Crossing Boundaries

Chapter 25

Arrowan

I had thought I was starting to figure Luin out – he was a proper kind of person who only let his guard down if he was with people he trusted deeply, and the fewer, the better. Large crowds made him hide behind manners and primness, which made it all the more special when the two of us were alone and he became blushing, pliant, and easy to fluster. The way he opened up when it was just us was endearing and special, and it made me feel like we were growing much closer.

Then he found out about our plans to confront the Unseelie and I saw a whole new side of him, one I never imagined could exist. He lashed out emotionally in front of other people and for the rest of the day, he had trouble putting his mask back on. At first, I wondered whether I had just missed this side of his personality, or maybe whether I had misjudged him entirely. As the evening carried on and we told him more and more about what we were planning, though, I started to understand. The emotional outburst wasn't something I had missed or misjudged. In fact, Luin seemed just as surprised by his reactions to things as I was. This was new, and I thought it had to be because of me. Missing me, feeling neglected by me, feeling worried about me. It was all understandable.

And since Luin had let himself relax tonight, I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him against my side. We were still all sitting around the dining room table. Leftovers had been put away and we nursed our various drinks while we chatted and looked over maps, looking for an oceanside clifftop where we could stage my fake death.

Luin looked a little surprised, but then he smiled and laid his head on my shoulder. The bond between us trembled and swelled a bit more, and I couldn't help kissing the top of his head.

"You guys are just the cutest!" Safiya crowed. Luin tried to pull away, but I didn't let him, so he buried his face against my arm. Of course, Safiya couldn't let it drop there. "Aww! See? Glenna, don't you want that?"

As the conversation moved off of us and onto Glenna – Safiya had been trying to talk her into letting Fen activate her bond – Luin emerged from my shirt and looked up at me with laughing, chagrined eyes. "You okay?" I asked, since no one was paying attention to us at the moment and he'd had a long day.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Worried, but okay."

"This is going to work," I said. "I really believe that or I wouldn't be doing it."

"I trust you," Luin said, and I thought I could feel that trust like a warmth through our bond. It was growing more and more sensitive.

We let the conversation wash around us – Glenna wanted to find love for herself the old-fashioned way and Safiya thought she was crazy. Roderick was refusing to take sides, which led to Safiya saying, "What, you're taking her side? Are you saying you didn't want to find your soul mate?"

Safiya was obviously joking, and Roderick's eyes glinted with amusement. "No, sweetheart, I'm so glad you found me."

I realized I had gotten so distracted with planning and with the company that I had totally forgotten this was the day Fen and Lachlan were supposed to meet up with someone from that school. "Have you heard from Fen yet?" I asked.

Safiya perked up and tuned back into our conversation, watching Luin expectantly. When he shook his head "no," she pouted.

"That man needs to get a phone," she complained.

"I don't have a phone either," I pointed out. "There's no need for one, really."

"If you had a phone, you could handle your own appointment scheduling instead of having it all go through us," Safiya pointed out.