“Yes, it is. I never meant to mislead you. I was magically bound and unable to speak about this.”
“You’re so beautiful,” he sobbed. “Way, way more gorgeous than Isher. But…but you don’t look like my Trace anymore. You look so much younger too.” He stuffed a fist into his mouth and scrubbed at his eyes. “Nnnnn.” His bewilderment gouged a hole in my heart.
“I’m still me, I promise,” I offered. I glanced at Edwin. “Eddie?”
He managed a watery grin. “It’s going to take some getting used to, not being the pretty one in the relationship anymore.” He wasn’t as chill as he was pretending — the way he’d shoved his trembling hands into his pockets gave him away — but I loved he was trying. “Can I kiss you?”
“Always. And you’re still pretty, you dickhead.”
His kiss was quick and light, merely a brush of lips, but he sat back and gave me a jerk of his head. “Thank fuck you taste the same, although your scent is different now.”
Vampires and their finely-honed senses, of course. “I suppose that is helpful.” I held out a cautious hand to James.“Baby, I’m not worthy of your tears. I’m still me. A plant-obsessed, somewhat sarcastic, tech-repelled vegetarian.”
He took my hand. Wiped his eyes again. Sniffed loudly. Shook his head. “You’re notpartFae, are you? You’re the real deal.” In a croak, he whispered, “You’re not human at all, are you?”
“That’s right, I’m not human. I’m Fae.”
“Bloody hell. I thought, when I saw your hair, then your face, but…” He sighed. “This is a lot to take in.”
I thumbed away the remaining teardrop from his cheek. “I’ve been imprisoned in human form for a century. It’s quite a big deal for me too. I’m so used to being Trace Dempsey, it’s going to be an adjustment to?—”
“Trace isn’t even your real name?” Edwin cut in. When I shook my head, he swore. “No, of course it’s not. What other surprises do you have up your sleeve? Christ, of all the times not to get the buzz from a cigarette or six, this is one time I really resent being a vampire.” He stood and paced a bit, scowling at the darkness surrounding us. “I’m going to make James a cuppa.” He legged it through the archway towards Bluebell. I repositioned my aching knees, then took a perch on the edge of a stone tub.
“Do you mind if we wait for his return before I explain any more?” James shook his head, his expression numb.
The throaty purr of a motorbike broke the silence. Moments later, Edwin reappeared with Baxter in tow. She took one look at me and her face split into a wide grin.
“Ahh, mate, I’m so fucking happy for you. Looks like it’s been rough on the old Faerie bod though, working out how to come back online, innit?” She plopped down on her haunches, leather trousers creaking as she eyed me up and down. “James, get that tea inside you. You know what they say about a nice strong cuppa being good for a shock.”
James dutifully brought the mug Edwin proffered him to his mouth. Then lowered it and said, “You knew about Trace?”
“Course I did, babes. He’s Council. He weren’t getting appointed without a full and thorough investigation into his background. Which is where it got interesting, right, Trace? Or should I call you Thèlo?”
I winced. “I hadn’t got that far.”
Edwin’s brows rose. “Say that name again.”
I swallowed. “Thèlo.” I spelled it out. It’s not entirely pronounceable in human language. Tay-loh is the nearest you can get.” TheThwas halfway between a T and a th but I wasn’t going to quibble however anyone said it. It sounded foreign to my own ears.
Edwin continued his interrogation. “What does it mean?”
James slipped his hand into mine and squeezed. He sipped his tea, his eyes darting to whoever was speaking. “It means ‘whisper of’, ‘trace of’.” My laugh was short and bitter. “I was the second born of twins; frail, underweight, sickly. An embarrassment. In times gone by, I might even have been swapped with a robust human baby, but my father was soft-hearted and insisted on keeping me. My mother named me as a joke.”
“And then what?”
“When we grew up, my brother died in a duel. I was already unbearably pampered and spoilt, but my father turned all his attention on me to the exclusion of all else. My mother was understandably heartbroken; she’d lost one of her children and went into a decline.” I withdrew my hand from the comfort of James’ embrace and hugged myself.
“I was a shallow, vain piece of shit. Loosely connected to royalty, pretty, wealthy, plied with compliments, and feared for both my familial connections and my savage tongue. Pretty much my only redeeming quality at that point was my love ofgardening and my ability to coax life into the most terminally sick of plants. I don’t mean with Fae magic,” I added quickly. “Our world is very different from your Earth and it exists entirely through the magic at its core. I mean here, on this side of the Glimmer. I told you I was spoilt. I wanted to travel. To see lands I’d heard about in folk tales. To explore. So, Father indulged me yet again. And I fell in love. Not with the people, but the flora. So many varieties I’d not even been able to imagine. The seasons, so similar to ours and yet so different. Farmers and droughts and monsoons and more.”
“What happened, to get your Faerie self enchanted? You lost all your magic, right?” James sidled closer, his drink abandoned.
I shook my head. “I can’t, not right now.”
“Let’s give him a bit of space.” Baxter threw me what was left of my shirt. “Cover up, you bloody nutter. I know you’re tough, but it ain’t that warm.”
“You mean you don’t like ogling what you don’t get to play with,” Edwin muttered. He cast a glance at my patch of personal flower garden. “Let’s get the chairs out and find some blankets. James might catch a chill and it’s obvious this could take some time.”
James was back in his hoodie, but he did look cold. Instead of bundling him up, I swallowed the nerves threatening to choke me and asked him to give me a moment. I headed round the side of the carriage and out of sight. The longer I put this off, the worse I’d worry about it not working. With a knot in my guts the size of a football, I concentrated until my breathing was steady, then gingerly called on my magic to produce a fireball. It worked as instantly and as effortlessly as if I hadn’t spent a hundred years with my skills locked inside a restrictive human shell.Thank you, Goddess.I stuck it in a metal tray and set it down on the turf, winking at James whose eyes popped as I carried it back around the corner, then expanded it until it was giving off heat.
