Page 40 of Crown of the Fae King

Last but not least, I pulled out the bottom drawer of the dresser and turned it over on the bed. Hank was where he was supposed to be, strapped to the wood with some masking tape I'd found in the kitchen.

A sharp rap on the door. "Lennon? It's Kitch."

Ah, sohewas the volunteer.

"Go away."

"Nay, lass. Let me in. I must see ye're all right."

"I'm fine."

"Then I'll just sit out here, shall I? On the cold floor…and wait for ye to come out. No pressure. I'm sure I'll be fine."

The whine in his voice would have made me laugh under ordinary circumstances. But now he was the man standing between me and the front door. If I let him in, though, he wouldn’t be…

I opened the door, stepped back, and pointed to the chair on the far side of the bed. "Sit there. Don't speak."

"Oh. I suppose ye were tellin' the truth. Ye're all right, then." He moved around the bed, noticed the open bag, the drawer, and the scrap of tape, but bit his tongue.

"No talking."

He mimed zipping his lips.

To avoid his scrutiny, I went into the bathroom and searched one last time for anything personal. The open-heart ring sat on the shelf over the sink, and I was grateful for Kitch's interference, or I might not have taken that last look.

I went back into the bedroom and put the drawer back where it belonged. I pointed to the balcony. “Will you see if I left a ring on the little table?”

He jumped up, happy to help. As soon as he was outside, I grabbed the bag off the bed, my new coat from the chair, and I ran. I don’t know if my feet actually touched the stairs. The front door was locked, but all the bolts turned easily, only eating up a second or two. No one outside to stop me.

I hit the big brass button that started the front gates opening, ran out through the growing gap, then turned to the right. At the corner, I turned again, to stay out of sight. I finally slowed after the next block. A little drizzle of rain helped cool me, but my heart still raced. Someone would come looking for me. Wickham believed he needed me, and probably not just to explain about the Prime Meridian.

Or was I wrong?

Maybe I’d been enough help already. Maybe he was right, and Hank had nothing at all to do with destroying his enemy. Although, if he knew what Hank was capable of, he’d see differently.

I’d been fooling myself. There was no getting rid of my curse, no trusting anyone else with it. I truly was stuck with it for the rest of my life. But at least, leaving Wickham’s team meant my life was no longer semi-dangerous. I had plenty of time to find someone I could pass it on to.

I turned down into an alleyway. Halfway to the next block, I found a little square playground with a bench perfect for catching my breath.

I was amazed by how fast I slipped back into poor mode—probably because I hadn’t really left it. First and foremost, I needed a place to spend the night. Then I’d need to find a way back to the States. Since I had never had a passport in my life, I couldn’t claim I’d lost mine. But I figured my best bet was to find an American embassy and put myself into their hands. If they decided to punish me for getting into the country without documentation, the worst they would do was put a roof over my head, feed me a couple times a day, and when they were satisfied, they’d send me home. Wouldn’t they?

I’d just have to find a clever and secure hiding place for Hank first…

The most directbus route back into the heart of Edinburgh dropped me at Waverly Station. Still had some tips left, so I wasn’t completely broke. The U.S. Consulate would be a seven-minute walk.

I split my attention between the map on my phone and expecting Kitchens or Wickham to come after me. But no one tried to prevent me from getting on the bus. No one chased after when the bus pulled away. Nothing dramatic at all.

Maybe Wickham didn’t care if I bailed. Or maybe he didn't realize I'd taken some good clothes with me.

It was winter. My pink coat had gone missing with the rest; I had no choice but to take the leather one Everly bought me at the shoe store in Italy. It smelled like heaven and guilt. I decided I didn't care. If they came for it, I could always hand it back.

I kept my eyes glued to the road so I wouldn't get sick. I hated busses, but this one was my salvation. Literally. If I'd stayed with the team, I might really lose my soul.

In a mere ten minutes, we’d arrived at Waverley. I got off the bus and crossed the street, leaving the bustling train station behind. I slipped back into Loner Mode as smoothly as I'd reverted to Poor Mode. And as I walked down the sidewalk, following my map, I was the same waitress I'd been a few days before...under the camouflage of a new haircut and better clothes.

No one in Hazelton would recognize me, but I did. Inside my shiny shell, I was still Lennon Todd, the girl my grandmother would be proud of. And that was all that mattered.

My overstuffed duffle was getting heavy, so I stopped for a second to pull the strap over my shoulder. Someone behind me stopped too, and I tried not to freak out. It might have been a coincidence, or it might be Kitchens, but I didn’t want to look.

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