“So where are the fairy ones?” he asked hesitantly, finally breaching what he knew I’d been hiding… And sort of the elephant in the room or issue between us. Not just because of what his family used to do, but simply a vampire’s reaction to fairy blood.
“There’s a lot I can’t let you read,” I warned. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t let Craftsman either. I don’t know enough to know what’s always safe to share, so it’s mostly best to be careful. That’s what I’ve read over and over again.”
He glanced around and slowly nodded. “That’s fair. I’m not your mate. I want to know more mostly to know you and try to help. I don’t want any secrets between us either, but that’s fair, and I accept that.”
Good, because I wouldn’t budge on it either.
“You’re gonna have to add this to your tat as only a few people know. Even Izzy doesn’t,” I informed him as I walked back out of the library… Much to his surprise. He assumed I had one shelf hidden in plain sight or something.
I had, but I’d long since grown out of that.
After working with Natalie’s uncle, and with Katrina Calloway’s help, I had added to the Townsend estate I had inherited. Namely, a few secret rooms to store all of the vast everything fae, and from Faerie, I had been buying up. Most of it seemed legit in the way it was sold… But sometimes I got vibes that things didn’t belong where they were.
I had the first one after I’d won the Power Playoffs and found a fae artifact in the Artemis vaults. I still didn’t know what it did or who put it there, but I knew it shouldn’t have been there. I’d found others, and I knew my powers weren’t always honed as much as I would like.
I wouldn’t keep getting hurt or in trouble if they were.
So I got what I could, when I could. I had the money and was making gobs more. Especially now that I was making more investments in the human world and the constant expanding with the hobgoblins. The co-op was thrilled when I let it slip I was reclaiming fae belongings in the supe world and started working even harder to help.
Clearly that was the right path then.
But the rooms were hidden on the far side of the estate, along the outer wall, so they weren’t all that noticeable if anyone tried to compare the layout with the blueprints. They’d have to really look, or know the house, to find them. Plus, they went into the basement. It gave me a lot of extra room in a smart way.
And the crews who had done it had been fine with Calloway taking the memory of it. They knew it was important and wanted to stay out of it. I appreciated it and gave them a very handsome bonus.
“Agra, you’re running out of house to take me to,” Darby muttered as he glanced around.
“Which is why I had an addition put on,” I chuckled, moving a side table to reveal a very small biometrics reader. I put my thumb on it, used to the small prick as it took my print and blood. It was some combo of human tech and magic, so it was extra hard to bypass.
“Holy fuck me,” he whispered as the hidden door no one could see with the naked eye opened.
I nodded and flipped on the lights, leading him into the first of the connected rooms that had all the locked up artifacts I’d gotten so far. I waved him to keep coming when he stopped to ask questions.
It was better to let him see it all and then ask the list he would have.
Next, was the room with all the fairy and fae weapons. Then the books I had gotten through—or enough for the moment—and organized. From there, we went downstairs to the three rooms that had crates more of books I hadn’t even gotten to, lots in Faerie.
“So this is part of what I hid from you,” I said as I turned around to him, gesturing to the crazy. “And I’m sorry for that. I never said that, and I should have because you deserve a girlfriend who doesn’t lie to you. I hope you can forgive me.”
I hadn’t realized until that moment, but I had needed to say that. Whether it was understandable or not, I needed to be forgive by him for hiding all of this when we loved each other.
I didn’t have to wait long for him to pass judgment. I blinked and he was kissing me, passionately and in a way that healed my soul.
“I would forgive you anything you did to protect yourself, agra. Always.”
“I love you, Darby, so much,” I rasped and hugged him, tears of relief overflowing my eyes.
No more secrets between us besides the ones I had to keep to protect my people.
23
The next morning, I got up early since I was used to my normal schedule. I headed for the kitchen in nothing but Darby’s t-shirt since… It seemed like a goofy girlfriend thing to do when we had the house to ourselves, and we didn’t normally get that luxury. Or at school with Izzy.
Opening the fridge, I found tons of options for us. It was ridiculous to the point there was a huge container of pancakes all we had to do was zap in the microwave. I appreciated it all, but it was over the top.
The only way the hobgoblins knew how to be.
“Shirt thief,” Darby accused, his voice scratchy and deeper than normal from sleep.
I opened my mouth to
