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Charlie’s words were fused with speculation and just a dash of excitement, two things that wouldn’t do. To eliminate it, Alexa slapped a hand on the table where the hairbrush was, effectively making it jump.
“It’s a light brush and will move with minimal effort.”
“But there wasn’t a hand beside it earlier,” he whined.
“Where was it earlier?”
At that, he gave her a reluctant look. “Windowsill.”
“Wind, Charlie. Don’t make too much of it.”
But the words formed trepidation in her belly, amassing into a ball that wreaked tension all over her body. When Charlie wasn’t looking, she pocketed the hairbrush and slipped into the bedroom. The sight of Archie leaning against the window to view the city below made her tension soften as she sat to join him. Automatically, he crawled in her lap, still absorbed in the view.
“Pretty?”
“Pretty view,” he agreed. “Mama, look at the birds. They are flying together. Do all birds fly together?”
“Not all do, honey.” Subtly, she placed the hairbrush on the windowsill and opened the glass, leaving only the iron bars. “See those birds there? They are migratory birds. They are heading northwards to feed on really good plants and insects.”
“I have a magic trick, mama.”
“Oh?”
Her heart stopped as her gaze focused on the brush, waiting for any telltale sign: a hitch in breath, an infusion of higher energy in the air. It moved when the wind did, rattling softly. But there was no taste of power. A small hand brushed against her chest, demanding her attention. She looked at the empty palm, the hand tapping her ear, then he fisted his hand before Archie opened it again to reveal a small, budding flower.
“For you, mama.”
She grinned, taking the flower and glancing at Charlie, who leaned against the doorway and looked pleased with himself. “Heartbreakers, both of you. Do you know what a heartbreaker gets?”
“What?”
“Lots of this.”
Her fingers dove to tickle his sides, earning a burst of giggles that warmed her soul. When Charlie rolled his eyes, she stood up and approached him. “Hey, wait up. I have something to show you.”
“Hmm—”
She pounced on him with more tickles, earning a panicked look before Charlie collapsed in a mass of shrieks and shaky laughter. Archie leaped at them and wrestled them to the ground, the three tumbling on each other before Charlie broke free and tried to put on a stern expression.
“You lot are crazy,” he declared, then marched out with a huff like the teenager he was. “And you’re late for work, sis.”
She would be if she didn’t hurry up, so she got to moving after smothering her baby with even more kisses. At the cake shop, the joy from earlier faded off as more serious musings came to the forefront, coating her with worry. She kept watching the clock. On cue, her phone beeped at the end of her extra shift, signaling that there was no laundry shop work to go to.
Come to my studio tonight.
The number glared at her, and she glared back. Despite not saving it in her phonebook, she knew who it was—knew he would be sending the message tomorrow once more, a persistence that was both amusing and irritating. She pocketed the phone and made her way back to her apartment, but the text weighed heavy in her pocket, refusing to be ignored.
With a growl, Alexa turned around and continued her walk, but not towards her initial destination. Minutes later, she was walking through the maze of his underground abode and jumping in the same area, where the lights were dimmer than before and there was no crowd.
“You came.”
Edmund’s voice caught her off guard as he appeared from behind a huge column carrying a mass of rolled parchments. He tossed a few in her direction and didn’t wait around, already striding towards opened crates and arranging them. Curiosity gleamed and had her tentatively opening one…and then and there, she was bombarded with the sketch of a female Fae captured in charcoal. The lines were bold and raw, illuminating the woman’s solemn eyes.
“She’s sad because she and the male Fae fought that night,” he intoned. “About you?”
She gaped. “About me?”
“Nothing too serious. They just disagreed over his politeness to you when he could have convinced you harder to join them. She wanted you to join them, and he could sense your nerves.”
