Page 84 of Cloak of Night
“I’m sorry,” Fairy said.
He exhaled and opened his eyes. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You’re remarkable, you know that? Someone’s going to be really lucky to have you one day.”
“I know,” Fairy said, and this time, the smile came more easily. “Do you want to walk back with me to the shack?”
He shook his head. “I’d like to be alone for a little bit.”
“Of course.” She pecked him on the cheek one last time.
Wolf began to walk away, shoulders hunched, but he stopped after a couple steps. “Um, let the others know we’re still leaving for Dera Falls at dusk.”
“All right.”
Fairy watched as he left, going only a few yards before he shifted into his wolf form. Then he broke into a run and leaped into the air, disappearing into the clouds and leaving only the memory of blue electricity behind.
Chapter Forty-Three
Sora knew something had happened as soon as Daemon raised his mental ramparts, but she didn’t know what it was. Their gemina bond had vibrated with sadness, but then the feeling had disappeared, replaced with a silent wall.
Broomstick was still telling her about the different ways he had tried to destroy the soul pearl, but Sora stopped listening and started to walk back toward the crab apple trees, where she’d left Daemon and Fairy.
“Where are you going?” Broomstick asked, jogging up beside her.
“I need to find Daemon,” she said.
Broomstick reached out and put his hand on her arm. “No, you don’t.”
Sora frowned at his hold on her. “You know what’s going on.”
“Wolf probably needs space right now.”
“Tell me what happened.”
He let go of Sora and shook his head. “It’s not mine to tell.”
“Then that’s why I need to find him.” Sora set off toward the orchard again, and Broomstick let her go.
She ran through the trees, searching for Daemon. She didn’t find him, but not far from where he’d been showing her his gravitational magic, she saw Fairy sitting in the dirt, back against a tree.
“Do you know where Daemon is?” Sora asked as she approached.
Fairy looked up. Her face was solemn, without a trace of her usual laughter. It was then that Sora noticed the ferns in Fairy’s hands. The long leaves wove themselves into the shape of a dragon.
“Oh... are you all right?” Sora asked.
“Not really,” Fairy said as she loosened the ferns. The leaf dragon fell apart. “I broke up with Daemon.”
“What? Why? I thought it was going well for you two.”
“It was.”
“So...?”
Fairy shrugged. “We’re not right for each other.”
Sora knelt in the dirt. “Why would you think that?”
“I probably would have been a bad girlfriend for him, in the long run. I’m not ready to settle down. I thrill in the chase of boys too much.” Fairy set the fern leaves on the ground.
