“Where’s Rosie?” I ask, immediately worried.
“She’s okay. I sent her back to the castle. You’ve been out for a while,” Sin answers. “What you did – was incredibly reckless. Rosie is an immortal.”
There’s still enough bite in his words to piss me off. “Rosie is my friend. I don’t care that I’m just a weak mortal in your eyes. I –”
But Sin shakes his head, silencing me. “I wasn’t finished. Rosie is an immortal, but the arrow you took for her was iron-tipped– deadly to Fae. It would have killed her,” he adds more gently.
My heart drops at the near-miss Rosie just had. Sin looks at me like he’s frustrated, and I can’t even begin to try and decode his feelings. Instead, I swing my legs to sit up on the bed, ready to be done with today. “Where are we?”
My question pulls Sin out of whatever mental battle he was just going through, and he steps forward, holding out a hand to help me up. “The arrival bay.”
I stare at his hand for a solid two seconds before giving him a disgruntled look and standing without his help.
Have we landed in an alternate universe? Is that what happened?
Sin smirks at my disregard for his help, before nodding at the woman walking around the room. Shesmiles warmly at me before waving. “I’ll see you again soon, Sin. Bye, Vivian.”
I wave awkwardly, and Sin leads us to the door.
“What’s an arrival bay?” I ask as we step out into a crowded street. The roads are cobbled stone and thatched cottages line either side. People bustle about, but every last one of them waves and smiles at Sin as they pass by.
An alternate universe checks out.
“It’s where we apparate refugees to when they first arrive here,” Sin answers. “They receive any medical care they need, and then we get them set up with a home. The community will support Rayne, and she and Azar will have a place to live for as long as they need.”
I gape at the crowds. “Are all these people…”
“In one way or another. Some had family fleeing the Council over a thousand years ago. They were born here. Others are more recent arrivals,” Sin answers as we start down the road. “Any time we get word that the Council is going to kill someone, we try to get to them first to bring them here instead. We provided resources, and over the years, they grew, building their own cities.”
I look down the winding roads to see hundreds more thatched cottages, shops, and what looks like a school. I’m filled with awe. “But won’t Rayne want to speak to you when she wakes? Or will she come to the castle to see you and the others?”
Sin shakes his head. “The arrival bay will take good care of her. The city is separate from the castle. Morgana’s castle is guarded by the forest of theforgotten dead. It’s protection since only a few trusted individuals can apparate through the forest’s wards.”
I frown. “So, no one from this village has gone to the castle?”
Sin gives me a tight smile. “Just one. A very long time ago.”
But before I can ask more questions, he reaches for my hand. “Mission’s done. Let’s go,” Sin says, and our feet leave the ground.
“I thought you couldn’t apparate into the castle grounds with me?” I ask when we land back in my bedroom.
Sin smirks. “I couldn’t.”
But before I can get him to embellish that statement, Sin reminds me why I usually don’t like him.
“Not that it makes much difference since you’re still pitifully weak and can’t leave on your own. But it’s less of a nuisance to bring you back now if you try to wander off again.”
I glare at him, only for him to give me a dazzling smile before he apparates out of the room.
My heart skips a beat. Sin smiling is – it’s just unfair.
Gritting my teeth, I turn and head for the washroom. Time for a cold shower.
Chapter 17
Rule seventeen:Always drink the fae wine.
Someone has been in my room again.
