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Relishing in my fear.
Hunting me now that it’d latched onto my scent.
It felt like an eternity before Zephyr’s hooves finally reconnected with the stream bed and pushed us up onto the shore, my full body weight returning to normal as she shook her mane dry. I looked back at the river as we trotted ahead, meeting the same beady gaze of the water wraith who’d attacked me weeks ago, snapping her sharpened teeth at me before she swam away.
Shuttering, I averted my eyes and rested my chin on Talon’s back.
Talon vibrated with laughter and gave my thigh a reassuring squeeze. “You can loosen that death grip now, firefly. We won’t make it far if you cut off my air supply.”
I let my hands fall to his waist and rolled my eyes. I couldn’t believe it; it was truly happening. With nothing left standing in our way, the stars were finally in my favor.
There should’ve been a rush of excitement that swelled in my belly the deeper we traveled into the dense forest. However, I couldn’t shake the fact that something didn’t sit right.
Maybe it was the overgrown canopy.
Or maybe I’d grown used to the enchanting faerie landscape.
Whatever the reason, the leaves in Wendover felt washed out and dull. Bland. Something was off, yet I couldn’t put my finger on what—even the air smelled different.
My bones didn’t hum with the same vivacity they did in Faerway, and a deep, ancient yearning inside me itched to be unleashed.
When I’d traveled through this forest all those weeks ago, life felt fragile and hopeless. Like each step threatened to snap me in half. I couldn’t have imagined what the stars had in store for me or who—what—I’d become. The man I’d meet.
I held that scared, meek girl I used to be close to my heart, slightly envious of her blind optimism. Surely, life was bound to look different after experiencing such emotional turmoil, right?
A pit formed in my stomach, wondering how my mother would react when I told her about everything that had happened. Once she drank the nightingale elixir and the initial shock wore off, there was no doubt she’d give me a piece of her mind.
As much as I dreaded the inevitable lecture, I longed to hear her voice again, even if her words were coated with disdain. My chest swelled, and I pictured the dormant fire returning to her eyes—the rose hue to her cheeks.
I bit my lip to keep my smile at bay, not wanting to get ahead of myself, but as we broke through the tree line, it became impossible to suppress. There were a hundred questions I couldn't wait to ask that’d keep us talking until dawn. I could already hear the crackle of the fireplace while I nestled under a blanket and talked in circles. My mother’s face terse as she gave me her undivided attention.
I wondered if she’d be able to see past her bias of the fae and accept Talon, let alone allow him into our home, especially after she learned about what I’d endured.
If I was able to, she could also, right?
The nagging voice in my head told me it wouldn’t be that simple.
A few minutes later, the small cottage that’d raised me formed at the bottom of the hill—its stone walls and cherry wood door welcoming us. My heart caught in my throat, stealing my breath.
Home.
I’d almost forgotten what it looked like.
Tears burned my eyes, blurring my vision before I quickly wiped them away, afraid if I blinked, it’d disappear. After weeks of doubt and torment—there it was.
I could almost smell the cinnamon burning inside. Although I’d begged the stars to bring me back home, I hadn’t actually believed it would happen.
Being there was so surreal—overwhelming.
Talon looked over his shoulder, flicking his chin toward the house. “Go on,” he said. “We’ll be right behind you.”
My jaw fell open, but I remained frozen, sputtering incoherent sentences. I wasn’t sure what I was attempting to protest—perhaps it was shock. Perhaps I was overflowing with so much happiness my body didn’t know how to handle it all.
“Go, firefly.” Talon nudged me.
I closed my mouth and nodded, wiping my palms along my pants before I flung my leg off Zephyr and hopped onto the ground.
It felt like a dream.
