Page 37 of The Witch's Spell
He regards me quietly, his cane and our boots crunching through the snow. Without skipping a step or pausing for even a moment, he casts a glamour over himself once more. His lustrous hair loses some of its shine, his icy quartz eyestransition back to silver, and the subtle shimmer that’s been glimmering around him dims until it’s gone.
Now he’s back to the Thorne I met in the foyer that night, with his shaggy hair and gentle smile. I truly had no idea what lurked beneath his false appearance.
“Thank you,” he says. “You are kindhearted. I’m glad to have met you.”
The knot in my stomach turns to butterflies, and I turn away lest he see the blush rising into my cheeks, if the warmth in my face is any indication.
“Y-you’re welcome,” I stammer, then grip my fingers into fists, trying to look anywhere but at him.
Next to me, he chuckles, but he says nothing else.
When we step out of the trees, Faolan is sitting on the side porch, eyes trained on the tree line. In a flash, he’s crossed the clearing and is standing in front of me, taking my face in his warm palms and tipping my head back to look into my eyes.
“You weren’t here when I woke,” he says. Worry drifts through our bond as his blue eyes assess my face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Thorne and I went to get a closer look at the fog. And we may have learned something new.”
The concern creasing Faolan’s brow lessens. “What did you learn?”
I glance at Thorne, who is standing beside me with both hands on his cane, head canted to one side. I still can’t believe he’s a fairy—and of the Seelie Court, no less. I wish Auntie were here to see this. I wish she would’ve told me more about the fairy she met. Even her spellbooks and old journals reveal nothing.
“Let’s wait until Alden and Rowan return,” I say, reaching up to place one of my cold hands over Faolan’s warm one. “There’s much to discuss.” I rise onto my toes and press a kiss to his cheek, his scruff rough beneath my lips. He grumbles but doesn’t protest further. “Now, I’m in desperate need of a cup of tea. Lavender, anyone?”
Chapter 21
Faolan
“FAIRY MAGIC?” I SNARL. “THAT’Swhy we can’t leave? Why we’re all stuck here?”
Aurora gives me a look like I’m being a touch dramatic, and I probably am, but the damn fairies never do anythinghelpful. They just steal shoes and spill milk and cause trouble everywhere they go. And now we’re all trapped in this damn fog because of them. I’m trapped aroundCathalbecause of them.
I’m glad Aurora got him out of the cottage, but just knowing he’s here, in the village, makes my hackles want to rise.
I stand from the couch and pace the parlor, which is crowded with all of us in here. Aurora and Rowan are sitting close together on the couch, Alden is sitting in front of the fire, and Thorne is rocking slowly in the rocking chair, Harrison in his lap.
When the cat meets my eyes, I think he smirks at me.
I’ve lived here for months, and hestillhasn’t let me touch him, but a complete stranger walks in, and now he’s all over his lap and purring louder than any cat has a right to.
Before I can think better of it, I growl at him.
“Faolan!” Aurora snaps, shooting me a sharp look. “You’re supposed to be helping us, not instigating.” Her green eyebrows pinch together in the center. If she were one of the rare remaining dragon shifters, I’m pretty sure she’d be breathing smoke right about now.
“I don’t know how to help,” I say, dragging my hands down my face, feeling my thick scruff beneath my fingers. “I don’t know the first thing about fairy magic.” My eyes find Thorne, and I’m reminded of the way the fog smells: likehim. “But I bet he does.”
Everyone looks at him.
A burst of worry comes through my bond with Aurora. But when I look at her, she’s staring at Thorne, her hands clutching her skirt in her lap. Is she worried I’m going to start something with him?
Too late, I guess.
Without looking away from Harrison, who’s just purring louder now, Thorne says, “You’re right.”
I open my mouth, ready to argue, then realize he actually... agreed with me?
“What?” I snap.
Thorne’s eyes meet mine, and a weird sensation goes through me, like I just locked eyes with a shifter from another pack. There’s something strange about him, something he’s still not telling us.
