He tilts his chin up and extinguishes his soft look. “I’m excellent at English! Jamie has been teaching me.”
I nod my agreement as I smile helplessly. He is so utterly adorable. And he is quite right, his English is very good. And since he said my translator won’t work for him, I’m just going to have to trust that he is going to be okay without one. It would only help with listening and not speaking, anyway.
He steps towards the door, and my heart races. I cannot delay this any longer. Mabon really is going to have to go out there in the big bad world without me.
“Maybe flirt a little, so you get a good price!” I blurt.
Mabon pauses and raises an eyebrow at me.
I’m squirming now. I hate that I suggested it, but as well as stalling for time, it is a good idea. Five hundred pounds isn’tgoing to go very far. Camping stuff is expensive. Nevermind all the food we are going to have to buy on our long walk to London.
“But no nudes or anything else!” I clarify hastily before he gets ideas.
“Because you will be jealous?” he smirks.
I cough awkwardly. Then sigh. What is the point in denying it?
“Yes,” I say, and oh lord do I sound sulky.
Mabon beams in delight. “What if the shopkeeper is a woman?”
“Hell no!” I snap.
Mabon giggles, but then his expression grows sombre. His eyes are shining with some deep emotion that I cannot hope to name.
“Because I am yours?” he whispers softly.
My heart is trying to climb up my throat. My soul is doing cartwheels. I can’t breathe. But I can nod. Slowly and decisively.
A huge smile lights up Mabon’s face. Complete with dimples. Oh lord, it has been far too long since I’ve seen those.
And now I really want to kiss him, but I have to find some self-restraint. We actually need to get to the running part of being on the run. We can’t just roll around in bed all the time. As lovely as that would be.
“So flirting, but no touching?” asks Mabon almost sweetly.
I nod.
His eyes grow wide with sudden excitement. “Oh! What about deals? May I make a deal?”
I groan in defeat. “Fine. But if it is for their first-born, make sure they don’t have one yet. The last thing we need is to have to drag a baby with us.”
Mabon laughs, and then he turns. He walks to the door, and then out of it. As if it is no big deal. Like it doesn’t feel like the end of the world. The door swings shut behind him and I stare at the wood in horror.
Oh lord. This is a terrible plan. What was I thinking? So very many things could go wrong. What if that was the last time I’m ever going to see Mabon?
My feet start pacing. My stomach churns. I’ve never felt anxiety like this. What has come over me? Mabon is clever and capable and while he may be shit at magic by fey standards, he is far better than any human is going to be. He is avoiding using it because he doesn’t want his fey enemies to sense him, but in an emergency, he still could.
It’s fine. Everything is fine. It’s perfectly normal to be this worried about someone you are having a passionate fling with. Because it is a stressful situation and we have been through a lot.
I suck in a breath and run my hands through my hair. Do passionate flings say not to touch anyone else? Do they agree to declarations of ownership?
My groan echoes around the empty room. I have no fucking clue what I am doing. I haven’t for a long time. I’ve just been making it up as I go. One step at a time. I just need to keep doing that.
Get Mabon to Buckingham Palace. That’s the next step. That’s all I need to think about.
Walking there is a good plan. The Resistance doesn’t have eyes in the woods, and Mabon was very at home there. I am doing the right thing, I’m pretty sure. Oh for fuck’s sake, I’m not spiralling down this path again. It’s a good plan. It is the best option. I’ve already decided on it and Mabon is in danger right now, as he enacts the first steps of it. I’m not changing my mind now.
My feet continue to pace. My heart keeps racing. Long, long minutes pass like hours. The first hour feels like all of eternity. At one hour and thirty-seven minutes, I’m just about to run out the door and go frantically searching for him, when Mabon steps calmly into the hotel room.
