I sipped my drink as Fig snuffled around in the tangled undergrowth, snorting happily when he uncovered some tasty shoots.
The walled garden behind the mansion was an overgrown mess. Nobody had touched it in years. Thickets of dogwood, chokeberry,and elderberry had overtaken much of the garden, turning what had once been a curated, formal space into a chaotic wilderness. At least from what I could tell from the vague outlines of pathways and beds.
Mature trees offered privacy from neighboring mansions, and a gazebo next to the side of the house must have been a pleasant alfresco dining area at dusk once upon a time.
Despite the chill in the air, I needed some outdoor time. Being cooped up in the house for the last two days was grating on me. Being a fugitive was not exciting. It turned out I missed the routine of classes and spending time in the library with my bestie.
Who still hadn’t been in touch.
I pulled out the phone Zane had procured for me yesterday—I didn’t ask where he got it from—and opened the messaging app. He’d helpfully added Farris’s number, so I typed out a message.
Where’s Glynda?
If you’ve hurt her, I’ll melt you.
Not even joking.
I squinted as each message showed as delivered. Minutes ticked by, but the fae didn’t reply.What an asshole.
Then I remembered he had a big social media following on Magigram. Only the goddess knew why anyone would choose to follow a male like Farris, but I decided it was a good idea to check if he’d posted any content lately.
The phone came with all the most popular magical apps pre-installed, so I opened Magigram and logged in. Despite being a tech virgin before Starfall, I’d gotten used to using apps like Magigram and WitchTok.
A stream of posts from my favorite witchfluencers filled my feed, but I ignored them in favor of searching for Farris’s account.
Wow. He had over a million followers?!
I scrolled down his feed, only to discover he’d not posted anything since before Alaric stole me away from the club. Prior to that, his grid was full of photos showing him with dozens of super attractive fae females, all of whom had clearly used filters to airbrush their faces.
Nobody was that perfect.
And if they were, I hated them already.
A notification flashed across my screen, making me jump.
Farris the fucking fae: *roll-eyes emoji* She’s fine.
Farris the fucking fae: Go away, I’m busy.
What a cock goblin!
I NEED PROOF OF LIFE!!!!
*gif of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz*
Farris the fucking fae: *weird emoji*
I forwarded a screenshot of the emoji to Zane in the hope he’d translate it for me since I wasn’t up to speed on what many emoji meant. I’d used an eggplant emoji in a message to Maverick one time, thinking it literally meant eggplant, which I was craving for dinner, only to discover it meant something entirely different.
My incubus sex god: That’s the fae emoji for fuck off and die, my pet, which is disrespectful. I’ll deal with the fuckerwhen he next comes through the fae portal. *knife emoji* *blood emoji* *skull emoji*
I reopened the chat with Farris the fucking fae.
Tell Glynda to call me or else.
Farris didn’t reply to that message, but I no longer felt quite so murderous toward him. Strangely, I believed him when he said she was fine. Mostly because fae couldn’t lie, even via technology, and there was nothing remotely ambiguous aboutshe’s fine.
A door opened nearby. Adam lifted a hand in greeting before walking over. He sat down next to me and squinted at my phone screen.
