After my initial surprise eased—I’d never been picked up bodily by a full-grown man—relief unraveled my tight muscles. I slid an arm around Severn’s neck, grateful for his presence.
He didn’t set me down in the lobby. Fae and the other Gifted Ones in their employment looked on with cold-faced stares as their regent carried his nanny across the beautiful rugs to the gilded elevator, which opened for him as though by magic.
Azalea was at the elevator controls; she must have taken a car back from our brunch because she was already wearing her uniform again. As Severn stepped into the elevator with me in his arms, she demonstrated considerably more concern than the other fae.
“Willow!” she gasped. “Is everything okay?”
I nodded as I clutched Severn around the shoulders. “I think someone was following me after our brunch. Severn, it’s okay. You can put me down.”
“I’ll put you down when I want to,” he said in such a gravelly voice that I didn’t argue. Even Azalea took a step back. As awkward as it felt to be held by my boss, it was equally tender.
Azalea gave me a pointed side-eye as though this was somehow evidence of what she had been telling me over mimosas. But Severn was only concerned for my safety—as any good boss would be.
By the time we reached my floor, I was feeling calmer about the whole situation. Severn shouldered open my door and proceeded to unceremoniously drop me on the sofa. I landed with a soft thud.
Puck came running up, wagging his tail, but there was no sign of the kids. Since it was my day off, they were probably still with one of the fae who looked after them when I couldn’t, riding bicycles up and down the halls of the twenty-fifth floor.
Severn towered over me, gazing down with a wrinkled brow as though I was some puzzling new fish that had just washed up on his pristine beach.
“Tell me exactly what happened,” he commanded.
I filled him in on the incident and a description of the men, finishing by hugging a pillow and saying, “I mean, this is New York City. I get it, crime happens. I don’t know, now that I think about it, they could have just been after my purse. I really don’t have any reason to suspect they were werewolves.”
The severe look on Severn’s face didn’t soften. “It doesn’t matter if they were human or Gifted. The point is, you were in danger.”
“Yeah, but remember what I said? New York? Most violent city in the country? Trust me, I’ve been followed by creeps before.”
His eyes narrowed—I wasn’t making the situation any better. He suddenly pivoted toward the kitchen and strode off. I heard the sound of cabinets opening, and then he came back with a bottle of sparkling water, cursing under his breath. “Don’t you keep decent provisions in this place? Where’s the mutton? Roast pig? Sugared almonds? You need proper sustenance after such an ordeal.”
I hefted a shoulder. “I’ll just have a power bar.”
He grimaced as though I’d suggested something vile. Then he sat down next to me, pressing the bottle of water into my hands. “Drink. Now.” As I unscrewed the cap, he mused aloud, “The city might not be safe for you and the children.”
Nearly sputtering out my water, I said, “You can’t make us stay in the tower. The kids will go stir-crazy.”
“That isn’t what I meant. I mean, maybe now isn’t a good time for you and Henry and May to be here. After the attack, and now this. Perhaps I should send you away somewhere safer.”
Send me away? To where, Antarctica?
As though reading my thoughts, he continued aloud, “I have an island near Mallorca. An olive grove in Tuscany. A castle in the south of France. All connections from my ancestors in Europe.”
This was starting to sound like the kind of being sent away I could get used to, but I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. There are risks everywhere. I’ll just be more careful and take Kell with me, especially when I’m out with the kids.”
He narrowed his eyes again. I bit my lip, debating what I’d do if he tried to insist. I didn’t want to leave New York. I’d moved around so much as a kid, never feeling settled. Now I actually had a home I loved that I felt safe in. A job working with kids that I adored. And—though it was hard to admit—I didn’t want to leave Severn.
He sank onto the sofa next to me. “Your safety is paramount,” he said. “Can you assure me you will keep Kell with you?”
I nodded, licking my lips of the fizzy water. His gaze dropped to the movement, lingering on my mouth for a moment. His face was unreadable. With my fae sight, I could see through his glamour. Everyone else saw sandy-brown hair and a tailored navy suit, but I saw the silver hair cascading over his shoulders, that chiseled jawline. I remembered trailing my lips along that part of his face, tasting the sweat on his skin…
“Good.” He stood abruptly, just as pink was beginning to creep up my neck. “And for god’s sake, get some quail eggs in here. You feed these children garbage.”
As soon as he strode out of the apartment, I flopped back on the sofa and rolled my eyes. That was Severn: sweep me up into his arms after a harrowing experience, then scold me for not keeping up with his unreasonable fae work standards.
I let out a slow, calming breath to release the stress still coursing through my body and slumped further into the sofa. Puck jumped up, curling beside me with his chin on my knee. We were in that same position when the kids came back, grumbling about how the fae who had babysat them—Grove—had tried to teach them some formal, stiff type of dancing in the ballroom. They were visibly relieved when I tossed them the TV remote.
While they were occupied with cartoon dogs, I went to my room and called Zara to let her know what had happened.
“And you think they were werewolves?” she asked.
