What are they doing here? I stop Wren from going any further until I can talk to my mother and sister.
“Stay right here,” I tell Wren before I trot over to my family.
“I wasn’t expecting you today.” This week or this month.
My sister Leslie glares at me like she always does when she thinks I say something ridiculous. “We heard there was a Fae banished from the Winter Court in Hex. We came to make sure that you were safe.”
I chuckle. “Safe? What do you mean to make sure I was safe?”
Leslie’s mouth opens and closes before she shakes her head. “They can be dangerous. It takes a lot for the Winter Court to banish someone. They banishedtwoFae within the span of two weeks.” She holds up two fingers as if I don’t know the number.
“Wren’s been here for a month, and you’re just now showing up? It doesn’t make sense.”
Mother holds up her hand. “We just now heard the news. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have shown until our usual time.”
“I wasn’t aware news was so slow in the Spring Court.” It used to be the premier Fae court for gossip. At least that’s what it felt like.
Leslie sighs out. “Unfortunately, news from the other courts has been taking quite a while lately.”
“You don’t think that’s a problem?” I ask.
“This happens sometimes,” my sister says.
“I’m aware, but I hadn’t known it to take months for so-called important news to show up.”
“Well, apparently it does.” Leslie rolls her eyes.
“I’d be more concerned about that than Wren.”
Mother seems like she’s going to shift out of her skin. “So youknowthis banished Fae, or at least one of them?”
“I’ve known Wren for years.”
“He could be dangerous,” Leslie says.
“I doubt he’d hurt a fly.” I have to keep in a chuckle. Wren has a bit of a brat streak in him, but he’s not dangerous, I don’t think.
“Little brother, that’s what people say when they don’t know someone.”
I absolutely roll my eyes. “I’m trying to get to know him, but you’ve crashed my date.”
Mother looks horrified. “Crash your date? You’redatinga Fae? Not only a Fae, abanishedFae?”
I chuckle. “Why are you so horrified at the prospect of me dating a Fae?”
“Because they’re tricky!” Mother throws her hands in the air as if that drives home her point.
“I’ve never had a problem with any of the Fae in Hex. Wren is very sweet. Lark, his brother, is also very sweet. I don’t know what the problem is.”
“They’re probably tricking you.” Mother runs her hands through her blonde hair and shakes her head. “I taught you better than this.”
“Oh, yes. The Fae who can’t lie are tricking me.”
“How do you know so little?” My sister shakes her head as she paces. “They can’t lie in Fae lands. But they can lie in the human world. Or so we’ve been told.”
“Told by who? People that want to make you believe Wren is a bad guy? No, I won’t believe it.”
“Have him lie.” Mother meets my eyes with such intensity I have to look away.
