Page 91 of Fire of the Fox

Taking this into consideration, I nodded. After learning all I had and seeing more of who Blake was, I decided to give him a second chance. Mistakes were unavoidable, and his were inspired by his trauma and desperate need to find a place to belong again. I could understand how that need blinded him for a time, but he could see that now. This made my decision to let the troubled and lonely Fae in easier.

“Good. I’m glad you’re seeing the error of your ways. In that case, my name is Bria.”

“Bria. Well, it was nice to meet you, Bria.”

“It was nice to meet you too, Blake. The real you, that is.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

“WELCOME!”

The bell chimed as the bookstore door swung shut behind me. Smiling at Raven, I waved. “Hey! I was stopping in to pick up those books you ordered for me a few weeks ago.”

After leaving the mall, I’d decided to stop by the bookstore to pick up the books I had ordered. This was my last week to really study up on Fae before the big trip, so I wanted some reading material to go through. I’d come back alone after mine and Dallas’ initial visit to ask Raven to order a specific title. Avana had informed me of a book that was written by an Owl Fae regarding their world. To most, it seemed like a book full of fiction and fairy tales, but Avana assured me it was actually non-fiction. I was hopeful it would give me some more insight into this world.

Raven’s face lit up, and she clapped her hands. “Yes. I have them right here. I ordered three different titles, including the one you asked for. They had the best ratings from what I could find, and they contain a plethora of stories and legends.”

I paid for my new books, thanked Raven for her help, and continued on my errands. By the time I turned into Rune’s driveway, I’d successfully gotten three more dresses for the trip and a gift bag for his presents.

My mind was still mulling over what had happened with Blake as I made my way to the front door. It was a lot to process. I mean, before today, I thought he was some scumbag, but now I saw something deeper than what was on the surface.

When he let Allen try to rob me, all I saw in Blake was a monster. When he told me his story and hugged me back there, he was so different. It didn’t excuse his actions. It didn’t make him a good person or warrant him forgiveness, but it did give me something to think about.

Shaking my head, I pushed thoughts of him from my mind. It didn’t matter what he was like now. I wouldn’t give him the relationship he wanted. I still only cared for Rune, and I honestly didn’t see that changing. The closer I got to his front door, the more excited I got because I knew he was on the other side, waiting for me.

As soon as I stepped up to the door, realization struck me hard. I was healed. There wasn’t a single injury marring my body now, which was going to pose a major question for everyone when I walked into this house. Dread filled my stomach with nerves as I took a deep breath, preparing for the painful sting of the band aid I was about to rip off.

I knocked on the door, and it wasn’t long before it opened. Akira greeted me with a bright smile, but then the look quickly vanished. His face paled, and his dark eyes clouded with fear.

I plastered on a reassuring grin. “Hey. I can explain.”

His mouth opened slightly, and he looked at me from head to toe. When his eyes found mine again, he stepped to the side and said in a small voice, “Come on in.”

I bit my lip and shuffled inside.

He held his hand out and nodded at my bags. “I can take those for you.”

Fighting to stay calm to avoid alarming everyone, I let him take my suitcase and duffle bag. I followed closely behind him into the house. When we made it into the living room, I found Marlow and Bassel sitting on opposite ends of the couch. Rune sat in the high-backed chair, watching the show playing on TV.

Akira backed away from me, his eyes never leaving mine. He cleared his throat, which made Bassel and Marlow look in my direction. As soon as they saw me, their eyes went wide, and their calm demeanor melted away as their mouths fell open.

Bassel shot up off of the couch and stuttered, “R-Rune.”

Rune looked at Bassel and followed his line of sight to me. I met his eyes, watching them go from surprised to empty voids. He stood up and faced me, his eyes roaming every inch of my body. All of them were looking at me with wary, searching gazes, which I had expected.

Rune narrowed his eyes, and his voice came out with an edge to it. “Looks like someone heals fast.”

The blood drained from my face. I knew this was going to be a shock for them. No human could go from looking the way I had earlier to suddenly all shiny and new. To them, it looked like I was Fae, and I had to quickly put those suspicions to rest.

Groaning, I gave each of them a meaningful look. “It’s not what you guys think. I’m not Water Fae.”

“Then how did you heal like that, sweetie?” Akira asked gently. “It seems pretty hard to believe you aren’t Water Fae when this morning you were completely beat up.”

“I know. But I’m not Water Fae.”

My mind went back to earlier with Blake, and I fought for a good way to explain this. I doubted it was going to go smoothly when I broke the news that a Water Fae healed me—and not just any Water Fae, either.

I looked back up at them, but I wouldn’t meet Rune’s eyes. I was too afraid of what I might see in them. “Can you guys heal other people besides yourselves, or is that something only Water Fae can do?”

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