Page 46 of Fairies Don't Fall

I studied him, knowing that I’d never be finished looking for excuses to stay with this crazy werewolf who made such a difference to so many. “Thank you, Max. You’ve done enough. I will always remember you with gratitude.”

He hesitated, then nodded. The elevator doors opened, and he gestured me out into the owl cave, following close behind.

Screeching came from above, and then the enormous white owl landed, blocking my path, staring at me with one glowing yellow eye and then the other.

“Hi,” I said, gulping nervously.

It narrowed one eye at me and then coughed and choked until it spat up a large object that rolled to the hem of my lovely gown. I looked at Max, revulsion and horror pasted on my face that was apparently funny, because he smiled.

“You don’t want to accept an offering from an owl god?”

I stared at him, then turned back to the enormous owl whose beak was larger than my face. “Thank you,” I said, and dropped into a deep curtsy. “And in return, I give you…” What could I give an owl god?

“You already gave the owls a forest,” Max murmured.

“Oh.” I looked from him to the owl and then down to the object. Well, I could turn whatever he’d eaten into something more pleasant. I crouched down and put my hands on the thing and felt a shock of power when it connected to my palms. I pulled away with a gasp and looked up at Max. “It’s dark magic. I can’t touch it, and I can’t transform it. I thought it would be something dead that I could turn into flowers or something useful, but it’s just a powerful dark talisman.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “In that case, I’ll take care of it for you.” He reached past me, picked up the egg-shaped sphere and blew on it, melting away all the bits of mucus and fur that were stuck to the outside of it. The pulsing green gem was carved into the figure of a woman who seemed to be writhing in pain.

“An emerald dancing figurine. I’ll put it with my collection of dancing figurines,” he said, frowning down at it. “I’ll actually hand it over to the sorcerer’s guild for containment.”

“It’s that dangerous?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“Then you shouldn’t touch it. It might corrupt you or poison you in weird ways.”

He shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first time. Are you certain you won’t dance with me? It would make the strangeness of this moment complete.”

I backed away from him, the owl, and the pulsing emerald. “No, thank you. I have fairy business to take care of.”

He nodded slowly, but he said, “Are you certain you won’t reconsider? I would like to dance with my Princess Sparkles before she returns to Fairyland.”

If I kept getting close to him, I would make him my consort. I would give him fairy wings. I would make him everything I needed and never let him go, however much it hurt him, no matter what he wanted. I smiled brightly. “I’m a terrible dancer. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner about the poisoner. I still don’t know what fairy it is, but I will find them and end the attacks. Until I do, please be on your guard. Thank your beast for funding the hat shop. I apologize for taking so much of your strength. It wasn’t my intention to become another one of your rehabilitation projects, but I am grateful. You brought me back to life. I will never forget you.”

I turned and walked off, half expecting him to shift into his beast and rip me apart.

He grabbed my hand and spun me around, the evil artifact on the ground behind him, while the owl watched us with interest. Max’s eyes burned like twin fires in the depths of an abyss. “Wrong.”

I blinked at him. “Wrong?”

“You stink of guilt. That’s it? You feel guilty that you didn’t warn me about being poisoned? The first moment you came here, all you could talk about was watching the water and food sources. I called in someone I know who specializes in defense.The reason we had no deaths was because he was looking for early signs of poisoning and was able to isolate the cause and shut down the supply, tracking it back to the factory that is under very close scrutiny as we speak. You’re going to leave before I give you the list of owners and factory workers? You warned me. I took the warning. You saved countless lives. I owe you a great debt.” He finally released my hand and gave me a deep bow. “You don’t understand where the balance of debt lies, and I’m an evil werewolf, so I’m not going to tell you, but do not apologize for taking my strength. I’m not going to apologize for taking yours.”

With that, he turned and strode back to the evil gem statue, picked it up, and carried it back to the elevator. He got in and turned around, staring at me with a scowl on his shockingly handsome face, and then the doors closed, leaving me with the owl who was blinking at me, and a thousand other owls who had gathered around when I wasn’t paying attention. No, I was paying attention to Max. Part of me would always be with him.

Chapter

Fourteen

“Princess Sparkles!” Ruin threw herself at me, knocking me back a step while she squeezed the breath out of me. When she pulled back, her expression showed her excitement mixed with frustration. “Don’t tell me that you didn’t make out with him this time! Everyone saw it. No one’s talking about anything else.”

I blinked at her. “Oh. They’re not talking about me vomiting up sparkling black death?”

She shrugged. “That’s not as weird as the alpha letting some fairy have her way with him in public. And he bought you drinks? That means you were on a date! Maybe he’s finally getting over his relationship issues. What was it like? I got it from Tim, who heard it from his cousin, whose mate’s friend dated the bartender of the Dog’s Breath. And you actually went there? What are you wearing?” She stared transfixed at my dress. “That’s new.”

“Oh. I left your hoodie and pants in Stripe’s shop. Do you know the clothing place?”

She shrugged. “Sure. Fancy consignment shop. It’s okay. Max already let me order a whole new wardrobe, but I got thisset of monster manga dolls instead. Don’t tell Max. You don’t have to tell him everything just because you’re dating, do you?”

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