[Rosalynd]
The conversation between Evander and Gideon went better than expected. Surprisingly better. It is almost like they were hoping I’d need this time. Because Dorothy was right--they do want time alone together. Neither one of them would have told me that directly, but as soon as I suggested that I seek out Axel alone, to talk some sense into him and give him some much-needed attention, they both relaxed noticeably.
“Take all the time you need, My Queen,” Evander gives me a deep kiss, smiling as we separate. “I know that loving Axel is an important part of who you are,” he then gives Gideon a sideways glance, blushing from the tip of one ear to the other as he adds, “I think we’ll be fine without you for a little bit.”
[Rosalynd] The last thing I remember is a gentle touch on my temple and Evander’s soft voice saying, ”Sleep.” When I blink awake, I am lying alone in a dark room. I can smell traces of Gideon and Evander on the sheets, but they are cold now. Wherever they are, they left me quite a bit of time before. Stretching, I raise my hands over my head and as I do, a set of candles along the wall ignite into perfect flames. “That’s new,” I muse aloud. “Did I do that?” “You are gettin
[Axel]“Do you think she really cares about you, Axel,” Slone is sitting across from me slowly eating a pancake. She is still wearing some of Marigold’s clothing which looks odd on her. Slone normally wore subdued colors, earth tones, and natural hues to match her affinity towards earth magic. Marigold preferred bold colors and floral prints, pants covered in embroidery, ribbons, and mirrors. On Marigold, the look is whimsical and fun. On Slone, it just looks gaudy. Slone pulls back her hair which has gone completely white since I last saw her. Not in the same way that old ladies have white hair, but in the strange way that a lot of younger people die their hair an almost purple-gray. But her hair wasn’t turned with a bottle of bleach in an LA salon, hers was twisted by dark magic.
[Rosalynd] “Ah, Fiddlesticks!” I swear as I hang upside down from a tree. I’m working on my potty mouth since I’m going to be a mother in about 7 months if Dorothy’s estimation is correct. I can’t go around dropping sweary words every time I’m in a tricky situation. Like right now. Apparently, when traveling by shadow, you need to be VERY specific about your landing destination. I guess I was more focused on the trees near Axel’s house than the ground. Silly witch-fae-wolf-whatever. How the heck am I going to get down? “Maybe see yourself on the ground and flip the coin again,&r
[Rosalynd] “Vegas?” I look at the three of them skeptically as we pile into Axel’s truck after tying Slone up and leaving her in the corner to rot. It looked like she had at least three broken bones, but she was still breathing. It’s better than she would have left any of us. At least we know she won’t be following us as we head north. “I know it isn’t the big pack wedding I promised,” Axel is bubbling over with excitement as he speaks. He keeps looking over to speak with me, taking his eyes off the road for brief moments, which is a little scary considering he is also driving in the dark on a twisty stretch of highway. “But we have my dad and Rafe here, we can call Gideon and Evander, and we can have a proper family wedding.”
[Slone] The house is dark and cold. Nobody is here, and they haven’t been here for some time. I have failed, but I also haven’t. I might not have given the Master exactly what he wants, but I think he’ll forgive me when he hears what I know. From the feel of the ropes on my arms and legs, they trussed me up like a turkey after Rosie dropped me onto the floor hard enough to break my bones and knock me out. They paid no mind to my broken bones or the amount of pain I would be in once I woke up. No matter, something as small as that isn’t enough to do me any damage, especially since the Master has strengthened me to take any damage that I might have sustained. I don’t heal as quickly as a werewolf, but I can also tolerate more pain than the average human.
[Rosalynd] It is completely dark. The only light is coming from the small city across the bay and the stars overhead. Now that my body has learned it is more than human and some of my powers have been activated, my body has changed as well. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, but with both my wolf and fae vision, the dark is no longer something to fear. I guess this is as good a place as any to say farewell. “Goodbye, Axel,” I say over my shoulder at the parked truck as I walk towards the bay, the coin balanced on my thumb. But then
[Rosalynd] When we make it to our destination, we gently shake the boys awake and grab all of our things. Looking down at our watches frantically, we race forward running through the parking lot towards the small building in McKinleyville that insists on calling itself an "airport," even though all the planes are the type of small jets that seat maybe 100 people and look like they might rust out of the sky. In the style of other grand airports, it is named after the nearest "city" rather than after the town that houses it. So even if it is located in McKinleyville, it is the "Arcata Airport," the nearest city to around 14,000 people. There are neighborhoods in LA with more people than that. But one of the benefits of li
[Rosalynd]Evander was the first to approach us. He didn’t say anything, didn’t look at anyone, he simply swept me up into his arms and held me tight to his chest. His breathing was heavy as if he were on the verge of tears and could barely keep his emotions contained.“Never do that to us again,” he made me promise as he squeezed, his head buried in my hair. “We are glad that you are safe, but you scared us both.”“You all did,” Gideon looks at the four of us. “When we realized that Rosalynd had disappeared, we knew exactly where she had gone,” his gaze is less kind as he looks us over, his chest puffed like a rooster with his feathers fluffed. I’ve never seen Gideon look so angry and territorial. “When we saw the carnage at your place, A