Page 100 of Fae Farewells

“Your hellish mice?” Thatcher teased. “Sounds a Hell of lot bigger than fucking mice.”

Freya frowned, still a little hesitant when it came to my boys. Levi didn’t look too excited either. He hadn’t seen them, though. He’d only heard them while they’d bayed and growled.

Atlas really was a gentle giant.

Cronus and Helios were where things got iffy. They could be nice, but usually, they chose the asshole route.

“Yes,” I answered. “They’re in their true forms, so just a little bigger than mice. And they’re hungry. They’ll be our clean-up crew for this evening, so have fun making a mess.”

Saturday, June 20th

Evening

The person staring back at me wasn’t who I thought she would be.

We had all changed over the last few weeks, but the Sloane in the mirror wasn’t what I was expecting. While her usual anger was still there, she looked ferocious.

Determined.

And fucking tired.

I knocked the empty box onto the floor as I traded Vaughn’s t-shirt for something more fitting of the upcoming event.

A gorgeous—stolen—dress that I pulled from Alania’s closet.

Freya and Tilly had described this gift-wrapped box and new garment to me in such detail that I could picture it clearly in my mind. When it landed in my outstretched hands, I wasn’t ready to be this awed by its beauty.

“If I don’t ruin this, I’m keeping it,” I stated absently, tracing the detailed prints in the leather top. “I hope I don’t ruin it, otherwise I’ll have to find someone to make a new one.”

“Lashul made it,” Vaughn murmured, shaking his head as he smiled. “Seers come in many species, fae included. That dress wasn’t made for Alania. Lashul made it for you, but how would she explain what she saw in her vision?”

“How do you know?” I challenged.

“She told Freya.” He shrugged. “Freya told me.”

I nodded. “They’re ready?”

“Yes,” he replied softly, tying the back of the corset.

The plan was set, but not in stone... There was wiggle room for errors, though I hoped it went smoothly. I had enough experience to know something wouldn’t go as expected; I just didn’t know what yet.

I hated following plans to the T.

But Alania was too unpredictable to fight on a whim.

She’d been copying Vex’s powers for years, so we didn’t know what she was capable of. The things the Winters heard could be truth or speculation. We had no way to check the resources, which meant we were assuming she was at the more powerful end of the rumors.

“Lashul thought of everything,” Vaughn said as I fanned the lace around my legs.

“Do you think I have too much skin on display for the occasion?” I teased, loving the tight shorts and thigh-highs that were included.

He snorted, then frowned at himself. “If Alania hadn’t killed her royal court, they’d think you modest.”

“What do you think?”

“I think it’ll be difficult to see the blood.” Vaughn shrugged. “Kind of ruins the sport for you.”

I snapped my fingers. “Damn. Whatever will I do?”