Page 76 of Threadbound

But that’s not what they were to each other.

Even if Jamie wanted them to be.

Back in the city, Jamie slowed his pace as he reached Richmond Street, walking the last few blocks through the back streets until he reached the blue door that led to his apartment building. His legs felt heavy—in a good way—as he ascended the stairs, looking forward to a shower and coffee.

And he couldn’t help the smile that broke across his face when he opened the door to find Bran attempting to make the latter—and then his mouth dropped open when he realized that there was a littlethingattempting to help.

“Isthata booka?” Jamie’s mouth blurted without consulting his brain.

The tiny creature—which actually looked kind of like what Jamie’d always imagined when he thought of the wordfairy:tiny, little wings, proportionally long limbs—let out a shriek and flew…intothe refrigerator?

“Now you’ve scared her, poor wee thing,” Bran admonished him, although the expression he turned on Jamie wasn’t angry or annoyed. If anything, he looked surprised.

“I just—I’ve neverseenone before.” Jamie felt a flush creeping up his cheeks.

“And I’m surprised you’ve seen one now,” Bran replied, still holding the coffee maker’s basket. “And now that you’ve frightened her, I dinna know what to do with this… thing.” He waved the basket slightly.

“Why are you surprised?” Jamie asked, coming over and washing his hands before taking the basket away from the fae.

“Humans arna supposed to be able to see the wee folk.”

“Wee folk?” Jamie put a filter in the basket, then added coffee grounds.

“Aye. Bookas, dunnies, pixies, ashrays, bodach, the Geancanach…”

Jamie knew his eyes were huge. “The… what now?”

There was a smile on Bran’s lips as he took the basket away from Jamie and put it—correctly—into the coffee maker before flicking on the button. It gurgled, which meant that he’d already added water. “There are many fae, some of the shadows and some the light and some—like the bookas—of the twilight.”

Jamie frowned. “But it’s daytime.”

“It isna exactly tied to time of day,” Bran replied. “Although creatures of shadow do prefer the night, like the bodach, who bring nightmares to those who disturb their territory. And the Geancanach sneak about in the high afternoon.”

“And do what?”

“Be helpful, mostly. Stoke a hearth or guard the doorway from strangers.”

“And twilight?” Jamie asked.

Bran smiled again. “Neither dangerous nor bound to serve, unless they choose to be so.”

“What doesthatmean?”

Bran turned, leaning back against the counter. “You’re creatures of twilight, as well,” he replied. “Neither dark nor light, but both.”

“Humans are?”

“Aye.”

“But…” Jamie’s frown deepened. “That makes it sound like you can’t decide what to be.”

“I canna,” Bran answered. “I am Sluagh. So I was born, and so I am.”

“And Sluagh are… dark?” Jamie didn’t like the implications that went along with that claim.

“Aye.”

“But what does thatmean?” Jamie asked, his shower forgotten. He didn’t like the implication ofdark, at least not when it came to things that should belong in fairy tales. In the stories Jamie’s momma told him,darkthings were dangerous things, predatory things, things that wanted to steal or hurt or kill. And Jamie didn’t at all like the idea that Bran might be something like that.

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