Page 32 of Elora and the Crow

“Yeah,” Alex said. “It’s even bigger now. They did some construction last year and added like a dozen more houses to it. That asshole politician, the one who’s in prison right now, put up a big stink about it. Kept saying the fae were gonna take over the city. Honestly, I was kind of surprised he even said anything. He was always acting like shifters are our biggest threat.”

Jonah stood up. “Time for you to leave, Alex.”

“Oh yeah, sure.” Alex slid off the stool. “I’ll just clean up my mess and -”

“Go home,” Jonah said, standing up.

“Right, okay.” Alex started toward the door, and Jonah tapped him on the shoulder.

“Your key. Give it to me.”

“Sure, man.” He dug into his pocket and gave Jonah the silver key. “Hey, if you, like, see Caleb, tell him I said what’s up.”

Jonah nodded and waited until he heard the front door slam before slumping on the stool again. A combination of annoyance and anxiety made his body thrum. Caleb being taken by the fae wasn’t ideal, but he could handle it. He would go there tonight and get him back. Simple. Easy. No problem.

He cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, tossing away the rest of Alex’s drink and returning the veggies and fruit to the fridge. He closed the fridge door and grabbed his keys before hesitating.

He really should talk to Elora first. Let her know he’d found Caleb. She would be off work by now, and he could stop at her apartment on his way to the fae’s compound.

You could just text her.

He could, but he’d spent this afternoon arranging for one of his cars to be registered and insured in her name, so it made sense to stop at the storage place, grab Elora’s car, and drop it off at her apartment. He really hated the idea of her driving around in that piece of junk she currently owned. It was constantly on the verge of breaking down.

It would take him no more than an hour to stop in at Elora’s. Caleb had been with the fae for eight months. Another hour wouldn’t make a difference.

CHAPTER11

“Cece, I’d feel a lot better if you stayed the night.” Elora watched as Cece pulled on her jacket and shoved her feet into her boots.

“I can’t, honey. I have an early shift at the greenhouse tomorrow, and if I stay here, it’ll take me twice as long to get to work. I’ll have to get up so much earlier, and you know how I feel about getting up early.” Cece smiled at her, but Elora didn’t return it.

“I can come to your place then.”

“Honey, I’m fine, okay?” Cece took her hands and squeezed them. “Thank you for inviting me for dinner, it was delicious, and I love spending time with you, but I told you before that I need to start getting my shit together.”

“There’s no timeline on grief and needing support,” Elora said. “I hate the idea of you being all alone in that big, cold as ice house.”

“It’s not that cold,” Cece said with a laugh.

“It’s basically an icebox in the winter,” Elora said. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to freeze to death in the night.”

“I won’t,” Cece said. “I’ll sleep by the fireplace in the living room if I get too cold.”

Elora sighed. “I’m just worried about you.”

“I know, but I swear I’m okay. I’m just,” Cece hesitated, “sad and missing Aunt Sybil, but that’s grief, right?”

“Sure, but you don’t have to do it alone,” Elora said. “And with Maisey and Kinsley now gone on their European adventure, I’m not letting you sit all alone night after night.”

“You’re not,” Cece said. “You’re an amazing friend, and if I’m ever lonely or overly sad, I will call you and demand all of your attention.”

“You promise?” Elora asked.

“I promise,” Cece said. “Now, will you be okay?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because for the first time in two years,you’realone,” Cece said. “You don’t have Lili - I mean Jonah with you.”

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