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18
Lena
Miri’s been bugging everyone to come up to Wild Cottage for weeks. Once she got her store set up, she started complaining that she never had a housewarming party. This is her first permanent home, and I understand why she wants to celebrate that. Before moving to Wild Haven, Miri spent most of her life on the move, bouncing from one town to the next in order to avoid being found by Anthony.
Miri’s mom kept them on the run for years. Miri only returned to the belly of the beast after she turned twenty-five. According to a journal Davis and Archer found in the tunnel behind Miri’s store, Fae come into their powers at this time. None of us fully understands the reasoning, but once Miri hit that milestone, she was given her inheritance. Her mother had wanted her to come back to Wild Haven. Evelyn is one of the only one of the original Axis that wasn’t a psychotic asshole, so there’s nothing to do but trust there’s a good reason for her plan.
Right now, it’s hard to understand why Evelyn thought Miri coming into her Fae magic at twenty-five made any difference in her safety. Anthony is still a murdering and manipulating bastard. Nothing’s changed there. Although there’s a good chance that if Miri was out there on her own, she would be in more danger. At least here, she’s surrounded by people who want to keep her safe and protect her.
Seeing Anthony at Archer’s parents’ party was a wake-up call. I just don’t understand why he wants to control when we bond. According to what Anthony told Miri, we won’t be able to form the bond without his help. Why should we even believe him? He's not the most reliable source. He’s a kidnapping, murdering, psychopath. Why would we do what he says?
Rhys picked me up to drive me out to Miri’s tonight. I have a bike and it’s usually more than sufficient to get me where I need to go around the island. I don’t mind walking everywhere else, but there was no way Rhys was going to let me walk or even bike out here alone. Archer’s the same way, but I haven’t talked to him for a few days. Not since I ignored his texts and calls. Guilt squirms around in my stomach. I’m such an asshole. I know it and I know Archer will be at Miri’s tonight.
An invisible knife stabs through my heart and my breath catches in my throat. True physical pain has me rubbing my chest. I shouldn’t miss him this much, should I? It's not like we ever established anything real between us. Yes, we’ve been friends forever, but we didn’t hang out every day. And yet, my insides hurt. There’s a void pulsing with the ache of loss, and an itch in my fingers to pick up my phone and text him something I shouldn’t.
“Lena, are you going to stand on the porch all night?” Rhys gives me a crooked frown and I pull myself together. My brother is way too perceptive when it comes to me. He can read my emotions better than he understands his own most of the time.
“Sorry, I just remembered something I forgot to do at work.”
“Emergency book club meeting?”
“Don’t be a dick.”
Rhys smirks at me. “But it’s my resting state of being.”
“So you’ve hit your peak in life and it’s all downhill from here?”
“I’m about ninety-three percent certain that’s the truth.” Rhys knocks on the door, and it swings open. This happened way too often when I come to Wild Cottage, the door opening up on its own.
“At least you can cling to that seven percent. Is someone at the door?”
Rhys walks inside, and I follow him in, peeking behind the door.
“Um, no. There’s no one there.”
“This house is magic,” Miri hollers from across the main hall. Her head is sticking out of a door that leads to a room I haven’t been in yet. “Or it’s haunted. Let’s go with magic, okay?”
“It’s magic because your front door doesn’t like to stay closed?” Rhys cocks a brow and grins at her.
“No, it’s magic because the house randomly lets people inside. I’d say it’s people the house likes, but it let fucking Anthony Hatcher inside when I first moved in.” Miri walks into the room until she’s standing on an inlaid compass that sits in the middle of the foyer. She tips her head back and glares around the room with her fist raised.
“What’s she doing?” Rhys mock whispers, loud enough that Miri can hear.
“I think it's an interpretive dance.”
“You guys are both assholes. It must be genetic.” Miri turns her glare on us, and we both laugh as we meet her in the center of the room.
“I don’t think the house can sense that you’re pissed off at it.” Rhys grins at her, throwing an arm over her shoulder and hugging her.
“Don’t be so sure. Let’s get out of the front hall. Everyone else is already in the game room.” Miri pokes Rhys in the side and ducks out from under his arm.
“You have a game room?”
“Well, there’s a pool table, but billiard’s room sounds like we’re going to have a live action role play of the board game Clue, so game room it is.”
Miri leads us to the game room. Just like every time I walk into Wild Cottage, I can’t help but marvel at the architecture and attention to detail. It’s gorgeous and makes me long for a home of my own that isn’t a rental. My apartment is nice, and it’s mine, but it doesn’t have much character. Every brick of this house was laid with the intention of adding to the strength and beauty of the place. The large circular foyer has a sweeping staircase, dark marble tile floors, and domed stained-glass window, and that’s just the entry. This home was built for a family. A place to grow. Until this moment, I never realized how much I want that for myself.
“I thought you only got dreamy-eyed over libraries?” Miri smiles over her shoulder at me, having noticed my appreciative looks, I guess.
