Forrest sat behind me shortly afterward, placing his legs on either side of me and wrapping his arms around me in a strong, warm hug. I leaned into him as he held me close, putting his chin on the top of my head and saying nothing as he kept me company through my sobs.
When I had run out of tears to shed, I tilted my head back onto Forrest’s chest and whispered, “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” he replied breathlessly.
Shortly after, I faded in and out of sleep, exhaustion from the evening’s events finally catching up to me.
Forrest’s arms were still firmly wrapped around me, his breath tickling the back of my neck, as he whispered, “This bleak and hollow place was never meant to hold someone like you. It is undeserving of the warmth and light you offer so freely.”
Chapter 5
“Aurelia, I have a question for you,” Forrest said through my bedroom door. “I’ve read a passage in this novel of yours, and I’m not quite sure what it means. Is it all right if I come in?”
I sat up, slightly confused to find myself in my bed. Last I remembered, I had fallen asleep on the floor in the living room. My face turned red at the sudden realization that I had fallen asleep snuggling with Forrest. I peeked under the blankets to take a look at what I was wearing. I had been changed into one of my sleeping gowns. My face was now on fire. Not only had Forrest fallen asleep with me, but at some point in the night, he had picked me up and taken me to bed. He had also apparently changed me as well. I should have been upset that he had seen me naked without my permission, but for unknown reasons, I didn’t mind. It actually gave me a bit of a thrill thinking about it.
“Aurelia, are you all right? Can I come in?” Forrest asked.
I brushed back my hair as best I could and adjusted my sleeping gown so everything was in place. “Yeah, sure. Come on in.”
Forrest slowly opened my bedroom door, and once he had made sure I was decent, he opened it fully and walked in, wearing nothing but his too-small pyjama pants, which left absolutely nothing to the imagination. I supposed I could add a robe to the list of clothing I still had to get for Forrest. I gave him a quick nod and gestured for him to go ahead with his questioning.
“What is the author referring to when theywrite ‘and he sheathed his sword inside me, all the way to the hilt’?” His eyebrows bunched together as confusion spread across his face.
My face flushed, and my insides started to tingle. “Forrest, where did you find that?”
“I was looking through your bookshelf this morning for a lighter read. A story about adventure, perhaps. I figured this one would be perfect, because it was titledLord of the High Seas. Anyway, things have started to get interesting between the ship’s captain and a woman who snuck onto the ship. They were trying to figure out payment for travel, and now he’s sheathing his sword inside her, and I’ve found myself quite lost. I was under the impression that he would make love to her, not stab her with his sword.”
All I could do at that moment was stare at him. He must have found one of my grandmother’s old romance novels, and apparently, it was deliciously filthy.
“Well, the sword that the author is referring to is most likely the man’s cock,” I said, as matter-of-factly as I could.
Understanding and a tinge of embarrassment filled Forrest’s face. “I’m familiar with the inner workings of the act of lovemaking, although I can’t remember the last time I experienced it. I just didn’t know that there were people who referred to their manhood as a sword, so it confused me a little. Anyway, thank you for your assistance. I’ll let you get on with your morning.”
I stared at the door as he shut it and went back to his room to continue reading his high-seas adventure. My mind immediately went to places it had no business going to. Forrest was attractive—I imagined he had all sorts of fae women throwing themselves at him. He had mentioned understanding the mechanics of making love but couldn’t remember the last time he had done it. That made me feel a bit sad for Forrest. I didn’t know if he had ever had any great loves, but assuming he had, to forget them completely was heartbreaking. I couldn’t do much about that at this moment, but I could dosomething nice for him and hope that it made him feel like someone cared for him, even just a little bit.
*
My stomach was in knots as I made my way to the cobblestone pathway that led to the village square. It had been a couple of weeks since Maxx and I had had our very public confrontation that had resulted in my healing being banned. The humiliation I had felt when I had been hollered at and pushed out of several shops was still fresh in my mind. As uncomfortable as this outing was likely to be, I would endure it, for Forrest’s sake.
