“Huh, we never considered that,” Mel agreed, going back to the topic of the coffee as she handed a large mug to her dad.
But my gaze was still on Neldor. No, something was off there. He’d had answers and judgements on everything, but now he was just letting something go.
His eyes found mine, and he gave a slight nod as if confirming my suspicions. I flipped on my telepathy.
“All fairies cannot handle spices. Not at all and thus, can be used against us. It’s a rune we learn to automatically place on ourselves when we leave Faerie so we’re protected. Our palates are considerably more sensitive than human’s or supe’s, which is why we cannot tolerate their spices, caffeines, or their alcohols. We have runes to help with all of them. I will teach you and we will come up with an excuse.”
I swallowed loudly, looking away so we didn’t caught. “I’m sorry. I didn’t tell about the alcohols, though Mel probably knows I have no tolerance, or it hits me funnier than other supes who can handle it better. She would never tell. The caffeine I confirmed with the others, so they protect me from it. I have been drugged, so the doc made the fairy stuff to make me vomit if anyone tries it again.”
“Yes, and I do want to speak with him and make sure it is the right stuff, as what some supes have figured out to helps us isn’t always correct. I’m sure you’ve figured that out as well. But do not worry on this. The hobgoblins were right, and you did do the best you could under terrible circumstances. I angered at someone telling secrets to outsiders, but that was not your situation.”
Again, not an apology, and I didn’t answer to him, but it was… A truce? Acknowledgment of understanding?
Fuck if I really knew.
I tried to help but Craftsman shooed me away, bringing me a loaded up tray with several huge purple roses. And even I knew the color meant love at first sight.
Neldor snorted as he walked by, taking a seat and reaching for a plate.
“Touch the food I made for her and the people of this house that treat her with respect, and you will see why I’m already a professor at the best university we have and got my doctorate in runes as young as I did, you git,” Julian threatened. “I’m sure there’s something you can defrost from the hobgoblins or scrounge up in the pantry, not that you’ve thanked her for all the money she’s spent feeding you already.”
That made me realize something else. Neldor was freshly showered and changed. “Where did you get those clothes?”
“We’re about the same size,” Darby answered, gesturing from himself to Lucca.
I couldn’t even hide my shock. “You know he wants me to drop you, basically ordered me to, and you’re still helping him?”
“Yes, because he would be more of a dick to you if I didn’t. I can give him a pass for this weekend on how he treats me because being magically frozen for twenty years is more than I can fathom, but if he upsets you again, we’re going to have a problem.”
“You’re a nicer person than I am.” I snorted, shaking my head and cutting into my breakfast.
“I’m not. You’re sweet to everyone and let him stay too,” he reminded me. “You just hit your limit, so let’s keep today happy and on that, a delivery of fresh fae fruit came since you’re home this weekend instead of going back to school.”
“How do they… Irma.”
“Yes, I would assume Irma told one of the sanctuaries you were here and not in good spirits as they sent a lot. Also for the dogs, and a lot of treats.”
“I do like treats,” I teased.
Who didn’t?
If I was petty I would have found it amusing that we were all eating a hot and awesome breakfast while Neldor ate cereal and muffins from the hobgoblins… But honestly, I found it sad. He really couldn’t say thank you or apologize for being a dick? He was so petty and shallow that it was beyond him?
How disappointing.
Still, I enjoyed my meal and then, while Mel talked with her dad and Darby and Lucca cleaned up, I went out to the garage with Craftsman and Neldor. I had another chat with Chief, and he agreed to go for a run with the pack while we called other packs over so we could handle what we needed to.
Craftsman was able to do some sort of hybrid of what I did with opening temp portals, using the now permanent portal I had in the garage and opening a temp portal on the other side to where the dogs were, which he knew by linking up with me. That was as much as I understood from it, and he was wise enough to not try and push me any further with getting into all the semantics.
Something that annoyed Neldor, which was stupid to me. I was a year into all of this. I didn’t grow up with it. What was the point of confusing me? Keeping things simple was always best, whether in school or training, and then building on it was what worked. That was how solid foundations were made.
Duh.
We met with the packs sworn to me first, and Pikachu, the Alpha of the pack guarding the haven with the bakery and most of the women we’d rescued, had really only one main question. I couldn’t even hold in my laugh.
“No, no, you do not answer to him. No, he does not speak for me,” I ordered firmly. “Only—”
“Wait, I should—” Neldor started to object.
I shot him a look cold enough he actually shut up. “I have known you less than a day. I
