Page 80 of How To Tame A Trickster Fae

The silver lining, however, is that it seems to shock Piper out of her sobbing, and she sits up, staring at Fenn, who keeps screaming.

And screaming.

“Thank you, Fenn, that will be enough,” I tell him crisply.

He snaps his mouth shut and circles around the table, nosing his way into Piper’s lap.

“I left Velvet at home in her bed,” she says. “I couldn’t bear to wake her.” Her trembling hands stroke Fenn’s soft fur, and I push her mug of steaming tea closer.

“Honey,” I say vaguely, then jump up and grab the speckled pot from Willow and drop the dipper in. Golden honey streams into her steaming mug and she wraps her hands around it as I dunk the dipper back in the pot.

“Thank you.” Another sniff. “There’s pastries in the basket?—”

“I thought you’d never offer,” I say, ravenous as I flip over the pink-checked cloth and pull out a cheese Danish. “My favorite.”

“It has a calming charm?—”

I don’t hear whatever else she’s going to tell me because that’s all I need to hear. I shove one in her mouth, and her brown eyes go wide as she sputters, then chews.

My eyes narrow as I watch her swallow, her throat bobbing, and the effect is nearly as immediate as Fenn’s horrible howl.

“Oh,” she says on a sigh, slumping back in the chair. “That’s better. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Probably because you were really upset,” I tell her. I grab a cheese Danish for myself, eyeing it before taking a bite. “The cookie really did a number on me, by the way.”

“I told you,” she says, wiping her nose with a floral embroidered napkin that the brownie must have left last night. “You had to have already been very attracted to the person for it to have that effect.” A sly smile curves her lips.

I roll my eyes but smile back at her. “You got me there.” On impulse, I reach across the table and squeeze her hand. “Tell me what’s wrong, Piper. Help me understand. You’re my friend. My best friend. I don’t know how to help you unless you let me.” The admission makes me feel vulnerable, but I know it’s the right thing to say.

Until her eyes fill up with fresh tears, and I feel mine do the same.

“I thought you said these were charmed for calm,” I choke out through a teary laugh.

“They are, but now I’m weepy because that was sweet.”

I scoff but give her hand one last squeeze before topping off her mug of tea.

“Alright.” She rolls her neck, then puts her shoulders back and looks me square in the eye. “The Duchess of Lantia, you know, the new one? No one’s really met her before, right? She took up the title, and the whole thing was shrouded in mystery.” She hiccups, then crams another bite of Danish into her mouth while I sip my tea, waiting. “She sent a letter, I saw it last night, and she said she’s coming to Wild Oak Woods for her first tour of the Lantian countryside.” Her words are tumbling out of her, frantic to get out.

“Take a bite,” I command, pointing at the Danish in her hand.

She does as I say, her cheeks full as a late-summer chipmunk’s. “So—” A spray of crumbs leaves her mouth, and I wonder if maybe her charms are too strong, because that sort of lack of manners is not like Piper at all.

“Ahem.” She blots her mouth again. “We’re in between town leaders. Apparently, Hash left last night, so the letter came to me after it couldn’t be delivered to him because I’ve lived here the next longest. No Hash Beauchamp, just me, and who decided I was the one to be in charge of this? And I was up all night baking, and stressed, and planning.” The last syllable wobbles, her lower lip shaky. “And now it’s up,” sniff, “to me,” sniff, “to make it perfect.”

“Oh,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at her. “It’s all on you, huh?”

“Exactly,” she agrees, pouting.

“So what are the rest of your coven? What are the rest of your friends, the rest of all the amazing people and witches and creatures here? Chopped liver?” I stare pointedly at my arm. “That doesn’t look like chopped liver to me. That looks like a hand attached to an arm that’s perfectly capable and willing to help.”

“You’ll help?”

I make a deeply offended noise, my fingers clutching at my collarbone. “Why do you say that all surprised? Of course I will help. And I guarantee most of Wild Oak Woods will, too. This isn’t all on your shoulders, Piper.”

A crash sounds from downstairs, and I stand up so fast my chair falls backwards.

“Piper?” a deep voice yells, and Piper’s hand flutters over her mouth in response.

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