Ipluck a quill out of my thigh. There’s about a hundred to go, and a hundred already in the bin. My skin is on fire from the tiny darts the saeth delivered. I saw it puff, but wasn’t quick enough to hide, only turn sideways to give it a smaller target.
Then I killed it.
If I’d been faster, I’d have taken its head before it puffed out its darts.
While the poison burns and itches, and will leave welts of a few days, it won’t kill me. A human would be dead already, as the saeth is one of the rare things from faery that feeds on human flesh. It lives in the outer realm closest to the human realm and hibernates until it smells a human.
They are usually not too troublesome. But this one had killed two hikers, and questions were being asked.
Each quill is about an inch long, and a rather vibrant shade of green. I scratch my cheek even though I know shouldn’t as it will only inflame my skin more, then return to plucking. It would be nice if removing the quill stopped the burn.
I swear that ever since I gave up my necklace, nothing has gone my way.
Flat tires.
A bite. Nearly getting caught with my sword out slaying a beast by a human who would’ve thought me a danger, not realizing they were about sixty seconds from dying.
Now this.
I hiss as I yank out another couple with the tweezers. I had to ride home looking like a porcupine dressed up for a rave.
A bike turns into the street and I lift my head. Is it yet another rider come to check on me? Do they think I’m going to just walk out there and get eaten?
That’s not what I’m going to do. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
Part of me knows I should go to the café and see Lindsay, but she made herself pretty clear that it was a one-time thing and that she had no interest in going to faery, which means I I’m screwed.
The bike pulls into my driveway.
I sigh and put the tweezers down. For half a second, I consider pretending I’m not home, but he’ll know I’m here, the same way I can sense it’s a rider approaching, not a lost human. I get up and peer out the window in time to see Oran pulling off his helmet.
He’s a long way out of area.
My heart clenches at the thought that he’s here with news about Lindsay. He’s with her daughter, after all. I force myself to wait until he knocks, fully expecting him to laugh when he sees the quills.
I open the door and give him time to assess the situation. He doesn’t lean in for a hug the way he usually would. Instead, he lifts an eyebrow. “Need some help with that?”
He points to the quills in my leg and shoulder. I’ve pulled them from my face, but I think I missed some in my neck. Some are hard to reach.
“Yeah.” I step back and let him in. “Nice timing. If you’d been here a few hours earlier, you could’ve helped with the saeth.” I shut and lock the door, and then return to the seat under the reading light.
Oran pulls up a chair and takes the tweezers off me. He’s not as cautious, yanking and plucking them out far faster than me. I clench my teeth. This way it will be over faster, but I’m sure it fucking hurts more.
The silence stretches. He didn’t turn up to pluck quills or help me hunt. We both know that.
I break first. “What brings you this way?”
“You didn’t hear it from me, but Lindsay is pregnant.”
“Ow.” I knock his hand away. “What?”
He lifts his gaze. “You and her, at the wake. Ring any bells?”
“How do you know?”
“She told Danni, and Danni told me that you need to pull your head out of your ass. She’s pretty pissed that you’ve abandoned her mom, especially after what she went through with Shay.” He flicks a quill in the back of my shoulder.
“She kicked me out.”
