Page 8 of The Other Side of the Mirror

Something akin to indignation crept up my chest. “Don’t call me that.”

He smirked as he opened one drawer, then another, throwing a few shirts and leggings onto my bed before halting at my underwear drawer, those dual-colored eyes churning faster.

“I have to hand it to the mortal realm,” he drawled. “Whenever I think undergarments can’t get tinier…”

Squaring my shoulders, I marched over to Bash, glaring into his twinkling eyes.

“Get away from my things.”

“No need to be rude.” He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it as he stepped back, and flashed me a lopsided grin.

I couldn’t shake the strange feeling that I had seen his face somewhere before. Without turning my back on him, I grabbed a few of the laciest options, throwing them into the bag just to spite him.

Bash’s smirk faltered slightly.

My eyes narrowed. “I don’t need your help with my clothing choices. So how about you make yourself useful and back the hell off?”

“Fair enough, hellion.”

Bash raised both hands, still smirking, and backed toward the door. He hovered in the doorway as if not quite trusting my acquiescence, but as I continued yanking drawers open harder than necessary, he turned away.

“Don’t take too long,” he called over his shoulder.

“Yes, sir,” I said, putting as much derision in the word as I could muster as I let off a sloppy salute. I smiled serenely when I saw the resulting flare of his eyes. But he didn’t respond to my taunting other than a squaring of his shoulders.

“Do I at least have time to clean up?” I looked down at the mud on me, now hardened into a tar-like crust. “I need to shower off my…”

My voice faltered as I pictured Clay’s face on that mud creature.

“Ex?” Bash supplied helpfully. A full, genuine smile curved his lips, the impact devastating. There was no helping the tingle that fluttered down my spine.

I gave him my most withering glare, determined to be unaffected by him.

“I know, I know. I’ll be quick,” I said, my voice cloyingly saccharine. And slammed the bathroom door behind me.

* * *

Belatedly, I considered escaping through my bathroom window, but I needed answers from the insufferable fae pacing in my living room. After a quick shower, I finished packing as many leggings as I could fit, a few long-sleeved shirts, a warm jacket, and an extra pair of hiking boots stuffed with socks, before grabbing my toothbrush and a few toiletries. Then I put on a pair of black leggings paired with a dark green twist-front sweater, warm woolen socks, and my favorite pair of sneakers.

I braided my damp hair down my back, little wisps already sticking out and finding a way into my face as the wave of my hair put up a fight as it dried. Adding a belt around my hips to attach my dagger to, I paced back and forth, too restless to stay still as my mind whirled sickeningly.

Then I picked up my phone and sent a quick text to Quinn.

Call me when you see this. I’m okay, but something’s up. Don’t go to my apartment.

I had a feeling she was already sleeping off the pumpkin beer when I didn’t get an immediate response before I shoved my phone into my pocket.

Bash was leaning against the doorway of my bedroom when I opened it. I couldn’t help but follow the long line of his body up to his face. His legs were crossed with a lazy grace that didn’t fool me into forgetting his strength and speed when he fought that golem. But he was tense behind the casual charade. His eyes kept darting to the front door as if he expected us to be under attack at any minute.

“Ready?”

I knew it was a mistake to go with him. But I wanted answers more.

“Let me make one thing very clear.” I stepped forward, raising my chin so we were face-to-face. “I don’t particularly care if you think this prince is my faerie soulmate. Or that you think that us working together is the only thing that will stop some magical curse. I just want to know the truth. About all of that, yes, but mostly about my parents. I need to know who they really were. And going with you might be my only chance to get some real answers.”

“Then I’ll help you find them,” Bash swore with a swift nod, no hint of teasing in his tone. He turned on his heel, leaving me to follow him toward the front door. “I know you don’t know much about their history, but do you have any clue about their magic? It might help narrow things down.”

“What do you mean, ‘their magic’?” I cut through the living room to the kitchen to grab my water bottle. A knot formed in my gut as I slid it into a side pocket of my backpack. “They didn’t have magic.Idon’t have magic.”

---