Page 55 of Brody
I narrowed my eyes, studying our surroundings.Despite his description over breakfast about the fully stocked Fae vacation homes scattered throughout the COL territory, I saw nothing but endless forest.My mind rebelled at the idea of invisible architecture.
“You said they have whisper generators and modern amenities,” I reminded him, crossing my arms.“Yet I see nothing but trees and moss.”
His eyes gleamed with something between amusement and challenge.“You’re looking with the wrong eyes, Rozi.”
Before I could form a suitably scathing response, he stepped behind me, so close his breath warmed the sensitive skin below my ear, and his hands settled on my shoulders.
“Close your eyes,” he murmured, his lips nearly brushing my earlobe.
“Thornbern…”
“Trust me.Just for a moment.”
Something in his voice, not command but invitation, made me relent.I let my eyelids fall closed, aware of his body heat at my back, his scent, sandalwood and male, wrapping around me like a physical caress.
“Now open them,” he whispered.
When I did, the world had transformed.Through a stand of impossibly tall trees with silver-blue leaves, now clearly visible, was another small clearing, and what stood in its center stole my breath.
Built into the side of a massive tree was what could only be described as a hobbit house.Round windows glowed with soft amber light, a curved wooden door nestled perfectly into the tree’s natural contours, and a stone chimney rose from what appeared to be a living roof covered in wildflowers and ferns.
I stumbled to a halt, my analytical framework crumbling like a sandcastle against tsunami waves of impossibility.My mouth opened and closed wordlessly, brain frantically trying to categorize what my eyes were seeing, and failing spectacularly.The logical part of me cataloged exterior dimensions and architectural impossibilities while something deeper, something I rarely acknowledged, sparked with childlike wonder.
“That’s…” My voice emerged as a breathless whisper, fingers itching to touch, to verify through tactile confirmation what sight alone couldn’t reconcile.
“A Fae vacation home,” Brody finished, clearly enjoying my reaction.“One of several scattered throughout the forest.The Bane pack has maintained them as safe houses and way stations for pack members on patrol ever since Boris Bane purchased the land from the Fae centuries ago.”
I watched the door swing open to reveal a cozy interior that somehow looked larger than the exterior dimensions should have allowed.
Brody’s laugh echoed in the clearing.“Doctor, I think it’s time to expand your definition ofpossible.”He held out his hand to me, an invitation rather than a demand.“Welcome to the more magical side of the Ridge.”
After a moment’s hesitation, I placed my hand in his.The contact sent a jolt of electricity up my arm, but this time I didn’t pull away.Instead, I let him guide me through the doorway, into a world where science and magic blurred into something new and dangerously appealing.
CHAPTER14
BRODY
I watched Rozi’s expression as she took in the Fae dwelling, her mind visibly grappling with the impossibility of what stood before her.Desire hit me with such force I had to clench my fists to keep from reaching for her.
“This can’t be real,” she whispered, reaching out to touch the living wood of the doorframe.Her fingers traced the intricate patterns that no human hand could carve.“The cellular structure appears to be… still growing.”
“The Fae don’t build like humans do,” I explained, grateful for the neutral topic despite the electricity crackling between us.“They sing to the trees, coax them into shapes that serve their needs.This entire dwelling was grown, not constructed.”
She shot me a skeptical look, her eyes narrowing.“You expect me to believe they sang a house into existence?”
“Maybesingis the wrong word.”I moved closer, close enough to catch her scent, jasmine and vanilla layered over the earthy notes of our hike.“Think of it as a form of communication we don’t understand yet.The Fae connect with living things on a fundamental level.”
“That’s not an explanation,” she countered, but I caught the fascination beneath her professional skepticism.“That’s mystical hand-waving.”
“Says the woman who just walked a path that folded space and time.”I raised an eyebrow, enjoying the flash of irritation that crossed her features.
“Theoretical physics allows for spatial anomalies,” she replied primly, though her lips twitched with suppressed amusement.“Einstein-Rosen bridges, quantum entanglement.”
“None of which explains how we traveled twenty miles in three steps,” I finished for her.
She snorted, a delightfully unladylike sound that made my wolf rumble with approval.“Fine.I’ll accept unexplained for now.But not unexplainable.There’s a difference.”
“Always the scientist.”The words came out softer than I’d intended, laced with an admiration I couldn’t hide.
