Page 51 of Unraveled
Warmth spreads in my stomach, and I scratch the wolf’s head, right behind her ears where she likes it most. Something I discovered this morning. “I asked her to bring me out here so I could read and focus.”
The wolf whines when I stop petting her and presses her head against my stomach, nearly making me fall.
“She lets you pet her?”
I nod and Finley’s smile cracks across his face, making him appear much younger, and for a moment I wonder about his age. I know the fae live much longer than humans. But Finley isn’t one of them.
He narrows his gaze at me, but returns to his previous task. “A lot seems to have happened since I left.”
I shrug and take a bite of the apple. Its perfect flavor of sweet and sour coats my tongue. We never get apples in Penumbra. They come from the mountain range, so far and unreachable they’re a luxury my family could rarely afford.
“How did you convince Ash to let you out here?”
“I promised to help him break the curse.”
Finley’s foot catches on an uneven rock, and the basket he’s holding tips over, sending potatoes rolling over the wet ground. I put the book aside on a surface of the wagon and crouch to help him pick up the vegetables scattered in the mud.
“He told you about the curse?”
“It was easy to figure out when I was getting attacked by lunargyres left and right,” I say. “Plus, I met Nera.”
“Did she hurt you?”
“No, she hurt him.”
His face falls, and he stands quickly, already rushing for the door.
Before he enters the castle, I shout, “He’s fine now.”
“Nera’s nails are poison to Ash.”
“I know. But he’s fine, I promise.”
Finley stops right at the door, his hand already extended to the handle. Then he slowly turns to me, his expression unreadable. “What if you’re out here and they’re both dead inside?”
I stare at him and realize there’s no reason for him to believe I wouldn’t hurt Ash now. It’s something that still shocks me—my strange feelings for the fae king.
I toss a couple potatoes into the basket and point at Naheli sitting by my side. “Would she be here if I killed Ash?”
Finley’s eyes cut to the wolf, and his posture visibly relaxes. “No, I guess she wouldn’t.”
“Exactly. They’re both fine. The whole situation with Ash being poisoned led me to understand what’s happening here.”
I want my freedom, but not at the expense of the fae.
“Why, if you can leave, did you come back?” I ask. “You’re clearly a magical human, but why live here, surrounded by the curse and the beasts? Don’t they attack you?”
“The lunargyres are most dangerous during the blood moon. It’s why I was in such a rush to get you into your room the night you arrived. I’m able to defend myself from them out here in the courtyard, since most are slowed down by their stone bodies.”
“Nera isn’t slow . . .”
Finley takes a sharp breath. I almost forgot he didn’t see my meeting with the princess. “Nera is one of the royals, and her power makes it so the curse doesn’t hold her back the same...”
“That still doesn’t answer my question. Why are you here, helping Ash?”
He’s quiet for long enough I don’t know if he’s going to answer me, but then his rough voice breaks the silence. “I’m a victim of the Wild Hunt, like you.”
“What?” It comes out on a stuttered breath. I open my mouth to continue, but can’t say anything else.
