“Why?”
“Dewy wanted to know who her competition was.” Merrifolds gave me a sad look. “She knows she has no chance of keeping him if you want him, too.”
I wanted to groan. “Why me?”
“You’re beautiful.” Merrifolds’s little face turned wistful. “Even my mom isn’t as pretty as you.”
“So you mentioned while I was peacefully sleeping. How old are you?”
“Almost thirteen. I can’t wait until I’m sixteen like Dewy. All the boys want to be with her.”
This time I did groan and set the little brownie back on my pillow.
“Listen, Merri. Boys aren’t the be-all and end-all in life. There’s so much more out there.”
Her gaze filled with doubt, she looked up at me.
“Like what?”
I got out of bed carefully so I wouldn’t knock her over and went for one of my favorite books. It was an old one about travel that had amazing pictures. I paged through it and showed her how much of the world was out there, waiting for her to discover it. Wonder lit her tiny face before she grew notably sad.
“You’re big enough to do all of that. If I tried, I’d lose my wings.”
As I looked at her, I realized how much the little brownie was like me. If she stayed in the marshes, she’d lose her freedom because she’d get pregnant as soon as her hormones kicked in. If she left, she’d lose the freedom of her wings. Either way, she was going to lose something. It was up to her to decide which loss would hurt less.
“If I ever get my mark, I’ll take you with me to one of these places.”
“Really?”
I nodded and smiled when she launched herself into the air and did several excited loop the loops.
“This is the best day of my life. No one’s ever been this nice to me.”
She zoomed up close to my face.
“This isn’t just a trick to get my wings, is it?”
“No. I understand what limited options feel like. And if I’m in a position to help yours feel less limited, why wouldn’t I?”
She squealed and bounced in the air.
“Could I ask a favor, though? Several, actually.”
Merri grew serious.
“I sent Piepen to the marshes because I wanted to help him move on. I told him I’m not interested in a relationship with him, but he won’t listen. Can you let your sister know that I’m not competing for his affection?”
Merri exhaled, and her shoulders sagged in visible relief.
“I thought you were going to ask for my wings.”
Annoyed for a brief moment, I frowned at the girl.
“I know you said you don’t want them, but my mom and dad told me a lot of creatures would say that to try to trick me. Dewy warned me, too, just before she sent me off.”
“If she’s so worried about your wings, she shouldn’t have sent you at all. Which brings me to my second favor. Promise me you won’t come back. I’ll visit the marshes and call your name if I’m ever able to keep my promise.” She nodded quickly. “The final favor is to tell your people to stop visiting me. I’m dangerous at night, and I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Her eyes grew large.
“I’ll tell them. Thank you for not hurting me.”
“You’re welcome.”
With a wave, she zipped out the open window into dawn’s early light. I frowned and hurriedly closed and locked the annoying casement. While I didn’t mind Merri’s visit, I did not want another repeat of Piepen’s.
The moment I had that thought, it dawned on me that my mouth didn’t taste like skunk anymore. I laughed and twirled around the room. All I’d needed was a good night’s sleep. My mom had been wrong, and Fenris had been right. Things did look much better this morning.
In a good mood, I picked out what I wanted to wear, tossed the clothes on the bed, then broke the hanger and shoved the length of plastic between the sash and the jamb of the troublesome window. When I tried to lift the sash, it didn’t budge. Hopefully, that would be the end of my night time visits.
It didn’t take me long to get ready and jog down the stairs. I passed through the blissfully empty dining room and entered the kitchen. Mrs. Quill sat at the island with a cup of coffee and a large grocery bag in front of her.
“Good morning, Eliana.”
“Morning.”
“Can I speak with you for a minute?”
I wanted to keep walking, but respect for the woman who’d given me shelter for so many years won out.
“Sure.”
“I understand why you didn’t tell me the truth yesterday, and I’m sorry for the distance I’ve caused between us. I know what’s been done can’t be undone, but I want you to know I love you. Unconditionally and completely. And I will always be here for you.”
I took pity on the hurt in her eyes and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around me and pressed her lips to my temple.
“Forgive me, my darling. I’ve made such a mess.”
“I hear that happens with some mothers and daughters.” She sniffled ominously, and I quickly changed the subject. “Have you heard from Oanen lately?”
She released me with a smile.
“I have. Megan’s curious about the gods, so they went to Cyprus to explore Aphrodite’s history.”
“Wow. That’s incredible.” I thought of my travel book with longing. Cyprus had been one of the dog-eared pages.
“It is.” Mrs. Quill studied me for a moment, and I could see she was weighing her next words. “Is there a reason you told Oanen and Megan to stay away?”
“Oanen has a big mouth.”
“He’s worried. We all are.”
“You should be. Ashlyn’s missing, and whoever caused it is going to get a one-way ticket to hell once Megan gets here. Since she holds the Council responsible, I wanted to give you all a chance to find Ashlyn. Not that anyone seems to care. Instead of focusing on Ashlyn, Adira’s hellbent on making me wish I was the one who disappeared.”
Mrs. Quill’s expression turned to pity.
“Raiden and members of his pack, who he trusts implicitly to protect Ashlyn should they find her, have been searching night and day. Lander is hunting by air as well. And, Adira’s put out the word that we want to hire a druid for a location spell. We won’t stop until we discover what happened to her. No matter how it might look, we do care.”
She stood and slid the bag toward me.
“Let me know when you need more chocolate. I’ll get it for you, no questions asked.”
She gave me a tender smile and left the kitchen. I stared after her. At least I knew they were doing something. But I could see in Mrs. Quill’s eyes that even she knew their methods were unlikely to find anything. It only affirmed my decision to meet with the druid later today.
Before leaving the kitchen, I opened the bag Mrs. Quill had given me and inhaled the scent of chocolate. It smelled heavenly but didn’t make my mouth water. Had it been filled with lemon cake, I would have dived in headfirst. As it was, I stashed the bag in one of the cupboards and headed out the door.
I sent a quick text to my mom to let her know that I was on my way then followed her directions to an older house on the northern outskirts of town. The bungalow style home had crisp, white trim that contrasted its dusky blue siding. Even with snow covering the majority of the yard, I could see signs of neat landscaping.