Page 50 of Crown of Wings and Whispers

“Flann?”

I blinked against the natural light and suddenly, Griffon was there, pulling me into his arms, tears falling from his cheeks. Then Flann reached glommed on. Persi did the same. The big shadow of Urban hugged me from behind, and then Wickham was there, reaching for me. All of us in a ball, I expected to pop away to Engineering. But we just stood there.

Wickham hissed, “I can’t step us out of Place!”

Griffon let go of me, retreated a step, and drew a line in the air. A Fae door opened up to show us the Rose Garden at Christchurch Meadows, where once upon a time, I’d run into Griffon’s arms. Urban pushed me through the opening. I stumbled forward and got out of the way so they all could follow.

I could hear shouting. It was Orion. Persi, Flann, Kitch, and then Wickham came through after me. I watched for Griffon. The magical drape dropped back into place and I shouted, “Nooo!”

My old friends clustered around me and blocked my view. I tried to shove them out of the way, so I would know the second Griffon joined us, but instead, we popped out of the garden and into a dark, cramped hallway. Rooms with numbers lined both walls. We were in a hotel.

Wickham ignored my tugging and knocked on a door. Ivy opened it and Everly rushed out, gave me a quick squeeze, then threw herself at her husband. Kitch scanned the hall while the rest of us slipped into the large room, Flann urging me from behind. Once we were all inside with the door closed, Persi grabbed my arms and silently let me know what she thought of me taking off without a word to her, not trusting her with my secret.

But there was only one thing I cared about at the moment, and it wasn’t her hurt feelings. I pulled my arms from her grasp, headed for the door, and insisted we go back for Griffon. “Now!”

Prodded by my emotion, I assume, Hank chose that moment to let out another one of his angry shrieks. The room fell silent, and I could sense them all retreating. It broke my heart and hardened it in the same breath.

Suddenly, Wickham stood in front of me, barring my escape. “Griffon is the one who closed the portal, lass. He could have popped us home again, but he must have had a reason not to. And I cannae pop in or out of Fairy without his escort. We’ll have to wait for him to come to us.”

I instantly distrusted him. There was something in his eyes that told me he was holding something back. “Does he even know where we are?”

“Aye. The Conrad London St. James. We discussed it just before he popped us out of Hope House. He’ll ken we’re here…along with all the Muirs we removed from Moire’s Embrace.”

My mind stumbled trying to keep up. “You…you allowed him inside Hope House?”

“Aye. He came to us, brought Annag and Fallon to exchange for helping him get ye back. All he had to do was ask, but he gave them over in any case.”

“They’re here too,” Ivy said from behind me.

I couldn’t have heard him right. “And…from Muirsglen? You got some out?”

“Aye. All. Seems Persi holds some sway in the fairy realm. In Moire’s Embrace at least.”

I turned and found her right behind me. Hank hadn’t frightened her after all. Or at least, not completely. “You got them out?”

“Couldn’t have done it without Griffon.”

I took a deep breath and let it out again, grateful to know my ability to do so was no illusion. I took a tentative step toward her and she came the rest of the way and hugged the breath out of me.

“I know why you left,” she said quietly. “We all know, and we understand. But we’re here to protect you, not to destroy you. No matter what.”

“No matter what? You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”

“Oh, yeah?”

I opened my mouth to tell her I wasn’t so sure either, but I was interrupted by a firm knock at the door. Everyone drew their weapons. Wickham turned and looked out the peep hole, then pulled the door open and backed against the wall.

Griffon stood in the doorway, his expression tentative until he saw me. In two steps, I was in his arms, right where I was supposed to be.

17

The Replanting Game

Iwas hurting him, I knew I was, with my arms clamped around his neck so tight he couldn’t have peeled me off if he’d wanted to. But Griffon didn’t complain and kept his gentle arms locked around me too.

As far as I was concerned, we were alone, together against the world, and everything was going to be okay now.

The passage of time didn’t matter, just like it hadn’t mattered in that odd universe where Orion had kept me in storage. But eventually, my arms started to complain and, as if he sensed it, Griffon lowered my feet to the ground, loosened his hold, and kissed me soundly but briefly on the lips.

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