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And yet, they hadn’t been able to keep her from getting those scars. Her powerful friends hadn’t lifted a finger to keep Cerri safe. The thought made me stiffen. My beast stirred and gnashed its sharp teeth. Claws dug into my insides.
“You’re upset with them,” Cerri said. Her voice was just loud enough to be heard between the two of us.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the two at the front of the café. They smiled up at each other like the rest of the world didn’t matter. Addie had a fistful of the man’s shirt so she could pull him closer.
“I am, too, but I know I don’t have any right.” Cerri crumpled the paper wrapper of her sandwich and tossed it into the paper bag.
“They could have donesomething.” My beast prepared for a pounce.
I dragged in a ragged breath and hauled the creature away from the surface.
“We all came into our power at different times,” Cerri explained, her hand going to the scars at her throat. Her gaze remained low, pointed at the table though I was sure her mind was elsewhere. “This happened before Addie or Vi truly realized their full potential. They did what they could to help, but it…”
“Wasn’t enough?” I supplied.
Cerri canted her head in disapproval. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
She stood and started packing up her things. She claimed that her shift was coming and that she would have to get ready, but I knew she just wanted to disappear behind a door that I couldn’t follow her through.
Feri offered to shadow her for me, but I told the little creature to stay with me for now. Cerri needed some space.
17
CERRI
Work went by surprisingly quickly. I kept waiting for the assassin, or Delphine as Rhoan called her, to show up. It seemed that she didn’t want to cause a scene in the middle of Audra’s café. Once again, Audra’s name kept us safe.
I loved my boss, but I wished I knew what she really was. Why did everyone in the community fear her so much? And why did she feel the need to protect us? I knew, on some level, that we were fate-defying people. She kept us safe so we could grow into our power and, perhaps, rival hers.
At the end of the day, I was hesitant to step out into the night. Walking home would put a big target on my back. Once again, I wished I knew how to do that nifty teleportation trick that Rhoan had. He called it walking in-between. No matter what I did, I couldn’t figure it out on my own.
Though…I’d only been halfheartedly trying during my shift. Every time I walked through the storeroom door, I thought about home—and then quickly worried what I would do if I teleported home and couldn’t get back. Would I have to run through the streets?
My hesitation likely stopped any real magic from happening. I would play with it when I got home. One way or another, I would make this work all on my own.
“Are you ready?” Rhoan asked out of nowhere.
I yelped and spun. Hand over my heart, I gave him an admonishing glare. He simply smiled and laughed.
“What? Jumpy today?” he asked.
Once again, I just gave him alook.
Rhoan paused. “Taliesin stopped Delphine from killing you. I don’t know why you’re still upset.”
I threw my hands in the air. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because she could be around any corner. Maybe it’s because I ran into a group of fairies that can’t even remember the Seelie Court’s existence. I also learned that Unseelie fae just come around and eat them like berries off a bush!”
“So, you got a taste of what it’s like to live as a Seelie in Beryl’s world?” Rhoan sauntered up to me. “How did it feel?”
I stiffened, irritated. “The same as every other day of my life.”
When Rhoan leaned in with that smug look on his face, I had to stifle the urge to smack it off.
“Well, then you should have been sympathetic to their plight from the start. Do you need help getting that stick out of your ass, princess? Bend over for me.”
My lip curled. I wanted to yell and shout and tell him what an awful person he was being. The problem was that he was right. I couldn’t outright admit that, so I tore my gaze away from his.
Rhoan stayed close. He kept one hand on the door, holding it shut so I couldn’t escape. Now would be a good time for my fae magic to kick in. It’d be really nice if I could walk in-between right about now. Instead, I held my ground.
