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As they walked up to Fern’s small flat, Mara offered her a small smile.
“I know today was a lot. You probably still have more questions than answers, but I need you to promise me something else.”
“I can’t do that until I know what it is you’re going to ask,” Fern rebutted as she tapped the passcode into her electronic lock.
“Please have patience whenever you talk with Calum.” There was a genuine desperation in Mara’s voice that Fern hadn’t heard from her yet, even when they were talking at the pub. She turned to face Mara, assessing her expression.
Both Emmett and Mara had proven, in small, subtle ways, that they were immensely loyal to Calum. Fern had a plethora of feelings to sort through at the moment, so for the night, she wasn’t touching the way she reacted to Calum with a ten-foot pole.
“I will,” she promised. “Good night, Mara.”
“I am happy you’re here.” Mara smiled. “Even if it’s not what you expected. Good night, Fern.” The baobhan sith slipped off into the night without a glance behind her. Fern watched in awe for a few seconds, looking at the space where Mara had disappeared.
“Damn faeries,” she chuckled to herself, letting the door close behind her. In the silence of her apartment, exhaustion hit Fern. She slipped into her pajamas and collapsed into bed, falling asleep before she hit the pillow.
* * *
A sharp, aggressive knock on the door woke Fern up. She jolted awake, sucking in a sharp breath as she looked for the cause of the noise. Moonlight flooded in from the bedroom window, meaning she hadn’t been asleep for that long. The assault on her front door continued.
Fern picked up her iPhone, which she didn’t even remember plugging in, and cursed. She had only been asleep for roughly thirty minutes. Whoever was at the door kept knocking.
“Oh, you sonofabitch,” Fern cursed. She hauled herself out of bed and stomped through the apartment. “What in the fuck’s name of fucking fuck do you want—” Fern ripped the door open and was stunned into silence mid-sentence.
Calum was standing on her porch with one hand raised as if he was about to keep knocking.
Fern swallowed thickly as her attitude shifted almost instantaneously. Her anger ebbed away, and an unbridled wave of attraction replaced it.
Calum had changed from his shirt and jacket to a cable-knit sweater, and he smelled even more intensely of pipe tobacco. His tailored pants had been swapped for corduroys and velvet loafers.
The gold in his eyes was no longer there, and his features looked somewhat more human again. Everything about Calum was unbelievably brutal. It cracked in the air like lightning when she looked at him, and Fern half-expected the lightbulb on the porch to explode.
Fern’s mouth went dry. She tensed in embarrassment as she realized her panties suddenly had the opposite problem.
Calum was looking utterly fuckable while dressed like bedtime Paddington Bear, and she was in her pajamas. Fern responded in kind, her promise to Mara to have patience with him already forgotten.
“Are those smoking loafers? Fucking honestly? That’s the most pretentious thing I’ve ever seen.”
“You’re wearing Slytherin pajamas,” Calum deadpanned in response. Fern scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
“And?”
“Aren’t you thirty?”
“Ouch.” Fern sucked her teeth. “I’m thirty-two, for the record, which means I don’t like being woken up in the middle of the night.” She glared at him, and Calum shifted his weight.
“That’s still exceedingly young,” he rolled his eyes, “and it’s only 10:30 p.m.”
“Which is way past my bedtime.”
“You must lead a fascinating social life.” Calum smirked at her. Fern flushed at the cocky expression, heat flooding between her legs.
“You’re just pissy because you’re clearly a Hufflepuff,” she griped back. Yes, we’re off to a great start. Her thoughts backpedaled. Now would probably be a good time to remember this is the man responsible for overseeing your doctorate proposal.
“I’ll pretend to be upset at your accusation.”
“Is there a reason that you’re on my front step?” Fern snapped, subconsciously running her hand through her hair to smooth it out. She noticed for the first time that Calum was holding a book in his other hand, and a very ancient looking one at that.
The air between them shifted considerably again. Any traces of mirth or teasing left Calum’s face, and he looked at Fern with a hard expression. Fern’s whole body responded under his gaze.
