“Translation: Bo helped Everil and me avoid his stupid ex-bond, and after they finished glaring at each other, they got all cuddly.” Talia gestured toward them. “Like that.”
With a sigh and a slight, indulgent smile, Everil kept his attention on Robin and Jan. “That’s a not inaccurate summation. We didn’t intend to cause you distress. Phones don’tfunction properly in Faerie, and we were … detained. But that matter is resolved, and you needn’t fear for Bo’s future safety.”
“Avoiding ex-bonds and future safety,” Jan said, her attention still on her phone. “What fun and exciting wording.”
“She’s where I get it from,” Bo muttered. His hand rested on Everil’s wrist, the path of his thumb leaving trails of sunlight. “It’s all true. But it’s a messy fucking story, and I’m exhausted, and I still need to let people know I’m not dead.”
“Now that you’re done beingdetained,” Robin added.
“Yes, thank you, Robin. Now that we’re notdetained,”Bo snapped back. The heated words were accompanied by an immediate wince. “Sorry. Look. How about we explain some more, I do a LiveReel to keep people from freaking more–”
“Which they are, since you were in a magic world where phones don’t work with your kelpie and your nearly all-powerful Talia.”
“Thank you, Robin. And then I need a damn nap. A long nap. Possibly a full day. Sound like a plan?”
“I’m amenable, provided we sit,” Everil murmured in answer. “You shouldn’t be standing.”
“I’m not the one who had the fucking holes in his legs,” Bo answered, then winced again, apparently remembering their audience.
“Holes.” Jan’s voice was flat.
“It’s resolved,” Everil answered. “The holes and their cause both. All of which we’ll explain, once your nephew is comfortable.”
“Yeah. Alright. Yes.” Bo’s crooked smile was in full evidence, and Everil basked in it despite the circumstance. “Everyone get comfy, and let’s do this.”
Had the conversation gonewell? Everil lacked a method by which to measure it. Bo’s family had calmed, eventually. Or, at least, reached a level of semi-acceptance. The subject would doubtless be picked up again.
But not until Bo had rested. Which, with any luck, was what the man was doing. For his part, Everil had retreated to the back porch, lest he appear to be shadowing his bond. Here, it was mostly quiet, and there was less risk of disturbing Bo’s family further.
The plants were a pleasant distraction. All of them new, different from the species he’d nurtured at Brookhaven. He ran his fingers lightly over waxy leaves and delicate petals, encouraging one sickly plant he didn’t recognize to grow and eradicating an incipient fungus in another.
The sound of the door, and Everil turned to see Robin stepping out onto the porch.
“You free to talk?” the man asked. “Nothing bad.”
“Of course,” he answered. Wrist gripped behind his back and posture perfect. “My apologies. It wasn’t my intention to appear unavailable. I simply didn’t wish to intrude.”
“You didn’t,” Robin shook his head, leaning back against the door frame. He looked as uncomfortable as Everil felt. “I don’t think any of us would blame you if you wanted to be unavailable, truth be told. A lot happened.”
“It did,” Everil agreed.
“I’m a wreck of a person, but I’m not going to bite you.” His smile was a sharper, more abrupt version of Bo’s slow, crooked grin. “No kelpie shade intended. The biting thing. I just wanted to talk about Bo. Which sounds bad. Ominous. It’s not. I’m not going to threaten you with a tire iron if you two fight.”
The man seemed to be attempting to put Everil at ease. Which was very kind, if somewhat fruitless. Especially as he appeared to believe that Everil might find him aphysicalthreat, while Everil worried only over how he might misstep, causing further difficulties for Bo.
“I’m not opposed to your making threats on Bo’s behalf,” Everil spoke carefully, weighing his words. “I’ve made a number myself. Though I fear I didn’t omit the possibility of biting.”
“Something to be said for specifying a weapon.” Robin laughed, short and edged.
“Indeed.”
“No, I just … you like him, right? Soulbond, obviously smitten with the kissing and the hugging and threatening people with devouring, yeah, that, but…” Robin trailed off, apparently at a loss for words.
“I’m sincerely in love with your brother,” Everil offered in hopes of reassuring him.
Robin shook his head, the gesture as sharp as the rest of him. Apparently, not what he wanted to hear.
“Bo, he’s– He’s kind of an asshole, you know? Prickly. A little pushy. Stubborn, like wet toilet paper on a shoe, but in a loving way. And you don’t need to like a person to lovethem. I want to hear it from you that you do. Like him, I mean. Pissy cat tendencies and all.”
