed on my thigh, and he squeezed it. I grabbed his hand in a tight grip, drawing as much comfort as I could from the simple touch. It soothed me, made me feel like I wasn’t falling apart. But I had a feeling it wouldn’t be enough.
