Beware the beauty of the Fae... Anastasia's life has been altered without her consent. Dragged into a world she never wanted to know, where beauty and deceit are common bedfellows, Anastasia is slipping too fast into the arms of an unlikely Fae. How...
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"Food's here," Broch said, barely moving a muscle.
"Yeah," I replied, distracted by the tension vibrating tightly between us like a plucked chord.
His fingers swiftly squeezed my hip, impressively pulling my body even closer into his, but then he let go and moved to answer the door. Once he was out of the room, I finally exhaled and then noticed the money next to the fruit bowl. Taking it through to the hall, I handed it over to the delivery guy who was completely ignorant of the scene he'd just interrupted.
As I was getting the change, Broch started to unpack the bag onto the kitchen island. I grabbed plates and cutlery so we could dish up and then poured a couple of glasses of lemonade while Broch sorted the food. We worked silently. I wasn't sure how to break the ice after our recent encounter and I wasn't sure that Broch wanted to break it. Over the last day he'd been more than forthcoming when it came to information about the Fae, but we'd frequently come into close contact. Repeatedly, I'd found myself reaching out to him without meaning to and, I think, he'd been doing the same. However, pulling me close a moment ago had been the first time he'd acted so purposefully. I looked at him through my lashes and, as he knowingly caught my eye, his lips pulled into a mischievous smile.
Heat burned my cheeks, so I went through to the front room and retrieved the trays from the chest in the corner. Broch came through moments later with the food and we sat on the sofa. After agreeing to put the film back on, we started to eat and the silence became a little less intense.
Halfway through dinner, the doorbell rang again. I put down my food and opened the front door to find myself the object of Miranda's very intense gaze. She bustled through the open doorway and, as bells chimed, began a rather thorough examination of me. "Are you okay?" she asked eventually.
"Yes, I'm fine."
Gabriel appeared behind her and I smiled at him awkwardly. He stepped inside, covering his ears as the bells chimed once more. I led them through into the kitchen and they both stared wordlessly at the empty frame in the wall that once contained a window. I looked away from it and awkwardly rubbed my thumb against my palm. After a brief moment of silence, I lowered the cream blind as if this would make up for the lack of glass.
Miranda briefly examined the take-out containers in the plastic bag on the counter. "Is Kalen here?"
Surprise flitted across her face when Broch appeared in the doorway.
"No, he had to speak to his father about something," Broch replied, "I've been keeping an eye on Anastasia as she's had a couple of run-ins with the Unseelie today."
"A couple?" Miranda's eyebrow rose.
"Yes, I met one in Wepre Woods earlier and then two came to my house this afternoon. I'm okay though. I managed to look after myself and..."
Broch interrupted, "And she seems to be dealing with the stress remarkably well, but I thought I should stay to keep her company, just in case." I looked at Broch quickly, not understanding why he had cut me off.
Miranda seemed to slowly process the information and a look was shared between her and Gabriel that I didn't follow. Before I could inquire about it, Miranda asked if there was any food left that she and Gabriel could steal. I explained that there was still a little but that if they wanted more they could always order some as the delivery tonight seemed to be quicker than usual. Trying to ignore the memories that jumped to the surface of my mind as I spoke those words was impossible, and I couldn't help my eyes flicking towards Broch. He met my gaze with the echo of a conspiratorial smile on his lips. I looked away, momentarily embarrassed.
Gabriel pushed back the plastic carrier bag, examined the food through the translucent containers, and then folded back the paper wrapped around the chips. He ate a few and turned to Broch and then, after a pause, Miranda. "We might as well order some more if we're staying," he eventually said.
"Would that be okay Anastasia?" Miranda asked.
"Yeah of course," I said immediately - safety in numbers. Passing Miranda and Gabriel the menu, I led the way back through to the front room. We kept the film on pause when we sat back down as Miranda and Gabriel had to phone their order through. By the time their food arrived, Broch and I had finished eating so we headed through into the kitchen with them. Their food was plated and then Gabriel and Miranda sat down using our trays in the front room, while I started to wash up in the kitchen. Broch grabbed a tea towel from the radiator and started drying.
It was when I stood at the sink, half way through washing the second plate, that I noticed the blind again. It was gently tapping against the wall as the breeze came in, which wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the missing window. After watching it quietly for a moment, I turned to Broch, "I don't suppose you know anyone who does window replacements?" I asked with a smile. I meant it to come across as a light joke but even I could hear the dullness of my own voice.
"It'll be okay Anastasia, we'll get this all sorted."
"By the time Jenna gets back tomorrow? Somehow I doubt that," I replied with raised eyebrows.
"I know a couple of people that I can give a call about the window in the morning. That's one thing at least."
"Fae?"
A hint of amusement danced around Broch's mouth as he rolled his eyes, "Believe it or not, I don't actually know any fae window specialists, but I do know some humans that replace windows."
My cheeks felt the overly familiar heat again."Oh, I guess that makes sense."
"I shouldn't make fun of you about it, but there's not as many of us in the human world as you might think."
"I feel like there are fae everywhere I turn at the moment," I said, starting to wash the plate again and really scrubbing at some stubborn grease. Broch didn't respond to that, he just patiently waited for me to finish and then dried the plate. I was in the middle of washing up the cutlery when the doorbell rang for the millionth time.
"Could you get that?" I asked Broch, indicating at my bubble covered arms. He left the tea towel on the side and then went to answer the door as I dried my hands.
