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Chapter Nineteen
Emily looked up at me,and a slow smile spread across her face as I descended the steps.
“Did I interrupt something?” she asked, taking in my bed hair.
“No. You’re fine. What’s up?”
“I wanted to talk about today and the plans for tomorrow,” she said. “But I can come back later if you think that’ll help.”
I shook my head and gestured to the couch, hoping she would stay. After the combustible experience I’d just undergone with Tor, I needed this break to calm my chaotic thoughts.
“Now’s fine.”
She removed her jacket and sat with a weary sigh.
“Everything worked exactly like you’d thought it would, only on a faster scale. People noticed us as soon as we arrived, and word spread. Matt fielded questions while I helped the fey figure out everything. A line formed before the fey even finished setting up. I could tell right away that we needed to make more soup than we’d thought, which was fine. We’d brought extra to make a show of taking the overages back. However, there wasn’t any left. The fey made and served every single drop. We let people come back for seconds.
“The fey got to talk to people. Normal conversation. They were thanked and smiled at. And that’s exactly what we needed because, as soon as word spread about the awesomeness of the fey, the haters descended. Caleb and Connor were outside to take down names of those who wouldn’t come inside. And Taylor was sitting at a table, pretending to eat and listening in on conversations.
“There are twenty names on this list, June. The twelve in red either showed signs of physical violence or verbally threatened people or fey in a way that our helpers thought was more than an idle distrust of the fey. The yellow names made negative comments or refused fey-served food. Taylor, Caleb, and Connor also made a note of every person they saw eating.
“In all of Tenacity, the only people who didn’t show up were the ones on the supply run or those unable to get there by themselves. The fey and I went to check on the ones who didn’t make it and offered to hand-deliver tomorrow. Each person accepted with gratitude.”
“So the list is complete, then, after one day?”
“I think so. I’m still planning on serving tomorrow, but considering today’s volatility, I’m not sure we should try for a third day.”
“What did Mya and Matt have to say?”
“They’re both worried.”
“Do they want to keep going, though?”
“Both said it was up to you since you’re the one moving back. Matt’s worried one fey won’t be enough protection now, but he’s not sure two fey would go unnoticed. He’s very aware that we’ve taken an already powder-keg situation and turned it nuclear.”
I stared at nothing for a moment, considering carefully what I’d likely face, and shook my head.
“It will never get better until we make a stand. I don’t see any other way. Let Mya know that I’m packing my bag tonight. I’ll publicly approach Matt tomorrow about living in Tenacity.”
“He thought you might still want to go forward with the plan. He asked me to warn you to tread carefully.”
A sardonic smile tilted my lips.
“Treading carefully is the last thing we need me to do. I’m moving back to incite hate. Maybe I’ll be lucky and they strike the first day I’m back.”
“I’m not sure if that’d be luck,” she said, standing.
“Thanks for letting me know how it went. I’m glad it wasn’t all bad for the fey.”
“They loved the positive attention. And, for the most part, Matt kept the haters outside. Let me know if you have any other ideas like this,” she said. “Well, not like this exactly. But stuff to bring both communities together.”
After she left, my thoughts turned from the conflict between the two communities to the man who was remaking my world one day at a time. I glanced at the stairs, but Tor didn’t appear. My pulse fluttered at the idea that he was waiting for my return.
So many emotions raced through me. Worry that I was jumping in too quickly. Fear that something would happen to Tor because I was determined to move back to Tenacity. Excitement simply at the thought of Tor.
Slowly, I climbed the steps and tried to rein everything in. I hated the thought of putting Tor in danger, but I wasn’t foolish enough to think I could move back without protection. I also wasn’t foolish enough to think that Tor would ever agree to stay here.
When I reached the bedroom, I found Tor where I’d left him. He sat on the bed, looking down at his hands.
