“Moira has already said she and Ash would step in.”
“Where is she?”
“Caelan is wounded. She’s taking him back to the Keep.” Mom reached out and touched my face. “He’s going to be okay. Moira said to tell you she loves you and she will see you soon.”
“She knew,” I breathed. Moira had known what would happen the moment I revealed myself.
“We all knew how badly it might go. But take heart. Word will soon pass of your fae identity as well, and they will know to harm you is to bring down the might of the fae upon their heads.” Mom touched my chin with her thumb and smiled. “Rowan’s arrival was fortuitous. He has agreed to allow you into his territory for an extended stay if need be.”
Fortuitousmight have been Moira giving him a heads up, but I held my tongue.
“I didn’t have to allow anything,” Rowan said. “Evie has always been welcome in my lands.”
“You take my heart with you, Lord,” Dad said. “I entrust you with her safety.”
“I can obviously take care of myself,” I grumbled, my cheeks heating at his words.
My vision was down to two pinpricks of light. Nausea roiled in my stomach.
“Evie?” Rowan’s grip tightened.
“I’m fine,” I whispered.
Mom fished in her pocket and held out two glowing bottles to him. That hellish portal formula to take us from here to wherever in a blink. “Take these,” she said. “Courtesy of Moira. She swore me to secrecy, so maybe consume them away from the prying eyes of everyone.”
Even Cliona’s angry glare didn’t phase the townspeople still watching me with preternatural intensity.
“Go now,” Dad warned. “Danger stirs in the air.”
Rowan scooped me into a bridal carry and shot through the town square. I wanted to protest, but I was so very tired.
I tried to stay awake, but exhaustion weighed my entire body down. My eyes finally drifted shut, safe in the circle of the Lord’s arms.
Epilogue
Iawoke in a green paradise, the soft scent of honeysuckle and jasmine gently nudging me from a deep, restful sleep. My eyes opened to a canopy of glossy leaves and vining flowers. The room, or wherever I was, felt warm and a touch humid. I shifted and flowers fell from my shoulders and hair.
A hand appeared in my vision holding a saucer and a mug of steaming coffee.
“You’re finally awake.” Rowan pulled a small stool over and settled onto it.
His shaggy brown hair was messier than usual. His hazel eyes were bright in the natural light, but dark circles made crescent moons under his lower lashes. A five o-clock shadow graced his cheeks and chin, and he was dressed more casually than I’d ever seen him in grey athletic pants and a black t-shirt.
“Hi.” What else could I say?
A faint smile crossed his lips, and he waited for me to sit up before he handed me the mug. I inhaled and let out a little grunt of happiness.
“All I have is dark roast.”
“It’s perfect.” I took a sip. “Oh.” This was not Keurig coffee. This was fresh-ground, real coffee that hadn’t been stored in a hot warehouse for months at a time.
A faint, tired smile touched his lips. “This isn’t Joy Springs, Evie. You’re in the PNW. The coffee is good here. Better than good.”
He was watching me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable. I sipped my coffee and watched him back.
“You’re safe here,” he said after a moment. “In case you were worried.”
I was, but the worry wasn’t for myself. “Are you sure it’s not dangerous for me to be here?” The last thing I wanted was to endanger Rowan or his people.
