Home. I already couldn’t wait to get back after I finally got my answers.
But the empty landscape told me I wouldn’t find my mother in the sad, tiny, boarded-up house I used to live in near the community horse pasture.
Everyone was likely still in the weekday morning service.
“Do you want to go to the church or wait at the house for your mother?” Declan asked, reading my thoughts.
“Church,” I answered, leading the way. I was ready to get this over with.
But when we arrived, I stopped us walking before we made it to the door. “Do you mind waiting over there?” I pointed at a tree, half-hidden behind the church’s side corner. “Even me, showing up out of the blue in casual clothes, will be less jarring than a stranger in a suit.”
Declan absolutely minded. Male bears weren’t huge fans of standing outside without full visuals on their pregnant mates. But the High King kept those thoughts unspoken and went with a clenched jaw to wait by the tree I’d pointed to.
“I’ll be right back out,” I promised.
He didn’t reply. Just watched me intently as I turned and headed toward the steps of the humble little church that used to be the center of my universe.
Not anymore.
As I walked up, it struck me: I’d learned more in a few months in the Secret Kingdom than I had in a lifetime in St. Ailbe.
“Sadie? Is that you?”
The scent of sweat and construction materials hit my nose, and I looked up to find Reuben coming out the church’s front door, though I could still hear that familiar monotone singing echoing inside.
He must’ve been assigned usher duty, which included propping open the door before the end of service. It was surreal, remembering how my whole life used to revolve around assignments like that.
Reuben didn’t seem particularly committed to his post.
He jogged down the steps toward me without so much as glancing at the sanded wood prop he was supposed to be using to hold the door open.
“What are you doing here?” His entire face lit up. “I never thought I’d see you again. And goodness, you smell amazing! Did you finally see a doctor about your odd scent?”
“She got several injections to alter it,” another voice answered before I could.
Declan.
His rhubarb scent wafted through the air just before he looped an arm around my waist, stepping in like a High King of yore to look down his nose at Reuben.
“Oh, hallo, I’m—I’m Reuben Yoderwulf.” He straightened up as much as he could, pushing his shoulders back. “Sadie’s probably told you about me.”
My eyes flared slightly. Was he really going there?
Yes. Yes, he was.
When Declan stared down at him blankly, Reuben clarified, “We weretogethera few times.”
Declan just squinted at him. For so long Reuben began to visibly squirm under his hard stare.
“I’m sorry if she didn’t tell you,” Reuben added quickly. “Or if she let you think she was pure before you got her.”
Another long,longbeat of silence.
Then Declan turned to me and asked, completely deadpan, “Is this the boy with the small penis who was so bad at sex you ran away from St. Ailbe just to findanyoneelse?”
Reuben’s gotcha expression turned tomato red.
“It is,” I confirmed, turning fully to Declan as well. “But the truth is…”
