To Kill a Fae - A Fantasy Romance

Chapter 12

Sabine opened her eyes to stare at a familiar ceiling. She had no recollection of how she'd ended up back in her old room at the tavern. A scraping noise caught her attention, and she turned her head.

Esmelle glanced up from where she was weaving herbs on a new drying rack. "Oh, good. You're finally awake. We were starting to get worried."

Sabine frowned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "How long was I out?"

"Almost a full day," Esmelle said cheerfully, putting the small portable rack to the side. "You got up once or twice, but you were pretty out of it. I'm not surprised you don't remember. Bane and Dax have been nuisances, refusing to let anyone near you."

"Except you," Sabine guessed, wondering what sort of problems had emerged with both demons together in the same space. It was probably too much to hope they'd resolved their issues, but at least they hadn't killed each other yet. She should probably be grateful for such small favors.

Esmelle grinned and picked up a pot of tea from the table. She poured a cup and said, "Mm-hmm. I told them they'd have to deal with you if they tried to keep me away. I swear, they're the two scariest people in this city and they're terrified of you."

Sabine yawned and stretched. "If they knew what was good for them, they'd be more scared of you. One little waggle of your fingers and you'd turn them into toads or hang them from a tree by their horns."

Esme laughed and handed her the cup. Sabine sniffed at it, but it was a simple combination of complementary herbs. She took a sip. "This is pretty good. Blossom gathered more mint for you?"

Esmelle nodded. "She did. I think she's worried about you."

Sabine lifted her head to meet Esmelle's gaze. "How so?"

Esmelle put her hand on her hip, tilting her head and causing a red curl to fall across her forehead. She brushed it aside absently. "Something about the moon disappearing? A magical explosion that brought another family of pixies to my garden? She had a fit and said she was going to track you down if you didn't show up soon."

Sabine squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. Blossom was probably beside herself at being unable to communicate with her. If Blossom knew the other pixie clan, it was unlikely their arrival heralded good news. The other option was even worse. If her magical workings had drawn the attention of an unrelated clan, that meant the ripple effects of her power had scattered far beyond the boundaries of Akros. Pixies flocked to any powerful source of magic, and she'd essentially hung out a welcome mat announcing her presence to anyone in the vicinity.

"On another note," Esmelle said, "that ship captain came in to check on you a few times. I thought Dax or Bane were going to kill him, but they seem to have reached an uneasy truce of sorts. I talked to him a little bit while we were waiting for you to wake up. I wasn't sure about him at first, but I can see why you're interested in him."

Sabine frowned and looked down at her arms, but her glamour was back in place. She had a vague recollection of Malek kissing her and Dax and Bane telling her to release the glamour. She must have reapplied it one of the times she'd woken up, but she knew Malek had been there when she'd lowered it. She just didn't remember his reaction.

Taking another sip of her tea, she said, "Malek saw through my glamour. Did he say anything?"

Esmelle shook her head. "No, but he didn't have to say a word. Sabine, a man doesn't face down two angry demons and a witch so he can check on a woman five times in less than a day unless he really likes her. From the sparks you two were putting off the other day in the garden, I'd say it goes both ways. To hell with your glamour. I'd say he likes you in any form he can get you. I just want you to be careful. You... you don't know him very well yet."