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“I think I will text,” she sighed. “I don’t think I can deal with listening to everything I’m sure she’ll want to say to me. I want to put that off for as long as I can.”
I snickered. “Where is this boarding house?” I asked.
She told me how to get there from where we were parked. We gathered our clothes and got dressed.
I lowered the window and informed the driver—who was respectfully standing far away from the vehicle to give us our privacy—that we were ready to leave.
I lowered the partition when he got into the car and informed him where we were going. The SUV began to move.
“Do you still have the car with you?” I asked.
She paused and blushed furiously, shaking her head. “No. It broke down just outside of Anderlane, and that’s where I met Shay. She’s the friend who helped me.”
I cast her a sidelong look, and she exhaled shakily. “I’m sorry about taking the car, Cade. I wasn’t thinking straight. I suddenly couldn’t breathe, and I couldn’t bear the idea of making you marry me when I thought you loved Stralia.”
I sighed, sliding into my pants. “What’s mine is yours. I don’t care about the car, Zephy.”
“I know.”
I took a closer look at her in her work uniform, and I cringed at the sight of it. I wished I’d thought to bring her clothing, but I assumed she had something to wear where she stayed.
Zephy caught my look and smirked. “You’re worried about what others will think when I arrive like this?”
“I was worried about you,” I retorted sharply. “I don’t care if you’re dressed in a paper bag.”
Her face softened immediately, and she reached out to stroke my cheek. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I overreacted to what I heard.”
“I understand why you did,” I reassured her. “But we’re putting an end to this nonsense, once and for all, yes?”
She nodded in agreement, but after another moment, her brow furrowed again.
“How did you find me? I was gone so long that I was sure you weren’t even looking anymore.”
I didn’t want to think about Sandor and the payment for which he had not yet asked. He was another matter I would have to deal with when we got back.
“We’ll discuss payment after you’ve located your betrothed, Alpha,” was all the warlock had said when I tried to give him money.
“Never mind that,” I told her firmly, not wanting to cause her undue stress. “Let’s just get you back to Ironhelm Place so we can marry.”
Zephy’s mouth parted as if she wanted to ask another question but thought better of it and nodded instead.
“All right,” she agreed. “I’ll stop and say goodbye to Shay, and we will go home and get married right away.”
* * *
Zephy recommendedthat I wait in the SUV, but I was interested in seeing where she had been staying over the past two weeks, and I opted to enter the house with her.
The place was charming in an unremarkable kind of way, with two floors and a wraparound porch. Two faeries sat out front, smoking out of pipes, and paid no mind to Zephy or me as we strolled up the walk. One of them did a double take when she saw me and nudged the other. But by the time her friend paid attention, we were inside, Zephy steering me toward the back of the house.
“I hope she’s home,” Zephy murmured, more to herself than me. “I wouldn’t want to just leave her a note after the kindness she showed me.”
“We can come back after we’re married and thank her properly if that’s the case,” I suggested, but when Zephy stopped before a closed door and knocked, it opened immediately, and we encountered a freckled face.
She paled when she saw me. “Alpha!” she gasped, bowing formally.
“You don’t need to do that,” Zephy muttered, looking embarrassed.
Her eyes darted toward Zephy. “You brought him here?” Shay asked accusingly, keeping the taut smile on her face.
