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“No, it’s really not. Maybe someday when she’s had a chance to live a little more…but she hasn’t, and I’m not going to steal that chance.” De
“So how old is too old?”
He gri
“But…”
“But I’m almost a decade older. It’s different.” De
“Jerk.”
He gri
“Whatever.” She smiled back at him.
As they played, Aisli
She pushed aside her thoughts and concentrated on the game. Carla and Grace made a great team, but De
“Hey, dead weight,” he called, “your shot.”
Carla laughed. “Ash is just trying to help me out, aren’t you?”
“It’s as good an explanation as any for the easy shot you missed earlier….” De
She didn’t miss that one, but she missed more than her share over the next few hours. It was the least complicated evening she’d had in a while—no unspoken issues or worrying about every word she said and each move she made. It was exactly what she’d needed.
When she got home later that night, Aisli
Aisli
The braid was longer than Aisli
“But wouldn’t I be the witch keeping you safe? Trapping you up here in our tower?”
Aisli
“And what happens if the witch finds us?”
“She’ll steal our eyes or make us dead.”
“So if we leave our tower?” Grams turned everything into a quiz. Everything was about them, and wrong answers meant staying inside longer. “What are the rules?”
“No looking at the faeries. No talking to faeries. Nothing to attract faeries’ attention. Ever.” Aisli
“Exactly.” Grams had hugged her then. Her eyes were shimmering with tears. “Breaking the rules will let the witch win.”
“Is that what happened to Momma?” Aisli
Grams snuggled her more tightly. “More or less, baby. More or less.”
Moira wasn’t a subject they discussed. Aisli
“There was a special program on the complications of the unexpected weather shift.” Grams motioned to the television. She was big on paying attention to the weather now that Aisli
“We’re working on the flood thing.” Aisli
“They were talking about how the polar bears are—”
“Grams? Can we not do this tonight?” Aisli
Grams clicked off the television. “What happened?”
“Nothing. Just…Keenan…we had a discussion—” Aisli
“So he’s pressuring you already?” Grams didn’t waste time. She never had been one for subtleties.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s a faery, Aisli
“So am I.” Aisli
Because of Keenan.
“You’re not like them.” Grams scowled. “You’re certainly not like him.”
Aisli
“But you’re still good. You’re honest.” Grams came over to the sofa. She pulled Aisli
Aisli
“He’s going to push you to do what he wants. It’s his way.” Grams stroked Aisli
“I didn’t—”
“You rejected his affection. That smarts. All faeries are prideful. He a faery king. Women have been giving themselves to him since he was old enough to notice them.”
Aisli
“I love Seth,” she murmured, clinging to that truth, not admitting aloud that loving one person didn’t mean not noticing anyone else.
“I know that. So does Keenan.” Grams didn’t pause in the rhythmic motion of her affection. She always knew how to nurture without smothering. It was something no one else had ever done—not that there’d been anyone else. It had been them, just the two of them, forever.