“Ah, you want a drawer? I’ll clear out some space in my dresser and closet.”
Raya does a double take, and I catch her eyes blinking rapidly.
“No? A key? I’m happy to give you the spare for my place. In fact,” my brows furrow, “I should have done that already.”
“No!” Raya laughs now, clearly amused by my thoughtlessness. “I mean, yes to both of those, but that’s not what I was going to say.”
“Alright then, hit me with it, sunshine.”
“Well, I know Reverie gets lonely. So, I guess I was kind of hoping I could bring her with me sometimes?”
She has her hands clasped to her chest like she’s a child asking for a unicorn or something, and again, I can’t believe I hadn’t already thought of that and offered.
“Of course, Raya. Of course you can bring her over, whenever you or she wants. Reverie is always welcome.”
She slumps into the seat, her beautiful smile peeking out again.
“Oh my gosh, she’s going to lose it when I tell her.”
Her smile is beaming now, and my chest feels like it might burst. I want to bathe in the warmth of that smile every moment of every day.
“What can I get for her? What does she eat, drink? What about, like, sleeping arrangements or… I don’t know. I have no idea what she might want or need.”
Raya places her hand on my thigh and my muscle flexes at her touch. She circles her fingers up and down a couple times, clearly meant to be a soothing gesture that she doesn’t realize is doing much more to make my jeans feel tight than helping me relax.
“I’ll bring some stuff for her, don’t worry. We have special cups and plates and such, mostly cute little tea sets. She’ll bring clothes, and as far as sleeping, she likes to make her own little nest type thing. She has one in my room and one in the living area, so I’ll bring one of them over to your place. I think she’ll be happy with that.”
I quirk an eyebrow as my eyes continue to scan the road and I flick on my blinker, trying to picture this nest she’s talking about.
“She sleeps in the plants, so you probably haven’t seen it. She likes being surrounded by them, I think it’s calming? Not sure. We’ve made a lot of guesses and best we can figure, since she’s basically a magical creature sprung into being byMother Nature herself, she probably finds comfort in being so close to whatever nature we can safely provide her.”
“Huh. Makes sense, I guess.”
I make a mental note to stop at the garden center on my way back home as I pull up to her building.
“Don’t get out, Reverie won’t let you leave if you come up with me.”
“Doesn’t sound like a problem to me.” I grin, and she wrinkles her nose at me playfully.
“Maybe not for you, but I have stuff I need to do!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll pick you up in the morning for brunch at your parents?”
“Yes, please.” Raya pecks far too quick of a kiss on my lips, and then hops out of the car before I can snatch her back for more, throwing a smirk at me over her shoulder as she saunters away.
39
SHIFTER FREAK
RAYA
Reverieand I were long overdue for some good old couch snuggling, complete with loads of soft blankets and fluffy pillows, hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, and I even managed to rope Zuri into it for a bit last night too. I think it did all of us a world of good, and my heart is happy as I stretch out my arms and shoulders, then climb out of bed.
This morning dawns bright but cold, and I shiver as I crank up the heat in the shower. I try not to linger too long, even though the steaming water feels divine. I need to help Reverie pack a few things to take to Asher’s place.
I crack a grin when I remember how excited she was last night when I invited her to come with us today. I swear I’ve never seen so much glitter as it clouded the air, her wings beating so hard and fast I worried they might snap. I wish we knew more about her history, her people, and my heart pangs with sympathy and loss. We’ve tried to do all we can without putting her in danger, but it never feels like enough.
At least I can give her this. A new space, a little more freedom and adventure.
