Page 30 of The Witch & the Grizzly

“Mm,” Eva replied thoughtfully. “And ours was near the seat of power.”

“Did Morgryn know about the potion you made?” He had the impression that the fae absolutely did but wanted to hear it from Eva.

“Yes…” Eva said. “And he gave me the belt that would keep it hidden from prying eyes.”

“Did he make you create it?”

“No, I was following another recipe, but it was a complicated one. I botched it slightly because he was talking to another fae in the room and I was paying a little more attention to them, and I created this instead of the potion.”

“Might a fae several centuries or even millennia old be aware of the possible side effects of some of the potions that are being crafted, do you think?”

“It’s possible. But he never told me to use it. He just… recommended I take some.”

“Something he said.” Nathan felt cold all of a sudden. “Did he think some vials might be broken during the hunt or that you might resort to using it in desperation?”

Eva’s eyes widened. “No way could he be blamed for something like that…”

They stared at each other. Morgryn most likely wouldn’t answer if confronted directly, not unless Eva brewed one of her truth potions and force-fed it to him. But the way it all tied up so neatly…”

“I think he did want me to botch it. He acted so calmly when I messed it up. They told me it was corrosive and recommended I take it just in case. He definitely put the idea in my head to use it as a potential weapon.”

“That sly bastard. I hate him even more now.”

What was done was done, however. Thankfully, both were here, both were safe, both potentially hoodwinked by an ancient Unseelie fae, and neither was willing to work with him again.

Epilogue – Eva

Three weeks later, Eva found herself in the tower with Nathan, Z’Hana, and Morgryn once more. Since they’d both returned to Dreadmor Academy, no one had bothered summoning Nathan, but they did ask for him to stay close by, so he simply made a holiday of it, spending many hours with Eva when she wasn’t in lessons or with her friends.

They continued doing that dating thing, and both rather liked it, though many of their dates ended up being on the heated side and finishing with a bang, so to speak.

She very much liked the way things were, but there was a growing awareness that he’d soon have to go back to his own home and career, and there’d be considerable periods before they’d be able to see each other again.

She was willing to do long distance, though it meant something else on the list of things she was trying. Only time would tell if things would work out.

Her gaze drifted to Nathan, and she remembered kissing him by the door last night, and a delicious shiver went through her bones. He’d pinned her to the wall,

“How good to see you all,” Morgryn said once Professor Umber joined them. “So, here’s the update on my end. We’ve managed to recall a large majority of the Unseelie that were still out on the field making their little deals. We haven’t gotten all of them, as some have decided they’d much rather go rogue than return to a boring life of normalcy in our realm. The damage they will inflict compared to before will be minimal, but we’ll be searching for them, as I’m sure your task force will as well,” he said, indicating Nathan.

Nathan nodded curtly, still not happy with the fae, nor was Eva. Both felt they’d been thoroughly hoodwinked by him – even though the result seemed to be acceptable to all.

“We’ve managed to clear away a couple of the patches on our side,” Professor Z’Hana said. “Everything’s going smoothly, but we still have a few areas being affected.”

“About that,” Morgryn said. “I believe some of them should resolve themselves once I detach this one from the tower. It seems that even with all my power, I was unable to prevent some of it from spreading. So, it will be imperative for me to be rid of it as soon as possible.”

Nathan and Eva exchanged rather meaningful glances.

Yep, Eva thought. He absolutely engineered it.

“I… see,” Z’Hana said, looking pissed off. “I seem to remember some assurances that this wouldn’t happen.”

“I was sure. But it seems things were even more unstable than I anticipated.” Morgryn let out a rather dramatic sigh. “We’re to re-sign the separation treaty, as this will appease the other fae realms. Then things should be much quieter on our end. That’s not to say you won’t find the occasional rogue fae that thinks it should do what it wants, but it should no longer be as damaging. Your precious academy and its surrounding region will be safe.”

Professor Umber seemed to stand straighter, eyes blazing. “I should hope so since if we find out there’s such interference with our side; it may end up being a little less pleasantly solved by politicking. Tensions can run quite high, as I’m sure you understand.”

“Oh, quite.” Morgryn smiled thinly. “Nathan, Eva, good work from you two. You were… adequate. Don’t forget as well that you have an invitation from Greer with your potion work. I would recommend you take her up on it, as you will be able to learn things you’ve never dreamed of. Also, I believe you will be quite safe in your studies with Greer.”

“I shall… think about it,” Eva replied dubiously. She didn’t like the idea of going back into the Unseelie Court’s realm nor associating with such fae. At the same time, though, perhaps having direct relations with fae magic might indeed allow her to create some interesting potions if they didn’t kill her first, of course.

---