Bruce shrugged. “You ran faster? She’s a girl? How the fuck should I know?”
Laddin frowned, looking between the lines. “Did they run faster? Or did you run interference to protect them?” Everything he’d seen of Bruce told him that the guy protected people, even at the cost of his freedom. That had been the forfeit he’d agreed to with the Grand Cheesy, if things hadn’t worked out. Bruce had offered himself up as a slave.
“No,” said Josh as he continued to pace. “This is all bullshit. You hated me when we were kids. Youtorturedme.”
“Yeah,” Bruce said, his voice thick. “I did. I fucking loved hurting you. Because in my head, you were the reason I’d had my balls chopped. I blamed you because I was a stupid kid and because Dad cheered every time I knocked you down.” He straightened up in the chair, leaning toward his brother. “But I’m not that dumb kid anymore, and I’ve been trying to make it up to you. For years. But you wouldn’t return my phone calls and never came home so I could talk to you face-to-face.”
Josh rounded on his brother. “Why would I? Why would I believe a word you say?”
Bruce didn’t have an answer for that. Neither did anyone else. So the silence hung dark and heavy in the kitchen while all Laddin could hear was the rasp of Josh’s breath and the hard beating of his own heart.
“He just saved our lives,” Laddin inserted into the silence. Why didn’t anyone remember that? Why wouldn’t anyonelistento him?
“And he ate a fairy apple,” Nero said softly. Then he reversed a kitchen chair and straddled it. It was a casual pose, but no less intimidating as he faced Bruce. “We need to know everything. From the beginning. What did Bitt—you know who—offer, and why did you take it?”
Bruce nodded, but his gaze was on Josh. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll tell you everything.”
And he did, starting with a salad fairy offering him a cherry, which he refused until Bitterroot threatened Josh. Then he explained the cheese fairies, the regular fairies, and the fire, all the way up through this morning when they’d all been there. And he explained that the apple would give himmore, though he had very little idea what that meant.
By the third time through, Laddin had had enough. “He saved our lives, Nero. All of us. Say thank you and be done with it.”
Nero rubbed his hand over his face. “But what is he leaving out? What isn’t he telling us that will come back and bite us in the ass?” Then, before Laddin could argue, Nero held up his hand. “I’m not saying he’s hiding anything on purpose. But every detail counts with the fae.”
“There isn’t anything more,” Bruce said wearily. “I’ve told you everything.”
“Not by half,” Josh said from his place next to the kitchen island. “You didn’t tell us why you ate the cherry in the first place.”
“I did tell you,” Bruce said, irritation finally leaking through his tone. “He said he wants to enslave you. I was trying to stop that.”
“And suddenly you’re acting like a big brother? Now, when I don’t need you at all?”
Laddin saw the impact those words had as they hit Bruce. He didn’t know if anyone else saw the guy flinch or notice that his gaze dropped to the floor, but Laddin sure as hell saw the way the man’s hands tightened into fists and then slowly, carefully released. So Laddin said what Bruce wouldn’t.
“He’s still trying to do it, though. Because you’re his brother and because he protects people. He’s a fireman and a paramedic. And if he can’t help his little brother, then who the hell is he?”
“I don’t know,” Josh answered, his voice bleak. “I don’t know who he is at all.” And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away.
All Laddin could do was shake his head and murmur what everyone was thinking. “God, what some people do to their kids.”
Nero grunted an agreement.
Then a female voice spoke, the tone light and airy.
“The alpha human is often cruel.” Lady Kinstead floated into the kitchen and poured herself some coffee. As was typical for her, her clothes were a bit messy—there were even a couple of leaves in her hair—but she looked completely, stunningly beautiful. In fact, she was the embodiment of what Laddin thought a fairy queen would look like. Except according to reports, she was completely human and more than two hundred years old.
Nero cleared his throat. “Lady Kinstead, good morning. How is Wulfric?”
She smiled warmly at him. “Dying. As are we all.” Then she turned her ethereal smile to Bruce. “You got your magic!” she said happily. “Where is the demon? We must kill him, you know.”
Bruce cleared his throat awkwardly. It was nice to see that he was as affected as everyone else by the woman’s aura of vague mystical authority. She was bafflingly mysterious even when she appeared normal. After all, she was only sipping coffee.
“Um, yes,” Bruce said. “I know. But I haven’t found the demon yet.”
“Hmmm,” she said, putting her cup down. “Well, do it before Thursday. It’ll be too late to fix things after that.” Then she waved goodbye before wandering out the back door without shoes or a coat.
Everyone watched her until the door shut. Then they turned their eyes to Bruce, who’d folded his arms across his chest and was glaring.
“No pressure,” he quipped.
