“Fuck me.” He ran a hand through his hair, lips pursed, and I could tell he hated the idea of blood magic.
I didn’t blame him.
Axel and I grew up around all aspects of magic, but Gabriel seemed oblivious to it. Did he even have magic of his own? All fae had some sort of magical ability, some obviously stronger than others, but was that the case for those with only one fae parent?
Gabriel had been through the gateway before, but I wanted to see for myself how he reacted to the magic there. Did it affect him like it did us? Axel and I were both stronger at home, our magic easier to manipulate. Did Gabriel notice any difference?
“I want to talk to Rys about it before I decide anything,” Gabriel said with an air of finality that suggested he was done with this meeting.
Axel nodded. “Of course. Take the evening to think it over. You don’t have to decide until we get there.”
“Are we done, or is there anything else?”
“I think we’ve covered everything.”
Gabriel stood. “In that case, I’ll see you both here in the morning.”
We saw him out, then Axel followed me back into the kitchen. I took a seat at the breakfast bar, watching Axel make a start on dinner. “He’s not going to take part in the interview,” I said.
Axel hummed in agreement. “Keeping something from Rys would be hard for him. Their bond is still so new. Navigating it takes some getting used to. I don’t blame him for not wanting to add something like this to an already delicate balance.”
“Yes, I think you’re right.” I winced, then. “But the curiosity will be equally as hard, don’t you think?”
Axel chuckled. “Without a doubt.”
I felt for him. Neither option was ideal.
Axel and I would be under the same obligation not to tell anyone, but then, as fae, we were used to keeping secrets. And of course, we didn’t have a soulmate to consider.
Or anyone, for that matter.
My mind drifted to Nick, to the awed way he’d looked at me when my magic rekindled the fire inside him, and a tiny part of me wondered if that last part was still true.
* * *
Monday morning dawnedwith a clear blue sky, the dappled sun warm through the trees surrounding Axel’s cottage. I’d woken early, anticipation of the upcoming interview making sleep almost impossible.
Aside from housing the gateway to the Fae Realm, Axel’s back garden had an area paved with stone slabs, positioned to capture the morning sun, and I sat in one of the chairs, nursing a coffee, phone in hand.
I wanted to talk to Nick.
Not that I had anything in particular to say to him, certainly not what Axel wanted me to talk to him about. I just wanted to hear his voice. Nerves weren’t something I usually suffered from, but unease clung to me. Maybe it was the thought of uncovering something from Blake that we wouldn’t like. Although no one was saying it outright, we all knew that he’d had help coming and going through the gateway.
Either Axel had done it and had no memory or another fae was behind it.
Neither option was ideal, but I hoped with all my heart that it was option two. Axel had suffered enough without knowing he’d been used like that.
For whatever reason, instinct told me that talking to Nick, listening to the deep rumble of his voice, would help settle me.
And… I didn’t know how I felt about that.
I relied on my instincts, had never ignored that pull steering me in the right direction, but this time I hesitated.
“There you are.” Axel appeared in the doorway, mug in hand. He frowned when he glanced at the phone I was holding. “Everything all right?”
“I don’t know.” Only Axel got to see this side of me. I’d never hidden anything from him. I wasn’t going to now either. “I want to call Nick.”
“So call him.”
