Her gaze snapped to the clock—almost 7 a.m. Gael had been gone for a little over an hour. He wouldn’t be back yet. Had Bryn run, or pulled something nasty? There were things Beth didn’t understand about magik’s darker underbelly, threads of power and politics too tangled for her to follow.
She didn’t even know how to reach him. None of the elves she knew used phones like normal people unless it was for work. Was that a cultural thing? Or something more? Did they have another way of communicating? Something ancient and quiet and untraceable? But then, why did he tell her to call Elara?
Beth sighed, long and low. Waiting was hideous.
At some point, exhaustion dragged her under. She must’ve dozed off because the next thing she heard was movement in the kitchen, the soft clatter of something shifting.
Someone was in the house.
Gael.
Beth jolted upright and ran to the kitchen, heart thudding like a drumbeat in her ears, only to find Ann standing there, barefoot and rumpled, staring down at the coffee maker like it had personally offended her. Her friend turned with a sheepish look. “I’m so sorry I woke you up. Again. I was just trying to make coffee.”
“It’s okay, no worries,” Beth said, sighing as the adrenaline drained from her system. She stepped closer, eyes scanning her friend. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” Ann said with a small smile. “The headache’s still hanging on, but it’s nothing a Tylenol won’t fix.”
“Sit. Let me finish up.”
Ann obeyed without protest, settling at the table with a soft sigh. Beth frowned slightly. Ann never surrendered control of the coffee. The fact that she did now was telling. Beth moved around finishing the coffee and pouring two mugs on autopilot. She slid one across the table toward Ann and took a seat opposite her. “Do you remember anything from last night?” she asked gently.
Ann took a slow sip, brows drawn together. “I was going home from walking Ms. Jonas’ dogs. She’s out of town visiting her sister in Portland. It was late, yeah, but I’ve done it before.” Another sip. “It was dark, and... it’s so frustrating. My memories are all... faded. Like they were smudged.”
Beth hesitated, but the question had to be asked. “Do you remember seeing anyone while you were out?”
Ann’s frown deepened. “I saw Miriam Caldwell. She was heading home and waved at me. And... I think I passed that elf you mentioned? Bryn?” Her expression tightened in concentration. “We nodded at each other, I think? After that, it’s all just a blur. Why did you just make that face?”
Beth’s hands closed the cup in a tight grip before she even realized it, but her voice was steady when she answered. “Because Gael believes Bryn used magic on you. That he took you to the forest.”
Ann’s eyes widened, and something shifted behind them. Old memories surfaced like smoke from a long-buried fire. Terror flickered in her expression, not fresh, but remembered. Lived. She swallowed hard. “I’m not hurt,” she said quietly. “Not like that.” She took another sip of coffee before adding, almost too low to hear, “I would know.”
Beth reached out instinctively, her hand halfway to Ann’s, but stopped short. She didn’t know if Ann would welcome touch right now. So she wrapped her hands around her mug instead, holding it like an anchor. “Gael thinks something spooked him,”she said. “Or maybe that was as far as he wanted to go. Scare us. Show us how easy it would be too.... Yeah...”
Ann’s lips twisted, dark understanding in her eyes. “With males like him, anything is possible.” She inhaled, deeper this time, clearly forcing herself back from the edge of whatever that thought had stirred. “Where is that elf of yours now?”
“Hunting Bryn.”
“I always liked him,” Ann said, her tone lighter. “Knew he was one of the good ones.”
“Elara and Aryon are probably with him.”
“I hope they kick his sorry elven ass when they find him.”
Oh, Gael might do something more than kick Bryn’s ass, alright. Something final. Something unforgivable, even if it was deserved. “I need to go open the pub,” she said, standing. “I don’t think the twins will show up today.”
She collected the empty mugs and set them in the sink.
“You’re welcome to stay here or come with me,” she added. “Or, y’know, do anything you want, so long as you’rereallyokay. And if you’re not, I’m taking you to Melisandre.”
“I’m alright, Mom,” Ann said with a weak laugh, getting to her feet. She pulled Beth into a hug, arms tight. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Any time.”
“I think I’ll just go home and take it easy for today.”
“Give me twenty minutes to get ready, and I’ll drive you.”
Ann raised a brow. “Youalwayswalk to work.”
