AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What was that?” I asked.
Kellan chuckled, and the silence of the ride took over. When we pulled down the quiet dirt road, it looked undisturbed. It looked like a peaceful haven that I hated to drag him away from.
I parked underneath the giant tree and walked around to help him out. Kellan opened his door and stepped out as I grabbed his crutches and shoved them into his chest. “Yes, you have to use them.”
The front door to his cabin opened, and Fern stepped out. She looked relieved to see us. “Thank goodness you’re both alive. We were so worried.”
Ernest wobbled out after her.
Fern stopped beside us and looked down at Kellan’s leg. “You’re hurt,” she whispered, realization forming on her face. “You’re ...”
“Human?” he said. “Looks like killing Deidamia did the trick.”
She searched his face for a reaction. “Are you ... happy? I can’t tell.”
“Can’t you see my excitement?” he asked, deadpan.
“No,” she said matter-of-factly. “And I think if you’re going to make Josie happy, you need to learn how to show your emotions. You suck at it.”
Kellan placed his palm on his chest. “Ouch, Fern. I take what I said back earlier,” he said to me. “I’m going to another realm to find an elf.”
“How are you gonna get there?” I asked. “I’m the magical one now, and if you think I’m ever opening a portal again, you’re dead wrong.”
Kellan smiled softly and touched my mouth with his fingertips. “I’ve never been happier to hear that in my life.”
Ernest knocked a cane against the railing of the front porch. “I’m dying to know what happened.”
Kellan refused my help and wobbled over toward the porch. “Well, I wish it were more exciting. It turns out I’m not Josephine’s only lover. Her ex showed up, followed us here, and shot me. I think he planning on killing me, but Josie here, she stopped the bullets.”
Ernest’s wise eyes shifted toward mine. “Magic is a gift.”
It didn’t feel that way. After learning how both my mother and aunt used it, it felt like a generational curse. Why couldn’t I have taken after my father?
Then Kellan wouldn’t be alive.
“I’m not sure I’m interested in my magic, Ernest.”
He nodded, though I saw the curiosity in his eyes. “Come on inside. I made soup and bread.”
My stomach grumbled. I knew Kellan had to be hungry. That hospital food was as terrible as it sounded. Ernest had everything on the table, as if he expected us. George lay on a small doggie bed in the corner of the room.
Fern beamed when I noticed it. “I bought that.”
Surprised, I lifted both brows. “Yeah? You went to the store?”
She clapped. “I did. Everything is so nice here. Easy. I love it. The people are friendly. Are they always like this?"
"Uh, mostly," I laughed. "Not all of them."
I hadn’t thought about where she would go once this all ended. She didn’t seem to have a family back in the other realm besides Ernest.
I sat down in my chair and watched Kellan set his crutches to the side. Then we all poured the soup into our bowls and began to eat.
“Where are you going after this, Fern?” I asked.
She tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ears. “I’m not sure. I don’t think it’s a good idea to go back. I’m afraid of the fae.”
Ernest patted her shoulder. “You can always come to stay with me.”