To take my mind off the cold reception I was likely to receive once I arrived at the village square, I thought more about Forrest and his sword-sheathing query. Maybe sordid romances weren’t very popular in the fae realm, or at the very least, not the tongue-in-cheek terminology. I wondered what kind of romance books they had. If I had to take a stab in the dark based on how Forrest conducted himself, I would imagine that they were rather prim and proper and not nearly as scandalous as what he was currently reading. That thought made me laugh. I hoped he was enjoying himself. Not in that way. Well, maybe. I was sure, despite everything that had happened to him recently, he was still going to have certain physical needs or desires. Not that it was any of my business. Yet my mind kept going back to Forrest, standing in my bedroom doorway in those ridiculous pyjama bottoms. A gorgeous, half-naked fae holding a romance novel—what woman wouldn’t want to wake up to that sight in the morning?
The happy thoughts abruptly ended once I arrived at the village square. The atmosphere had shifted into something foreign to me. I’d lived here my entire life, and as cold and unforgiving as this place could be, it had never felt this desolate. The normal hustle and buzzing had quieted to hushed whispers and murmurs. As I took a quick look around, I noticed that anyone who happened to be in thesquare at that time had their attention focused on me.Uncomfortablecouldn’t even begin to describe the unsettling tension that floated in the air as I made my way further into the square.
I smiled weakly at a villager I recognized—I had treated her only a few days ago for a fungal infection. She returned my greeting by hissing and spitting at my feet. I let out a deep breath of defeat and continued on my way. Although I understood her need for hostile appearances, it wasn’t a great feeling. I’d lived here my entire life. I’d grown up with and treated these people. But in the eyes of the Cult of Children, I was a blasphemous witch who needed to be avoided at all costs. So the flock did as its shepherd commanded. I really hated this place.
Shortly after my unpleasant arrival at the village square, I made it to Smith’s Tailor Shop. I walked into the shop with apprehension. Violet and I were friendly enough with one another, having grown up together. Given recent events, though, it was hard to know how anyone would react to my presence. The bell above the door chimed, announcing my entrance. I paused as the loud clicking sound of the door closing pierced the silence in the quiet shop. My body stiffened as I waited to find out what kind of welcome I was about to receive. After several long moments, a tall, slender, blond-haired woman stepped out from the back room. Her bright green eyes scanned and assessed who had just entered her shop.
“Oh, Mothers Above! Aurelia Brooke, is that you? Thank goodness!” the oldest Smith daughter, Violet, called out. Her face lit up with relief. Given the cold reception I had received outside, I was somewhat shocked. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you! Are you all right? How are things since… well, you know?”
I smiled at Violet thoughtfully. She was the oldest of four daughters born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith—much to the chagrin of Mr. Smith, a man who had been very vocal about how disappointed he was that his wife had never borne him a son. Both parents had passed awaya few years ago, and rather than sell the business, Violet had taken it upon herself to keep the shop’s doors open and ran the business almost entirely on her own, with the exception of a few young helpers she employed over the summer. Her siblings did not share in her passion for tailoring, most likely due to the fact that they hated their father and anything associated with him—which I fully understood and supported.
“Hey, Violet. I’m all right. It hasn’t been the easiest time, but I’m managing well enough despite it all.”
“Well, I thought you held your own really well against that miserable little fool. I loathe the sanctuary’s existence with every fibre of my being. Honestly, I kept praying that someone would knock him out for what he did to that woman, but unfortunately, the people of this village are cowards.”
Violet was many things, the top among them was incredibly passionate and opinionated. She took bullshit from no one and would tell it like it was, whether you wanted to hear it or not. I envied the way she was fully able to be herself. If things had been different and my youth hadn’t been spent hiding my magic and perfecting my healing abilities, we may have been best friends. I really liked her.
Violet motioned for me to come closer. Sensing urgency, I hurried my way over to her.
