Page 22 of Oleander
Gaia peers up at her girlfriend, looking sheepish and tucking herself further into Nerine’s side. “Sorry, babe. But don’t you think Skyler has a right to know about the dangerous Fae he’s shacking up with?” She pouts, her glossy eyes unfocused. “I really like Skyler, and I don’t want him to disappear like River did.”
Nerine turns to me. “The prince is not bad; don’t let his troubles alter your view. He needs to learn how to control his element, just like any other Fae here. No matter how powerful and lethal his magic is.”
“Yeah, but who’s gonna risk the kiss of death to let him practice?” Gaia giggles drunkenly.
“Okay, enough ginger beer for you,” Nerine teases, grabbing her girlfriend’s hand and tugging. “Goodnight, Skyler. We’ll see you later.”
“‘Night!” Gaia shouts, waving exaggeratedly.
I mumble agoodnightas the girls walk away, completely distracted by Gaia’s words and the possible escape plan forming in my head. If I get close to Oleander and befriend him, we can take calculated risks and help each other practice. We can learn to control our elementstogether. And learn to trust each other. Then maybe he’ll open a portal home for me.
Ander stumbles into the kitchen with messy blond hair sticking up in every direction, properly mussed from sleep.
Cute.
“‘Morning!” I holler, holding up the spatula as I wave. “Long night?” I ask with a beaming smile as if I didn’t tuck my tail and run away from him at the party.
“Sky. . .” Ander drags my name out like I’m in trouble. “We need to talk.”
“Uh oh. Are you breaking up with me?”
Ander’s eyebrows crease, and I realize that he probably won’t understand every human reference, especially if he’s essentially lived under a rock for the past five years. I bite back a smile at how adorably clueless he is.
I continue to sauté the onions, cooking up the only thing I’m good at like it’s some sort of peace offering. “Never mind. You hungry for breakfast? I need sustenance before talking.”
Ander nods. “Yes, thank you.”
“I’m not sure if our fridge is magically stocked or what, but I sure as shit hope so. These ingredients are amazing.”
“What are you making?” Ander wanders to the stove and peers over my shoulder, eyeing the ingredients on the counter without getting close enough to touch me. Now that I know his secret, I can see how his every movement is thought out and controlled.Precise.
“This, my new friend, is aneverything scramble. Everything goes in it. Everything you have and everything you want. So we’ve got a lot of choices here. I’m going with sausage, ham, cheese, mushrooms, onions, and peppers. You?”
“Um. No ham or sausage for me. I don’t care much for meat. Thank you.”
I successfully refrain from making extremely immature jokes about meat that would probably go over his head anyway. “You got it.”
Ander sets the table as I finish cooking breakfast, and then we eat in silence.
“It’s like everything tastes better than back home. Even the normal things like eggs,” I mumble through an overflowing mouthful of food.
Ander hums and politely swallows his bite before speaking. “Yes. From what I understand, senses are heightened in Faerie. Taste. Smell. And even emotions like lust and desire.”
My mind instantly wonders if orgasms are more intense here as well, and I make a mental note to test that theory later.
As soon as we finish eating and the dishes are clear, Ander speaks up. The turmoil in his voice is evident. “Skyler. About last night. . .” Perspiration beads on his upper lip, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows thickly. He’s nervous and on edge. Probably worried I’ll change the way I act around him. Become afraid and possibly even shun him. I can’t stand to see insecurity flicker in his kind eyes, so I dodge the conversation for now.
“I can explain—” he tries again, but I cut him off and glance down at my watch.
“Shit! I gotta get to my appointment. Raincheck on the convo?”
“Oh. Sure. Of course.” Ander seems relieved, and guilt punches me in the gut that I already know most of his secrets. It’s a shitty situation all around.
“If the headmaster doesn’t remove my cuffs, I’m gonna need you to cut them off for me. You have the experience, and if I try, I might slice my hand off. And my dick would be pissed if I couldn’t jerk off properly.”
“Um. . .” Worry sparkles in his lavender eyes.
“Catch ya later!” I shout, already on my way out the door. I’m getting these shackles off today either way.
