Page 48 of Why Broken Wings Fray

I swallowed that, and the expression that it sprouted across my face.

“Tell your King that I will be in attendance.”

At this point, it would have been redundant to comment on her tone. Every pixie around me had their own motives, their own ploys and slyness, and hers was just another in a long list to keep track of. But it did mean one thing – Killian needed to double Raegan’s guards for Imbolc. It was just an innate feeling I had.

~

Urram, not punished to eat spinach for the rest of his life, allowed both Killian and I to utilize him for the fast, powerful swim back to the surface. There, we bade farewell to Bryn and conveniently forgot to give our water-rings back. Well, I was going to, but Killian nudged me and told me to stay quiet.

I was so run through with exhaustion that I collapsed on the side of Mount’s Bay and was content to remain there until I was old and decrepit.

I should have known Killian would not share the same sentiment.

“Come on, Olivia,” he grunted as he grabbed my arm and hoisted me to my feet, somehow balancing my complete dead-weight over my trembling legs. “You’ve got human things to show me.”

The noise that came from me was so tortured I was surprised he didn’t consider me dead. “You still want to do that?”

“Of course.” Nothing was capable of deterring Killian, I needed to remember that. “Honestly, it was the only thing getting me through that gods-awful chat.”

One thing I could always count on him for – making me laugh. Even though it burned my chest and I was sure I coughed up an angelfish, I nodded and let him brace all of my weight against his body.

“Where do you want to go first?” he whispered, so excited that I nearly melted.

“Well…” I grinned, his excitement transferring into me and renewing my excitement. “Killian, have you ever had coffee?”

23

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Okay, so at least I wasn’t the only one thoroughly exhausted from our day-trip to Uisge. Because as we approached Marazion, the closest human town to Uisge and Choilltean, Killian let out an agonized groan and nearly collapsed.

It was good timing, in a way, considering the light was slipping and I was almost certain no human shops would be open.

“Why don’t we find somewhere to rest, Killian,” I grunted as I tried to heave his shaking body upright. “One of the hotels here has my card on file–” please don’t ask me why, “–and then we can spend all morning tomorrow wandering around. Energized, too.”

He narrowed his eyes at me before ultimately giving in. “Alright. Alright! Yes, Olivia, take me to the hotel!” His voice was so loud and excitable that I laughed along while trying to keep him upright.

“Fix our sizes, first,” I chuckled, only to swallow the noise and nearly retch instead when the world shrunk around me. I was left feeling intoxicated and completely shit-faced as everything blurred, until the grass was not surrounding and towering us but was mere spikes beneath our shoes.

I released Killian, took a few steps back and stared at him.

“What?”

I had only seen Killian in a human-like size once. The day he found me, the day he saved me, and I was so filled with fear when I saw him that I couldn’t appreciate what I could appreciate now.

Everything about him was accentuated. His brashness was more apparent, his ruggedness tenfold. The darkness of his hair was twice as light-sucking, the wildness of his smile thrice as powerful. Instead of being surrounded by green or brown like we always were, Killian was outlined with a perfect balance of stretching green behind him and blue sky above him.

“Are you intentionally over-inflating your size?” I hummed as I assessed him, arms crossed over my chest. Because there was no way that he was that large. He must have grown us at different ratios.

His laugh was his, but tired. “No.”

“Whatever,” I scoffed, waving him off. “Come on. And if anyone asks you what the fuck you’re wearing, tell them you came from Ren-Con.”

“Fuck? Ren-con?”

“Don’t say that first word,” I grumbled, grabbing onto his hand and dragging him towards the faint outline of the real world against the horizon. “And don’t worry about the other one. Just say it quickly and look away.”

I wasn’t sure why he was laughing, if not for him simply being Killian.