Page 20 of A Hint of Delirium

* * *

After another hot,eucalyptus-scented shower and another set of Ansel’s clothes, I sat on his bed with a mug of steaming tea while he sat at the foot of the bed waiting for me to tell him what happened. He didn’t bombard me with questions the instant we returned to his apartment, which was what I expected. Instead, he ushered me to the bathroom to get cleaned up, took care of the cuts on the bottoms of my feet, and fed me. Now that I was more relaxed, I was ready to talk.

“When we left the apartment, he portaled us to New Jersey, just off the Hudson. He wanted to know why I was with you—if I was helping you find this registry. I lied and told him I was,” I grimaced.

Ansel was a master at schooling his facial expression into a mask of calm neutrality. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or if what I said was the right thing, so I continued.

“But since I didn’t really know anything about the registry, I knew I had to think of something quick so he wouldn’t know I lied. I told him I refused to tell him anything about the registry because I was pissed that he kidnapped me. He thought it was kind of funny, I guess, and then took us to that bar.” I took a long sip of my hot tea, then raised my finger. “Which, come to think of it, how come no one freaked out when we portaled in? We showed up out of thin air and no one even batted an eye!”

“It’s a fae bar,” Ansel said, but didn’t elaborate. He wanted me to keep going.

“He stormed into Luka’s office and tried to intimidate him, and I felt really bad for the guy. But when they started talking, I deduced that the person you brought to The Black Keys was the last person on the registry. I jumped in and implied that I already knew all that so he would leave Luka alone, but then it kind of backfired on me. I thought I could use the information to negotiate my release, but then he noticed my anklet and he didn’t care about the information anymore. He wanted my time.”

Ansel shut his eyes and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “Please tell me you didn’t make a binding deal with my brother.” He opened his eyes, his mesmerizing gaze locked on mine.

I squirmed under his gaze. “He … kissed me.”

Ansel shot up from his perch at the foot of the bed. “Shit. Tell me youat leastput an expiration date on this deal. Like, he has your time until when?”

My eyes widened and I realized I messed up … badly. Ansel saw the answer written all over my face.

“Damnit, Vi.”

“Ansel, I—” I started, but I didn’t know what to say. At the time, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I was so desperate to get away from Alec, I didn’t think through the deal we were making.

“It’s not your fault,” he sighed and flopped back down on the bed. “The Unseelie are known tricksters. Hell, we all are. He knew you didn’t know what kind of deal you were making.”

“Can I take it back?” I asked naively.

He shook his head. “You kissed on it, which makes your words binding. The only one who can release you from it now is Alec, and I don’t see him doing that any time soon.” Ansel stared at my ankle with the bracelet and brushed it softly. “He must have a theory. Something made him want to make this deal, which means he knows something. We need to find out what it is before he comes looking for you.”

I warmed my hands around the mug and took a calming sip. “How do we do that?”

“We go straight to the source. We go to your mother.”

* * *

I tossedand turned all night, unable to turn my brain off long enough to fall asleep. Not only was I scared about Alec coming for me again, but I was nervous about confronting my mom. Last night, Ansel and I went back and forth about it. I was certain she didn’t know anything about the world of the fae and adamant that I didn’t want to bring her into this. Truthfully, I wished I could take myself out of it. But no matter what I said, Ansel was convinced she knew about the fae, and the only way to prove him wrong was to talk to her. Maybe a small part of me was worried he was right and that she’d been lying to me my whole life, but I brushed it off. She wouldn’t do that to me.

I cursed the first rays of buttery sunlight that filtered into Ansel’s bedroom, grumbling that I’d barely managed to sleep one hour. The lack of sleep left me with a slight headache that pounded around the edges of my left temple. I crawled out of bed and crept out of the bedroom. I tried not to make too much noise since Ansel was sleeping on the couch.

Closing the bathroom door as quietly as possible, I completed my morning rituals and then dressed in the clothes I’d worn yesterday. There was no way I was walking around in Ansel’s mismatched clothing another day. I stepped out of the bathroom and peered down the hallway, a slight flush coming to my cheeks at the sight of Ansel folding his blanket by the sofa. He glanced up and smiled when he saw me.

“Good morning.” He placed the folded blanket on top of the pillow. “I hope you slept well.”

“Uh … yeah, I tried.”

He twisted his mouth to the side. “Got a lot on your mind?”

I shrugged. “I guess I’m worried about a lot of things. So much has changed in just twenty-four hours. It’s a lot to take in.” When he walked into the kitchen, I noticed he was wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt. While the pants were loose, the shirt hugged his muscular torso and showed off the tanned muscles of his arms. It was a lot to process first thing in the morning.

He nodded his head sympathetically. “I know it’s a lot, but would you rather keep thinking you’re crazy, or are you glad to know the truth?”

Hm. That was a good question. Was I better off this way, or was I better off thinking I was a nutcase? I honestly wasn’t sure. I guess it depended on how this ended. And hopefully it would end soon—but a small part in my brain warned me this was only the beginning.

I ignored his question, instead asking, “Want to get breakfast on the way?”

He gave me a soft smile. “Sounds good. Let me shower and get dressed.”

---