Page 25 of Immortal Sins
He drags me to the back of the barn and boosts me up to the hay loft. “Quick, before someone sees us.”
Graceful and meticulous as a cat, he jumps up after me and ushers me deeper inside the alcove. The door’s hinges squeak again, and we hide behind a stack of hay.
The horse’s owner tucks him in for the night. I steal a peek at the tall man through the planks. He’s mortal, one of the humans who live in Faerie.
I watch him feed the horse, two little pigs, and a few chickens. I’ve never met a Faerie slave. His clothes are similar to Flynn’s. Outdated by my standards, but well made and durable. He whistles a soft tune and hurries off.
After he’s gone, Flynn passes me loose cotton pants and a pair of leather boots. “We’ll leave in the morning. At the break of dawn, the market in town we’ll be busy, and we can join the bustle without anyone being the wiser.”
The space is cramped, but with a few adjustments, we could sleep here. “What if Oz chases us?”
A spark of Fae magic skitters in Flynn’s palm. “He can try. This isn’t the Academy. I’ll gladly teach that dragon a lesson.”
Despite his bravado, I’m nervous. Oz isn’t a high-ranking Magisterium officer for nothing. “What about my powers? Am I weaker in Faerie?”
Flynn stares at me, all serious. “Are you strong somewhere?”
I slap his chest, and the warm inflections of his laugh ripple across my heated cheeks.
“Turn around while I put these on.” I peel the nylons off my legs and discard the skirt in favor of Flynn’s extra pair of pants. They’re too big, but it’s not uncomfortable. Same with the boots. They fall right below my knees and protect my skin from the chafe of the hay and wood.
While I change, Flynn picks a few apples from a tree snuggling the barn. Dimensional rings allow him access through the thin sheet of goffered metal, and the tree plies to meet his grip. He dries the apples off with his shirt and offers me one.
The luster of the peel beckons.
“Mortals aren’t supposed to eat Faerie fruits,” I say.
“You believe in fairytales, now?” Flynn teases.
I squint at him. “Should I?”
“‘Faerie fruits’ is a puritan euphemism for sex…the apples are harmless,” he adds with a wink.
“You better not be yanking my chain.” I nibble on the apple.
It tastes…more. Red, sweet and fresh and soft and comforting—my mortal taste buds can’t get enough. I press the back of my hand to my mouth and hum before taking a full, unbridled bite.
Rain drums an uneven melody on the roof, but nothing leaks inside, so the structure must be sound. My eyes slowly adjust to the growing darkness.
I swallow another mouthful of the infuriatingly delicious apple. “Is your glamor off? Is that why your skin looks gray?”
He examines his arms and hands. “It’s more like an ugly glamor. It takes me more energy to look this unappealing than to not.”
Stifling a snort, I bite my tongue. He doesn’t lookunappealingat all. Normal—yes. If it wasn’t for the gray tint, I could believe he was human.
“What is Unseelie territory?” I ask.
“Faerie isn’t all glitter and beauty. In the last decade, Unseelie attacks have crept closer and closer to the capital. They asserted control of a few villages that used to be ours, one of them close by.”
“I thought Unseelie Fae were primitive?”
“You thought wrong. Sure, the majority of them aren’t the most organized bunch, but they’ve been relentless the last few years. We’re at war.” He tosses the apple’s core to the ground below, and our furry roommate neighs in thanks.
I raise a brow. “How come I never heard of this?”
“You think we’re going to advertise our internal conflicts to earthlings? This war makes us vulnerable. How can we stay ahead of earthling politics when we’re busy fighting Unseelie monsters at our borders?”
I inch closer. “If it’s so dire, how come you don’t have to fight?”
