Avery couldn’t believe her sister was already jumping into formulating a plan to train her magic. It had taken a lot longer for Avery to accept that she had magic. But, she hadn’t manifested magic within minutes of landing in Aeritis.
“So you’re cool with it here now?” Avery asked incredulously.
Morgan looked like she wanted to snap at her. “No, I’mnot cool with it, Ave. I want to survive this place and learn everything I can to get home.”
Susan tapped her fingers together, concentration on her face. “King Rylo has a vast library. Avery, didn’t you see it?”
Morgan’s attention snapped from Susan and back to Avery. Oh no. There’d be no stopping her sister if she knew she could get her hands on the information she needed to help her. “Yeah, it’s huge. I don’t know if Rylo will let us use it though.”
“We have a month. We’ll use it,” Morgan replied. There was a gleam in her green eyes that Avery recognized. Morgan was planning. It was, without a doubt, her favorite thing to do.
Savine
Savine had hardly slept, knowing that he would be leavingAvery soon, and taking his place as the rightful king of Latiah. The irony wasn’t lost on him that he’d spent over twenty-five years of having one purpose in life, and now he couldn’t stand the thought of fulfilling that purpose if it meant leaving Avery behind. He still didn’t like it, but he knew he had hard work to do and he wanted to make sure he set the groundwork for Avery’s safe ascent as his queen.
Raikin, of course, had hardly left his side as they talked strategy and politics. The only time he could get Raikin to give him some space was when he had to take a piss. This would be his life from now on. No personal space. No private moments unless he demanded them. It was what he’d prepared for his whole life, but the reality of that new life weighed heavily on him.
Knowing that the Latian loyalists ensconced in Orofine would hear word of Jasper’s death before too long, Savine agreed that they needed to leave after Rylo’s planned supper between the two leaders. The route to Orofine wasn’t nearly as long as traveling to Bayberry, but they still had several days of hard riding before they reached the capital city.
Raikin had managed to procure a fine suit of Latian green for Savine, and Savine sat in a chair as a manservant—perhaps from the far north based on the icy hue of his skin—added various beads to Savine’s shoulder length hair. He hated being primped, but understood he needed to look the part of the king tonight. The gilded cedar boughs and crown of antlers wasn’t on display at this moment. It was taking some time for him to get used to the sensation of withdrawing the crown into his essence and out of sight. The stinging sensation would probably never go away, but at least he no longer had rivulets of blood etching his head when he pulled the crown in or pushed it out.
Raikin answered a knock on the door. As Savine turned, he saw Avery pass through the doorway. She wore a dress in the Latian-style. The lavender dress was all tight lines and huggingcurves on top before it opened into soft billows of skirts. Savine noted how Avery had lost some of her muscle mass since she had arrived in Aeritis. No doubt she hadn’t been as active as she was working on trails in Montana. Instead she’d become leaner, thinner. This would need to change. He knew she had been happy and healthy in her former life, and he wanted to see her rounded cheeks and small, powerful muscles. There was no reason for his human to be looking fae thin.
Avery walked straight toward him as Savine stood. She smiled at him and he felt his heart pound in his chest. Goddess alive, he couldn’t even look at her without having a physical reaction to her gaze.
“Out, Raikin. Take the others too,” Savine ordered.
Raikin bowed, leaving them alone as Avery picked up her speed across the room, launching herself into his arms. Savine didn’t hesitate to pull her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist, the layers of her skirt bunched between them. “I missed you,” Avery said as she pressed her lips to Savine’s.
“I missed you too. You look beautiful, Little Flower,” Savine said as he pulled back to memorize her soft features, putting her back on the floor. He smelled the sweetness of her honeysuckle and mint scent—but there was something else there. Avery was injured.
His hand instinctively tightened around Avery’s arms as he assessed her. “You’re hurt.”
Avery shook her head. “I knew your obscenely good sense of smell would catch that. I’m on my period.”
A fresh fear built in his chest. What did she mean?
“Don’t worry,” Avery assured him, lightly placing her hand on his own bicep. “It’s totally normal for humans. It usually happens every month, but I think my body’s been too stressed, so my period was late. It’s… um… Part of the female reproductive system.”
Savine cocked his head at her. Was she ready to have his child already? Savine didn’t even know what to think of that. He had been sure they weren’t ready for a child yet, hadn’t even considered it yet. “Are you in heat, like animals? Or did you release your fertility? So soon?”
Now Avery looked at him with a baffled expression as she also let out a snorting laugh. “No, I’m not in heat like an animal! This is so awkward. Okay, I’m going back to seventh grade science here. Females ovulate typically once a month and if the egg isn’t fertilized they have a period. Totally normal human biology here.” Her cheeks were flushed with the most delightful crimson glow as she described how her body functioned.
“So you’re not ready to have a child?”
Avery stepped back, alarm on her face. “Hell no! I don’t want a child! But now that I know female fae don’t spontaneously become pregnant, and you would have been completely unprepared for birth control, we’re going to need to figure out an option soon. I can only assume you don’t normally need to worry about that in the same way humans do.”
Savine brushed his mouth against her hair “Just as long as you’re okay. I can get used to your human habits. We can ask a healer for some suggestions on preventing a pregnancy.”
Avery laughed again. “It’s not exactly a habit. But yes, let’s do that.”
The bond between them grew taut, tugging and pulling for them to accept it, for them to finally be joined. He didn’t know how in the Abyss he’d go a whole month without accepting their bond. Without feeling her wrapped in his arms each day.
But there was no sense in reflecting on that. What was done was done. She was staying and he couldn’t change her mind. More so, he was beginning to believe keeping her from Orofine was a good idea. He and Raikin had spent the entire day preparing for dozens of scenarios, and there was not asingle option that didn’t put Avery at risk. Sending her back to Bayberry would have been ideal, but he knew Avery would refuse to leave Morgan behind.
“Enough about me. Haven’t you cleaned up nicely? Now, let’s see that sparkly crown,” Avery said with a nod.
Savine drew his essence forward and in a pop of pain, the crown reappeared on his head.
