Page 6 of Courting the King of Cliffs

It had been a long, long two months.

I wasn’t allowing myself to feel any sort of tentative hope about my future living situation, either. I’d volunteered to sleep in a closet, and I’d meant it. Anything quiet was more than enough for me. I just needed time to regain my sanity, and then maybe I could come up with a new plan that would get me out of Granite’s hair.

There was always the option of moving into my own place in the wind fae land, but there was a constant wind blowing there, and that noise made it impossible for me. Plus, Storm had always been really protective of me.

So… he would be concerned that I had just vanished from his castle.

But I did leave a note.

It was vague, maybe too vague.

I hadn’t been thinking properly in that moment. And still wasn’t, truthfully. It would offend him when I moved out, but there was no way around it.

I couldn’t stay in Storm’s castle.

I couldn’t stay on the outskirts of his capital city, either.

Which meant I needed to make myself a home in the earth fae land, regardless of how angry it made Granite. I’d have to figure out how to keep better control over my magic, so I didn’t make his life harder.

The welcoming committee—a mated couple, I learned, named Eeva and Crag—told me about the city as we walked. They explained the best places to eat, where I should go if I wanted a new dress, the best paths to take if I wanted to see some scenery…

It was wonderful.

Really, truly wonderful.

But too loud.

And there was so much going on around me that I started feeling frazzled and disconnected after a few minutes. I stopped hearing most of what they were saying, too.

I’d been in charge of building repairs and expansion back at home, so I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d do to keep busy if Granite refused to let me help with any of that stuff.

But it was fine.

I’d be fine.

My breathing picked up, my mind growing more frantic, as they continued walking and talking.

I shrunk inward a bit, squeezing my middle tightly.

The ground had just started to tremble when we finally walked down a set of stairs, heading inside the cliffs.

My breathing leveled out when the stone began to surround me.

Eventually, I loosened my grip on my abdomen, and started hearing a little of what the couple was saying.

“There’s a restaurant on the fourth floor,” the woman said. “Fourth from the bottom, of course. It’ll be the closest place for food when you need it, but you don’t need to worry about money. Just tell them you’re on the first floor, they’ll vet you, and then they’ll feed you, no questions asked.”

Well, at least I’d recovered enough to hear that.

Although, I’d definitely be paying my own way. I hadn’t been thinking clearly when I transported to Granite’s castle, but I had grabbed money.

We stopped in front of the door, and I realized I’d spaced out again for the last bit of the conversation. Crag and Eeva were looking at me a bit oddly.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, looking at Eeva. “My mind… I get overwhelmed. Do you maybe have the instructions I’ll need on paper or something? So I can’t forget them?”

Understanding colored Eeva’s gaze, and my face warmed.

“I’ll write everything down and bring it over in a few. Are you hungry?”

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