I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of my name, Mase appearing in my office a couple of moments later. “Hey. What’re you doing here? And how did you get in?”
“Oh, Kari let me in.”
“I thought you were off through the gateway with Axel and Dathal.” Even saying his name sent a little shiver up my spine.
I shook it off.
Mase slumped into the seat opposite my desk. “It got put back till Monday.”
“I can’t tell if you’re relieved by that or disappointed.”
Mase grinned. “A mixture of both, I think.”
“Understandable.”
“Is it?” He ran his hands through his black hair, pulling it off his face. His fae heritage wasn’t always noticeable, but in that moment, with his high cheekbones on display and his blue eyes tinged with violet in the dim light of my office, he had an air ofotherabout him. Which drew my mind back to Dathal.
Arse.
With a little more effort than I wanted, I forced myself to focus on Mase, who obviously had something on his mind. “Yes,” I said, sitting forward to rest my hands on the desk. “I imagine you’re looking forward to seeing your mum, but the prospect of going back to the Fae Realm after so long has to be daunting.”
“It is. More than I thought it’d be.” He sighed. “I feel guilty for being relieved that it’s been postponed.”
“You shouldn’t be. Your mum would understand. She knows better than most how foreboding the Fae Realm can be.”
“I know.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Rys says I have nothing to worry about. And I know he’s right. But it’s been a long time since I set foot there.”
I bit my lip, the question on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t want to seem insensitive.
He rolled his eyes, reading me easily. “Whatever it is, just ask.”
“What’s it like over there?” I tried not to sound too excited but probably failed. “Sorry for being an insensitive dick, but it’s theFae Realm.” I’d never had a reason to be invited through the gateway and I doubted I ever would be. That alone hyped up my curiosity.
Mase laughed and shook his head. “It’s fine. I’d be exactly the same. And I hate to break it to you, but it’s amazing. I don’t have the words to do it justice, because I don’t think we have much to compare it to. Which is part of why I’m so nervous about going back. I don’t fit in there. I inherited some of my mother’s features, and I know in the right light I can pass as fae, but when surrounded by them, the differences between us are obvious.”
“Will that matter?” I asked, frowning. “I thought Lady Sarhin more or less told you they expected you to visit?”
“She did. It’s just…” He held out his hands. “I don’t know. I’m just nervous about how I’ll be treated. I don’t even speak their fucking language. Well, not as fluent as I should.” He muttered the last bit.
I didn’t often see Mase’s vulnerable side. As a member of the Silver Arrows hunter group, he’d had to bury it deep in order to survive. He was one of the strongest people I knew, so to see him like this told me it was serious. “Look,” I said, waiting until he met my gaze. “You put up with Tombs and his cronies for all those years. Meeting a few fae should be a walk in the park.”
He huffed out a laugh.
Mission accomplished.
“You’re right. Sorry.”
“No apologies necessary. If you can’t bitch to your best mate, then I’m not doing it right.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “And can you really speak fae? I never knew that.”
He put his finger to his lips. “I shouldn’t have let that slip,” he whispered. “Speaking fae beyond the gateway is forbidden, but my mum taught me some anyway.”
I was just about to ask him to say something in fae when there was a knock on my door.
Both Mase and I looked up as Axel popped his head around the door.
“Oh, hey, Gabriel. Wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Axel glanced between us. “Am I interrupting?”
“No, we were just catching up. But I’m pretty sure I left instructions that I didn’t want to be disturbed this afternoon, and yet first, I have Mase waltzing in, and now you. I see my authority carries no weight around here.”
