A pained expression washed over his face. “Always,” he muttered, and then slipped his hand from mine, leaving the room.
Always.
Always.
Always.
That one word looped on repeat for the rest of the day, and I found myself wondering if Brayden thought that I might be his Lena.
FOURTEEN
The next few weeks were a struggle. I couldn’t work my usual schedule or go to class at first, much to Brayden’s delight. I told my mom that I had been hiking and fell on some sharp rebar sticking up out of the ground. That was Brayden’s story to the hospital. She’d flipped out at first and then I’d dropped the bomb about moving out with Leah and Maddy and it completely distracted her from the details of my accident. She was sad, but also happy to see me independent and flying the nest. I vowed to visit her three times a week and text daily. She’d already come over yesterday to see Brayden’s house under the guise that it was only Maddy, Leah, and my house. She liked the cabin, although she did comment on its remoteness. I didn’t have a car but Leah and Maddy let me borrow theirs when needed.
Three days now before Brayden’s big fight with Silas, the entire pack was on high alert.
“This is about the time last year that Silas tried to rip Brayden’s leg off,” Maddy growled, pacing the kitchen.
Today, Brayden and I would go to Briar Woods and look for Artemis. Hopefully, we found him the first try, because we had roughly seventy-two hours to make it back here in time for the fight. I’d already eaten up all of my vacation time from the bar. Brayden kept trying to give me money but I brushed off the offers. It just felt weird. I would make my own way, but I might take him up on the proposition to falsify some veterinary credentials and train me.
If I was going to live forever, I needed to get used to it. School was full of some boring busywork classes anyway. If I cut things down to just working the bar four nights a week for work and training with Brayden at a real-life animal hospital, I could probably become a vet in record time. The prospect was beyond exciting for me.
But then reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I mightnotlive forever, not if I had that birthday killing curse attached to me.
“Ready.” Brayden entered the room. He was freshly showered and shaven, just back from a twenty-four-hour shift at the hospital. My gaze raked over him and then quickly flicked to see Leah doing the same.
Ugh. I inwardly groaned at the fact that my bestie and I were low-key falling for the same guy.
“Ready,” I said, and grabbed my backpack.
Maddy looked at her brother with concern. “Are you sure you guys should be going to the Briar Woods alone?”
Brayden had told Leah and I that the Briar Woods was at the border of Moon Valley, in the Ether Realm, and we’d need to take a portal there similar to the one that I’d taken to see the Fae Lords. Brayden was banned from going to the Ether Realm, other than once a year for his fight, so if he was caught this would be beyond bad.
“You have to keep up appearances here, we know Silas is watching,” Brayden said, and Maddy nodded.
Leah pulled me into a hug. Even though things were slightly weird between us with the whole Brayden love-triangle thing, I loved her and she’d been a great friend and sister these past few weeks helping me heal from my surgery. Whatever happened with Brayden, I was confident we could move past it.
“Love you. Be safe,” she told me, and then looked at Brayden. “Both of you.”
Be safe both of us, or she loved both of us? I hated my overthinking mind sometimes.
I peered over at Brayden and he inclined his head to the front door. Without another word, I followed him outside and into his truck. I was off to find a fae named Artemis in a place called the Briar Woods. Totally normal everyday occurrence.
* * *
Brayden droveus into town to the Organic Juicery, my favorite restaurant and juice bar.
“Ohh, are we getting food before we go, because that’s an awesome idea.” Their veggie scramble was delish.
Brayden just chuckled and shook his head.
Pulling the truck into a parallel spot right out front, he got out and grabbed both of our bags.
When I stepped up to him, he handed me my pack and I slipped it on my back. He did the same and then we walked into the restaurant and right up to the cashier.
“Hmm, for someone not getting food you sure look like you’re ordering,” I jived.
He just gave me a conspiratorial smirk.
